On our last day in Romania, two lovely dogs came to visit us. They trusted us so much that we could easily remove the grains stuck in their wounds, and we could even carry the smaller dog around. Sadly, that evening ended up costing us our pot. At least we didn’t need to clean off the oil we had used for frying. We found a similar pot in the next town, as well as fresh food for dogs and cats.
Bulgaria was right next to this town, on the opposite side of a huge river. The Danube. We headed straight for an old Roman fortress that felt like a miniature Pompeii in Bulgaria. Later, we crossed the surrounding mountain range, which was challenging. Since we wanted to rest by a spring in the forest, we accepted the direct route that our navigation system suggested. It took us along small forest trails up the mountain. The final section was narrow and steep with loose rocks and gravel. It was too difficult to stop and take pictures. We were just happy to have ground clearance and smaller dimensions than a truck. Our reward for this adventure was finding the perfect place to rest in the middle of nowhere. We had planned to shower that evening, and this turned out to be the perfect place to do so. Our old shower bag would be used only one time and then never again. It will break the next time we fill it up.
Despite the fact that it was a paved road, the last few kilometers up the mountain were an entirely different experience. We realized afterwards that it was a closed road that hadn’t been maintained in years, maybe even decades. Nature had taken over, and driving on it gave you that exact feeling. Back in the relatively flatlands, we reached the seaside and our next destination.
In Türkiye, we headed straight for Istanbul. This city lies on two continents and is impossible to pass by when traveling around the Black Sea. After spending the night near the historic center, we took a short walk to see a few popular sights. Later that day, after navigating several stressful traffic jams, we switched continents via the Eurasia Tunnel, only to encounter more traffic on the other side. We still have most of this beautiful land ahead of us.
Those days were exhausting. We finally spent two nights in a hidden, small bay of the Black Sea. There, we had time to bake sourdough bread over a campfire for the first time. Thanks to our prior research, we planned this experiment better and allowed enough time. We were really proud because the bread was completely edible, without any coal on it.
Our first stop for Turkish bread ended in an unplanned meet-up. A man who spoke excellent German invited us for tea. We ended up having a whole meal and chose to spend the night there. We learned a lot about his culture and Sufism. The next day, we showed him how to make the bread he knew from Germany. He had already offered to help us get the correct parts to fix the minor issues with our car. Here, “solving” means repairing the Turkish way, not replacing parts like they would in Germany. However, we feel much more comfortable with this solution. After another dinner, we left happy and pleased with these new experiences and, of course, having gotten to know such a nice, supportive person.
We soon reached the seaside again. From now on, we just need to follow the highway east. One special detail about this road is that it runs alongside the coast. It’s mostly directly attached to the sea, offering a beautiful view. While camping close to a beach, we met a Polish hitchhiker with probably the most German name one could have: Konrad Altmann. He spent the evening with us, and the next day, we drove him several hundred kilometers along our shared route. He has been traveling for years and told us some of his crazy stories. We found it interesting that he currently travels without money or a phone. We wish him all the best on his upcoming adventures! After a short visit to the Sülema monastery and a planning session for the upcoming weeks, we reached the country we had wanted to visit again: Georgia.
