On the way to Kaisersdorf when I looked for protection from the rain I met a couple cycling from Bratislava to Crotia
In Hungary on a campsite were Laszlo and ? , two openminded Hungarians who enjoy that place nearly weekly and ? and Charlotte from Belgium who came there cycling from Vienna to Croatia.
In Romania it was Ruth and Gordon from Canada who do cycling trips in Europa nearly every year. I was sitting in a “pub” when they stopped to say hello. Gordon is already retired, and Ruth takes half a year off every 2,5 years. They also had been cycling in Thailand or Laos.
For a short while I drove along with 4 young Polish cyclists on their way to Odesssa.
In the hostel Chi Burgas, Bulgaria), of course, I met a lot of people, like the young couple from Freiburg, doing a bus trip and having had attended the Walddorfschule or the family from Taiwan that rushes through Europe and Julia wanted to pin her son on to me to make him active.
There was a Polish couple bike travelling to Turkey and then back to Odessa. With on Solar trailer and another for their dog. They were looking really professional and you at the same time could imagine them in normal jobs leading a inconspicuous life.
I was talking (no, more listening) to a Romanian guy, who gave up everything, including a good IT-job to go travelling, then, working in a hostel, fell in love to a Japanese traveller and now they go together to India or elsewhere, including a cat they found somewhere. He additionally is inspired by some new age esoterics….
There was the Finish guy who was eager to explain that he is from the Pentecostal church and for sure he would have talked a lot about Jesus and his father, but I was fast enough to make such a talk impossible…
Then Mattis from Riga talked to me about so many countries, like Cyprus, Turkey, Russia…
On Tuesday, a guy from Belgium came in. He quit his job as car mechanics, rent his apartment out to his sister and has the plan to reach China and/or Singapore or going around the globe, depending on how long his money will last
There is Sara(h) the 4y old daughter of the owners of Chi. She is a strange mixture of a tough, rough and spoiled girl, getting in contact with some of the guests in different ways, that can be talking in some English or also taking away things, beating or spitting.
On the ferry
Background Janine, Mathieu, then Jerry, front: the German couple
On board of the ferry Burgas-Batumi the first to meet were Jerry and Janine from Switzerland doing a road trip through Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan and the two French guys, Mathieu and Quentin, sharing the cabin, who also try to get to China by bike, but on a different route. They could combine travelling with work as they film with a drone of their company.
Jerry and Janine live in a common planned and organized living project, he is from IT and she is teaching music ? Jerry had been in China for a year and travelling a lot.
Then there is a German 70+ couple, also travelling to Georgia with a Caravan. They are from Erzgebirge where they mainly grow apples but also other fruits since they are “retired”.
And 2 guys from Belgium coming with a big car and a very special boat, because their job is to dive for mines and only a few people do that around the globe, so they are busy in many places.
When I left Batumi, after some kilometres a woman on a bike came from the opposite side. We stopped and lively began talking. Her name is Rocio, she is cycling since 5 years, had been even in countries like Pakistan and Myanmar and came from Oman, Dubai, Iran, Armenia to Georgia, taking the ferry from Batumi to Odessa and going back to Spain. Her appearance and her bike, everything was impressing. Later also Mathieu and Quentin saw her.
On the road to Tbilisi within 20min I met two bikers, a Russian girls doing a big round from Russia, Kaukasus, Georgia, Black sea-ferry, Ukraine -Russia and a guy from Romania apperently interested in high climbs around Georgia and Armenia, so both on their way to Batumi.
In Armenia, I saw no cyclist so far, but 3 days are left (3.9.2018)
But I met Davo (see post 044) and when I come back to Armenia (How could I not?), I hope we will also meet.
Then, there was the couple Kerstin and Rainer from Germany (see post 045) who are dedicated travellers who had been “everywhere”. In Berlin, they live a modest life to safe all available money for travelling.