Blogs from Sofia, Sofia City , Bulgaria, Europe - page 10

Soon enough it was time for us all to get on the road again - Carrie & Debbie back to the UK, and Jen & I had decided that we needed to get back to the sea, but this time it was the Black Sea we decided to head for - Bulgaria, to be exact. So, back to Ljubljana, to prepare for a 25hr, 4 country train journey across the Balkans. To be fair, the journey itself wasn’t that bad - the train from Slovenia, through Croatia and Serbia, was very modern, but the border crossings were a bit of a pain (the sooner they all join the EU, the better). I got a few funny looks from a couple of the border police (my passport is 9.5 years old!) and one guy even got out ... read more

We kind of left Africa with a little pang. As frusturating as it was from time to time, it was always exciting, new and somewhat challenging. It was never for a second dull. When we arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria, everything felt so sterile and easy. The interesting part was that we could just sit and relax, take a breath and not really worry about anything. Nobody stared, nobody called us 'tubop' (Sengalese for white), nobody badgered us for anything and, because Peter arranged for a rented car during our time here, we didn't even have to bother with a taxis! We arrived at our "backpackers" and took it easy. We had become quite accustomed to eating Yassa and Mafe. Both delicious Senegalese dishes with lemon and peanuts etc.. but when we sat down for our first ... read more

so i got tossed off a train last night because my passport looked "questionable". it ended up costing me half a day, and now i dont think i can make the festivals opening ceremonies on time if i stay on the trains. im going to the air port to attempt to blag my way onto a plane at a reasonable rate. im intent on making it to the opening ceremonies so ill do my best. battery is dying so i must go. bobby p.s. i finally found some good coffee at a bulgarian dunk'in doughnuts...Yes!!!!!!!!!!!... read more

We're now in Sofia, after a 14 hour train. Nothing considering the past train trips we've done. It wasn't that great a city to arrive into as we got caught in some crazy rain; it just didn't stop hailing and after we waited for to stop for over half an hour in a bank there was only one to make a choice. Stephen was the one who paid for it the most; his pack got the wet right through. We seriously got drenched through our clothes and boots (they have taken two days to dry). Our hostel is great - we get all you can eat breakfast and a bowl of pasta and a beer included in our room for 10 Euro. It's great, one of the best hostels we have ever stayed at and if ... read more

And so draws to a close our time in Bulgaria. Tonight at 2120 we'll be catching a night train to Belgrade, in Serbia, because you can't go straight to either Dubrovnik or Sarajevo from here. I don't know why, and neither does anyone who works at the bus station. So yesterday we got up kind of late because of a late night, but still just in time for some of the free breakfast here at Hostel Mostel - hard boiled eggs, toast with cream cheese, tomatoes, and salami. Just what you need. After that we hung out and socialised a bit with some other travellers - there was Dave and James from the UK, Morgan and Chris from the US, and a couple others. Around midmorning Kathleena and I headed out to do the walking tour ... read more