For twenty years my summer destination has been Bulgaria. The Black Sea coast of Bulgaria. I come from Romania. For those who may not know, Romania and Bulgaria share waters, i.e. the Danube river is the border between them and both have an opening to the Black Sea. These are the similarities, the difference is that Bulgaria has a more beautiful and much longer coastline than Romania and Romania has the Danube Delta, the largest delta in Europe.
For most of my life, I have been to the sea in Romania, in almost all places and resorts, from North to South. From the overdeveloped ones, like Mamaia to the smaller and undeveloped beaches, 2Mai and Vama-Veche. Vama Veche was the last resort, in fact, a fishing village, I was here almost ten times and then I jumped the border in 2000. Vama Veche is one kilometer from Bulgaria.
I have been doing this route since 2000 and I hope to do it more in the future: Bucharest-Vama Veche - Balchik. Several times a summer. I like the road in Bulgaria, after getting away from the crowds in Romania the road from Vama Veche to Balchik is refreshing, quiet, and not crowded at all. This is a less populated part of the country, only a few villages to Balchik which is 60 km from Vama Veche.
This road follows the Black Sea coast but is 10-15 km away from the sea. I knew, felt, and sometimes even saw the sea, but I was never curious to see what the sea was like there. A few years ago my son told me that he ate very well at a taverna by the sea, about 20 km from Vama Veche, near the Bulgarian village called Durankulak.
That's what got me there. I can never turn down a good fish meal. Freshly caught fish from the Black Sea. The next trip to Balchik was interrupted in the village of Durankulak and then I let the GPS lead me on some narrow and dusty roads, past some small villages and forests. That's how we arrived at the tavern, I figured there would be an hour break for lunch. I saw a crowd of parked cars and knew the food there was good.
The surprise was not the taverna, a summer building, made of wood, almost like a fishing hut. The surprise was... the sea! It had a beautiful color, as I had never seen at the Black Sea, and had a seemingly endless beach.
We then found out that this taverna-restaurant had little competition as there were no other places to eat nearby, we found this out when we were told we had to make a reservation. I never imagined I would have to do this in a place I thought was deserted. Now I found out and understood that we had to wait a few hours if we wanted to eat.
This didn't bother us, on the contrary, because we were surprised by the beauty of the sea and the beach and thus had enough time to take a closer look.
The beach stretches as far as the eye can see, miles of beach. A paradise for those who seek the sea for the sea. Summer visitors to the sea can be divided into two broad categories. Some look for places that are more hidden, less to not crowded at all and they are not interested in comfort, fancy and expensive hotels and restaurants. Others look mainly for comfort and entertainment, bars and clubs, restaurants, and hotels with many stars. On beaches like these that we found here only people who want to stay in the sun and in the water all day come.
It's a perfect place for walking. To walk from one end of the beach to the other is many kilometers of walking through sand and water, it is extremely healthy to do such walks and I have noticed that many people come here for that.
When I was a child and lived with my grandparents, in the country, near the mountains, I dreamed of going to the sea, which was impossible because my grandparents were old and the sea was very far away. I went to the sea after I turned 18. My son went to the sea for the first time when he was one and a half years old and my granddaughter went to the sea before her first birthday. Such are the times now, 60 years ago we moved more slowly.
Children love the sea, all children. They love to bounce in the water and play in the sand. They never get bored and get upset when they have to go out to eat or go to bed. These beaches are perfect for children!
The Black Sea is not quite as black as its name suggests. I've often seen it grey and dark, angry even but not black. There are several attempts to explain its name, I now know two. One says that the Black Sea turns black during strong storms and this would be the origin of the name. Others think the name comes from the Turks. It is said that the Turks, probably in ancient times, had colors instead of cardinal points and for the north, they had the color black. As the Black Sea is in the northern part of Turkey, they probably called it the Black Sea, meaning from the north. I don't know if any of these variants are true.
Here in Bulgaria, the Black Sea is not black at all! It has many colors, especially blue and turquoise, like a tropical sea and often green. Very beautiful!
How are the tourists on these beaches? In general, there are day tourists, both those who live not far away, there are others who live in nearby resorts who come and stay and eat here for a day, and there are the regular tourists who live in campsites or caravans right by the sea. They bring their umbrellas and sunbeds and deckchairs with them and they feel very comfortable here.
We saw some of the beach and surrounding area, walked by the sea, and got our feet wet while waiting for lunch, i.e. the time we were scheduled.
The wait seemed longer than it was because of the hunger that is always accentuated by the proximity of the sea and the smells coming from the taverna. The strong smell of fried fish. The waiting is over. Just a few stairs to climb and we arrived.
Looking in from the inside out, we see the other happy diners as well as the waiter running among them.
My wife doesn't eat fish. I found something for her too, chicken and cheese fries. Very good. I can't come near the sea without eating fish. I like to eat the simplest and cheapest fish, like the people who live here eat. Little fried fish that you eat with everything, bones and head, everything. A sauce made of chili and garlic, good for both fried fish and fish soup. That's what I like to eat at sea when I find such taverns that cook fish food the way the local fishermen eat.
The place is, as I said, on the Black Sea coast and starts about 5 km after crossing the border with Romania at Vama Veche. I entered the beach in Durankulak, about 20 km from the border, which means the beach is more than 15 km long. From the signs I saw on the beach, next to the restaurant, I believe that there were youth resorts and campsites in the past time when Bulgaria was a communist country.
After the fall of communism, many such places were abandoned and left in disrepair. In some places, investors came and built modern resorts but most of them were of no interest to anyone. Fortunately, people have rediscovered these places and those who come to the sea for the sea are very happy here. I like it very much and from now on I will spend a day here whenever I pass by on my way to the holiday place.
To get here you must come by car or caravan. It is possible from Romania, through Vama Veche customs, as I told you, about 20 km in the direction of Varna (it is the only road, so no one can miss it). From Bulgaria, it's even easier, from the port city Varna on the road to Romania is about 60 km.
This is a place especially sought after by those who want to stay camping, in tents or cabins, and by those who come by caravan. There are many wild places nearby, there is also a large lake that resembles a delta and there are countless water birds that can easily be seen and photographed. Those who prefer the simple life in the middle of nature will find everything they need here!
