Day 36: Varna, Bulgaria - The Incredible Disappearing Pants

Varna is near the Black Sea.

Having seen the Black Sea from Istanbul, I decided it was about time I stepped foot into it. So I did, from the shores of Varna in Bulgaria. Apparently Varna is a hotspot for European tourism during summer months, due to its beaches and, more importantly, its beach side location in an area otherwise devoid of beaches. To say that it was swarmed with tourists would be an understatement. But whatever, it was fun.

I arrived at about 5:30 AM, nice and groggy from yet another overnight bus ride. Somehow my bus dropped me off within 50 meters of my hostel, but it still took me about 20 minutes to find it. After checking in, I awakened the two girls in my room and then promptly fell asleep. Upon waking up, I wanted nothing more than to just lie on the beach and forget about pretty much everything. Luckily, Varna was able to provide just such an opportunity.

The Black Sea is much less salty than oceans, and other seas for that matter, a fact confirmed by not only tasting the water, but also the increased effort I had to expend in trying to stay afloat. After lying aimlessly for four hours, I decided it was time to partake in the timeless Eastern European tradition of beer drinking. There was a bar about a footstep off the beach, but I knew that would probably be the most expensive bar in all of Bulgaria. Nevertheless, it was right there, and so inviting. I asked the bartender for the price of one beer and was told that a half liter was 2.50 leva, or roughly $1.75. In what will become a reoccurring theme, I discovered that Bulgaria is very cheap.

More beaches.

Of course, just as I hit the cheap part of my trip, I found myself losing money in the form of theft. Some pickpocket managed to open my backpack while it was on my back and stole off with, wait for it, a pair of pants. The collection of forces required for this to occur was quite incredible. Obviously I don't usually have my pants in my backpack. I'm usually wearing them. It just so happened that they were in my bag because I was wearing my swimming trunks and had stuffed my pants in my bag for safekeeping. I even thought to myself that I should probably put my pants back on, but decided against it because I didn't want everyone to watch me put on my pants at the bus stop. Either on my bus, or on my walk back to my hostel, they were stolen off my back. Passport OK. Bank cards OK. Camera OK. Just another good story.

When vacationers are done with Varna's beaches, they hit its city. Bulgaria, and probably the rest of Europe, does a very good job with creating pedestrian only streets. Varna's in particular is quite vibrant because it caters to mobs of tourists ready to spend money. 

Public square in Varna.

That night, I discovered that not only is Bulgaria very cheap, it's also very hearty. There is no such thing as a light meal. In fact, food is measured by the kilogram. That's right. In restaurant menus, all items also indicate how many kilograms it is. Having absolutely no understanding of just how much a kilogram of food is, I ordered about a half kilo of "hunter's kidney stew" for around $3.00, and sat down for dinner with an Austrian named Bruno (note, all Austrians should be named Bruno). It was delicious and stuffed me to the point of bursting. I washed it down with three 80 cent beers, and then 250 grams of gelato. About $7 later, I called it a night.