Gully and Elise's Travel Blog: Catch Me If I Fall!

We stumbled into our first extreme activity on our trip in Bulgaria – rock climbing. We cruised into a campground one night, innocently, where we were received warmly by the ex-pat proprietor, Cliff. We were quite unaware that this very same man would hold our life in his hands, by our own choice, only a couple of days later!
We found out that he was a rock climbing enthusiast, and that he took people out to climb rocks for a nominal fee. So, we said “Why not?” – a question I would have a strong answer for a short time later when I was clinging to a sheer rock face by my fingernails – and away we went.
Gully, of course, was a natural – he bounced from toe-hold to toe-hold as if gravity didn’t exist, all the way to the top. By the third or fourth climb, Cliff had him leading the climbs on some very challenging rocks. Me, well, I got to the top, and I am proud of that! Never mind the fact that everyone present had aged significantly by the time I finished. Slow and steady, that’s what I always say…. when I’m being really slow.
Cliff also had us ‘practise’ falls – which is basically leaping from the rock face and hoping that the person on the ground holding your rope is paying attention. This is something that I found has to be done without thinking, or else you realize just how stupid you are for doing it! You really have to trust your boyfriend to dangle from a rope 100 feet in the air when he is holding on to the other end of the rope. It can really make or break your relationship.

-E