During the last week, the heatwave that is currently striking Europe seemed to have reached Blagoevgrad. Temperatures well over 30 degrees made every walk feel like a marathon. When the air conditioner in our office, previously the only shelter from the heat, broke on Thursday, we decided that enough was enough – this weekend, we were going to the beach!
On Saturday the 29th of July 7:00 am, we unwillingly rolled out of bed to start our journey to Burgas. We decided to hitchhike – the very first time for me. I was nervous, but also intrigued. Would hitchhiking really be as easy and uncomplicated as my friends told me? Well, it was a rewarding experience for sure. On our way through Bulgaria, we met nice people and had a lots of great conversations. However, by the time we reached Burgas, it was already evening. Exhausted but happy we went for a walk on the beach. The sun went down just when we reached the coast, offering us a spectacular first impression of the black sea – A truly magical moment!
The next day was dedicated to relaxing at the beach. We spent our time talking, sleeping and swimming in the sea. While me and my friends were really happy to stay at the beach all day, Valentin and some others seemed to be in the mood for further adventures and decided to hitchhike to Varna. I personally felt that I had hitchhiked enough for one weekend – after a nice evening with our host for the night, a delicious breakfast and a stroll around the city the next day I took the bus back to Blagoevgrad, where I arrived in the evening.
The trip to Burgas was an adventure for sure. We had a nice time at the beach, while hitchhiking there and staying with acquaintances enabled us to get to know new people and to have interesting conversations (and saved us a lot of money, of course). At the same time, travelling this way is certainly different from your usual beach vacation. And while not knowing who you will meet or where you are going to next certainly has its appeals, I learned that I prefer a healthy balance between planning and adventure.
Apart from that knowledge, I took a lot of beautiful memories and a respectable sunburn back from Burgas. I am already looking forward to my next journey – This time maybe to a less sunny place.
Lena
