With my buddy Stanimir I drove to Sozopol, a small town at the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast. It is located on the south side of the bay of Burgas on several small rocky peninsulas.

A city full of history

Sozopol emerged from a Greek colony and is together with Nessebar one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria. From ancient times until the 17th century Sozopol was a flourishing trading town. It had the reputation of a town of winegrowers and fishermen and was an important port for the transhipment of grain. In the Middle Ages in and around town there were several monasteries. Until the first quarter of the 20th century, Sosopol was a city with a predominantly Greek population.

Its history makes the city a popular tourist destination today. Especially Bulgarian tourists stay here. Most of the accommodations now in the high season were already fully booked. Our accommodation was located a little outside the old town, but within walking distance. In the afternoon we walked through the small old town with its wooden houses and cobblestones. For dinner we enjoyed Shopska salad, a typical Bulgarian specialty consisting of cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers and sheep cheese. This tastes delicious during the summer temperatures. In the evening we had a few drinks in a cool rock bar directly on the beach, where we were already during the day.

"Making mafia connections" in the bar

The evening became later and later and the bartender already knew that I am from Germany. He told me that there was someone sitting at the bar who wanted to talk to me in German. There sat a middle-aged blond German-Russian with tattoos and some scars. We started talking about fast cars and his tattoo studio, which he owns on the golden beach. He paid us both a few drinks, because he was "responsible" for the shop.

Later on he explained to me that he worked for the Russian Mafia and that his buddies could come here with a flick of his finger if there was a problem. He didn't look like the kind of guy who says that just to impress people. In particular, many businesses in Bulgaria have been infiltrated by the mafia.

Once a Bulgarian rhetorically asked me a very fitting question: "Isn't it strange that people in Bulgaria spend much more money than they actually earn? The Bulgarian state seems to know this, but it doesn't seem to care how people get their money.

Even the toughest guys can be soft

Even though the mafioso was a tough guy on the outside and with his words, he started sobbing when he showed me pictures of his daughter, which he can no longer see now that his wife has separated from him.

The next day my buddy drove me back to Burgas and he drove back to his home Sliven. Before that he made me a great Barcelona-Shirt as a present! Wow!

Nessebar, the pearl of the Black Sea

On the same day I visited the city of Nessebar, which has a similar history and geographical location as the city of Sozopol. It is located north of Burgas and has many ruins of Byzantine fortresses and baths. With its important buildings and unique location, the city is included in the UNESCO World Cultural and Natural Heritage List. It is also called the pearl of the Black Sea.

Disgusting Sunny beach

From there I finally walked to the sunny beach to get a short insight into the tourist side of Bulgaria. But already in the few hours I spent there I felt uncomfortable. One deck chair and parasol lined up after the other for kilometres. Huge hotel houses, packed beaches, water polluted with algae and everywhere commerce a la McDonalds. Here you search for traditional and cheap Bulgarian food for a long time.

I was happy when I arrived back in my quiet hostel in Burgas in the evening.