There's more too, not many tourists visit her
either.
It's a shame because they are really missing out.
As we arrived, Sofia was still putting her
face on, but she's ready and waiting for an audience now.
When these men get to work, they do the whole
street in one go; new road, new tram tracks, and a brand new pavement -- sidewalk.
| Welcome to
the Maria Luiza Blvd., with the minaret of Banya Bashi Mosque on the far left, and Sveta
Nedelya Church at the end. Late spring snow still
crowned the distant mountain. What a backdrop!
This is how Sofia will open her arms to you when you walk
down from the station. |
© Travel Notes
|
If you've come from Romania, you'll notice that everybody on the Vitosha Blvd. seems
to be shopping, or watching the others from the outside tables -- you'll pay extra for a
glass of water with your coffee.
There are plenty of large hotels in Sofia,
many of which have been privatised, but the prices can be as high as Germany or Switzerland.
If you are on a budget,
then there are some clean enough rooms at the Kom Hotel,
outside the station. Head towards the Novotel on the left and you'll see the big red sign.
It's not really a hotel, just an old lady
making 20 German Marks for her rooms. The stairway doesn't look too inviting, and the
shower system in the toilet is quiet something, but the beds are clean enough.
If you get there late, you could be stuck with
the windowless partitioned space; just like the budget barrack rooms in Bombay.
When looking for accommodation
in Bulgaria, it's handy to know that 
means hotel. We headed for one of these in Varna, and found an old man outside with spare
rooms. Follow these people, you'll save a fortune, and supplement their pension.
Varna © Travel Notes
If you're coming down along the Black Sea from
Romania, there is very little traffic between these two countries,
apart from the long distance buses to Istanbul.
There are no hotels at the border, so a lift
to Varna will need to be negotiated; in Dollars or Deutsche Marks.
Varna
is an elegant city with a busy pedestrian area, and plenty of cafes and restaurants to
watch the fashionable world go by from. It's almost a shame to leave.
There is only one train from Varna to Burgas,
at 6.22 am. If that's too early, take bus 41 or 22 to the Bus Station.......
Look out for this sign on your right,
one stop after McDonalds.
Buses leave at 8.30 or 16.00, and take about
3hrs, depending on your luck.
Another interesting route between Romania and
Bulgaria is across the Danube at Vidin. The ferry seems to stop for lunch, and the
connections are not too good. But then who wants direct transportation all the time, slow
down and enjoy the travelling; that's the beauty of Bulgaria.
© Travel Notes
Featured Sites:
Bulgaria
-- A Country Study:
This week I'm only going to feature the one site.
While surfing for Bulgaria pages, we found a real shortage
of good information. There were a few link lists that were horrendously long, with no
information about the links on the page.
Most of the URLs I followed were dead or very
disappointing.
If you would like to learn more about Bulgaria, The Library of Congress has an
extensive table of contents.
The documents are a little old, but the information is
comprehensive.
Bulgaria @ Travel
Notes:
Additional Bulgarian links to get you on your way. |
