27 Lemonade - Pampa - Metropolis

Friday, 31st August 2018

Route: Danube Cycle Path 5 (Greci - Tulcea)

Kilometers ridden: 91

Highlight of the day: Arrival in Tulcea

We started quite early in the morning. Our landlord was still asleep, but as we were about to leave, he appeared at the door and gave us some more of his fruit. He also offered us some of his homemade lemonade, which I gladly took with me, a whole liter even. It tasted very intense and fruity, but delicious. Then we said goodbye.

First, we drove back to the main road and followed it to the next bigger town. We bought something for breakfast in a small shop. It was complicated because it was not a self-service shop and the salespeople and we didn't understand each other at all. But we managed. In the town, we turned right and no longer followed the main route, which would have led us through Braila and Galati. It went directly through the mountains to Garvan, so there were some inclines, but manageable. Also, it was calm today.

In the next town beyond Garvan, we stopped again and took a break at an EU-funded war memorial. Because there was a small park with trees and benches, and we had breakfast there. Then we continued. Originally, we wanted to take a lunch break in Isaccea, where we sat down in a restaurant and ordered something to eat. But they didn't have any food because it was a coffee shop. Then Julius wanted to order a Coke, but somehow she didn't have that either. We also didn't understand what the waitress was trying to say, so we just left. There was a grocery store next to it, so we went inside. But once inside, we realized that neither of us was really hungry. So we just bought something to drink and kept going until Tulcea.

We went through a few towns that were all already better and newer. The roads were also in better condition. You could tell that you were no longer in the middle of nowhere but rather that a big city was not far away. Once we passed a boy who shouted something at us. Unfortunately, I didn't understand him, but Julius said he had asked in English where we were from and if we were doing well. But I really didn't understand.

Then we arrived in Tulcea. We took some photos at the city sign before driving all the way in. There is a lot of industry in Tulcea, and it is quite western-oriented. Everything is very modern for Romania. We passed a small lake with a park near the train station and from there, we found the Danube. But we didn't ride along the Danube promenade, but rather through the city and looked for our hotel. We had reserved at Hotel Delta 4. We went to the reception and said we had a reservation for Stork. No, they don't have a reservation. At first, we were confused until it turned out that we were in Hotel Delta 3. Apparently, it depends on the stars. We didn't know that. Hotel Delta 4 was right in the next building, and some of them were even built together.

There we checked in and asked the guy at the reception for a room for our bikes. He then said we could store our luggage with him, and if we had a car, we should tell him the license plate number. We said we had bicycles, but once again he didn't understand us. Finally, we just brought our luggage to him, and he wanted to lock it up, but we declined. Only when we brought our bikes, did he understand, and we were able to lock the bikes. Then we settled into our room. It was a very nice and big room, even with a balcony overlooking the Danube, which flowed right past and made a turn. After making phone calls, showering, and chilling, we went downstairs and walked along the Danube promenade for a while. There is currently a festival going on there, which is why there were lots of stalls and a big stage set up. We bought some things. Later, we sat down at a restaurant on the promenade, ate burgers, and chose boat tours for the Delta for the next day. Many excursion boats were docked along the Danube, offering such tours, but our hotel also offered such a trip. We decided to take the one from our hotel. In the evening, we sat on our balcony with a glass of Romanian wine and chips and had a cozy evening.