After our little trip to visit the Rila Monastery, it was time to make the first post-quarantine weekend getaway. On this occasion we decided to go to Burgas, on the Black Sea coast, to continue enjoying the good weather near the sea. Although swimming on the beaches is not yet allowed, as a measure to prevent the spread of the Covid-19, it was enough for us to change the scenery. In my case, the mere idea of seeing the sea thrilled me, since I come from an island and it had been almost 3 months without seeing it.

This time we made the journey by train, about four hours of travel that became very pleasant because it is a very comfortable kind of transport, which also, given the situation, was practically empty. I especially enjoyed the experience because again, living on an island, where distances are shorter, there are no trains, so it is something different for me.

As soon as you get off the train, you realize that you are close to the sea. Not only because of the sound of the seagulls (which is very remarkable), but also because the atmosphere you breathe is different. Although the weather was cloudy that afternoon, after settling into the hostel we took a walk through the city center, ending at the seaside. Actually, the fog around the beach gave the landscape a ghostly look that made it even more interesting. We found a terrace, which complied with all the safety and hygiene measures required by the current situation, in which we enjoyed a dinner overlooking the sea.

The next day the weather was good again (actually very hot), and we finished touring the place, strolling through the pedestrian streets, the avenue, and the port. We tried to rent some bicycles, as Burgas is a bike-friendly city, but we didn’t succeed because the system is really complicated and the establishments to acquire a card with which to rent them don’t work during the weekend, at least at this time. In any case, all the people we asked about were very willing to help us.

After resting a bit at the hostel, we went out for dinner and what was our surprise that we met two other volunteers that are living in Sofia! Bea from Spain and Hugo from Portugal, they had the same idea as us, to spend the weekend on the coast. So they joined us and we all had a good time together, dining and chatting.

We returned to Kazanlak the next day, on Sunday, again by train. This time the trip lasted 3 hours as it was the quick option. We arrived home at sunset, again tired, but already thinking about our next adventure.

Marta Valverde

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