The Black Sea

Wow: updating the map makes us look really close to Istanbul. Bulgaria so far has been a pleasure; the weather has improved, road surfaces are good and rooms are cheap enough that we haven't needed to camp in a while. All the trappings of eastern Europe are still here- litter, feral dogs, vivid domestic animal roadkill and potholes you could get lost in, but it seems somehow easier to deal with... maybe we're just aclimatising.

We have had to cope with a few hills, but that was expected as we deviated from the Danube and took the shortcut to Varna, which is a cracking place. The road out of Varna was an uncomfortable experience; who knew the rural coast road was the longest redlight district in Europe? We're guessing, not being experts. We have also found ourselves to be local celebrities after doing a roadside interview for BTV news about our trip. An incredible two people have now recognised us! Hopefully this is the correct link so you can see the interview online: http://www.btv.bg/videos/?video_id=21306&section_id=1.

We are presently about halfway down the Bulgarian Black Sea coast at Nesebar, right next door to Sunny Beach, hub of Bulgaria's less attractive tourist infrastructure. The sandy beaches are gorgeous, but it's equally amazing to drift through overdeveloped resort towns that are all but dead this side of the season. If this were the UK in the temperatures we've had, the beaches would be crammed with bodies; we've got the place to ourselves.