She's lustrous in the springtime, and awesome in the summer.
There's more too, not many tourists visit her
either. It's a shame because they are really missing out.
When 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. |
� Michel, 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, where 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.
Hotels in Sofia, Bulgaria
If you are on a budget, then there are some
clean enough rooms at the Kom Hotel, near the station. It wasn't really a hotel, just an
old lady renting out her rooms. The stairway didn't look too inviting, and the shower
system in the toilet was quiet something, but the beds were 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 budget
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 � Michel, 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.
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 (Autogara).
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.
Timetable - � Michel, Travel Notes
By Michel.
Related Links
While surfing for Bulgaria pages, I 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.
Bulgaria Travel Notes:
More about Bulgaria to get you on your way.
Regional Directory - Search
The Web.
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