Profile
Blog
Photos
Videos
Good Morning from Krakow, Poland!!!
I'm very behind with this already, but thought while I have the time (I'm waiting for that lazy toad Luke to get out the shower) I'd try and get at least one of the countries from the past 2 weeks done!
So......BULGARIA!
We ended up getting our first overnight train from Athens on Tues 18th August.. It was certainly an experience!
We got on the train at 11pm, expecting to arrive in Sofia at 12 ish the next afternoon. We had a "couchette" accommodation, which is a converted 6-seat compartment, where the seats pull down to create 6 beds. You don't have a choice who you sleep with, but it's the cheapest option other than a seat itself, but for a journey as long as that one I didn't fancy staying upright the whole time!
So we hopped on and found we were sharing with 3 Bulgarian women - boy can they smoke!! They went out about 25 times each during the trip! It made for an Interesting-smelling compartment that we had to try and sleep in, especially as one of them had the WORST B.O I've ever smelt in my life!! It was a mixture of sweat and dirty bums....made me feel sick! (High school girls......just for a little comparison for you, it'd put good old Rachel M {not Mallinson} to shame....you know who I'm talking about....she smelt of ROSES in comparison!)
It didn't make for a great experience, esp. when the authorities decided to get off the train with our passports (and no one elses) during the border crossing! She assured me she'd bring it back, but after 40 mins of the train waiting there she still didn't return. When the train engines started, and we thought we were gpoing to move off, we really panicked that she'd done a runner with them, so we started shouted and screaming at people asking where the officer had gone with our documents. We did feel a little sheepish when she returned, but having heard so many horror stories about people being robbed of their passports, it was hard to be trusting when no one tells you what's going on!
So by the time we got off the train at around 1.30pm we were delighted to be out of there, and we stepped off the train into boiling hot sunshine.....and a grey concrete jungle. Distinctly underwhelmed, we hopped on a tram to follow the instructions to get us to our hostel.
On the tram we met a local girl called Katerina (a landscape architecture student), who showed us where we needed to get off, etc. She was so sweet, and swapped numbers with us, to invite us out with her friends later in the evening. It took over an hour to find the hostel with the shoddy directions they'd given us but once we found it, we were pleased with our choice. It was really small, but free internet and breakfast, and super clean, so ,made a nice change from the HUGE hostel we'd stayed at in Athens.
Our first impressions of Sofia were so wrong....it's beautiful! Wandering around we found loads of park areas, full of old men playing chess, and sculptures / art galleries. We saw the Russian Cathedral and surprisingly lotds of pretty fountains!!
We met up with Katerina later in the evening, andshe took us to the park to meet up with all her friends. She walked us around the whole city, giving us the full guided tour, and a commentary of Bulgaria and its history. I never knew they had a king. We had a few beers with them all in the park (cost about 90p??). And they all spoke English for us! Just about got the gist of "thanks" in Bulgarian, but that's all.
We got up early the next day, and again Katerina met us for another guided tour. It made such a good change to get an insider's view of the city! She made us try a load of typical Bulgarian things....like EIRAN - a plain yoghurt drink, and Boza...a strong, brown malty drink that they traditionally were given fro breakfast as children.. While she went to work, we explored the city by ourselves again.
Ended up at a market outside the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and all these dodgy traders were trying to pass off cheap costume jewellery as "rrrrrreal Rrrrrrussian Amberrrrr" (rolling their "rrrrr"s) the whole time. Tyrants! Didn't quite fall for it, but did buy a little something (.....as if I could resist!)
Another funny little Bulgarian thing is "Klekshops"......little kiosk type stalls in the street that you have to kneel down to order from, as they're below the ground. Kind of hard to explain, but the photos will reveal all.
We met Katerina for the final time after she'd finished work at 5pm, and she took us back to her place for dinner. We had a traditional Bulgarian cold, yoghurt-based soup (TARATOR), and Shopskasalad YUMMY! Not so good was the RAKIA shot she made us have with dinner...tasted kind of like SAKI and was super strong. We left for the train at 8.30, as the next stop was Beograd.
Thoughts on Bulgaria - surprisingly pretty city...after the area round the station was not a good start (but I suppose stations aren't really the nicest places at home either??) and really friendly people. Nice and cheap for us after the shock of Greece / Italy, but the worst part of all of it.........ALISHA DIXON came to haunt me! They were playing her song in one of the shops we were in, and I had a little sick in my mouth!
That'll do for now.
No time for Luke's Last Lyric today......thank goodness! Least he can't rip it out of me if he's not here! hahaha!
Love you all lots! Speak soon! Danielle x x x
oh Bu**er....he's just arrived back from the shower....best get off quickly before he has the chance.....byeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee x x x x
- comments