Hotel Ahilea Balchik

... founded 1964 (biennial)

... again I upped poles and polyester and overloaded the creaking cro-moly-mileage meanderer to further my trip southwards toward Turkey.

Soon after leaving the camp I encountered only my second and third long-distance-travelling cyclists. Dread locked, on tiny bikes with huge rucksacks attached painfully to their backs, Thorsten and Elise had been hitch-hiking around Europe since July. They had tired of the cars, motorways and petrol stations and changed their mode of ...

... station. It was voted best town to live in Bulgaria twice.

Varna has a maritime sea garden which hosts many attractions including a dolphinarium, open air theatre and ballet centre. It is a major university town with 5 higher centres including a Naval Academy

The last king of Bulgaria, King Simeon, in 2001 became PM after spending 50 years in exile in Spain. He is no longer in power.

Real Estate has really boomed in ...

I met Albena last Christmas, she is married to Rick Harper a Washington National Guard Soldier and contractor at Fort Lewis. They had had moved from Virgina, and Albena was not yet working and had not met many people.

She grew up in the beautiful coastal city of Varna Bulgaria, and all her family was still ...

A very nice place and quiet resort, is ideal target for family with kids, food and drinks very cheap and the people are friendly. About the security reasons I saw all the time the officers from Security companies -armed- and Police patrols on the street, here you need just to choose the proper location and enjoy the time.

... br>In addition to the miles and miles of beach, Varna is a charming little city with a few other things going for it, like a huge park that runs along much of the beach, with a planetarium, a dolphinarium, and some stages for local performances. We stumbled on one of these performances, mostly high school aged children in traditional costumes doing some dancing and singing. Priceless.

There are natural hot springs that come out to meet the Black Sea, so there are ...

... us all out at 9.30 to go and drink on the beach together.

We really haven't seen anything in Varna just sat on the beaches during the day and drunk at night time. We have in the end enjoyed our time here in Varna just there aren't many stories to tell or write about, it was just like hanging out with our mates from home. We didn't even manage to take a single photo.

To Istanbul we go.

... years ago) and we would have to go around. We found our way to the other side of the landslide and then asked for more directions ... we were on the right track ... just up that way. Our third enquiry had us just up the hill, turn right, then left, then right where we finally found it but the sign was written in Cyrillic lettering. We checked in to the old but comfortable multi storey hotel, complete with pool and ...

... to various locations and countries that need an extra bit of security. Here in the foto one can be seen working at the Botanical Gardens in Balckik, Bulgaria. \his job is to stop the squirrels from pinching all the nuts off the oak trees. He looks very happy about it.

... and chocolate before being driven past the gypsy camp (failed to get a foto here) Went for dinner with Damyan's sister and her family at a traditional Bulgarian stlye restaurant. Damyan's sister's husband works as a Chief Engineer onboard a vessel that is due to arrive in Melbourne around December. The evening was nice and warm (for me) so We decided to walk back to the flat as we had eaten so much and drunk some Bulgarian vodka.