30 Last kilometers - Black Sea - Station conversations

Monday, 9/3/2018

Route: Danube Cycle Path 5 (Baia-Constanta)

Kilometers driven: 79

Highlight of the day: fast progress, still got train tickets, the sea, NM license plates seen, saw Swiss people, food

The day started quite early with breakfast downstairs at the reception in Baja. Then the receptionist unlocked the door to the bicycle shed and off we went at 9. It wasn't as hot as usual, a gentle wind refreshed us. And it was going well. We were really fast. Once again we cycled through endless landscapes, we also saw wind turbines. There were larger and smaller lakes again and very gentle inclines. At some point we came to a large industrial area, I think there was even a refinery. And in between, there were more lakes. Then the roads got wider and there was a lot of traffic. For about 20km, we cycled through industrial areas.

We didn't take a real break all day. The industrial areas seamlessly turned into rows of hotels. Because to our left was already the Black Sea, which we didn't really see until Mamaia, because there were lots of hotels built in two rows on the one kilometer between the road and the sea. To the right, however, was a large lake. So the road and hotels were on a land bridge about 2 km wide. So we definitely cycled another 6 km to Constanta. There was a huge cable car there that takes you to the beach. It's all geared towards beach tourism, there were old and new hotels and modern roads and even separate bike paths in Mamaia. Mamaia seamlessly turned into Constanta, the only difference was that there were no bike paths in Constanta. Instead, the road was 3 lanes in each direction, so we could easily cycle on the road. But there was a lot of traffic. In Constanta, we saw the Black Sea properly for the first time, it seemed darker to me than other seas ;) .

We decided to go straight to the train station and buy train tickets before looking for accommodation. It was a nightmare for me to drive through the city. There were multi-lane roads everywhere, lots of traffic, there were traffic lights that were somehow missing and you just had to know that you had to stop here,... Someone honked their horn constantly and we didn't know why. At some point, I got really worked up and when we were at the train station, I was done with the world.

At the train station, the first thing I looked for was the restroom. That's funny: you pay 1.50€ to a bathroom attendant sitting there, and she gives you toilet paper. Then I went to the ticket counter. Unfortunately, there was a very unpleasant woman sitting there. We couldn't speak to her directly, there was a glass wall between us and we had to communicate via microphone and speaker. As a result, we could hardly understand each other. And I didn't understand her English at all. Then she got even more annoyed because I didn't understand her and took a very long time to get paper and a pen to write something down for me. She wrote down some times, totally annoyed. I pointed to one, but with bicycles. Yes, that doesn't work, bike ticket is sold out. And bike tickets for the previous day are also sold out. Then I just left again. But I was done with my nerves.

Julius then said it would be fine. Then I watched the bikes and he stood in line at another counter. Unfortunately, the woman there couldn't speak English, but there was someone behind him who could, and she translated. The lady behind this counter said that there were no bike tickets, but we should just take the train at 1:00 p.m., and she sold us tickets for that. Now we weren't quite sure what was right, because when I was at the counter, a guy came up to Julius and wanted to sell him tickets and bike tickets for that day, which he wanted to get rid of. But we needed them for Wednesday.

Then we went to our accommodation, which was more of a guesthouse, because it was a privately run accommodation in a residential building near the beach with about 6 rooms. From the street (right behind the beach and elevated), there was a fantastic view of the beach, very beautiful! Just as we arrived at the guesthouse, a boy, about 18 years old, walked in front of us. He held the door open for us, but inside we didn't find a reception or anything. So we stood around for 5 minutes looking stupid until the boy came back and checked us in. He was probably the son of the owners. He showed us everything and our room was really nice.

After freshening up a bit, we went out again, walking along the main street with a sea view, then down to the beach. We strolled along there. The Black Sea is really beautiful! Everywhere beautiful sandy beach with countless shells. At the end of the beach, just before the marina with its many restaurants, we went back up towards the old town. There are a few sights, such as an Ovid statue, the art museum, a mosque where you could go up to the minaret,... But I honestly didn't dare go up to the minaret, because we simply don't know how to behave in a mosque and we don't understand the language either. Instead, we visited a new basilica and next to it, the excavations of the old one. In this Orthodox church, there were many paintings again, lots of gold everywhere, so it was beautiful. But we didn't stay long because a church service was about to start. Instead, we sat in a bar called Racing Bar on the main square and enjoyed a couple of cool drinks. All the dishes there had car names!

Then we continued strolling through the city. It was noticeable that there were many old, stately buildings that weren't being maintained. In some cases, a cardboard replaced the window pane. On the other hand, there are also areas, buildings that are completely new and beautiful or renovated. Everything there is geared towards tourism. In the old town itself, there are numerous restaurants, cafes, and bars. At the other end of the old town, we saw the sea again. There was the freight port. The whole port area was in top condition, along the promenade there were many small houses where you could sit and enjoy the view. Next to them was the Old Casino, which was probably the biggest attraction a few years ago. It still looks very impressive from a distance, but up close it's quite run-down. Today it's also empty. We walked back along the beach.

Later we went to the old town for dinner. We had pizza and burgers, and later a dessert. Towards the end, we saw the Swiss people passing by. At first, I only saw them but didn't recognize them. Then I saw him, and his face is quite distinctive. But it took me a moment to figure it out. But by the time I realized it, the two of them were gone. That annoyed me a bit, that they didn't notice me and my waving. When we were done, we walked in the direction where they had disappeared but we couldn't find them again. They were probably already at their accommodation. We bought chips and wine from a store and enjoyed them in the room. Once again, I fell asleep right away.