May 2, 2013 - Day 10 - Ruse & Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

We actually arrived in Ruse (pronounced ru-say) sometime in the middle of the night so after our usual breakfast (of just about any breakfast food one could imagine) – we were off in the buses for a quick city tour of Ruse and then on to Veliko Tarnovo and Arbanassi. Our seats on the bus are very important (so we can take advantage of the most glass to take pictures through without glare) when traveling for 1.5 hours (like we are doing today) and we know that our fellow cruisers are typically 10-15 minutes early for every event – so Barbie...

Jul 30, 2012 - Sofia

Hi, Well we were travelling again today from Bucharest to Soffia Bulgaria. A long jaunt..we blew a hose again today which caused us to take longer to get to our destination. Lots of farms and horses and carts again. Went through the mountains...not much to tell just a few pics along the way. We are staying at the Hilton for the next 2 days..it is nice here,and really hot today 35 C!! We will be doing a tour of this city and will have more pics and better blog then. Till then we are off to drink some more wine. talk to you...

Jul 27, 2012 - Vidin & Belogradchik

We first went to the town of Vidin and went to the castle where we were treated to a short play about the history of Bulgaria. The actors spoke in Bulgarian, but it had occasional narration in English. Basically it showed how Bulgaria was divided between 2 kings who fought each other and then both were conquered by the Ottomans who ruled for 7 centuries. We toured the castle a bit and then boarded the bus for Belogradchik, Bulgarian for "small white town". Belogradchik is located in the Stara Planina mountains, famous for its gigantic rock...

Jul 26, 2012 - Cruising through the Iron Gates

Today was an all day cruise on the ship. We started out in Belgrade and ended in Vidin, Bulgaria, about 238 miles. We passed through the "Iron Gates" which are a beautiful set of gorges on the Danube between Serbia and Romainia. The banks of the Danube are lined with huge sheer rock cliffs that can be as high as 1600 feet. The gorges can be very narrow in some places and are tricky to maneuver. In the 1800's dangerous rocks were cleared from the river and some portions widened. But until 1973 ships still had to be pulled upstream by...

Jul 9, 2012 - Rund Schwarzes Meer: Constanta-Burgas-Sozopol (Bulgarien)

Die 52 Seemeilen lange Strecke von Mangalia nach Balchik ist der bisher mühsamste Abschnitt auf der ganzen Reise. Unüblich für die Jahreszeit, weht hier momentan Südwind. Auf der ganzen Strecke müssen wir unter Segel kreuzen, denn die steilen Wellen von vorne lassen es nicht zu, dass wir uns mit Hilfe der Maschine von der Kreuzerei erlösen können. Um 20 Uhr treffen wir in Balchik ein und werden von der Imigration mit Winkzeichen an eine für die Ceti ungünstige Anlegestelle beordert. Wir weigern uns dort festzumachen. Der Beamte realisiert...

Jun 26, 2012 - Sofia - Bulgaria

Bulgaria is the land of gypsies and sunflowers. We spent a lot of time in the bus getting from Belgrade to Sofia and all I seemed to see was sunflowers. The trip was very rural and less advanced than what I’m used to with farmers still using hand tools in small plots. The highlight for Sofia was the Gypsy night where we visited a gypsy centre and ate lots of meat while watching traditional dancers. The drinks were free poured rather than measured which lead to inhibitions disappearing and dancing on the table – not me mind you – I just...

May 28, 2012 - Last stop - Plovdiv, Bulgaria

From the tour brochure: "Set at the bottom of the majestic Pirin Mountains, Bansko is home to more than 150 cultural monuments and many of its stone houses have been transformed into charming 'mehanes' (taverns)." From here it's back to London, then Dublin on RyanAir.

May 22, 2012 - Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

From the tour brochure: "After the foundation of the second Bulgarian empire in 1185, it became the second most important and beautiful city in the region (after Constantinople) and trade and culture flourished for the next 200 years. Old Quarter with its preserved Renaissance houses."

Sep 3, 2011 - Veliko Tarnovo

On our way to Sofia we stopped by the old capital of Bulgaria, Veliko Tarnovo. We ended up staying for 3 nights and in this time we saw one of the most amazing tourist sites there is. We had been hearing about this communist UFO thing during our time in Bulgaria, but nothing could prepare us for the site of this amazing building. Located in the middle of nowhere on top of a mountain, sat a giant communist conference centre in the shape of a UFO. Built in 1981, after 7 years of construction, costing 8 million euro at the time, covered in...

Aug 24, 2011 - Varna

We headed south to the coast of Bulgaria, to the touristy city of of Varna. Pretty much a place to lie on the beach and drink - exactly what we did. After spending a day on the overcrowded main beach, we jumped on a bus and headed out of town to a local beach, Kabakome, not at all up to the Australian standards, but a million times better. Being at the beach was actually useful as our hostel's showers were literally ON the toilet, thus Telka didn't shower for three days. Apart from drinking, we did try some traditional Bulgarian food which...

Jul 7, 2011 - Ready

I don’t know what people from Varna call themselves (“people” probably), but I like to make up terms: “Varnians” would please C.S. Lewis, and “Varnese” would make Italians feel at home. And for the Americans in the audience, um… “I’m from Varna. Heh heh.” I obsess mildly about such appellations because I’ve been here 16 days, with two more days left before the last, intense period of the summer begins. So I’ve been living here, in a way, adopting routines, eating, drinking, washing clothes, going to the beach. It’s not like I’m paying taxes...

Jun 26, 2011 - V-Ball

I bought a standing room ticket to watch the FIVB World League at the nearby Sports Palace last night. Having seen world-class opera, theatre, music and art so far on the trip, I can now add world-class sports. The World League is comprised of the top 16 qualifying men's teams from around the world, who play in four first-round pools; the winner and runner-up in each pool go on to the round of eight, then to a semi-final round and on to the final. It's the biggest volleyball competition in the world, alongside the Olympics. Bulgaria is...