Cruising the Danube from the Black Sea to the North Sea
April-May 2023: Day 9

Varna, Bulgaria and the Black Sea

Introduction

Overnight our cruise ship had sailed further down the Danube to the old town of Silistra in Bulgaria. From here we boarded coaches to drive to Varna on the Black Sea. We passed through miles of agricultural land planted in crops, mostly wheat. At Varna we visited the museum and then walked through the town to a promenade that overlooked the Black Sea - and yes in that light it did look black. We had lunch at Mr Baba's, a "pirate ship" restaurant on the beach - a bit squashed especially when the dancers performed between the tables. There was time to dip a toe into the Black Sea before heading back to our ship. After reboarding, the ship turned around and sailed north, upstream towards the town of Rousse and the real start of our Danube cruise.

Varna and the Black Sea

Early morning moon over the Danube	River craft	The road out of Silistra
		"Commie Condos" in Silistra
	The road to Varna is not in the best condition
		The green tree is actually bottles at the plastic recycling plant
We stopped at this service station for food and bathrooms	Fuel	Food
Soft toys	Motor oil at NZD20. Vodka at NZD15, Scotch at NZD60. I wonder if they have a drink-drive problem?	Buying the Bruschette chips at the checkout
	Entering Varna and the traffic builds up.
The Varna Museum		Jewish Memorial
	Our tour guide talking tot he locals
In the pedestrian mall the dolphin is the mascot of Varna. Note the ice cream in the backgound
		Glimpse of the Black Sea
Varna Beach	Is is cold?	Yes!
Unimpressed bystanders.	Our pirate shiip lunch venue
	Even Varna has ruined Roman baths	Petrol at LEV2.63 or about NZD 2.40 or €1.35. At about this date petrol in NZ was NZD2.35 per litre.
		Traffic jam getting out of Varna.
More of the Black Sea		And finally arriving back on board the Scenic Jade.

Back to previous day------------- Forward to next day

Return to Trip Index

Last updated: 30 May 2023