http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Bulgaria , South en-us Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:51:49 BST Sat, 26 Jul 2008 07:51:49 BST Life in a small southwest Bulgarian village is a novel concept for me. My host parents are both retired collecting pension and have the largest house in the town. There is something to be said for this for there is a sense of antagonism between others and my host mother who was an art teacher and now does not work despite the measly sum of pension in this country. She also lives with my host http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/blog-298871.html The first true Eastern European stop on my trip beautiful Plovdiv home of the best street kebabs in the world. And I don't feel that comment is an exaggeration wait until you try them Tania Emma and I have had a great time here.The crossing to Bulgaria was smooth which was nice and we arrived in Plovdiv and and found our hostel with little drama. We were staying handily on the main pede http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-274993.html hi everyone i have been in bulgaria in plovdiv it was so nice city ...i think you should see immediatelly bulgaria before using euro becouse its a cheap country and there are many historical places to see ... especially ottoman heritage is still living there .. maybe some bulgarians dont like about this sentences but ist true i think the houses at plovdiv are so nice they made from wood a http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-246333.html We were woken suddenly by the lights being turned on inside the bus. It was five thirty so an hour earlier than we were supposed to arrive in Plovdiv. We asked the steward if this was our stop and she nodded so we jumped off. We just got our bags and the coach drove off leaving us at a station without a name. My instructions from Hikers hostel said to get bus no. 720 from the right of the station http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-219717.html ....and one still won't eat his veggiesWoohoo Third Intrepid tour in a row I'm quite the adventurer now aren't I This last tour was through Eastern Europe crossing four countries and only on one continent this time. I tell you what though Budapest was a bit of a shock after six weeks in the Middle East. It's definitely Eastern Europe it's more industrial a bit less colourful and a bit coo http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-216802.html Yes Bulgaria is cheap and nice. Two litre beer in a plastic bottle for one euro is just good I seem to have come back on the backpacker trail. Which is quite nice actually. The hostels in Sofia are really nice and cheap. I stayed in one hostel first but after two days had to leave as it was fully booked during the weekend but the hostel I went to was just as fun and met lots of interesting peopl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-191284.html As you can tell all my previous entries ALL GONE AHHHHHHH gtltI have short memories ma..that's why i write this freakin blog.....and my writing journal isn't as detailed in words as this blog....damnit.Anyways got a lot to backtrack..haaa..I think I wrote stuff about Odessa but its not here....maybe they can recover those ones...which will be great..anywaysin Bulgaria still...Great Pl http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-188458.html We have a whirlwind seven weeks to hightail back to Paris. We are going via a few more Eastern European nations with plans for all the IA countries the Slovakias Romanias Bulgarias and Hungarias. First up Bulgaria proudly boasting the oldest survived state in Europe which has kept its original name. You suspect a country's tourism is in its infanacy when the customs official at the border http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-181769.html Hello again everyone Really nice to get loads of messages and emails from you all keep um coming. Well since my last blog we have been in 3 different countries though one serbia was just on the train. We left Istanbul at 10pm on monday and took the night train to Plovdiv. Wow. For those who have never been on one before it is quite an experience. Very different indeed to british trains. http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-172139.html Her flger en kort oppsummering av den bulgarske psken 2007 slik norske tungvintturister opplevde den Skjrtorsdag og langfredag ble som seg hr og br tilbragt hvilende nrmere bestemt i svartehavsbyen Burgas i Bulgaria. En forholdsvis stor mengde svett arbeidsantrekk sykkelty ble vasket og til og med de svette syklistene fikk skrubbet seg til pske. Langfredag ble ogs laugardag for http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-147235.html that day will be tomorrow.Up late of course but still have time to be a professional tourist and see all the Plovdiv sights. Start with the obligatory church this one the church of Sveta Bogoroditsa. Painted a camp pink colour it sits atop 176 steep steps. Inside an elderly crone locks her gaze upon me her eyes piercing the back of my neck as I look unreverently upon the various photographs of http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-89766.html Moved from the crappy Hostel gtgt PBI Hostel and found another one on the internet gtgt Hiker's Hostel. This is the same price 10Euros but has a far more friendly social atmosphere. There's washing facilities HOT showers a communal room and fantastic views out over the city. If you're staying in Plovdiv gt I think this has to be the place. The only down side is that it's up a cobbled h http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-89471.html Be My Guest HostelSofiaBulgariaGot up around midday and went upstairs to pay the rent. The grouchy hostile owner had been replaced by a friendly girl from Lithuania so I postponed leaving to chat over a cup of coffee and a cake.Got the tram to the train station North of the centre. Had some strange food in a cafe there gtgt it was a combination of peppers in some bizarre fizzing sauce like http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-89347.html Once the bus go to Plovdiv i went lookin for the hostel... it took me quite a while to actually find even when i was on the right street people didnt know where the street was.. but eventually i found it. After i got there that day i didnt really do that much went out to a restaurant with some of the guys that id met in sofia and veliko and were her now aswell.. this is where i had my most disgust http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-87574.html Jag minns att jag tvingades vnda i Serbien fr att jag hade glmt kreditkortet p en mack nnstans sderut det var ganska besvrligt att f tillbaka och jag minns ett hotellrum med ett monsterbubbelbadkar. S sov jag visst ngra timmar lngs italienska autobahn och ja just det s plockade jag upp ngra hollndska liftare nnstans i nrheten av Mont Blanc. Det frsenade mig ytterligare. Om man http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-85020.html My last day in Sofia was very lazy I don't think I got up until midday and so I eventually left Sofia rather later than I should have done. Sofia train station was a vast grey labryinth of Cyrillic signs and communist architecture. I had a quick flap as I couldn't find anywhere selling tickets to Plovdiv. Fortunately I had my trusty Rough guide to hand which informed me that they could be purc http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-73174.html Guess what Depeche Mode is coming to Sofia on the 21st and Bucarest on the 23rd. It will probably be sold out by the time I get to Bucarest but if not I'm definitely going. Reach out and touch me...Yesterday I went on a hike up to Vitosha natl' Park the mountain only a few kilometers from Sofia. The taxi ride there was crazy with the driver making up lanes muttering in Bulgarian and h http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-67057.html Yes that's right. I've not had a pleasant time with the canines in this country. I have been chased into and out of very city village and country road that there is or so it seems by feral rabid dogs and truth be told I am getting rather weary of it. Cycling out of Sofia began well. I started early but as I reached the outskirts of the city I was chased by two dogs on one side of the ro http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-64021.html It is my first full day here in Pazardjik. I am traveling around Eastern Europe with my friend. To start the trip off we are visiting a high school buddy who is living in Bulgaria. We are currently staying in his Peace Corps provided apartment. It is pleasantly dilapidated just the way I like it. This is the second time I am visiting a friend during their Peace Corps assignment. We've spent the da http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Pazardzhik/blog-60689.html Hello everybody It maybe boring for you to read about Bulgarian man travelling in his own country. Actually I went many countries but this is beginning of my blog so I start here.Plovdiv is Bulgaria's second city after Sofia Capital my homtown. It is very old city with Thracian Greek Bulgar Byzantin Ottoman and finally Soviet influence. Named originally Phillipopolis after Alexander's fathe http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-30332.html Msodik reggelnkre bredtnk Veliko Tarnovoban s a vrosban gynyrkdve megreggeliztnk az erklyen. gy dntttnk mivel Tarnovot mr lttuk egy kzeli faluban kicsi vrosban tltjk a napot mely hagyomnyos bolgr ptszetr337l a trjavnai fafarag s ikonkszt337 iskolrl hres.Trjavna valban kzel van 40 km csak semmi sem megy oda direkt. Akr vonattal akr busszal min http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Tryavna/blog-1036.html Dig down a few feet anwhere in Plovdiv and you're bound to find something. History oozes from every corner of this town. With ruins dating back 7000 years to 5000bc the area has been continually inhabited invaded destroyed rebuilt reinvaded and so on since that time.Walking around Plovdiv you can see Roman Ruins Thracian Ruins from 5000bc Churches from the 13th Century through to the 17t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/South/Plovdiv/blog-977.html