Istanbul to Sofia, Bulgaria

Istanbul to Sophia, Bulgaria

This is a change of pace for sure. I am in a sleeper car on an international train that fits 3 people in a bunk bed style stacking. We have gone across the border from Turkey into Bulgaria hours ago and now, I think I am caught back up on sleep. At 3:45am the train stopped, we exited, and had to go get stamped out of Turkey. This was a very inefficient process especially at this time in the morning. The attendants were not there and had to arrive from off site. But once things got moving, after 40 mnutes of standing in line, we got stamped and back on the train. We were told not to get too comfortable since the Bulgarian customs agents would be on our train to personally check passports for the entry stamp. There were 3 of them quickly knocking at out compartment door with flashlights in our eyes. The one guy was not sure about Andrew's passport photo showing long hair and his recently short haircut. Oops! After a short wait, while the train was still moving, they game and returned the documents. I believe they got off at the next stop down the line. I am just glad we did not have to get off the train like before and wait in the chilly air. Some of our future border crossings will go like that we are told, and that's just how things go, we're told.

So far, the Bulgarian landscape is mostly farmland and gardens. There were some huge sunflower fields, wheat and rice. The buildings outside the villages are pretty run down with lots of makeshift repairs. There were some shepards with their sheep, a farmer beating a pig, and horse drawn carts that were interesting to my sleepy eyes.

This sleeper rail car is a treat in itself. The three bunks are stacked tight and there is a removable ladder to get to the top two. This reminds me of the old James Bond movies while in the cars fighting off secret assassins. There is a movie set like feeling inside this thing. The writing is all in Cyrillic and the car must be from the late 70's or early 80's. We heard that the Turkish rail lines bought these cars from other countries and refurbished them. Pretty cool. There is a German conductor that likes to speak to himself and give stern orders. The train is slow and stops a lot, but for 42 US dollars, it's a steal to go as far as were are into the heart of Bulgaria. Train travel will be our method of transport in the following weeks. I'll tell you one thing, it's no Turkish bus. Those things were sweet! Hey, at least we can lay down and sleep.

As I write this paragraph, we have made it to the hostel in Sofia. This is the capital of Bulgaria and has a unique town center and is surrounded by some large mountains. The train station could have been a huge wreck with logistics. We were approached by 2 men trying to offer help wearing what looked like uniform pants. Upon further inspection while he was talking to me in Bulgarian, I realized he was a beggar trying to offer help in the station for a tip. With our tougher smarts we have deleloped, we sternly brushed him away and went to a real place for assistance. We were in search for tickets to leave Sofia in a few days and everything in the station was in Cyrillic. Not good. The lady at the info booth directed us to the pre sales ticket booth on the bottom floor. This is the actual place to get tickets, not the place the dudes above were trying to take us. Now here is the dilemma. We are in a communist era building with everything in a language and alphabet we dont understand, and now it is a must to get tickets in advance for a day and place that is very important. So, the books came out, eyes were searching, and I wrote in the notebook what we needed in Cyrillic and the dates. The lady behind the counter did not speak English, but was kind and patient to help us. It helped to write all the info down as she wanted to be sure we purchased the correct tickets. It all worked out with some poor Bulgarian on my part and right now we think the correct tickets in hand. We'll see now if we actually get to Varna along the Black Sea. I really want to get a chance to dive there in the cold water and might not ever have the chance to do so again. It all depends on the correct tickets. We will run them by the office here at the hostel to do a final verification.

Sophia still feels very Eastern in this modern time of change. It seems like the mainstream is yet to hit and life is simple and fun. The streets are packed and the busses work on electricity like in Athens, but they have a cool communist look to them. I will try to snap some shots tomorrow of all this. The entry to our huge hostel complex is through a 2' wide door from the main street. It was a little tricky to find today while rustling maps and keeping the eyes looking around. You buzz in and walk back through a courtyard to the front of the hostel. This might be the most active one we have seen thus far. Tonight was free spaghetti and a glass of beer which made for a nice snack after the authentic Bulgarian cuisine we had a few hours after arrival.

Tomorrow it's up to the Rila monastery for a day trip and we should return by evening. Gotta jet.