Between the cities
I took an 8-hour bus ride today from Varna to Sofia and it was my best experience in Bulgaria. The rolling mountains, the rock formations and the fairytale sunset are all testaments to Bulgaria’s natural beauty. But the cities – no thank you. I was initially enthralled with Varna. After all, it’s probably Bulgaria’s nicest city. But things slowly turned sour – paying 10 lev for a 2km taxi, the rudeness and under-the-breath cursing from the folks at the train station and the bus station. (Fun fact, in Bulgaria there is a luggage limit for trains. Not an official one. Just whatever they feel like imposing at the moment.) This made me miss Romanian trains pretty badly.
Bulgaria has another 10 years to go before being a serious tourist destination (not just beaches). Customer Service, and honesty need to improve to the degree they have in Romania. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I think Romania is a fantastic tourist destination for foreigners that speak English. There are several nice museums, great nature, and cool people that speak English and will help you (sincerely) in most cities. I can barely understand Bulgarian and the lack of sincerity is ridiculous. Today I had a taxi drive me around in a circle, literally, and charge me around 2-3 times as much as he should have. I wish I knew someone with a cabin or village home in Bulgaria – that would be a worthwhile trip. Or maybe a roadtrip through the “hippie trails”.
Speaking of worthwhile, the last thing I want to see is the Belogradchik Rocks. Hopefully I’ll catch a bus north in the morning and maybe after I’ll go straight back into Romania. I’m not sure if I want to do the rest of the Balkans. After all, Bulgaria was reported by Lonely planet to be “cheap” and a must-see with a thriving hospitality culture. This couldn’t be farther from the truth, so I’m unsure if I want to trust Lonely Planet anymore for destination choices.
Sofia smells like industry. I haven’t seen one pretty thing since I’ve entered the city. Oh well, live and learn.