As soon as we revved up our bikes and got onto the road, small pellets of water started spitting on our hands, and soon the asphalt became wet and dark. The 2-hour ride to Varna of around 130 km (80.7 miles) was going to be rough.
This Post is part of 15-day motorbike ride from Lebanon to Bulgaria across Turkey and back. Use the links at the end of the post for more insights about this adventure, the challenges and achievements
As our departure that day was already late, we rode non-stop until we reached the center of Varna, and although the road conditions were excellent, the rain made it an unpleasant ride. The weather had let us down. Originally, the plan was to stay for more than one day in Varna and the Golden Sands to take advantage of the beach and the sun. We’d been on the road for the last six days and had been looking forward to treating ourselves to some booze and sunshine but the temperature was barely hitting 15°C (59°F). The sun was completely obscured by thick, dark clouds, and according to the weather forecast, it was going to get worse. So, we found ourselves an all-inclusive hotel deal at the Bona Vita Hotel to at least enjoy the food. We ate and then explored the party zone by the beach at night, settling at a bar hosting a live band playing some AC/DC songs. We had a couple of drinks and went to our rooms.
Should we stay or should we go?
Discussing our options over the buffet breakfast at the hotel next day, we knew that by staying in Varna, or anywhere in Bulgaria for that matter, we risked getting held up and delayed by the storm that was imminent. The wisest decision was to leave Bulgaria and return to Turkey. At that point we had no idea where in Turkey to go, and after examining the road options, we decided to return by a different road and avoid Istanbul. Decision made!
We’d crossed the Bosphorus on our way here, so why not trying crossing the Dardanelle on the way back? That sounded like a crazy idea…but doable! With a ride of around 600 km (372.8 miles) that would take about eight hours, we had to get going! We set Eceabat as the destination on our map.
Facing intermittent rain from the Golden Sands to Burgas, we tried to reduce the number of stops until we’d left Bulgaria behind. Finding an alternative border crossing on the map in the middle of a forest, we immediately decided to go off the beaten track. Through valleys and over mountains, we rode the serpentine road, enjoying every twist and turn, leaning left and right like two leaves floating in the current of a stream, and at an average speed of 70 km/hr (43.4 miles/hr). All of this made it easier to let go of the lost Bulgarian promise.
This border crossing was quite different from the main crossing at Edirne that we’d taken before. I believe it’s called Malko Tarnovo at the Bulgarian border and Aziziye Sinir Kapisi from the Turkish side. In between lies a no-man’s-land that stretches for just less than a kilometer. Luckily, this crossing was much quieter than the other, and with shorter waiting lines. Exiting Bulgaria to Turkey was much faster than the previous border crossing.
The highlight of our ride to Eceabat was reaching a top speed of 170 km/hr (105.6 miles/hr) on the fastest section of the Babaeski Yolo/highway that stretched straight for almost 40 km(24.8 miles) (speed was not our objective; it was simply that we couldn’t resist the adrenaline rush—as a reaction to our recent betrayal by the weather in Bulgaria).
Reaching Eceabat at around 7 pm, we booked into the first hotel we stumbled upon—the Grand Eceabat Hotel. Truth be told, it wasn’t grand at all, but more like a cheap motel we used just to pass the night. It would serve its purpose, for in the morning we’d be taking the ferry across the Dardanelle.
Read the whole adventure, day by day. Click on the links below
- TAKING THE FERRY BOAT FROM TRIPOLI, LEBANON TO MERSIN, TURKEY
- THE ROAD IS OURS: DESTINATION CAPPADOCIA
- UP AND ABOVE CAPPADOCIA
- THE ROAD TO ANKARA
- CROWDED ISTANBUL
- FROM WHEAT FIELDS TO SUNFLOWERS AT THE BULGARIAN BORDERS
- A PROMISE IS A CLOUD; FULFILLMENT IS RAIN
- WEATHERED IN VARNA
- LONG ROAD TO A SECLUDED BEACH HOTEL
- THANK YOU BODRUM FOR THE BREAK!
- THE BEACH IS CALLING! MARMARIS
- ON THE ROAD AGAIN
- BACK TO SQUARE ONE
- HOW DID IT ALL START?
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