I was not sure how our last week on the coast was going to be with my sprained ankle. Story on that here.

I laid in bed for three days doing all I could to rest and heal. This gave me time to catch up on writing while also staring out the window at the glorious beach and wishing I could spend more time on the sand. It truly was the last days of summer as a heat wave came through sending temperatures back up to the 80s and 90s for a few days, even as I watched the umbrellas come down from the beach and the beach bars start shutting down for the season.

It hasn’t all been bad though. We had a wonderful surprise!

Peter and Donna reached out that they were on their way through Bulgaria, and they drove out to Nessebar to spend time with us.

We met Peter and Donna on Royal Caribbean sailing across the Atlantic. They shipped their awesome van over to Europe and have been on an epic road adventure. They were headed to Turkey so it was a slight detour to come out to the coast.

We had a fabulous time catching up, sharing stories, inspecting the van, eating fantastic mussels, and creating new memories.

This even included a day trip to Burgas. My ankle was a little swollen and unsteady but I was able to stroll through the pedestrian streets and Sea Garden. It was so fun and it felt wonderful to be social and mobile again!

We grabbed a bus down to Burgas and from there stopped by similar places as our last trip: craft beer, hot sauce, and brunch at Cardamom.

We also made new friends in Burgas. While at Cardamom a gentleman with a North Carolina accent sat down next to us and chatted us up. He said he could hear my loud voice down the street and knew we were also Americans. Richard introduced himself and also bought us a round of shots.

There just aren’t many Americans in Bulgaria and we had a lively conversation over drinks and food.

Next was followed by drinks on the beach and a jaunt through the Sea Garden.

We saw purple storm clouds slowly gathering at a distance so we decided to head back toward the bus station to wind down the evening.

On the way we stopped to try a food item that was on my to-do list from the last visit.

The Dragon Cheese Sandwich: Ooey, gooey, cheesy chicken in a waffle cone! It was so cool I made a video by the owner’s request.

We departed in the evening and said farewell to Peter and Donna. We had such a great time together and we look forward to crossing paths again!

We made it in the door just moments before a crazy thunderstorm boomed overhead and brought down about 15 minutes of torrential rains.

The next day my ankle was a bit stiff but I was determined to get out on the beach one last time. The water was calm again and it felt so good to take in the beach scene one final time.

Thought it was hot and sunny early in the day, a swift and furious storm again moved over Nessebar in the late afternoon. Corey thought the sun was about to set, a few hours early!

Listen and watch the short clip below to see and hear the storm hit the neighborhood. It was a holy crap moment!

Our last day the weather was breezy and mild. I broke out my trusty sweatpants for the first time in months.

We did a bunch of laundry, sorted through our stuff and began that packing process.

Monday we left and headed for Plovdiv. My ankle was okay enough at this point that I could carry my backpack and our belongings.

It was another long bus journey though not as harrowing as the bus trip from Croatia to Bulgaria. It took two buses and about five hours in total. We only had one unplanned stop, ironically in front of a sign that said “non stop,” as the driver worked hard to fix what appeared to be a problem with a radiator hose at the back of the bus. The sun was setting just as we arrived in Plovdiv.

Our final week in Bulgaria will be spent between the two larger cities of Plovdiv and Sofia. Fun urban adventures ahead!