Flight

Ok, so I missed an excellent week's weather in England to see Bulgaria in its worst September week known...arrgh!, but it did get better. Here's Sunday's flight from Postrina to Vratsa, about 30Ks. We went to Postrina, which was blown out, then to Darmantsi, where there was no wind (Ooh, er first alpine launch for this glider...) Then back to Postrina, where it had died down to nothing. Ho Hum... The local pilots showed me the way to the bottom, but I adopted English scratching mode, and could stay up, just. A message on the radio warned me about not landing near the 'nasty cows', so I caught a thermal about 150 feet above them, and took it to base, starting from a 0.0001 up to a 5 up at base. Glided downwind, taking a few small top ups on the way, until I got really low again over a wood facing into sun. I could see my Bulgarian friends, in a chase car below me, expecting me to land. After 13km, I thought that I was going to land too, but that wood looked like the passport back up, and so it proved, taking me to base again, after a 4,000 feet climb out. Vratsa cement works gleamed in the sun, a known thermal source. I ignored it , and went for the mountain overlooking the city. Big mistake, XC wise, but a fabulous view, and at least I knew where I was. Glided down slowly losing height, until I ran out of options that didn't involve landing on a city roof, and landed on what turned out to be a practice driving area, by a decrepit factory. (Or so I thought, until I saw people in it). It turned out to be Vratsa prison. Just as well I didn't follow plan A - land in it, or I'd still be there.