Blogs from Sofia City , Bulgaria, Europe - page 8

Bloody French Air Traffic Controllers, complaining because they have to move retirement from 60 to 62, sack therm all I say, as it's causing me chaos. Have been in 3 countries since I last wrote. Morroco, Hot, smellly, dirt, smelly, clossed (Ramadan), smelly. Every person you meet is trying to con you or sell you drugs. Also seem to be the angriest people I have encountered, everyone is arguing or shouting at each other, must have something to do with not being akle to eat of drink all day. Hung out at the Ramada Hotel with all the other Europeans, it was like seige mentality. Went to a Morrocan Dentist to get my crownput back and he has damaged it beyond repair, magic. Met some nice people, especially a Norwegian guy who is renting me his ... read more

As they used to say of the roach motel “you can check in but you cant check out.” In Istanbul it seems it is easier to check out than check in. After a few days to orient myself to the place and the fact my sister lives in the western suburbs and I was heading west, it was a breeze compared to the arrival nightmare. So I was off across the peninsula that effectively connects Europe to Asia in the south. The waters of the Sea of Marmara were off to the left. Almost an inland sea it connects to the Agean Sea which then connects to the Mediteranean. I never did (or have) seen the Black Sea which was somewhere off to the right and somehow registers as a big disappointment. Don’t ask me why. ... read more

Day 10 Belgrade to Sofia We were all ready to get up and go this morning, however, our hostel host, while very enthusiastic, was not terribly efficient. Our breakfast, which was meant to be at 0730, arrived at just after 0800. So our 0800 start this morning became a 0845 start. Deep breath - what can you do? We were all a bit sad to be leaving Jana behind as well, and it started out a very quiet coach. So a semi long day ahead, unfortunately Thomas has a very individual sense of time and so we were also 20 minutes late leaving our first service stop. Again, oh well. Just makes the drive a whole lot longer for the rest of us. We crossed from Serbia into Bulgaria, and again I was the only one ... read more

Add a new country to the list - Bulgaria! In two days we were really only able to visit Sofia. It was a very pleasant and walkable city. The residents were most considerate, helpful, and friendly. Historic sights, parks, and cafes were relatively close to each other and the city just seemed to be designed for walking. With so little time we hit a few of the main sights, had some great Bulgarian food, walked miles of city streets, and enjoyed fireworks and a musical preformance in front of the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Churches and cathedrals are some of the main historic sights in the city. In fact, the city is named after one of the oldest Eastern Orthodox churches, dating back to the 6th century. We were only able to visit 2: the St. ... read more

Well I have changed to holding my breath, as progress occurs at a whirlwind pace, hoping for rain to germinate the seeds planted out(corn and pumkins).Yureeka we had rain last night - not long but heavy and some sun back today so hopefully things will start to move in the veg . department.The other good thing that was a change was that we had no late frost so we have pleanty of plums,cherries,and apples. rakia should be a bumper quantity!!! So what progress. Well in 10 days the men have installed all new lamp fixtures, have done some of the old problems and the paint will wait till nearer the autumn. Two big projects are also accomplished(with again moderate finishing touches to be applied.) In the conservatory(completely finished barring the overall paint job) the old sink ... read more