8/19 Monday
Our
bus to Pomorie leaves at nine, so we get up not too early and catch the metro
to the station. The ride is on a big highway the whole route. The landscape is
flat, open fields of corn and sunflowers. The bright yellow sunflowers we saw
as we rode into Macedonia have gone all brown and dry by now. The driver stops
at a rest stop, a huge parking lot in the middle of nothing, with some
port-a-potties and some farmers selling fruits. We buy a couple of big, juicy
peaches.
Lena,
our host, is vacationing in the US, so her mom comes to the bus station for us.
This time, we’re on the alert for someone looking for us, so we make no mistake
as she approaches me and asks my name. Natalye doesn’t speak much English, but
we communicate well enough. Our apartment is on the 5th floor, no
elevator. The first time up is tough, with our packs, but otherwise it’s not as
bad as it sounds. The apartment is small but complete. We have a balcony and a
spiral staircase to a roomy bedroom. Natalye shows us all the kitchenware, pots
and dishcloths and espresso maker, since Bob has requested a fully functioning
kitchen for all our salad making needs.
We
are actually just a few short blocks from the waterfront and the pedestrian
zone. Pomorie is like a thumb peninsula sticking out in the sea, so it’s ringed
with waterfront. On one side, it’s a harbor full of small fishing boats, with a
promenade all along the water. On the northern side, it’s all sandy beaches,
divided by long jetties. This stretches on for a good 8 kilometers.
We
take a stroll along the center pedestrian area. The city is so much like a
Jersey Shore beach town, it feels familiar to us. There are souvenir shops and ice
cream stands everywhere. A regional treat is corn on the cob, or corn nibblets
in a bowl, and there are several corn booths on the way.
As
we walk along, we hear an ungodly screaming noise, like some kind of giant
jungle parrot. It’s a little boy, walking along holding his mother’s dress,
shrieking at the top of his wee lungs. Not far from him, another boy has thrown
himself onto the cobblestones, rolling and crying. A third boy is making a
mighty effort to resist his stroller, kicking his shoes into the street and
performing the dreaded Arching Back maneuver. This town is hugely popular with
families. Apparently every visitor comes with a three-year-old, and we are at
the time of day for multiple major meltdowns.
We
scout around for a spot for dinner. Along the waterfront, there are little
take-away shacks, with people lined up waiting to order standing in front of
all of them. Once you pick up your order, there are picnic tables along the
walkway. They serve up little plates of fried fish or meats. The fried gobies,
a kind of anchovy, is the thing to get, as everyone has a plateful. We can’t
really figure out how the menus and ordering works, everyone seems to be just
standing and waiting, so we go to a more organized restaurant where they have
table service. We get a table in the shade, and order a grilled fish and some
octopus salad, with Bulgarian beer. It’s all very fresh and tasty and really
affordable.
1 Video Included
Bus Sofia to Pomorie
No comments:
Post a Comment