Day 155: Rest day in Batumi

The “buying ferry tickets” mystery adventure game

Today was all about getting on the ferry to Burgas in Bulgaria, but it’s not an easy ferry to catch. 

We were very grateful to a blog post that gave someone else’s story of the crossing as, without this guide, I don’t think we’d have managed to get aboard. It starts with a quest waiting outside a nondescript apartment building near the port in Batumi. The blog post shows the door you should head through at 10am, so we were there, ready to do this, but the door had changed and there was now a keypad entry system. However, on the window of one of the apartments was a small ferry sign and a handwritten notice in Bulgarian or Georgian and a phone number. We phoned the number and managed to get hold of an English speaker who told us to come back at midday.

The exceptionally low profile booking office

Ok, off for another breakfast then, and a chance to sample the best Adjurian Katchapuri in town, according to our landlord in Batumi, at the Café Retro. They were really good too. Kind of a pizza made into a boat containing a cheese sauce and an egg floating on top. You wouldn’t want to eat one every day - but a bit like a cross between a pizza and a croque madame.

Adjurian Katchapuri all round

Back to the apartment for midday and we tried ringing the number again but this time we just got a non-English speaker who hung up on us. Oh well, let’s hang around for a bit and see what happens. Then - a truck driver came out of the door and we were able to get inside. Success!

Inside, they took copies of our passports and told us we would receive a phone call some time today - probably between 6pm and midnight, to tell us to come back here, pick up our tickets and go to the ferry.

So, a day in Batumi with our bikes and bags, so we couldn’t leave them anywhere unwatched, and knowing that, at any moment, we might receive the call and have to get to the boat.

We managed a few useful things - we all had haircuts. We did some shopping for snacks on the boat and we spent an inordinate amount of time having a small lunch in a café by the water. We lay on the grass for a while doing nothing – thankfully the sun was out, although Puffa jackets were required.

Chilling and waiting

Haircuts

Some laying on the grass was called for

We moved on to a new restaurant to use up some more time over dinner, and managed several hands of cards whilst we ate - slowing everything down. Luckily there wasn’t much competition for tables, there was an electric socket nearby and the WiFi was good, all important considerations.  

Cards over dinner, that should waste some time.

Then, as we were plotting ways to extend our stay even further, the phone rang.  

We were on! We packed up and headed to the apartment/booking office and we were given our boarding cards. Then we rode round to the port and headed for the gate with lots of policemen around it, which seemed to be the right plan. The checked our paperwork and waved us through so that we could ride up the ramp into the empty boat.  

So we were on board and ready to sail 1,000km to Bulgaria.  

Into the back of the ferry. Next stop Bulgaria.