SOFIA

I was more tired than anything when I woke up on the beach the day after the party. A young mother and her kids walked by and gave me funny looks. A sandy mess of dirty-blonde hair poking out of my sleeping bag.

The Black Sea was refreshing, and gave me a good waking up. It was a shallow beach, and I found myself hanging out with a group of brits, playing catch with a rugby ball in the calm waste-deep water. We’d bumped into them at the top of the Transfagarasan. They were a fun bunch - nine guys rolling in a caravan of three cars.

We relaxed, took in some sun, and hit the road around midday. Most teams were heading further east, but we decided to backtrack and head southwest into Bulgaria. Our Bulgarian classmate Boryana was in Sofia for the summer and we wanted to pay her a visit. I took over driving from Johannes once we crossed the border, and Derick continued to sleep in the back seat. The drive was great, a pleasant cruise through pastoral Bulgaria - rolling hills and sweeping vistas. We caught a great sunset from the road and drove on into the night. 

It was another late arrival. Big surprise. Boryana had plans for us to go out and check out the night life, but after an all night beach party and a day of driving, we were tuckered out and ready for bed.

The next day the four of us walked the streets of Bulgaria's capital. Boryana grew up in Sliven, but went to university in Sofia, and knew the city well. She was a most excellent tour guide and enriched our urban hike with history and culture. Through graffiti-lined streets, from bleak Eastern Bloc apartment complexes to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral - we had a wonderful time with Boryana, and it was great to see her in her native environment. 

Our visit with Boryana was short but sweet, and that evening we set out for Istanbul, and our eleventh country - Turkey...