Jun 15, 2017 - Sofia

some work on the computer before heading down for breakfast, then back to my room making plans on what to see today, head off walking to the center of town checked St. Sophia Basilica, went to underground tombs below the church. Then past the eternal flame for the unknown warrior, next stop the Alexander Nevaky Cathedral built between 1882-1912 then I got a got on the city sightseeing bus for a ride around the city, a nice easy way to get around. LOL Watched the changing of the guards at the Presidency got a couple post cards had to go to...

Jun 14, 2017 - Sofia, Bulgaria number 94 the last one on this trip

Up this morning work on travel blog packed my bags then off to get a taxi to the center bus station a short wait for the bus loaded up my bags then we are off to Sofia. The bus made a couple quick stops before we reached the border a quick check of passport out of Macedonia then next stop the Bulgaria border and quick passport check and we are off. This now makes my 94th country, 11 new ones for this trip getting closer to my buck-et list of 100 might make it yet LOL. We set our watches ahead one hour at the border so what seemed like a 5...

Nov 13, 2014 - Good-bye Bulgaria

There is so much more to see here in Bulgaria. Such a rich history. Before Romans settled here, the Greeks had settlements. Before them was the Thracian culture. But, I still have 8 more countries to visit here on the Balkan Peninsula. It's time to move on. The next city on my rough trip plans is Skopje in Macedonia. I knew that there are no direct trains between Bulgaria and Macedonia. But, I also knew, from my research prior to this trip, that it would be possible to take a train from Sophia (Bulgaria) to Nis (Serbia) and then connect to...

Nov 12, 2014 - Tourist in Sofia

Today was a very productive day. I saw many of the attractions in Sofia (Bulgaria) and more. I decided that, since I'd now been in Eastern Europe for an entire week, that it was time to try American fast food. So, I walked to a nearby Dunkin' Donuts for breakfast. Can you imagine that it didn't open until 9am? Could a Dunkin' Donuts survive back home if it didn't open until 9am? I think some of them have made half their profits for the day by 9am. I contented myself with what seemed to be a typical Bulgarian breakfast at a nearby pastry...

Nov 11, 2014 - Train to Sophia

The plan was to visit some of the attractions of Varna today. They have some of the world's best preserved Roman baths and a Roman amphitheater. That's impossible now. The bus ride to Bulgaria took all day. Another bus back to Varna would take another day. A train or bus to Sophia will take yet another day. I'm due in Sophie on Wednesday (more on that later). There's just not enough time. So, I decided to head directly to Sophia. As if yesterday wasn't bad enough, the main bracket on my backpack broke. The weight of the entire backpack is...

Nov 10, 2014 - Not a Good Day!

10-Nov Today's plan was to travel by bus to Varna, Bulgaria. The day didn't exactly go according to plan. I knew that no trains went from Constanta to Bulgaria but knew that some buses did. But, when I got to the bus station, I could only find one bus to Varna and it left Constanta at 6:30pm. I guess I'm spending the day in Constanta. To avoid being homeless too long, I decided to linger in my hotel room until check-out at noon. Since the WiFi in the room wasn't working (although they promised it would), I turned my attention to the TV....

Aug 4, 2014 - Sofia

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria. We drove all day and got in about 3:30pm. We had to go through another border. This means another stamp on my passport!  The country side looks really pretty but the houses a pretty rough. People live in homes made out of poorly placed bricks and no windows. It looks like a third world country. The economy is still pretty bad. But once you get into the city everything is clean and taken care of. The people are really beautiful too.  We walked around and were shown a few buildings. We went into an Orthodox...

Aug 9, 2013 - Bulgaria

Bulgaria 29th July – 8th August On our way north – and it is not all over yet. It was no surprise, Bulgaria was a surprise. Of course we pick out the best bits, thanks to ‘Lonely Planet’, and Bulgaria has some nice bits, indeed quite a few. We first went to Lake Batak, close to Plovdiv, then north-west to the Rila Monastery, followed by the old capital Veliko Tarnovo and then to the Black Sea just south of the Rumanian border. Just out of interest I have copied Sue’s card to me on our Anniversary, see the 1st photo. It seems that we are...

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...