Day 13) Get those windows down and cruise

Route: Bucharest-Ruse-Varna

The farewell from Bucharest was easy for me; I didn't like this city at all. The farewell from Joe, the black Englishman, was much harder for me. With his insane cheerfulness and unwavering optimism, he really grew on me. He really wants to visit Switzerland and promises to get in touch with me when the time comes. I also invited him to my wedding, if it ever happens. (For him, it's clear that it will happen, after all his favorite phrase is 'It's gonna be alright, bro'). I am glad to have made a new great friendship.

At the train station in Bucharest, a surprise followed. I was looking for the train to Sofia, but there was only one car with a locomotive on the platform. But that was actually the train to Sofia, by the way the only train that leaves Bucharest towards Bulgaria. The car was quite old, but the seats looked pretty new. The predominant language in the train was English; 90% of the passengers seemed to be backpackers. That is quite logical; trains in the Balkans (but also in Ireland, for example) are slower and more expensive than buses. The train stopped for 45 minutes in Giurgiu, because of passport control. During the controls, I met Hyemin. A Korean who has been traveling through Europe for 3 years. She has been learning German for 4 months and is already good enough to converse with me. I have great respect for her. She wanted to change trains in Ruse to Varna.

In Ruse, we finally met the Mexican backpacker Ivsem. We almost missed the train because of additional passport controls, but fortunately the train waited on the instructions of the border guard.

The train journey from Ruse to Varna was fantastic. The three of us occupied a compartment in that old (German) carriage, opened a window and enjoyed the passing landscape of the Balkan Mountains. The landscape is simply incredibly beautiful. Meanwhile, Hyemin told me about Varna (it's her third visit there) and her travels through Europe and countries like Moldova or Ukraine. She has practically seen everything in Europe; from Chernobyl to Auschwitz. She is 32 and used to work in Korea before she got bored with it. Now she travels through Europe and when she runs out of money, she works in a hostel for a few months.

Shortly before 8 p.m., after an eight-hour drive, we arrived in Varna. We decided to meet at the beach tomorrow and went our separate ways.

Then came the first culture shock. Cyrillic is actually written in Bulgaria. I had dinner for only 6 Bulgarian Leva (~1 Swiss Franc) in a restaurant (after ordering some random product with pictures; experience from China) and then took the bus to my hostel, which is halfway between Varna and the legendary Golden Sands. During the ride, I made acquaintance with an older German mother who is here on vacation with her son. She told me about her nephew's travels (from Shanghai to Hanover by train) and told me where the most beautiful beaches are here. I finally arrived at the X-Party Hostel at 10 p.m. I am currently the only guest at this famous hostel. Lorenzo, one of the two staff members, informed me: The branch in Alicante is famous, not every branch. But the hostel makes a good impression and the three of us watched a movie and had a beer together. Varna seems to be great.