http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Europe , Bulgaria , Sofia City en-us Wed, 22 May 2013 20:38:15 +0000 Wed, 22 May 2013 20:38:15 +0000 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 snowcapped 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 what39s more http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-785763.html As I flew from Dubai to Istanbul we flew over Saudi Arabia part of Iraq and part of Syria. A few things crossed my mind First I knew I was looking down on one of the most dangerous places in the world. Within the land I was able to see there was a civil war that had been going on for years a fragile democracy that wasn39t able to protect its citizens from violence and enough oil to run th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-724259.html Well it39s something like 10 PM and I39m hard at work trying to avoid writing a research paper that really needs starting. Still when something39s a week a way it is so very hard to care. Ah well I39m sure I39ll think of some way to make thecompanywhichmustnotbenamed exciting.Let39s back up a bit though shall we Bulgaria for a start really was awesome Romania maybe http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/blog-701044.html Alexanders 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 Ro http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-679788.html For those about to rock Bulgaria salutes you As a boy who loves rock and roll I think I39ve 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 it39s 100 ear splitting bone jarring head banging rock http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-677810.html Hotel Villa Boyana New styleHotel Villa Boyana is located between Boyana Church and National History Museum and at the same time 15 min. away from the downtown. The Hotel offers furnished with much love for details rooms. The parking and WiFi internet are free of charge. Next to the hotel there are restaurants with Italian Bulgarian and International cuisine.When you enter the Hotel Villa Boyan http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Boyana/blog-661955.html Off to sofia on a 11 am train. The cart I was in had a broken heater so I was crammed into another cart for 6 hours of a boring train ride to Sofia Bulgaria the capitol. I am only going here to catch a flight tomorrow that I haven39t even booked yet. ha. Got into sofia around 7 pm and started to walk to my hostel. Tad chilly outside but I managed. I get to the right area but the directions sta http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/blog-659509.html I didn39t 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 Happy39s. Apparently sushi is quite popular in Sofia. The parks are a very popular place for Bulgarians to hang out and http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-652288.html The bus from Skopje to Sofia took 5 hours and I was accompanied by another Aussie they get everywhereArriving in Skopje I didn39t 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 LevsThe Hostel was shocking Internet hostel rock hard mattress and 1 bathroom for the entire place but I39ve had worse. The locatio http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-637822.html Days 8 to 14One 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 didnt see a single large insect and due to th http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/blog-635438.html This could be the start of something beautiful...More To Come. When I Actually Get Out of England.Coming Soon20th August 2011WATCH THIS SPACE http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-635423.html 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 email in the Internet cafe close by. From my computer39s chair I have a perfect view on t http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-635356.html Summer in Sofia and Bathing on the Black Sea http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-634759.html 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. W http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-634330.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-634094.html Istanbul to Sofia A local guide gave us an early morning tour around Istanbul to see the Blue Mosque and Turkish Baths before making a quick visit to a carpet store. It was here the salesmen explained the differences between wool cotton and silk carpets with many of various designs available for purchase. Thinking that a rug might not be suitable for the camper trailer and also way out of our p http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/blog-633588.html The night train to Sofia was a surprisingly good night39s sleep briefly interupted at 5am by the border crossing. Sofia is a small city easy to walk around in a day with churches and mosques scattered between lots of normal buildings. The surrounding countryside is green green green which along with the rain reminded me a lot of Scotland. I spent a day wandering around the city and divi http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/blog-612074.html 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 http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-605810.html 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 woul http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-605807.html Dont ever go to Sofia. Seriously. I dont know if it was because I came from some stunning scenery in Macedonia or that I hadnt gotten much sleep on the train during the night but I thought it was an absolute dump. I only had a day there so wanted to take in as much as possible only there wasnt anything to see. I think I spent more time in Starbucks I think it was the first one ever http://www.travelblog.org/Europe/Bulgaria/Sofia-City-/Sofia/blog-589567.html