Blogs from Sofia, Sofia City , Bulgaria, Europe
Just let me hear some of that rock and roll music...
Published: January 19th 2012Europe » Bulgaria » Sofia City » Sofia
January 19th 2012
For those about to rock, Bulgaria salutes you! As a boy who loves rock and roll I think I've just about died and gone to heaven in Sofia. The country has a rich history stretching back many centuries but one thing is clear as soon as you arrrive ... they love to rock! From the first taxi ride, and in the hostel, and on to the clubs; it's 100% ear splitting, bone jarring, head banging rock and roll that's guaranteed to get the blood pumping. Everyone seems to know the words to the classics, and it's like being in the middle of a neverending rock concert. My first night started with stimulating conversation in the company of a group of young travellers. As the evening progressed they went out for a meal, but I decided to ... read more
January 13th 2012
Alexander’s ability to bond with the five million stray cats in Eastern Europe has not been useful to the four of us on this trip, to be honest it has been tiresome. His degree in journalism is useful, as we have decided to put our feet up and sit this blog out forcing Alex to pull his weight. Here is what our guest blogger has to say about the Bulgarian part of our mini trip from Istanbul to Romania. ... Sofia is the capital city of Bulgaria - that was the complete sum of our collective knowledge on the place as we climbed down from the steps of another all-night Balkan bus. Sixty-two hours later, we’re only slightly wiser and just as tired. So, what have we learned? 1) Bulgarians are exceedingly polite drivers. After ... read more
September 16th 2011
I didn't realize how much I would like Sofia. It is such a tranquil city with a manageable center, full of cafes and good restaurants, parks and streets lined with trees that help keep the city cool in summer. The food was so good, especially the grilled vegetables at Happy's. Apparently sushi is quite popular in Sofia. The parks are a very popular place for Bulgarians to hang out and in the evening they are packed. Even some of the very small parks had beer gardens. One odd thing is the trams stop right in the middle of the street without any safety platform for people to stand on. Doesn't seem very safe. There was a free outdoor concert in the park, which was quite a major event with a full orchestra. It was sponsored by ... read more
August 17th 2011
I love the train. I remember how excited I was when boarded one for the first time. There is no better way of transportation. Well, I thought so... Serbian trains are a whole new adventure. So, we are on our way to the train station. It is way too early in the morning. I am having a coffee and checking my e=mail in the Internet cafe close by. From my computer's chair I have a perfect view on the mess coming. The train is just a mix of wagon from all across Europe. I now know what they are doing with their very old trains. Inside, people are smoking in the corridors and children's are running and jumping everywhere like it is the first time they are allowed to do so. I am looking for a ... read more
August 13th 2011
The bus from Skopje to Sofia took 5 hours and I was accompanied by another Aussie - they get everywhere:-) Arriving in Skopje I didn't have a clue where the hostel was so got a taxi and as usual he tried to rip me off trying to charge me in euros rather than Levs! The Hostel was shocking (Internet hostel) rock hard mattress and 1 bathroom for the entire place but I've had worse. The location was fantastic though, right in the heart of the city, next door to the only veggie restaurant in Sofia and above an Irish bar - what more could you ask for:-) Plus the bar sold one of my favourite beers - Zagorka and I had a few of these with my new chums from the hostel, a German guy and ... read more
August 12th 2011
So we had misunderstood what was happening yesterday... because our legalised marriage certificate has been lost in the post we had to give power of attorney to the agent Mihail so that he can follow up the sale at the end of the month. Quite frustrating but at least we have cleared the flat and done all the legal paperwork now. We can come back at theend of the month but there is no need to. We could also have stayed in the flat for the whole week but have enjoyed the luxury of a hotel with a pool, gym and spa. Need to open a bank account today and just waiting for Mihail to pick us up to do this and then we are done and can relax in the sun by the pool.... read more
August 11th 2011
This blog is from a hotel in Maria Luisa Boulevard as we moved out of the flat yesterday. It was very sad to clear this and lock up for the last time as we have enjoyed staying here for the last 6 years. The reason for buying the flat was to have a holiday home close to the mountains so that we could enjoy more skiing every year. We chose Sofia for the price and the closness to the city and the airport so that we could enjoy visiting at other times of the year when there was no snow. The hope in 2005 when we bought it was that more cheap flights would become available and fly from cardiff or Bristol. This hasn't been the case and flights are now much more expensive. I feel ... read more
April 18th 2011
Woke up early this morning to a bunch of rowdy Brits who had apparently had quite the drunken, debaucherous night. One guy had visited a prostitute, but seemed embarrassed enough about it that he didn't want it discussed while I was in the room. However, the second I was not visible in the shower room, though very well within hearing, he spilled. Apparently, it cost about 100 Euro and he wasn't on his A game...his friends joked the second he was out of the room that she kicked him out the second he was done, and he was sad they didn't get to cuddle. So cute! The funniest thing was just how much shame he felt about it, he made each of his friends swear that they wouldn't tell a soul and mentioned that they weren't ... read more
April 17th 2011
The taxi at the bus station knew exactly where Hostel Mostel was located (right down the street in Makedonia square). He had a meter and knew where he was going, so I figured I'd go for it. But, the meter basically just kept running at .02 leva every 2 seconds it seemed and didn't pause when we stopped at the lights. So, I was pretty sure it was sketch. The hostel posted that a fair price would be 6 leva from the bus station. It ended up being 10.08 leva. The thing is I was already planning on giving him 10 Leva, because I had heavy bags etc. So, I feel like these guys would be so much better off if they didn't cheat people. They'd feel good and the visitors would feel good and they'd ... read more
