Back to the Balkans: Bulgaria

Magically, I gained an hour today - how was that possible?  Simple - just remember to re-set your watch when you change time zones, and forget to do so with your alarm clock1  Sitting in the hostel eating a massive breakfast, something wasn't quite right ... I couldn't quite put my finger on it for quite some time, until I finally glanced at my watch and realized that I had woken up at 8:30, and not 9:30 as I had intended ... of course, losing an hour of sleep can be a bit of a bad thing, but it was a positive in the end, as it gave me plenty of time to wander around today. 

Frankfurt's red light district is an interesting place - it definitely feels seedy, with its brothels and strip clubs, and all the touts practically trying to drag you inside.  It's never actually felt unsafe on any of my previous visits, even late at night - hostels in the area even make a point of conveying this fact on their websites, stating that it's completely safe, but warning guests to book elsewhere if this is bothersome.  Perhaps it's a one-off or I simply happened to walk down the wrong streets today, but it definitely appears to have become much seedier in the past year. 

Walking around in the middle of the day, I came across a group of junkies shooting up in a doorway and a bit further down the block, some shirtless guy high out of his mind was asking me for money.  After I waved my hand dismissively and walked away, he got off his stoop and took a few steps toward me in a threatening way, and started shouting stuff in German.  It definitely was not a comfortable place to be today ...  

Junkies aside, today was one of the most enjoyable days I've ever had in Frankfurt - strolling over to the Goethe University as Emilie and Jean-Antoine had suggested, was a great way to start the day.  And though it started out rainy and chilly, it grew sunny and warm as the day progressed, making for a great atmosphere in town, as the streets were teeming with people enjoying the two big festivals going on today.  It was bit of a whirlwind day, and definitely made the time pass quickly before the late flight back to Calgary.  It was a fitting manner to finish the trip, as these past two and a half weeks were a blur.

Calgary to London Gatwick to London Heathrow to Barcelona to Sitges back to Barcelona to Sofia ... the first 48 hours were insane, feeling more like an episode of the Amazing Race than a start to a vacation!  Two weeks in Bulgaria felt similar, despite all the lounging around cafes.  In a way, two weeks was a bit much for Bulgaria, at least the itinerary I had chosen - in hindsight, I would've dropped a few places and added a few others, so two weeks would've been perfect.  But that's the beauty of travel - there are always surprises, and sometimes you just don't know if you'll like what you'll see until you get there.

Bulgaria definitely warrants a return visit one day, but probably not on its own - it would likely be combined with a trip to a neighbouring country such as Greece, Romania, or Turkey.  It was nice to take my time for once, and really get to know a single country, as it's a departure from my usual MO of rushing from country to country, hoping to cover as much ground as possible.  That's definitely a more exciting method of travel, as it gives you just a small taste of every country and leaves you wanting more. 

But two weeks in Bulgaria has left me satiated - of course, that's referring only to Bulgaria, I could still use at least another two weeks of travel!  As I said before, when it comes to travel I`m a <a target="_blank" href="http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/pwong/14/1311198420/tpod.html">greedy bastard</a>, seemingly never getting enough of it.  Truthfully, I`ll probably always complain about a trip being too short, even if it was for a month, two, or three ...  I`ll always whine about wanting more - that will never change.  But even though such a relatively-short trip was quite a different experience, it was still a good one.  It made me realize that no matter how short, whenever you`re traveling, it`s still always a <i><a target="_blank" href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZhQOvvV45w&ob=av2e">Good Life</a></i> ... 

<b>Good Life</b>

<i>OneRepublic</i>

Woke up in London yesterday Found myself in the city near Piccadilly Don't really know how I got here I got some pictures on my phone

New names and numbers that I don't know Address to places like Abbey Road Day turns to night, night turns to whatever we want We're young enough to say

Oh this has gotta be the good life This has gotta be the good life This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight Like this city is on fire tonight This could really be a good life A good, good life

To my friends in New York, I say hello My friends in L.A. they don't know Where I've been for the past few years or so Paris to China to Colorado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can't jump out Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now We are God of stories but please tell me What there is to complain about

When you're happy like a fool Let it take you over When everything is out You gotta take it in

Oh this has gotta be the good life This has gotta be the good life This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight Like this city is on fire tonight This could really be a good life A good, good life

Hopelessly I feel like there might be something that I'll miss Hopelessly I feel like the window closes oh so quick Hopelessly I'm taking a mental picture of you now 'Cuz hopelessly The hope is we have so much to feel good about

Oh this has gotta be the good life This has gotta be the good life This could really be a good life, good life

Say oh, got this feeling that you can't fight Like this city is on fire tonight This could really be a good life A good, good life

Oh yeah Good, good life Good life Ooh

Listen My friends in New York, I say hello My friends in L.A. they don't know Where I've been for the past few years or so Paris to China to Colorado

Sometimes there's airplanes I can't jump out Sometimes there's bullshit that don't work now We are God of stories but please tell me What there is to complain about

Frankfurt's Old Town

Goethe University ...

Cool Campus ...

There's a Casino on Campus???!!?!!

Palmen Garten ...

Funky Subway Entry

I Briefly Considered Their Advice ...

... But Couldn't Do It ...

Alte Oper

Another Must ...

Italian Festival ...

Main Fest ...

Chocolate Covered Everything ...

Bizarre Figurine

Poor Restaurant Name in the Red Light District ...

She's Still Got It ...

Frankfurt Tradition ...

Almond Horn ..

Absolutely brilliant breakfast this morning - it was the standard Bulgarian spread, with cold cuts, cheese, yogurt, cereal, coffee, tea, bread with absolutely delicious homemade jams ... even though the cheese was mushy and not that tasty, and some of the cold cuts were actually hot dogs oddly encased in inedible plastic, it was absolutely brilliant. Why? Tiramisu. Yup, tiramisu!!! I've never had it for breakfast before but after this morning, I questioned why I've never done so. Doesn't get any better than that, it's the Bulgarian Breakfast of Champions!!!

Coming back to Sofia, I had a bit of a Bulgarian Bucket List - the UFO Monument at Mount Buzludzha was a big miss, but there were still a couple of small things back in Sofia I wanted to cross off the list before leaving. The Archaeological Museum and a coffee at Sofia's beautiful City Garden were taken care of yesterday and with a few hours before the flight to Frankfurt, there was just enough time to do a free tour of Sofia and to grab a bite on Vitosha boulevard, one of the posher areas in town for a meal, drink, shopping, whatever. Because of road construction, it's temporarily been turned into a pedestrian street and is actually a fair bit quieter than normal I'm told, because most locals are away on summer holidays. It's one of the best spots in town for people-watching, and a must-do for any tourist passing through.

Before I knew it, my time in Bulgaria was done, and my plane was touching down in Frankfurt. A visit here is generally disappointing, because it invariably marks the end of a trip; this is my fourth time passing through (two other times don't count, as I was merely changing planes at the airport), and every time it's been the same drill - get off a plane, head to a hostel, maybe grab a bite for dinner and go for a walk, sleep, wake up, kill a few hours, and then head for the airport again. Frankfurt is the type of place that everybody passes through because of business or transport logistics, it's not really a place that people stay for an extended period of time.

Chatting with the receptionist as I checked in, she noted that nearly all guests either start or finish their trip in Frankfurt - it is one of the biggest European transport hubs, after all. My friend Emilie, who had moved her a few years ago, told of how she had stayed at this very hostel for five days when she first arrived, while she hunted for a more permanent place to live. The staff was shocked that she was staying so long, as their average guest stays at most two nights.

My feelings toward Frankfurt have always been ambivalent; as a visitor, it's actually a decent place to spend a day as there are some worthwhile sights. But you can only find so many things to occupy yourself when it's your fourth time visiting ... after a while, it starts to feel a bit ho-hum, and I never seem to look forward to coming here. Of course, there's always a bright side to flying home from Frankfurt - getting a cheap flight on a charter airline usually means flying through London or Frankfurt, but the London flights generally depart for Calgary on a Saturday. Flying via Frankfurt means heading home on a Sunday, effectively scoring yourself another night of travel - for that reason, I do actually appreciate having to visit Frankfurt ...

However ... today was different, as for the first time, I couldn't wait to get here. Why? Because of one reason - Emilie! The backpacker life is a funny one - one of the biggest draws is all the people you meet, even knowing that you will never again see or interact with 99% of the people you encounter. It's fun, it's exciting ... but even better are the 1% of people that you do remain in contact with, because instances where you truly connect with other travelers are rare. Five years ago in Croatia, I met Emilie and Aude, having a blast in Split, a beautiful city on the Adriatic coast. It was definitely one of the highlights of that particular trip, and actually one of the highlights of any trip I've ever taken, for that matter.

Clicking like that with people you meet makes it all worthwhile - the long flights, the hot and nauseating bus rides, the exhaustion ... they are easily forgotten after experiences like that. Later that trip, we were able to meet up in London, where Emilie was studying for a year, and also several months later when I once again passed through London. Over the years since then, we've tried on a couple of other occasions - a few years ago when I passed through Paris, where she's originally from, and last year when I stayed in Frankfurt for the third time. Sadly, we were never successful, a fact which we both rued after finally meeting up tonight, but we also realized that all the effort and time makes tonight even more worthwhile.

As amazing as Bulgaria was, tonight was definitely the highlight of this trip - it still astonishes me how you can randomly meet somebody years ago, hardly communicate with them during that time, and then sit down and chat like you've been friends forever. It's also interesting to see how the course of somebody's life can change so much over the years, and also see how little other things have changed. The thing I remember most about meeting Emilie all those years ago was how much she raved about the guy she was with - it was very obvious that she was head over heels for him. Fast forward five years - she's now happily married to Jean-Antoine! Whereas the timing of my visits have always been bad, for once I got it right, arriving just a few weeks after their marriage and honeymoon, and only a week after they moved into their new apartment together.

There are so many incredible aspects to travel - breathtaking sights, epiphanies, unforgettable moments ... but what can trump them all is a night like this. Good conversation, good food, good friends, good times ... merci beacoup à Emilie et Jean-Antoine pour tout, à bientôt!

Free Sofia Tour ...

Tolerance Square ...

Popular Activity With the Locals ...

What Makes Sofia Cool ...

Massive Excavation ...

Cool Subway ...

The Last Kamenitza!

The Last Meal!

Decent Espresso ...

Vitosha Boulevard ...

Banitsa ...

More Gouging ...

Brilliant ...

What to Do ...

Five Years in the Making ...

Navigating through a foreign country where you don't speak the local language isn't so bad, as long as you can speak a little Wongolian. What exactly is Wongolian, you ask? Well ... it's not a language you can study in any school, nor can you find any book written in the language. The only way to learn Wongolian is to go to a foreign country armed with only a phrasebook and if lucky, perhaps some tiny knowledge or familiarity of the language.

Wongolian is what I call the language used when walking around a foreign city, hopelessly lost, and butchering the local language while trying to get directions. It's not so bad as a native English speaker visiting a country that speaks a romance language - French, Italian, Spanish, even German ... the pronunciation will surely be wrong, but you can at least attempt to speak a few words of the language without horribly bastardizing the pronunciation, since our languages share some similarities. Sometimes just saying a street's name with raised eyebrows and in the form of a question is all it takes to get assistance from a local. If not, some hand gestures or pointing to a spot on your map is enough to at least get pointed in the right direction.

Even in places like Bosnia or Montenegro, it's still possible to speak a little Wongolian and get some help, because even though there are numerous unfamiliar letters, it's still essentially the Latin alphabet. But Cyrillic ... good luck with that! While there are a handful of Cyrillic letters that correspond to the English ones, many are unfamiliar and to the untrained eye, look more like symbols from a math textbook. And to make things even more confusing, there are a number of false friends, familiar Latin letters which are different than we expect. The letter P? It's actually an R for us. H? It's an N. How about X? It's an H, according to the Latin alphabet.

It can make reading a map very difficult - many times I've stood on a corner, staring at a street sign while holding a map, trying to see if the name on the map matched the name on the sign. You'd think it'd be simple, but depending on the font, it wasn't always obvious. Even worse, the maps given at the TIs are often Tourist "Friendly", meaning the street names are all in English which is helpful in a way, but not when you're comparing it to Cyrillic! It must be comical for locals to see tourists looking dazed at confused, staring at their map, then the street sign, then their guidebook, trying to transliterate English into Cyrillic.

I can only imagine two people trying to get around in a car, with the navigator trying to direct the driver "Take a right on ... uh ... backwards R, phi, lower case B with a tail, W with a squiggly tail, 3 ... uh ..." Even taking a bus, sometimes you're not really sure if you'll end up in the right town. Sofia and Varna in Cyrillic are easy to figure out, but Koprivshtitsa? Nope! Or when going to Sunny Beach, bus signs usually abbreviate the name. Coming back to Sofia was eye opening - the first time around, I had a hell of a time finding my way around, being unable to make heads or tails of the street signs in Cyrillic. But in hindsight, navigating Sofia was easy compared to everywhere else in Bulgaria ... at least some of the street signs here are in English! And after a few weeks traveling here, you start to pick up on certain street names in Cyrillic, as almost every Bulgarian city or town has streets named Hristo Botev or Ivan Vazov, which were named after famous historical figures. Now Sofia's a breeze!

Confusion!

View From Hostel Mostel in Veliko Tarnovo

Delicous Bulgarian Baked Goods ...

Sofia City Garden ...

Curse of the Solo Diner ...

Oreshashka Salad ...

Beautiful Roasted Lamb ...

On the House ...

Sveta Nedelya By Night

Dumping a Book ...

Picking One Up ...

A big reason for spending three nights in Veliko Tarnovo was to visit what I considered a must-see attraction - the UFO Monument atop Mount Buzludzha<b></b>, not on the radar of most tourists passing through here, but I was made aware of it after seeing a few of pictures taken last year by Chami, a guy I met last year in Budva. What exactly is it? Well ... it really has nothing to do with UFOs, it just resembles one. It's actually a monument constructed during the Communist ear and has been abandoned for years.

Extremely stoked to see this bizarre dinosaur of the Soviet era, I wasn't exactly sure how I was going to get there, as it's not adequately serviced by public transportation, and though it's supposed to be possible to visit the place by tour, that wasn't a fact I was able to confirm prior to arrival. Fortunately, Hostel Mostel offers a number of daily tours if there is sufficient interest ... but ... unfortunately, there wasn't enough interest in the tour covering the UFO Monument, so it didn't happen yesterday. And unfortunately today, again there wasn't sufficient interest, so I was out of luck there.

Inquiring at the TI, it appears that all sorts of tours of the region are available, but not to the solo traveler - local companies cater only to large groups. Sigh ... sometimes solo travel isn't the greatest ... the last option was to rent a car but by the time I figured everything out, it was too late to visit the monument. Sigh, again ... but to get the goods on this unreal monument, check out this blog entry for pictures and the history. Definitely would have been a highlight of this trip, but it'll have to wait until the next time I pass through Bulgaria, whenever that may be.

However, an excellent backup plan was available, one sure to excite any visitor to Bulgaria - today, I would go to - drum roll please - the mall! Huh? WTF? Why the mall? Well ... as odd as it seems, sometimes visiting a mall while traveling reminds me of home. Homesickness can creep in at times, and what better way of feeling at home than to go to that most North American of institutions, the shopping mall?

The Central Mall is billed as the most modern shopping centre outside of Sofia - that info is obviously out of date because it was shit. Half-empty, and the remaining half didn't feature any stores I was particularly interested in browsing. No restaurants worth eating in, nor any food court filled with Bulgarian delights, nor delights from anywhere else in the World, for that matter. The mall wasn't a total waste, however - part of the reason to visit was just to chill out, since the hot Bulgarian sun was been taking its toll on my body, leaving me feeling fairly run down after two weeks here.

Sure, the location can't compare to the numerous wonderful little cafes dotted all over Veliko Tarnovo's old town, but escaping for a few hours to an air-conditioned mall wasn't the worst thing in the World. It still left plenty of hours in the day to explore some more nooks and crannies in the old town and more importantly, plenty of time to do some more cafe lounging, just like us backpackers are known to do. Speaking with one of the hostel workers, who is currently studying book publishing at Veliko Tarnovo's University, it's the perfect place for his chosen career, as he's spent countless hours reading books at the numerous cafes around town. So after three nights in Veliko Tarnovo, tomorrow is time to move on - as much as I love the lazy backpacking style, perhaps I'm not a true backpacker ... sometimes there can be too much of a good thing, and this much lounging is starting to make me restless!

UFO Monument I Never Saw

Crossing the Bridge to Trapezitsa Hill

View of the Asenova District ...

Hidden Spot On the Other Side of the Yantra

Bridge Across the Yantra

Pedestrian Bridge

Back to the Other Side

Forty Martyrs Church

Central Mall ...

Shot of Caffeine ...

Sounds Deadly ...

Crappy Pizza, Crappy Lunch ...

Courtyard of the Hadji Nikoli Inn For a Break

Beautiful Spot For an Ice Coffee, But ...

Lunch Part II ...

Can't Miss Item in Bulgaria ...

Extreme Disappointment ...

It's easy to see why Veliko Tarnovo has long been a backpacker haven - other than Tsarevets fortress, there aren't any must-see sights but there are tons of day trip options from here with cliff diving, hiking, monasteries, and swimming in the river as possibilities. There are tons of hostels in town so backpackers on a budget will never struggle to find an affordable place to sleep, and having a big student population guarantees an abundance of cheap places to eat and drink, many of them beautifully overlooking the gorge and the Yantra River.

It's also conveniently situated along the Bucharest-Istanbul rail line, making for an obvious choice to break up that journey before catching the night train from Veliko Tarnovo to Turkey. But the biggest reason why it's such a great place is that it is absolutely chill here, where even though you can do as much as you like, you often end up doing as little as possible.

I'm loving Veliko Tarnovo for the same reason I absolutely loved Sarajevo last year - the cafe culture is incredible, with way too many good options to try in only a few days. Lunch was at an enclosed terrace overlooking the gorge, followed by a shot of caffeine at a cafe with a similarly-located terrace, and then a cold beverage at another terrace situated on Samovodska Charshia, the old shopping street in town, with Frank from the Yo Ho hostel.

We're a bit of an odd pair, being by far the oldest guys in the Bulgarian hostel scene; though backpacking is still for a younger crowd, over the years I've come across countless backpackers in their late 20s, all over the world. But perhaps because it's such a budget and somewhat alternative destination (as far as Europe goes), Bulgaria's backpacker scene is dominated by those in their early 20s ... needless to say, a guy like me nearing the mid-30s is a little uncommon here and a guy like Frank, who is quite a few years older than me, is almost unheard of.

At some point, the majority of backpackers move onto a different style of travel, having roughed it only for financial reasons, and going the way of guided tours and luxury resorts once financial resources permit. But there is still a group of backpackers that continue doing it not necessarily to save money, but because traveling on a budget inevitably brings you closer to the local culture, often revealing a different side of the country you're traveling through, and offering a better insight into the local psyche. It is easy to become jaded after a while, something that became quite obvious as we both compared travel notes - my number is almost at 50 while Frank's is somewhere over 70, the number of countries we've each visited.

The more countries you've visited, the tougher it gets to keep pushing that number higher ... the first twenty or so are easy, a milestone you can easily hit after spending two to three months in Europe. It's sad but in some way, being spoiled with all that travel means that the level of excitement wanes with each successive trip. We all have our list of places to visit but when you get well into the double digits like that, you end up working on the third or fourth tier of countries, likely having long ago visited all those at the top of your list.

Don't get me wrong, it's not that travel no longer excites, it's that the days of eagerly anticipating a trip four months in advance just no longer happen. Nowadays, it's a matter of booking a flight somewhere, at most several weeks in advance, and then a few days before departing, filling in the blanks as you go along. You pull out the list and give it a once over - where haven't I been, where do I want to go back to, and how do I put it all together? It all becomes so logical, almost like a business transaction.

Sometimes backpacking brings with it a cynical view on life ... perhaps that's why it works so well for me. Visiting cheaper places and traveling with a smaller budget really shows you how citizens of other countries can survive with so much less, how it has defined their focus in life, and how it has shaped their perceptions on what the important things are in life. It definitely raised an important question as we chatted - coming from Australia and Canada, two countries where capitalism and living the "American" Dream are paramount, do the majority of our citizens actually want that? Or is it because it's the dream we are told to pursue, or perhaps more aptly put, the dream we are all cleverly sold by brilliant marketing?

Think about it - what is our economy entirely based upon? Consumerism. Spending. Buying things that aren't needed, but things that are wanted, at least, things that marketers tell us we want. We're somehow inferior if we don't have these things, because we can never stack up to our peers. How is that sustainable? First World economies have been plunged into chaos because people aren't spending enough on unnecessary goods. Shouldn't World economies be driven in a more natural way, based upon the consumption of the necessities?

Of course, this criticism is all hypocritical ... it's that very consumerism that affords us the opportunity to travel, largely because all that spending results in our countries having powerful economies, making travel to places like Bulgaria extremely cheap, in comparison. We still have more than we need and while it may feel that way, travel really isn't a necessity. The argument can easily be made that we all contribute to the problem. So what does all this mean? Who the hell knows, it's just a random conversation between two random backpackers, in a random cafe, in a random city, in a random country ... just some food for thought!

Our jaded little backpacker love fest didn't end there, as we shared a romantic evening at the ballet before saying our goodbyes. We both initially laughed at the idea, but Frank was keen on creeping on the pretty Bulgarian girl selling the tickets, so being a good backpacker wing man, we ended up buying a couple of tickets. Plus, having both had the amazing experience of watching Aida in Verona's 2000-year old Roman arena, we hoped that watching the ballet in a 1500-year old fortress would offer something similar.

The most memorable part of Aida was the stunning setting ... absolutely surreal to be watching a performance where gladiators once battled. While good, Zorba the Greek didn't quite compare to that but it did have one thing in common with Aida - I also ended up watching that with another backpacker dude. Come to think of it, there was one more thing in common - no offence to either guy, but both experiences would have been even better had I shared them with a beautiful girl instead!

Cool Modern Frescoes at the Patriarch's Church

Stunning Views of Veliko Tarnovo

More Stunning Views of Veliko Tarnovo

The Approach to Tsarevets Fortress

A Tiny Bit Tacky ...

Overlooking the Yantra River

Ruined Churches Abound

Not a Bad Last View ...

Performances at Tsarevets ...

Patriarch's Church

Killer Lunch at Shtastlivetsa...

Already Had Enough Food For Two ...

Tsarevets, In All Its Splendour

Well-Dressed Crowd Heading to the Ballet

Getting Ready to Start the Show

Shumensko, One of the Big Beer Brands ...

Terrible Meal at Piccolo ...