Blogs from Sofia City , Bulgaria, Europe

Another overnight train took us into the heart of Sofia. This time round, there was minimal fuss on the train as we slept throughout the ride after a fulfilling day in Belgrade. The sight that first caught my eye has to be the snow-capped Vitosha mountains in the background. Reading up on Sofia city before arriving has set my mind on making my (and our) way up to the top. Honestly, what's more soothing to the mind than to have nature at the doorstep of a bustling capital city! After 2 weeks of exploring cities, this is the perfect retreat for us. And I knew that I've always missed hiking and scaling mountains since high school days. Fun Facts Upon reaching the main station, we bought tickets for the connecting trolley bus bringing us into the ... read more

Well it's something like 10 PM, and I'm hard at work trying to avoid writing a research paper that really needs starting. Still, when something's a week a way, it is so, very, hard to care. Ah well, I'm sure I'll think of some way to make the-company-which-must-not-be-named exciting. Let's back up a bit though shall we? Bulgaria for a start really was awesome, Romania maybe just a tad less so, but we'll get there. The trip was done with three others, a first for me, Robbie, Aubrey, and my old roomate Matus. For Bulgaria I think I can say this. Welcome to Eastern Europe: As Matus occasionally commented, Bulgaria resembled more of central Europe ten years ago, it’s just a little further east (duh). Orthodox churches dot the area, though with not as much frequency ... read more

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

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

Days 8 to 14 One week in exotic Istanbul and off we were on the midnight express to Bulgaria hopped up on fizzy bubbly and as always, the excitement of going somewhere new. I was sad to leave Istanbul and happily could have stayed there another week but with the world to see, we had to move on. The overnight train was comfortable enough; basically, I didn’t see a single large insect and due to thoughtful planning managed to avoid the infamous bathrooms for the entire ride (I ended up being dehydrated and sick the entire next day but it was worth it). The train was old as dirt and maybe made it up to 15mph when it really got going. Every 30 minutes stern-faced officials came around barking orders in Turkish or Bulgarian to check ... read more