Wotae: 25.05.2024
This morning we set off without breakfast too. The landlady told me last night that there would be no breakfast in the morning due to private commitments. This was no problem for me as I was able to start early. Shortly before 7 a.m. I was already on my bike and riding towards Silistra. After about 18 km I passed a bakery and got myself some breakfast. There was "pizza" and cheese rolls, with coffee. From the bakery it was less than 2 km to the Romanian border. It was easy to cross this border. A bored border guard looked briefly at my ID card and then I was allowed to enter. There wasn't even a barrier, just a small pylon. And suddenly I was in Romania, the last country on my tour. From now on Constanza (or Constanta) is signposted on road signs every 500 m. But I will continue to follow the Danube and only go to Constanza at the very end.
The paths were very easy to ride today. Some of them were completely resurfaced and there was very little traffic. I finally met some bikepackers again, one of them a Romanian who was doing a week-long tour from Tulcea via Bucharest, Ruse and Constanza and back. He was equipped with pepper spray and a baton to fight dogs. But he said you just have to be quiet and they won't do anything. I'm not so sure about that. I also met a Belgian couple who also started in Donaueschingen 6 years ago and then rode a stage every year.
After about 70km, the headwind started again and since I had to climb a few meters in altitude again today, I ended today's tour after 95km and checked in at "Alex Casa". The hotel is in a very quiet location and is especially popular with anglers and hunters. I'm currently sitting on the hotel's own jetty and listening to an audio book!