16 November 2023, Nesebar, 50.7km
Alexandrov Residence 40lev [R419]

When you have already cycled 21km through hilly terrain and see a road sign advertising 17km of hillier terrain in your immediate future, it is disheartening. When the sign declares the distance in metres not kms, ie 17,000 m, even though the distance is (purportedly) exactly the same, it suddenly seems considerably more daunting.
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We awoke to sunrise over the Black Sea. It was after 1700 when we arrived in Byala yesterday. We were tired and hungry, so dropped our bags in our room and walked immediately to the nearest supermarket. It was dark when we returned and it was thus only this morning that we found our balcony sported a view.
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It was a long day given the many climbs, made longer by three additional things.
Firstly, we had three punctures and two dysfunctional tubes which would not hold air. This meant three lengthy halts on the roadside where we not only had to change tubes, but also mend tubes.
Secondly, Google Maps directed us to a street with the same name as that in which our accommodation was to be found, but in a completely different part of town.
Thirdly, I ran out of data.
So, we found ourselves outside a locked and derelict building just after sunset and shortly before full dark.
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On the upside...
Though winter is in the air and it is chilly and sometimes windy, we were blessed again today with clear, sunny skies.
The 17,000m of hilly terrain included a substantial and lengthy drop out of the hills to Nesebar on the coast.
A pharmacist next door to the derelict building pointed us in the right direction, though not exactly to our door, and closer to "home" a young man outside a clothing store, showed us on the map where to find our apartment.
A supermarket and pizza restaurant were both open still after we had checked in, and both within three blocks, so we are fed and watered and happy.
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The man who translates for the apartment "boss" is a Ukrainian merchant navy engineer aged 55. He does not want to go home as he will be drafted. He has been to Cape Town several times. On one occasion, three fellow seamen were poisoned by drinking alcohol bought off the street. Two died and one was blinded. Horrible.
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Both Obzor and Nesebar, located on the coast, obviously draw copious summer visitors. Like Byala, many restaurants and shops are closed for the winter. Ghost towns with pockets of activity.