In late October 2019, we made our way from the shores of the Black Sea to Istanbul, Turkey - our staging area to prepare for cycling across Africa. We dove into the challenge of refurbishing most of the major components on our Surly touring bikes. It was’t easy, and we wouldn’t have been able to get it all done without the help of a really great bike shop run by an expert cyclist. We even found some time to visit Istanbul’s historic center, with it’s unique mix of Byzantine, Ottoman and modern influences.

We‘ve reached the conclusion of our European bicycle journey, with our arrival on the shores of the Black Sea. The cobalt-blue waters were a welcome sight, as we celebrated over 9,300 km (5,800 mi) in the saddle. During the final days, we cycled over hills blanketed with mature vineyards, and valleys dotted with monasteries that marked the borderlands between Christian and Ottoman empires.

We continue to enjoy the outgoing friendliness of so many folks in Romania. Shouts of “hola!” and “hello!” follow us along the road. And in the small town of Suhaia, we stayed in one of the most welcoming guest houses we’ve ever experienced - where the proprietors went out of their way to ensure we were comfortable and well fed. The contrasts continued, as we cycled through towns sprinkled with gypsy mansions, while sharing the road with even more horse-drawn carts.

Romania is a land of contrasts. For several days, we seemed to be cycling on either unnervingly busy highways with high-speed traffic, or quiet rural backroads. Interestingly, the ubiquitous horse-drawn carts could be found on both types of road. Out on the highways, cars just whizzed past the carts, without a second thought. But once out of their cars, Romanians were some of the friendliest people we’ve met, waving and calling out, “hello!” or “hola!” as we rode by.

We took a few wrong turns, but eventually made it out of Belgrade, and back onto the rough-surfaced, but peaceful Danube levees. Before long, we had crossed the river, and were entering the stunningly beautiful Iron Gates. Through a series of tunnels and cliff-side roads, we cycled past the gorges that slice through the Carpathian Mountains, finally landing in Romania.