Sofia Travel Blogs | Travelogues | Travel Journals

It has been over 11 years since I returned to Bulgaria. The last time I visited my homecountry I was 12 years old and swore that I will not return until I was married....as I had a problem with overbaring family that wouldnt let me enjoy my vacation. So....now that I was married, I made the trip back, and somewhat regreted my desicion. As I had missed a lot. As this was my first vacation by myself, I had my grandmother as a tourguide, since the bus system in Bulgaria is extremely confusing. ...

I lost my mind & couldn't be happier! Plan was 6 days-17 countries; ended up 15 countries. Auto trek began in Pula, Croatia Sat. Sept 22, just after Ireland TravBuddy Get-Together. 1st day: Croatia, Italy, Slovenia (overnight in Ljubljana) 2nd: Austria, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland (overnight in Krakow) 3rd: Ukraine, Romania (overnight in Transylvania) 4th: Bulgaria, Macedonia (overnight in Skopje) 5th: Serbia, Albania, Montenegro, Croatia (overnight in Split) 6th: Back to Pula

The train to Bulgaria was more what Zvonka remembered of eastern European trains... ancient and graffiti-covered, it rolled out of Belgrade late that night. We settled into chocolate colored seats that had been soaking up the sweat of travelers in this sweltering compartment since maybe the late seventies. Our own perspiration quickly infiltrated the seats and released the funk of the ages which penetrated our clothing and skin and followed us for days. The compartment did stay empty most of ...

Yesterday evening I arrived in my hotel after midnight and went straight to bed.  Today was the first day I saw Sofia by daylight.  On the way from the office to the hotel  there was a photo exposition on a pedestrians bridge. The exposition was called  "The Earth From Above" by photographer Yann Arthus Bertran. It consisted of beautiful aerial pictures from all over the world. Almost every picture prompted a "I really have to go there one day" from my side.&nbs...

I arrived in Sofia last night, and after a disconcerning wait at passport control, where I was pulled aside for a bit, and a long bus ride from the airport, I reached my residence for the next few days.  It was tough finding the place, since all the signs, including the road signs, are in Cyrillic.  I asked a Bulgarian girl for directions, and I found that she was taking a cab to one block away from my hostel.  She told me to jump in, and dropped me off for free--very ni...

At the border with Romania, a very OK country and nice people.

  The woman operating border control at Sofia Airport certainly looked striking enough. In her twenties, dark skin - almost Greek-looking, her face caught my attention first. Dyed, red-orange hair and heavily made-up eyes greeted me as I approached the booth. She said nothing as she scanned my passport and I was soon out the other side.    “Did you see that woman’s eyelashes?” I said to Angela. She nodded and smiled.   Driving into the city centre involved...

Just posting some photos from my trips

Historia de Sofia  (copiado de Wikipedia) Es la tercera capital europea más antigua, ya que está habitada desde el siglo XVIII adC. Ha tenido muchos nombres, y los restos de las antiguas ciudades todavía pueden verse. Sofía fue originalmente un asentamiento tracio llamado Serdica (de la tribu tracia de los Serdi). Fue capturada por Roma en el año 29. Cuando Diocleciano dividió la provicia de Dacia en dos (Dacia Ripensis en las orillas del río Danubio y Dacia Mediterranea...

Alright, Im going to keep this one short as it was probably the longest and most tiring of all! I love weddings and all...and tradition is awesome! But.....enough is enough! A whole day of traditions and you can easily get sick! :-) The wedding was beautiful, unfortunately I was extremely sick by then, which didnt exactly make it a fully comfortable and pleasant experience, though I am sure it probably would have been otherwise. After for the first time having a full nights sleep in a bed I...

My mom's aunt took me for a quick tour around Sofia to bring back some old memories. It felt weird, I was being a 'tourist' in the city I was born in! :)

Istanbul is an unique city! You can see a very interesting mix of european and oriental culture there. *I've been to the Prince Islands, when I tried to validate the location Büyükada, which is the biggest of the Prince Islands it didn't work... So don't look at the map... it is not very correct:)

From Venice to Sofia, a one week trip to the Balkans

Paris -> New York -> Paris -> Venice -> Rijeka -> Dubrovnik -> Kotor -> Podgorica -> Belgrad -> Sofia -> Paris -> Tokyo -> Yokohama -> Kamakura -> Takayama -> Osaka -> Nara -> Kyoto -> Miyajima -> Tokyo -> Paris

Travelling through Europe has been an amazing experience. The more I explore this region, the better it gets. Culture, people, and the life style is simply nice to be around.