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Bulgaria & Romania 2019

Mai - Juni 2019
Ein 29-Tage Abenteuer von Darren and Janet Weiterlesen

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  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019
    2
    12

    Sofia - Election and Eurovision Day

    18. Mai 2019 in Bulgarien ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

    We had a night flight from Adelaide which was 15 minutes late into Doha, so our transfer was done at a trot. We made it, and took off on time,then arrived in Sofia 20 minutes early.

    Sofia Airport is reminiscent of Adelaide before it was upgraded, quite small and tired - except they have an underground service into the city - and it's a bargain at 1.60 Lev (A$1.28).

    We arrived at the main station, Serdica, and walked 10 mintutes to our hotel. After a quick freshen up (and catch up with the early election results), we headed out for a walk.

    First stop was a phone shop for a local SIM card (10 Lev/A$8 for 6GB data for 14 days), which we tested by finding a few caches.

    Sofia is an old city, with some beautiful buildings, but many are badly in need of repair, as are many of the footpaths. The trams run down many streets and seem to effortlessly share the road without any traffic lights - the cars just stop as the tram comes whizzing across their path!

    We had a mid afternoon break for pizza and beer, then wandered down the main shopping strip, Vitosha Boulevard, which was still in full swing at 6pm. The view of the mountains in the background was the enduring image of the day, and not what we were expecting in Sofia!

    On the way back to the hotel we stopped at a supermarket for supplies, then stayed in to watch Eurovision live. We had some trouble finding a station that was broadcasting it, as the Bulgarian national broadcaster decided against it for cost reasons, but fortunately the hotel had a large selection of international stations ☺    Weiterlesen

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  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019
    1

    Saint Sofia... not named after her!

    19. Mai 2019 in Bulgarien ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    After breakfast of fruit and cereal we walked into the city centre for a 10am walking tour of Sofia. It's a free tour where you tip the guide as much or little as you like, and we had about 25 on our Sunday morning stroll.

    We visited all the major religious sites - cathedrals, orthodox churches, mosques and synagogue - I reckon Sofia could easily call itself the city of churches - as well as Roman ruins, relics of the communist past, and Bulgaria's brief foray into a monachy after 500 years of Ottoman rule.

    First stop was the Serdica Ruins, Roman ruins uncovered in 2012 when they were excavating for the underground station. These lie below a 6th century church, which is a level below the nearby 16th century church... and all visible from one place.

    Overlooking all of these is the controversial monument of Saint Sofia. It was erected in 2000 to replace a statue of Lenin removed 10 years prior, but isn't of any one person, but rather an amalgam of Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sofia) and the goddess Athena... so the locals are at keen to explain that the city wasn't named after her!

    We visited the Offices of Parliament and saw the changing of the guard, and finished at Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the largest completed Orthodox Cathedral in the Balkans (the 2 larger ones are still under construction)

    After the tour finished we had lunch at a soup restaurant, then cached our way back to the hotel via the mineral springs (where locals fill containers with spring water which flows freely at 27 degrees) and the Ladies Market (mostly Fruit and veg).

    Tea was at Happy Bar and Grill, a Bulgarian chain restaurant.    Weiterlesen

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  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019
    11

    Goin' down to South Park

    20. Mai 2019 in Bulgarien ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    Another day of walking around Sofia, this time to South Park, one of the largest recreation areas in the city.

    On the way we grabbed some morning tea from a hole in the wall bakery, which are almost as prevalent as bottle shops - there seems to be one of those on every corner!

    We walked through the suburbs to the nearest entrance to South Park and visited the National Palace of Culture... which is not quite as it sounds - it's more like a convention centre, so you can't actually go in, but it's a very popular place to drink coffee from one of the numerous cafes on the outside.

    The walk to the far end of the park is about 4km over a variety of terrain, with some bird and squirrel spotting and lots of locals dog walking on the way. As it was starting to rain, we made our way to the metro station and caught the train back to Serdica.

    We made a quick visit to a market, then walked back to our hotel before wandering out to tea at Balito Bar and Grill, a traditional Bulgaria eatery (2 x 500ml beers, garlic bread and 2 mains was 20 Lev/$16)    Weiterlesen

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  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019
    1111

    Rila Monastery and Melnik

    21. Mai 2019 in Bulgarien ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

    We started our tour of Bulgaria today with our driver/guide Nadya.

    We left Sofia at 9am for the drive south, first stop Rila Monastery, the largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria.
    First built in the 10th century, the wooden structure was all but destroyed by fire in 1833 - the only part to survive was Hrelyu's tower, because it was made of stone. It is ornately decorated inside and out and is still a working monastery, currently home to 20 monks.

    The afternoon drive to Melnik was through lush green countryside, beginning with a new freeway, then onto narrow roads through numerous villages. Melnik is the smallest town in Bulgaria, population 390, surrounded by sandstone pyramids and famous for its wine production.

    We visited the largest Revival-era building in Bulgaria, Kordopulova House, a 4 storey mansion built in 1754, which still operates as a family owned winery. It's like a Bond villain's house, complete with a secret cupboard in the dining room which leads to a hidden stairway to the roof - perfect for a quick escape if the business deal is going bad - and 180m of underground passageways.

    After some wine tasting we walked up to a couple of churches on top of the pyramids, which conveniently also had a cache, and had dinner at a local restaurant in the main street (the town really only has one street)    Weiterlesen

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  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019
    1131

    Impromptu visit to Greece

    22. Mai 2019 in Griechenland ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C

    We only had a short drive planned for today (83km to Kovachevitsa), so Nadya suggested a visit to Greece on the way!

    Melnik is only 20km from the Greek border, so we set our sights for Lake Kerkini, one of the most important wetlands in Europe, is considered to be one of the top European bird watching destinations, with about 300 bird species spotted.

    First stop after leaving Melnik was Rohzen Monastery, where we also went for a walk up the pinnacles, with a spectacular view over the whole area.

    The border crossing to Greece was full of trucks, but we only had to stop for a quick passport check and we were on our way.

    We didn't have any Euro with us, and Nadya only had 15 Euro after paying the border toll, so we knew lunch had to be cheap... and cheap it was! She spotted a mulberry tree in full fruit on the side of the road, so we stopped and picked enough to satisfy us all.

    We continued on to the lake and went for a short walk to do some birdwatching (and eat more mulberries from a tree in the waterfront, this time the white variety).

    We drove through a number of villages (and checked out the stork nests on the top of the power poles), before visiting another bay before beginning our journey back to Bulgaria.    Weiterlesen

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  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019

    Greece to Kovachevitsa

    22. Mai 2019 in Bulgarien ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    The road to Kovachevitsa was windy and mountainous, with numerous logging trucks to slow us down. We stopped at Leshten on the way, a historical village of only 10 permanent inhabitants, where we went for a walk (and Nadya found 2 caches!)

    We arrived in Kovachevitsa at 6.30pm, just in time for a delicious tea on the terrace of our guest house (we're the only guests tonight)    Weiterlesen

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  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019
    2
    11

    Rain on the way to Kosovo

    23. Mai 2019 in Bulgarien ⋅ 🌧 17 °C

    We were up early again and went for a walk through Kovachevitsa village before breakfast of banitsa (egg and feta cheese layered in filo pastry), homemade yoghurt and coffee.

    The road toward Kosovo (the Bulgarian village, not the country), took us through a gypsy settlement - the contrast to the Bulgarian villages was chalk and cheese, with the gypsy settlement looking more like an African village, with ramshackle houses, rubbish everywhere and donkey carts for transport. The Romani, who are of northern Indian descent, make up about 4% of the population and are generally resented by the Bulgarians, as they believe the Romani give them an unfavorable reputation to outsiders.

    Our first stop was The Eagle's Eye, a lookout overlooking the village of Yagodina, which we reached by four wheel drive. With the weather closing in we made quick time down and headed to Yagodina Caves, a 1.2km walk through a combination of wet and dry caves. We arrived at the entrance just as the rain and hail started, but by the time we emerged 45 minutes later it had stopped.

    We had a late lunch at the restaurant nearby, and the rain started again.

    We were scheduled to visit a yoghurt museum, but unfortunately it has closed down - and I was looking forward to seeing what could possibly be in a yoghurt museum!!

    Our drive to Kosovo was through the Rodope Mountains, with a stop on the way at Grohotno, a predominantly Turkish village, where Nadya got us invited for coffee at the local shop!

    Accommodation tonight is in Kosovo, another tiny village with less than 30 inhabitants.    Weiterlesen

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  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019
    1
    11

    All roads lead to Plovdiv

    24. Mai 2019 in Bulgarien ⋅ ⛅ 23 °C

    A walk in the village of Kosovo before breakfast, then a 9am departure, headed for Plovdiv.

    First stop was the Wonderful Bridge, a natural bridge created by a cave being eroded by the river. It was a long drive in, and after a short walk, we were soon on our way for the 1 hour drive out.

    We stopped at the village of Narechen for morning tea, then headed toward Bachkovo Monastery. On the way we treated Nadya to some bread and vegemite, but she thought it was so bad she stopped the car to spit it out!

    Bachkovo Monastery was very busy as it's a public holiday today for Graduation Day for all the year 12 students. The graduates family spend a fortune on dresses/suits, flowers, car and a dinner for their family and friends... so much that they call it the "small wedding". Celebrations go late into the night.

    Assen Fortress and church, high on the hills overlooking Assenovgrad, was next stop, before heading to Vacha Dam on the way to Plovdiv, our base for the next 2 nights.    Weiterlesen

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  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019
    1122

    A walk through time in Plovdiv

    25. Mai 2019 in Bulgarien ⋅ 🌙 19 °C

    Plovdiv is the second largest city in Bulgaria, is Europe's oldest continually inhabited city, and is the 2019 European Capital of Culture... and boy, does it have some culture.

    We went for a walking tour today, starting at the new end of their mall ("the longest walking street in Bulgaria"), built in the 2000's, followed by an area built in the 1800s with a strong Viennese influence, the old town (1700s Revival style), mosques built by the Ottomans, a Roman era ampitheatre (200 AD) and the ruins of a fort on one of the surrounding hills, dating back to 5000 BC.

    Plovdiv is surrounded by 6 hills - it used to be 7, like Rome, but one was destroyed in the beginning of the 20th century and the material was used for the pavement of most streets in Plovdiv, and is now home to a shopping mall.

    The two main ancient sites are the Stadium of Phillippopolis, which was renovated in 2010 and a section is visible in the centre if town, and The Roman Amphitheatre, which was uncovered during a landslide in 1972 and is now fully restored. It seats 3000 spectators and hosts regular concerts and events.    Weiterlesen

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  • Darren and JanetBulgaria & Romania 2019
    1
    11

    From Thracian tombs to Communism

    26. Mai 2019 in Bulgarien ⋅ ⛅ 17 °C

    We had an earlier start today, so we went down for breakfast at 7.27am (for a 7.30 start), only to be ordered out of the restaurant by the waitress who angrily pointed to the door told us in surly Bulgarian that breakfast started at 7.30am! Three minutes later, all good to go...☺

    After leaving Plovdiv, our first stop was the Thracian Tombs of Kazanluk (if you don't count 2 caches on the way!). The Thracian people lived approx 5000 BC, and buried their king in a small dome tomb, similar to the Egyptian pyramids, but much smaller and simpler.

    An abandoned Communist flying saucer shaped building was next - Budludzha was built on top of a hill in 1986 to host Communist meetings, and closed in 1989. It was abandoned and left to rot, and now the Communist Party and the Bulgarian government are arguing over who owns it and who pays for repairs, so it is closed to the public and has 24 hour security to keep it secure.

    We drove through onto the Monument of Freedom, erected to celebrate victory in the Battle of Shipka Pass,, between the Russians/Bulgarians and the Ottomans.

    At the northern end of the Shipka Pass is the town of Gabrovo where we visited Nadya's grandparents to deliver some supplies. It was lovely to visit a real Bulgarian house and enjoy their hospitality over a cup of coffee.

    Onto Veliko Tarnavo, the former capital and home to Tsarevets Fortress, the walled fortress of the capital from1185 to 1323. The city of Veliko Tarnavo is built on 3 hills and has spectacular vistas in all directions.    Weiterlesen

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