Aug 5, 2018 - 27/28th July

Dear all, As you know the titled date is the date we visited these places and the other date is the actual date on which I am writing. I say this because we have just arrived at Belgrade and the wifi is working well. The photos are from our time in Sofia in Belgrave. All the towns we visit have lots of large churches, mostly Christian Orthodox. Sofia has Roman ruins which have been found during the repair and rebuild from damage caused during the 2nd World War and the revolutions when the former Yugoslavia states broke up and the communist...

Aug 4, 2018 - 26th July

Dear all, Well at last wifi has reached out room. The day the photos were taken we were travelling from Romania into Bulgaria. We passed 3 shepherds with their dogs and sheep but as the sheep grazed one shepherd was busy on the mobile phone. The scenery continues to be beautiful and changing. When we arrived at Velikio Tarnovo we climbed to the Tsanevitis Fortress. It was very hot and steep cobblestone road and slippery steps. Finally made it to the top. The views from the top were lovely. I have included a photo of the fortress from the...

Aug 18, 2017 - Belgrade to Sofia

We drove out of Belgrade intohigh rolling hills. Saw lots of patchwork quilt farms of corn, sunflowers, orchards sewn in with green deciduous trees. Red-roofed villages were sprinkled throughout the countryside. We turned off the freeway at Nis to head east to the Bulgarian border and Sofia. Nis is a large city with a four lane highway through it. Once through the city we could see a new road but were taken back on the old. Soon. It just needs connecting. The old road was rough, needing repairs. We went round the corner...and voila..we were...

Aug 17, 2017 - Ruse, Bulgaria

We continued to cruise down the Danube until we came to the port of Ruse, Bulgaria. We had a guest lecturer from the university who told us about how six local women started an organized protest in March 1987 against the atmospheric pollution emanating from the chemical factories across the river in Romania. They demonstrated how the pollution was killing their children and sickening their population. It took 12 demonstrations, but the local government finally acted and the chemical factory was closed down one year later. Pretty impressive...

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...