Welcome to Bulgaria! This is country number 56! In Turkey, some of the people were talking about the 40 under 40 (40 countries under 40 years old), as that is a goal for many of the younger ones. Well, I seem to have smashed that out of the park! Wednesday, my day trip to North Macedonia will make 57, and since I moved to the UK, I have done 18 countries, and I have 2 more in December. That is very exciting! Maybe my goal should be 100 countries by 50?
Day 1 Istanbul to Sofia
Last night, the bus left Istanbul at 10pm, and I had 2 seats to myself. I watched a couple of TV episodes, then curled up and tried to sleep. We stopped at 12.30am for a toilet stop, then at 1am we reached the Turkey border. We had to disembark the bus, go through the immigration to get my passport stamped, have the bus searched, and then we re-boarded the bus on the other side.
Then we drove for 5mins to the Bulgarian border. We had to repeat the same process, except I was questioned about my plans in Bulgaria, and the bus had to go through x-ray scans. We finally left the border just after 2am. 1hr to cross the 2 borders. There were thousands of trucks lined up at the border. I would hate to be a truck driver, stuck in those long queues, and doing it regularly.
We stopped a few more times during the night for toilets & I think in Plovdiv, but I didn’t get up. I just kept rotating around in my seat to try and get comfy and sleep. According to my watch, I did not sleep. I think I may have got a tiny bit of very light, non-restful sleep.
The bus arrived in Sofia at 6am, which is 1hr early. Good and bad. Good to be off the bus, bad because I have nowhere to go yet! I found some indoor seats at the bus station, and sat there for a while. I have an EU data roaming pack, so I could use internet freely again here (I ran out of data in Turkey with my global roaming pack). I found some coffee shops that were open so after putting my contact lenses back in, I braced myself for the freezing cold (6 degrees C!!) and began the walk to the café. It is dark. Very dark. Sunrise today is 7.50am, so I had to walk to the café in the dark. From what I have read, Sofia is a safe place, but being in any foreign city, where it is freezing cold and dark, and you can’t speak/read/understand the language is not fun.
The café was warm and had a comfy couch, and my coffee was very good! I could smell croissants cooking so I planned to have on of those a bit later. The lady working the register & making the drinks speaks English which is very helpful. Bulgarian uses Cyrillic letters, so it is impossible to make out any words. Can’t even begin to guess them! In my 2hrs there, I had 2 lattes and a croissant, which was so good!
At 9.45am I left and headed to my guesthouse to leave my suitcase. It is located just off the main pedestrian street, which is good. My first stop after this, was the National Palace of Culture. This is a big park with water fountains and a big venue at one end. By now, the sun was beginning to warm up and the sky was a beautiful blue. A lot of people were sitting on the sunny benches, enjoying the sun.
Next, I walked through the Vitosha Boulevard, checking out some of the souvenir shops. I was immediately struck by the abundance of rose products. Rose everything. What’s with the roses? So later I googled, and discovered that there is a valley that produces a lot of roses, and that Bulgaria produces most of the world’s rose oil, extracted from the rare Rosa Damascena. Never heard of that, and know nothing about rose essential oil, other than it smells nice. Apparently, it reduces blood pressure, stress, anxiety and depression. Could be worth buying some before I leave!
By now, I was hungry so I found a café called Wonderland, which had great reviews. I was so sick of the awful breakfast in Turkey (and food in general really) and was desperate for some good food. It was quiet when I went in fortunately, as it is very popular for cakes & prosecco. I ordered a unicorn lemonade, which uses the pea flower. It is blue and they give you the lemon juice on the side. When you add it, the drink turns purple. It was very nice! For brunch, I ordered waffles with bacon, fried egg, cream cheese mousse and hollandaise. Oh my, it was absolutely delicious! This was exactly what I needed!
After brunch, I kept walking around the streets and found some ruins called Serdica. This is a large underground city that was discovered when they were excavating for the metro. These ruins date from 4th – 6th centuries. You are able to walk around and through the ruins, which I found odd. Normally ruins are completely fenced off in places I have been before, so it felt weird having free rein to walk anywhere I wanted.
Next, I wanted to check out some of the famous churches and cathedrals. First was the St George Rotunda Church. It is round, obviously.
Then it was onto the St Nicholas the Miracle Maker church, which is a Russian church. It is very pretty and looks like the famous ones in Russia.
Last on my list was the Sir Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, a Bulgarian orthodox church. This is the biggest orthodox cathedral in the Balkans, and can hold 5,000 people. It is huge! You have to pay to go inside, so I didn’t, just admired it from the outside.
I saw a big supermarket on my walk, so I decided to go check it out. I love foreign supermarkets! I found some new alcohol that intrigued me, 2 little bottles of flavoured JP Chenet bubbles (peach and blackberry), and 2 Somersby ciders (mango lime and blueberry). I didn’t buy them, but I might go back tomorrow for one of them!
By now, it was 2pm, so I headed back to my guesthouse to check in. I bought my shot glass on the way as my shopping time is limited here. I checked in and was shown the amenities by the receptionist. It is a guesthouse, and I am in an adjacent building, which has a shared kitchenette, with a coffee machine, a variety of tea bags, and snack. My room is a single room, and it is gorgeous.
I needed to rest, since I barely slept on the bus, so I stayed in my room. I almost fell asleep at 4.30pm, so I had a hot shower (amazing) and a cup of strawberry tea. I worked out how to use the heater as my room was cold, and watched tv shows for a while.
Tomorrow I have to be up around 7.30am as I have a day trip to the Rila Monastery and Boyana Church. I definitely will sleep well tonight!
Day 2 Sofia – Day trip to Rila Monastery & Boyana Church
I woke up early, feeling like I still need another 4hrs sleep, and got ready for my day trip. I made sure I was early, because they don’t wait for late people apparently. On the way I passed a Starbucks, so I got myself a coffee and kept walking.
The tour guide and minivan were already there waiting. The tour guide seated me in the front seat, and over the next 20mins, another 2 couples turned up. We left a few minutes early as we were all there. Our first stop for the day, and main destination, was Rila Monastery. It is a 2hr drive up into the mountains. The monastery is normally very busy, with thousands of tourists visiting each day. Fortunately, there are very few tourists in Bulgaria now, so it was virtually empty when we arrived. 3 of us had a guided tour, while the other 2 were self-guided. The guide explained the history of the monastery, the features, the fresco painting etc. It was really interesting. At one point, there were 400 monks living there, and now there are 7. I saw 3 of them! It was absolutely freezing up at the monastery, so I was desperate to stand in a sunny spot during the tour.
The church inside is stunning, with a huge gold-plated chandelier. Cameras are banned inside, so there are no pictures. After the tour, we had 2hrs free time. The first place we went was the bakery to try one of their local pastries. It is called a mekitsa, and it is basically deep fried dough, and you put icing sugar on it. It was very nice.
By now, the sun was providing some warmth, so after walking around and seeing all the different places, I went and sat in the sun outside he restaurant. I had a bowl of chips and a soda water, and when I went to pay, I found out they don’t accept card! They only take cash! No signage outside the restaurant to notify customers and no mention from the waitress. Fortunately, she took all the money I had and gave me a free pass on the rest. That was very kind of her.
I went to the meeting point and met my group. We drove back to Sofia, and stopped at Boyana Church, in the Boyana area of the city. It is up in the hills and is now the most expensive area of Sofia. It is a beautiful area. The church was built in 3 stages, 11th century, 13th century and 19th century. On the outside, it is nothing special. Inside, however, it is completely covered in fresco paintings. There is a guard inside, who keeps the door locked. 10 people are allowed inside at a time, and photos are banned. Bags have to be hung on the hooks by the door. The colours are very vibrant, given their age. You can’t touch them obviously, just admire them. Our guide explained some of the frescos to us. Each group is allowed 10mins maximum.
When our 10mins was up, we headed out and drove back to Sofia. Our pickup/drop off point was at the Sir Alexander Nevsky cathedral, so after I left the tour, I went inside the cathedral. Photos cost money, so no photos here either. It is quite impressive inside. Very big, multiple domes, big chandeliers and lots of gold-plating.
Then I went to the supermarket to get snacks for tomorrow, and then headed back to my accommodation. I feel pretty awful, so am going to rest. I think my body is trying very hard to fight off the cold that everyone had in Turkey. I was almost asleep on the way back to Sofia this afternoon, and I NEVER sleep during the day unless I am sick.
The tour guide said that Happy bar & grill is a Bulgarian restaurant chain, and the only one who opened stores outside of Bulgaria. I think maybe I will go there tonight for dinner. It isn’t traditional, but it is a Bulgarian restaurant.
At 6.30pm, I walked to the restaurant. I was surprised by how light and warm it was still. There is a Happy bar just 7mins walk so nice and close. I got seated in a non-smoking section straight away which was good. I chose a Mr. Happy burger. Beef patties, cheese, caramelised onion, Happy mayo and ketchup. It was absolutely delicious. Best burger I have had in a while. I’m still feeling quite under the weather, so I eat junk food, and this certainly was a good choice.
I walked back to my guesthouse in the dark and felt completely safe. Sofia is a surprise. I have never felt unsafe, but in my head, I kind of had this negative, violent & dangerous image of Bulgaria. I now have a very different image, a positive and friendly one.
Back at my room, I made a cup of jasmine green tea and had a hot shower. Then I settled into bed to relax. I definitely think my body is fighting very hard to kill this infection. I hope my body wins without giving me further symptoms!
Day 3 Skopje and Matka Canyon, North Macedonia
Another bright and early start today, at 7am. I had booked a day trip to Nis in Serbia, however, the company called me on Sunday night saying they had overbooked the tour and would I be interested in going to Skopje in North Macedonia instead. I had a look at the 2 tour options to Skopje and I chose the Skopje and Matka Canyon tour.
I went outside my guesthouse early, and my driver guide was waiting for me. We drove through the city to collect 2 people from another hotel, and then began our journey. It is a 4hr journey to Skopje, including a border crossing. It was 2hrs to the border. It is a drive through border. None of us had to leave the car, which was great. At the Skopje border, we had to wave at the officer when he called our names, and then we were granted entry. We stopped at a servo just after the border for a toilet stop. It was brand new, so the toilets were the cleanest I have seen in a long time!
Another 2hrs and we reached Skopje. Our guide took us to the local Macedonian guide, as Bulgarian’s are not allowed to guide us here. When the other vehicle arrived, we began our walking tour. Skopje is a weird city. On one side of the river is the new Macedonian side, with new and modern buildings. On the other side of the river is the old bazaar side. It has the older buildings and the traditional bazaar. An ancient stone bridge connects the two sides, which are very different from each other. We walked along the river, seeing the massive white stone buildings, built recently but designed to look ancient.
Then we went into the modern city centre and saw a huge arch, modelled off the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.
Next we went to the Mother Theresa Memorial House. It is a small museum, which has a lot of photographs of Mother Theresa. She was born in Skopje and they are very proud of that.
Next we crossed the stone bridge to another big square. There are lots of fountains with huge statues in Skopje, as the mountains behind the city have lots of waterfalls & lakes.
The last stop on the walking tour was the Old Bazaar. Most of it was destroyed in the 1963 earthquake, so what you see has been rebuilt and is smaller than the original. It is nothing like the Turkish bazaars, which is actually nice. Almost every shop & restaurant accepts cash only, which is odd. We walked for a while, looking at the stores, and seeing different streets.
We ended with a view of the ancient fortress.
Three of us then left to go to the Matka Canyon. This is a large canyon west of Skopje and has a big hydroelectric dam. The drive was about 40mins and we found a parking spot not too far from the entry. We walked along the dam to the boat launching place, and discovered a movie was being filmed. We had to wait for them to film a scene so we could pass by.
The boat trip was lovely. The canyon is beautiful, especially with the autumn leaves. It was also very quiet.
About 20mins upstream, we reached Vrelo Cave. It is the biggest underwater cave in Europe, and possibly the world. Apparently, an Italian team have managed to get down to 190m depth so far. We had a short tour inside the only accessible land part of the cave. It is pretty cool. During summer and winter, it is inhabited by bats, but being autumn, there were none.
Then we returned back to the dock and began our drive back to Bulgaria. We took a different route this time. We had no issues at the border, fortunately, as this particular border does not like Bulgarian people. Another 2hrs and we finally got back to Sofia. It was a very long but good day.
I really wanted some garlic & vegies to try and help my body fight this cold, so I got stir fry noodles from Wok to Walk. Pulled beef, broccoli, cabbage, noodles, spinach, mushrooms, garlic & oyster sauce. Delicious!
I am glad I made it back in one piece. Bulgarians, and Macedonians, are shocking drivers! Our driver was driving across any and all lanes, the white stripes were passing right under my seat many times! He constantly accelerated, then backed off, accelerated and backed off, causing us to be jerking around all the time. The speed limit was maximum 120kph and I clocked us going 150kph several times! He was so impatient, could not be behind a slow vehicle. It was terrifying!
North Macedonia is not part of the EU or Schengen zone. They have been blocked from joining the EU by Greece and Bulgaria for multiple reasons. Macedonia and Greece had a big fight over Alexander the Great, with both sides claiming he was theirs. In the end, Macedonia conceded and agreed to Greece’s conditions. They have renamed many things, including their country name. It is now North Macedonia, as Macedonia is a region comprising multiple countries. North Macedonia and Bulgaria also are not friends. They have a lot of political disagreements, which has led to a lot of friction. North Macedonia is also home to many Albanians, and according to the local guide, the Albanian Mafia, who are causing a lot of issues. 29% of the population is Albanian in North Macedonia, and Albanian is the second official language, after Macedonian. I never felt unsafe, and the city is actually pretty nice.
Today was my last full day of holidays. Tomorrow I head home and back to reality. Fortunately, I have the morning free so time to explore and have a nice breakfast somewhere.
Day 4 Sofia to London
I woke up after a bit of a disrupted sleep and started to pack and get ready. I was planning to go out for breakfast to Wonderland Café, but they don’t open until 10am so I had several hours to pack and chill before then. I did the logical thing and organised my bags so that all the stuff that needs to be removed at security is in my backpack, with nothing but clothes etc in the suitcase.
At 10am, I walked over to Wonderland. The same young girl was working and I sat at the same table. She remembered me which is nice. This time, I ordered a coffee and truffle scrambled eggs. The eggs come in a croissant, with avocado cream and beetroot powder. It was delicious. Exactly what I needed for a pre-flight brekky.
Back at my guesthouse, I finished the last little bit of packing, then checked out. The main metro station is only a 10min walk so I headed there. They have a train that runs from Serdica to the airport, so it was extremely easy. They also have contactless, so no need to have cash for tickets etc. Just tap your credit card/Google Pay and off you go.
At the airport, it was super quiet. Most of the check in desks were closed, and there were zero queues for security and immigration. At the security, I had to remove a lot of things and the airport lady sneakily hid a couple of my liquid bottles in my bag. I had a few hotel minis that I wanted to bring back because they were nice.
I got questioned about my flight at immigration, as I was quite early, but she did let me through. Then I sat and played on my laptop, checking out my camera photos from my trip and doing a little bit of editing.
Bulgaria has been a lovely place to visit. I am not entirely sure why day trips are so ridiculously expensive (over $200 AUD) but Sofia is a nice city. As a solo travelling female, I felt completely safe the whole time. Except maybe for the driving. They are shocking drivers, and even the guide told us that. I definitely do recommend a visit to Sofia, and Bulgaria. If you go, I also highly recommend the 5 Vintage Guesthouse as a place to stay. It was wonderful! My room was beautiful, well decorated, goo facilities with free tea/coffee and snacks, and an excellent location.
I’m signing off now, while I wait to board my flight. I hope you have enjoyed my adventure in Bulgaria!