Epilogue

The last day in Bucharest.
8 August 2017
The last day of my last tours was marked by the whims of metaphysical forces. Let's see how it was this time! First I watched the European athletic championship on TV. It is interesting that it's relatively easy to understand sports commentators in either Romanian or Bulgarian. It's more or less just the numbers and names of the performers - if you know the words for the numbers, you practically understand everything. Then I bought yoghurt and wrapping foil at the supermarket to pack a bike. I also changed a few more euros. Then I rode across Bucharest and ate a pizza in the air-conditioned restaurant. After this, as usual, I ran out of ideas and I rode early to the airport. Before that, I took a piece of cardboard in Lidl supermarket and put it on the rear rack. Before the airport, I stop at a hotel and had a beer. From the hotel, I went to the airport and laid on the ground, because there was not a single chair in the whole terminal where a man could rest his old bones. What a disaster! The Romanian democrats have taken away the last human right: to sit on the chair freely. Chairs are available only in restaurants, where consumption is ten times more expensive than in Bucharest. I estimated that it was better to go back to the hotel, then to lie here and waist money for expensive drinks from the machines. But on the way back, when I looked at the sidewalk by the road, I noticed – WHAT? My little, yellow backpack!!! At the airport I did not even notice I lost it! The cardboard from Lidl had loosened the tension of the elastic cord and the backpack slid off the rack. And God knows what would happen if I did not return from the airport. So this is what metaphysical forces served me this time! Now I finally uncovered them: the way back from the airport was in fact the trip along my universe trail. For a short time, I was a privileged traveler from the fifth dimension!


And a little cycling summary
Dates: 25.7.2017 to 6.8.2017
Route: Bucharest – Pitesti - Curtea de Arges – Fagaras – Brasov – Buzau – Slobozia – Constanta – Varna – Topola - Novi Pazar – Ruse – Bucharest.
Totals:
1347 km cycled.
12 days of cycling.
73h 34 min on the bicycle.
8125 m of ascent.
Maximum speed: 55 km/h.
Maximum gradient: 12%.
Maximum temperature: 46 deg C.
Minimum temperature: 9 deg C.
1 fall (in a tunnel).
3 punctures.
1 tire changed (on the first day).
11859 cars passed me.
2 (wild) campings.
10 nights in hotels.
169 words of Romanian used.

Per day:
Average distance: 112 km.
Longest day 150 km.
Shortest day 79 km.
5 h 45 min on the bike.
601 m of ascent.
Overall average speed: 19.3 km/h.
Spent 29 eur per day.


3 comments:

  1. I enjoyed reading this unusual narrative for your tour. It as refreshingly different.

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  2. Thanks for the favorable comment. Fan group of the "Big Picture for Little Money" has now grown to two persons: me and you.

    ReplyDelete
  3. make that three

    ReplyDelete