In case you missed it, I'm currently traveling through Europe, exploring hidden corners and must-see spots in Eastern Europe, the Balkans and the UK. I've been posting daily updates from my adventures on Facebook and Twitter, but in case you missed some of those, I've also decided to put together a weekly round-up to update anyone who's interested on what I've been up to for the past 7-ish days.
Here we go with Week 3! (With the days being cumulative.)
Day 15
Day 15 was one of the best and worst days of the trip at the same time. We caught a morning bus from Sofia to Rila Monastery, which consisted of 3 hours on 2 separate buses (neither of which had air conditioning OR windows that opened, which made it stifling hot), and 1 driver who kept nodding off at the wheel. We somehow made it in one piece, however, and spent some time gawking at Rila before the skies opened up in a very welcome thunderstorm. From the monastery, we took a mini bus to the small Bulgarian village of Gorno Draglishte. There, we took an evening stroll and got invited in for tea by a local lady, and then dressed up in traditional clothes after dinner to do Bulgarian dances with two local old ladies.
Day 16
Today was another day to experience village life — this time in Bulgaria. We had a leisurely morning, with me taking a walk for about an hour to marvel at the mountains and meadows. Did YOU know Bulgaria had this kind of scenery?!? After breakfast, we took a short mini bus ride first to a village with a very old and historic church, then through the Bulgarian countryside to the resort town of Bansko. Once in Bansko, most of the group opted to go to a dancing bear sanctuary up in the mountains. The road to the place was treacherous, but thankfully we had a very good driver. After the bear sanctuary, it was back to Bansko to wander around town and have some dinner at one of the many taverns in town.
Day 17
A glorious free day in Bansko. We could have gone hiking, but seeing as it was too hot to move and no one could tell us if the 4-hour hike involved shade, none of us was really up for it. Instead, I spent my day roaming around Bansko (which is actually adorable in the summer when there's no skiing to be had), reading my book, and giving my weary body a rest.
Day 18
From Bansko, it was on to the historic city of Plovdiv. Bulgaria's second-largest city is perhaps also one of its most interesting. Here, you can run into history just about everywhere, from the Roman stadium poking out from underneath a major shopping area to the amazingly well-preserved Roman amphitheater. After lunch in Plovdiv, we took a walking tour of all the major sites and somehow managed to not pass out from the oppressive heat.
Day 19
We had a free day in Plovdiv, which I began by re-visiting the Roman amphitheater and wandering around the city center before the heat of the day really kicked in. Once it got too hot to stand, I went with 2 others to seek out a place to swim. As fate would have it, we ended up hanging out with our Plovdiv tour guide from Day 18 and his girlfriend at a local water park. It was like heaven. That night, we caught an overnight bus to Istanbul — easily the nicest bus I have been on so far in Europe!
Day 20
After a slightly harried arrival in Istanbul in the early morning hours, I went on a 4-hour walking tour of the city with Urban Adventures. The tour, called “Hidden Istanbul,” was fantastic, and took me to all the main sites (Blue Mosque, Grand Bazaar, Spice Market) and plenty more. I saw so many amazingly beautiful mosques! After the tour I slowly made my way to my hostel, and then set out to see Hagia Sofia in person. This was perhaps one of my favorite experiences of my entire trip so far. Hagia Sofia is AMAZING. After taking way too many photos, I called it an early night and crashed before 9 p.m.
Day 21
My second and last day in Istanbul was jam-packed. I began the morning with a visit to the Basilica Cistern, followed by a longer stroll through the Grand Bazaar. Afterwards, I hopped on a 2-hour bus tour that went all over the European side of the city, giving me a nice overview of what I need to see next time. I then had a bit of downtime before a quick dinner and a sunset cruise on the Bosphorus. I'm already missing Istanbul, and I haven't even left yet!
The Week in Numbers
Each week, I'll try to give you an idea of how I'm traveling, and what things generally cost.
- Number of flights: 0
- Number of trains: 0
- Number of buses: 4
- Number of mini buses: 2
- Number of times it's rained: 3
- Number of times I've nearly passed out from the heat: Too many
- A meal in Bulgaria: $3-$8 USD
- Bike rental for 1 day in Bansko: $9 USD
- Entry to Plovdiv amphitheater: $1.90 USD
- Entry to Aqua Land in Plovdiv for the day: $5 USD
- Street food in Turkey: $0.50-$2 USD
- Entry to Hagia Sofia: $13.75 USD
- Entry to Basilica Cistern: $5.50 USD
- 2-hour cruise on the Bosphorus: $27.50
*Note: I'm not quoting the price of accommodation, as it's mostly been included so far.
So there you have Week 3 of my European adventure! Come back next week for Week 4's round-up.
If there's anything more you want to know about my weeks, tell me in the comments!
If you missed previous weeks…
*Note: Intrepid Travel has graciously provided me with a complimentary 18-day tour through Eastern Europe. But all opinions, as always, are entirely my own.
[…] Week 3 […]
Wow those small towns are so pretty! Love the mountain scenery!
They were gorgeous. The mountains definitely took me by surprise!
What an extraordinary trip! LOVE the pics!!!!!
Thanks, Andi! It HAS been an extraordinary trip so far!
Gorgeous pictures – your colours really pop!
Thank you! I’ll give most of the credit to my camera. 😉
Bulgaria looks great, I am dying to go there! Very cool that you got out of the towns and into the countryside – so beautiful!
I can highly recommend Bulgaria – and Romania too, for that matter! And yes, the thing I loved most about traveling with Intrepid was the mix of places we visited.
Hagia Sofia looks absolutely incredibly, I can undertand why more & more people are going there.
Might have to go there myself.
It IS absolutely incredible!! So much more amazing than I anticipated.
I was born in Hungary before we moved to Germany, and I already have visited these beautiful countries, I bet you have had such a great time there! Don’t miss the beautiful mountains on Romania next time, Transylvania is a beautiful country!
I did visit Transylvania and the Romanian mountains! Very beautiful indeed.
[…] been really enjoying some of the stories and great photos from the trip. My favourite has been the recent round up that included her time in Bulgaria. After living in a small village in Bulgaria over winter last year it is fantastic to see some of […]
I was in Bulgaria 10 years ago and it sounds like the trip to the monastery is still long! Your picture brought back memories of that day (missed the second bus and had to hitchhike/walk for miles, then missed the bus leaving -it was just one of those days!). It was and (I’m glad to see) is still something special though. Love the day by day tell all.
Heh, yeah, the trip to Rila probably hasn’t changed much at all in the past 10 years! Lol. Public transportation in Bulgaria could really do with a makeover.