Blogs from Sofia, Sofia City , Bulgaria, Europe - page 9

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We arrived in Skopje, our third city of the day, without a solid plan. Evening was setting in, but that was about the only thing we were sure of. We changed a little money and decided to try to contact Emrah's friend, Sotir. I sailed into a closet-sized shop, hoping to buy a card for the payphone, but the communication Titanic was destined to sink. I gave a English a shot and the middle-aged woman replied "your efforts are of no use, my child," in Macedonian, or it could've been just about anything else, for all I knew. Turkish yielded a similar response. Next came miming with sound effects. Judging by her face, she now simply seemed a bit concerned about my mental state. (Her customers were coming and going during this goofy episode). Really now, ... read more

It took me a while to figure out why I was so fond of Bulgaria's capital. The architecture is fairly typical of the region, and the sights and history don't compare to some other cities we have visited, even with it being some 7,000 years old. But Sofia has to be one of the highlights of the tour so far. Discovering that the fine local Zagorka beer was priced at 60p definitely went in its favour, but it is Sofia's diverse street scene that holds its key. Makeshift stalls selling everything from pizza to flowers to jewellery dot the pavements while expensive designer boutiques have moved in alongside independent stores selling anything and everything for extremely cheap prices. People bend down to almost pavement level to buy cigarettes and drinks from squat kiosks. It is all ... read more

Geo: 42.7105, 23.3238I have had an interesting 60th birthday!! It started in Ohrid, progressed through lunch in Skopje and ended in dinner in Sofia. As we left on the bus from Ohrid, our tour guide, Piotor, announced my birthday and handed out the words to a Polish song, "We wish you to live one hundred years". All the bus joined in !!! We drove through the Macedonian mountains towards Skopje, the capital city. We arrived there at 11. Walked to see the old city across the stone bridge into the Turkish quarter. There was the old Turkish Baths building which is now an Art Gallery and an old Byzantine church. Wandered through the Turkish Bazaar but there was little to tempt us. Wandered back to a restaurant our guide had recommended and found ourselves swamped in ... read more

13 Aug - another long-ish train journey, expected to take 10 hours from Serbia to Bulgaria. Pretty countryside with lovely rural stops. Again, reminiscent of Trans-Sib life and a good chance to chill out, natter, play cards, read and doze. We pass some spectular scenery at the Serbian / Bulgarian border with huge mountains. Must find out what mountain range we went through, surely can't be the Rodopi which I visited a few years ago, maybe the Pirins... any ideas??? We spend 1.5 hours at the border....most border crossings are a doddle after experiencing the Russia / Mongolia crossing of 8 hours 10 mins (for exact times please refer to Gel's diary!!!). In hicksville in the middle of nowhere but we are able to get off the train, wander about and get an icecream, that wouldn't ... read more