Sofia to the Rhodope mountains

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Entering Sofia after a 3 hour plus bus journey was absolute delight after bustling Bucharest - it is half the size, has indications of more investment thanks to joining the EU several years ago, good tourist infrastructure (bus, train stations near eachother and commute to or within town on trams, trolley buses etc). Having had a rough deal since the earthquake and loss of some buildings, many have also been well preserved. I would have noticed no fewer than 10 churches on my wander around the city that afternoon. Our guide with Intrepid gave us a quick tour of the key sights after lunch - the impressive Alexander Nevaski church, the art gallery, national history museum, and ethnographical museum buildings, the small local park and plazas and clues on how to spend the rest of our brief 24 stint there.

Having done some internet research on pools in Bulgaria, I had eyes on the Olympic Sportak Swimming centre stationed 4km out of town, for the next day. A bit of a tricky one to find (take tram number one so i learnt the next day!), it was next to the tennis centre and bizarre vertical bungee and merry go round district south of town. So meanwhile I got to see most of the south side including Cultural Palace and parklands/ gradina, Ethnographical museum (small, modest collection but interesting insight into traditional Rhodopean wedding ceremonial customs), the Ladies market (a real dodgy place to be after 7pm I deduced!) all by foot. The local snack bars sell filo pastry concoctions, though I decided a picnic of smoked salmon and tomato on Bulgarian bread in the town square was in order......washed down with ample people watching who were off to a free concert in the square by some local DJ's playing ramped up dance music. Then came amazing fireworks about 9pm, and my feet told me to retire ................to Hotel Maia, our cosy high ceilinged pension 20m from the main intersection in Sofia. Noisy but oh so bright and vibrant. Beggars, business and trendy types coming and going under to the metro stations and trams.
And it would not be a city without McDonalds and KFC around the corner, right???

A good lie in and swim topped of the next morning before I planned 12pm departure...but it would not be an adventure without a taxi driver that changed his initial quote upon getting in, by 400%. I decided taxi would be a sure fire way to return on time but my faith in Sofia'n taxi drivers has been lost. He clearly did not know where I was going, even though I did having walked the way the day prior, and he made what is usually a 10 min journey into almost 30mins, making me dead on time for the group departure which I hated. A few brief tears of disgust and words of wisdom from the group MUM washed down with lunch and I was right!

Now we have had two days in lovely Bansko, 936m elevation and now wet and cool (I would hazard a guess of 4C this afternoon, 12-15C this morning). En route we visited Rila Monastery and embraced the local custom of covering all visible flesh whilst appreciating the incredible mountain setting 31km from the main highway - hence private minivan transport which again we paid extra for. Rose water is the deal here, and so a man in my life will soon be washing in an interesting concoction. Today, another poor sleep with snoring coughing room mate, we headed to the bear sanctuary where bears having had a bad life performing with chains around their necks are nurchured until their dying days. Living outside captivity is not possible, as they are so domesticated, their dentition eroded or absent, their mental state deranged that it is not altogther pleasant to watch. BUlgaria protects bears, whereas ROmania hunts them in season (so it is on the menu!!)(. But impressive beings with personality they were. The word convenient locations does not do justice...... 1 hour goat track by 4WD Transit van and we only JUST made it including slippages and skidding. Hoorah driver, 'Blagodarya'!.

Some rambling around town to see the Trinity church, being restored at present and surrounded with high walls to keep peering eyes out (there is a story about making it the biggest, the mayor being reprimanded in the end!!), the religious icons museum, and a missed spa resort due to driving cold wind sent me indoors to here and warmth. Grapes abound here too, heavenly in the right doses.

Onto to big Plovdiv tomorrow (jewellery I hear??) and then the big T - Turkey!!

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