It was a night on the bus. As such, it’s an advertisement for night trains.
The first surprise of the dawn was a (familiar?) skyline, which motivated me to use the location on my phone. It confirmed: Burgas—but not at 9 a.m., as promised on the ticket, but at 6 a.m.
I had booked a room near the bus stop AND the ferry port because I’m clever.
But later the confirmation email said the keys were at the reception of a hotel 20 minutes in the opposite direction. So I went there and, of course, didn’t get the keys because I was too early. From there, it took me 40 minutes to get to the ferry office (also too early).
Being clever helps me realize that I’m never clever enough.
When I returned to the office later, I was told to come back on Friday to pay and pick up the ticket. You could say I was two hours early to get the information that I was two days early.
This gave me enough time to get “my” traditional Burgas breakfast:
Boza, puff pastry parcels with feta cheese (no photo due to greasy fingers) and a few carrots.
I say “my” because also Turkey can claim boza as its own, the cheese parcels are known in various forms at least throughout the Balkans, and I choose carrots because they can be eaten raw and I hope they come from the region.
At least carrots with behavioral problems have less chance of traveling long distances.
While I was eating, a man walked around, shouting loudly and sometimes showing other signs of aggression. Two men approached him, and while the three of them talked, I couldn’t hear or see any commotion from either side. However, the men made phone calls, and a few minutes later, a police car arrived with three well-trained officers. Their demeanor and posture testified to their willingness to do anything, but again, I didn’t hear a single loud word. A police officer took the two men aside, told them something, or explained something to them. Another took down the now-silent man’s personal information and apparently gave him tips on how to dress better because he then rearranged his tattered rags, and then everyone dispersed peacefully.
I admit:
The man had made me nervous, too.
Still, I wondered why the guys had called the police.
And I was glad the situation didn’t escalate.
The rest of the day isn’t worth mentioning, as I was mostly tired.
