Constanta, Romania - August 2, 2019

We’ve completed our cross-Europe trek.

The day started relatively early, with my alarm ringing out at seven o’clock.

We knew that there was about 120 kilometers in front of us; it was important to just pace it out and soak it up.

We stopped in several small towns for food and cold drinks along the way. I particularly appreciated the scenery on this last day. Several times we climbed, then plunged into agricultural fields. I love this kind of riding.

The most difficult, and unnerving, part of the day was certainly our cycle into Constanta. We had to ride on the inside of a shoulderless, two-lane highway for about twenty kilometers. At one point, we abandoned the road to ride on a grassy path along side of it. As we entered the more urban area, the vehicles slowed down enough to make it feel safe back on the pavement.

The Romanian government should certainly consider supporting bicycles entering Constanta.

We officially ended the trip at the abandoned Constanta Casino on the Black Sea Coast. The view was breathtaking. I had fun posing for several pictures.

We ordered a bottle of champagne and ate dinner right on the water, soaking up the special moment. I fired off a few messages to friends and family.

Big trips end with little fanfare. It’s mostly a fun secret to hold.

I’m looking forward to a couple more weeks in Europe. It’s likely that I’ll, at some near-future date, continue south from Constanta into Turkey and Iran. It seems reasonable to cycle across Asia to the Pacific.

My eyes are also on a 750 mile pilgrimage hike in Japan. It’ll be fun thinking about what next summer will bring.

I want to thank both Kelley and Isaac for being such wonderful human beings. I’ll forever remember this time together.

Update (August 3): I purchased my Batavus bicycle for 210€ in Paris last summer. I took it, by train, to the Atlantic Coast of France and pedaled it all the way across Europe over the last two summers (I was lucky enough to store it at Hostel Ruthensteiner in Vienna over the winter).

Today, I sold her for 85€ at a Hara Bike, a local shop here in Constanta. As you would imagine, I’m a little sad about it, but hope that there will be many more adventures for her. My Brooks saddle will be brought back to the States along with my German bike pump "Joy".

Update (August 9 - 10): Wanting to visit Christian and Cat in the Netherlands, I flew from Bucharest to London with no problem.

Getting through customs at London Luton was a real test in patience due to the fact that there was flooding in the airport. Huge backups ensued. Many were agitated, including myself.

I soldiered on, and worked my way through security, only to find out over dinner that my flight to Amsterdam was canceled.

I headed downstairs to get my previously checked bike pannier (which took time), then headed up to the Vueling Airlines checkin desk.

Nobody from Vueling was there, but a bunch of passengers whose flights had been canceled were.

I found out that I was rescheduled for a flight leaving two days later. Uninterested in waiting that long, I started talking to a couple female travelers who were rescheduled in the morning to backtrack to Barcelona, Spain, then north to Amsterdam. I decided to give that a shot. It would mean that I would have to leave London Luton Airport for London Gatwick Airport.

With the girls, I purchased a bus ticket for London Victoria Train Station. Seats were booked, so we waited for two hours for the arrival of our bus. The ride was forty-five minutes.

After arriving at London Victoria, train tickets were purchased for London Gatwick Airport. This ride amounted to another forty-five minutes.

Our group arrived at Gatwick and found not a soul at the Vueling desk. We took a break in a rest area at approximately five o’clock in the morning. I blew up my pad and pillow, pulled out my sleeping bag and slept for about ninety minutes.

At six thirty, I checked with the airline and they directed me to a help desk where I was able to get the booking for Barcelona to Amsterdam. Small miracle.

The flight to Barcelona left nearly three hours late which later promoted a full-blown sprint though the airport to the connecting gate. The heat in Spain was breaking records and, quite frankly, my mind.

After arriving in Amsterdam, our group worked our way through with little problems. We said goodbye near the train station.

Having missed Christian and Cat, due to my coming in twenty-one hours late, I purchased a train ticket to Meppel - a place near where a birthday celebration was happening for Cat’s father.

I compose this mini adventure on the train. Travel isn’t always like this.

Dervent Monastery, Romania - August 1, 2019

We slept in this morning, knowing that we had a rest day in front of us.

After a leisurely breakfast, we cycled down to the ferry landing just before it was about to leave. We quickly paid and rolled aboard. This will be our last time crossing the Danube. It flows north as we break off east to Constanta and the Black Sea.

Tomorrow, our plan is to ride the final 120 kilometers to Constanta. Road markers are now counting down the kilometers.

It’s hard to believe that I’ve nearly pedaled a bicycle across the entire continent on Europe.

Will next summer begin at Constanta and end in eastern Turkey?

In late afternoon, we stopped by the Dervent Monastery. We found our way to the dining room and asked a monk about our staying the night. He indicated that we could, then motioned for us to sit down for a vegetarian meal. The food was delicious.

After we moved the bicycles inside, we were shown our upstairs room and where the bathroom was located. All of this the monks provided free of charge.

This trip has been, in many ways, a spiritual experience. It made perfect sense for it to end this way.

After cleaning up, I wandered the monastery grounds, getting a feel for the space. The monks have a large garden (food) and many cords of wood stacked. A new central church is under construction. Flowers abound amongst thoughtfully chosen trees. The place certainly has charm.

Tomorrow will be an early morning with more cycling than we usually take on. I can’t wait.

Cãlãrasi, Romania - July 31, 2019

We started off the morning locked in the building. How thoughtful of our hosts.

Finding an open window in the kitchen area, we used chairs to pass easily through. Luckily, the outside gate was open.

We could count on Cafe Angel, so we went back for breakfast. The kitchen didn’t serve until ten o’clock, so we chatted and drank coffee until the chef arrived. We ordered and ate.

Afterwards, we purchased fruits, vegetables and some pastries at the Penny Market, hitting the road immediately after.

The heat was on and the trucks were many. Most gave ample space, but, man, some people are in an unnecessary rush.

We found Pensiune La Andrei in Cãlãrasi and took a room in a separate building. The air conditioning unit was a big upgrade over the experience the previous night. Showers were taken and we headed out the door to Ruta 66, a restaurant packed with Americana and mellow beats. Dinner and beverages were enjoyed.

After finishing, a stroll around Cãlãrasi was enjoyed by all. The youth were occupied racing their cars around the darkened streets. A few slowed to check out the foreigners.

We went to sleep late.

Oltenita, Romania - July 30, 2019

I slept in this morning. The body needed it.

After eating in town, we didn’t leave Giurgiu until after the noon hour. Kelley found his tire flat at the restaurant, prompting a tube change before we set out.

Isaac sought out a bike shop in town, leaving while Kelley worked on his tire. He purchased his own pump as well as an extra patch kit and tube for me. I will be forever grateful. We all reconnected later in the day.

Leaving Giurgiu, there was a stretch of highway, bound for Bucharest, that presented a challenge. The shoulder was decent, but the feeling of big rig trucks rattling by is always a little jarring. I’ve never been able to completely get over that uneasy feeling when a "big boy" comes up from behind.

The cycling mellowed immediately after exiting the major thoroughfare. We had just a few minor climbs and the temperature wasn’t an issue. Fields of corn and sunflowers were the rule.

Again, we had to stop at little grocery stores for food and water. This is working okay, but I do miss having a nice midday meal. Maybe tomorrow...

Just ten kilometers out of town, Kelley’s front tire started going flat again. We stopped by the roadside while he changed the tube. A small metal shard was pulled from the rubber. After the work, the tire held.

Cycling into Oltenita, we navigated to a pension. They didn’t have any rooms on the premises, but after a broken conversation, and a call from the niece of the proprietor, we were led down the street to a building with several rooms. A host of men were staying in the building already.

To be honest, the accommodations were a little shabby, but considering the time of night, we paid for the beds and cycled to up the street for dinner.

On a trip like this, it’s important to be grateful for any service offered.

Note: There are no EuroVelo 6 signs in Romania. We’re using our maps and road signs exclusively and haven’t had a problem so far.

Giurgiu, Romania - July 29, 2019

This morning, we woke up to pouring rain, lightening and a superb breakfast at Edelweiss Guesthouse.

We cycled about twenty kilometers into Zimnicea. Taking it slow in the city, we tried to spot a barber shop. No luck.

On the way out of town, a man caught my attention asking if he could help (he probably noticed us going in circles). I asked about a barber, and he led us directly to an out-of-the-way shop. On the way, he offered a cigarette and promised to feed us at his place later in the day. We gracefully refused both, but thanked him for the gesture.

It would have been nice to take him up on the meal, but we had sixty kilometers to go to Giurgiu, the most likely place for our evening accommodation.

With flat roads, cloud cover and the fresh smell that rain brings, the cycling was easy today. We couldn’t find a restaurant in the small towns we passed through, so we bought food items at a grocery store and ate them in the parking lot.

The Romanian people are so giving. One older woman flagged me down while I was cycling past to offer plums from her tree. I couldn’t refuse. Sweet!

We pulled into Giurgiu at around six o’clock and Googled places to stay. Our first choice was Pensiune Perla. At first, they looked closed, but a woman came out and promptly showed us a room with interesting decor. We took it.

Dinner was had at Restaurant La Gigi. We were the only patrons there.

The beds at Pensiune Perla were hard, but quite comfortable. This was probably due to the eighty kilometers we cycled today.

Suhaia, Romania - July 28, 2019

Romania! We begin the final summer chapter...

Our morning started with a nice breakfast at Gold Hotel. We were the only people in the dining room.

After inquiring about the ferry times to Romania, the receptionist indicated that the boat ran when cars filled the lot. That being said, we coasted down the hill to get in line.

We waited for about an hour in the ferry holding lane. Isaac patched a tube and Kelley and I went to a small grocery store for food for all of us. We went through border security on both sides of the river, paying just 1.5€ to cross.

Once on the Romanian side, we changed out currency for Lue, grabbed a few groceries and hit the road.

The wind was welcome today, cooling the temperatures but slowing us down a touch. Isaac’s rear tire had a slow leak, prompting several stops to inflate it. This issue set the stage for an interesting encounter later in the afternoon.

In Lisa, a large group of men slowly gathered after Isaac removed his tire from the wheel rim. Three men took over, bringing a patch kit and pump. Several of us inspected the inner and outer parts of the tire, looking for the foreign object. Two men patched his existing tube, seated the tire on the rim and aired it. They then tested the entire wheel in water to see if it was leaking. Before leaving, we bought the guys a couple of beers and a Coke.

The Romanian people are so very thoughtful.

In the town of Suhaia, Kelley noticed the Edelweiss Guesthouse for travelers. It was after six o’clock and we decided to stay the night. This turned out to be an amazing experience. The brother of the owner gave us the basic history of Romania while we were served a traditional tomato soup and grilled meat. Current and past politics were discussed.

We celebrated his forty-fourth birthday with a little champagne. A French cycling couple joined us. They had been all through South America on their bicycles and, I could tell, were full of life. Fresh cut watermelon was offered as a desert.

Could we have asked for a more interesting, and enlightening, first day in Romania?