Archive for June 13th, 2009

I Arrived in Brasov at 2pm found my hostel by 2:30 and then headed out to walk the city and explore. Romanian architecture is mostly German. When it was unified to become the Romanian Kingdom, a German man was chosen as king and the German influences abound. Romanian language doesn’t use the cyrillic alphabet, and better yet, it is based on latin. Being able to read the signs and understand large portions of the language made Romania a lot of fun.

The city of Brasov is beautiful, quaint, but also jumping. The people are clear eyed – mostly blue and green – with brown to dark blond hair. I bought a replacement earring (my earring from Venice had broken and I had to replace it) and looked in vain for a place to go dancing. Satisfied with a quiet night I hit the hostel, watched the movie Taken (brilliantly retarded) with five girls from the hostel, had a nightcap and hit the sack. Showering early in the morning I hopped on a guided tour of Peles Palace (SPECTACULAR) Bran Castle (weak) and Rasov Fortress.

Peles is an example of wealth beyond wealth. Built from 1873 to 1918 the palace is decorated in intricate inlays of wood. There are no paintings. Instead, each portrait and work of art is made of between 10 and 20 kinds of inlaid woods, done in unbelievably intricate work. There are life sized detailed wood carved statues – the men are in decorated platemai. The wood is meticulously carved including the embroidery and embossing of the would-be steel. The intricate lacework of the wood continues down to the chain mail undergarments, each ring distinct and clearly carved. Outside of the entry hall there are long rectangular rooms, each representing a different culture from Italian, German, Swiss, Venetian, Spanish and French. Each room is made of materials imported from that area mimicking its greatest and most beautiful treasures. The Turkish room for example is a full room with every square inch covered in silk carpets including the floors, walls, ceilings, tables, chairs…everything in the room is embroidered intricate silk… Stunning.

In shock from the display and deeply saddened that I hadn’t paid the 20 euro to take pictures I wandered through the extensive gardens before being collected by our guide and lead on to the very disappointing Bran castle – nothing more than a weak, small, bare hill fort protecting a small unessential pass.

We made it to Rasov Castle and enjoyed the view as an afternoon storm rushed over the castle walls and covered everything in rain and storm. I had the driver drop me at the train station and started to Beograd.

Night trains aren’t sleeping night trains if they require more than three major changeovers, especially if those change overs require more than an hour’s wait at a station before the next train comes.

Grumpy, sleep-deprived and sore I arrived in Brasov after a delay in Gorna, Ruse, and Bucharest (eww). Leaving Brasov to come to Belgrade was just as bad…no wait…it was worse, but I’ll touch on that later.

Bulgarian trains are the way to travel, more comfortable and much more spacious than buses. They have the cabin layout on almost all of their trains, so a seat actually represents a bench seat in a cabin (much better than big commuter style airline seats). This factor combined with half empty trains yields plenty of space to lay down and stretch out. Nice. Cut out the transfers and you’re good.

Brasov to Beograd I was trapped in a commuter-style train stuffed to the brink with seats. There was little room and less comfort. To top it off, the train was stuffed with Romeni (gypsies). Paranoid about my gear, stuffed into small seats and uncomfortable I spent my first eight hour leg awake from 8pm until 3am. I caught my connection to Timisoara Nord at 3:15 arriving at 4:35 am and then my second connection to Beograd at 4:55 (5:55 Romanian time). At 8:55 we passed through Belgrade without stopping. Starting at the farthest suburb of Belgrade we worked our way back into the city arriving two hours later at Belgrade central. I’d met six Danes traveling together and joined in with them on their quest to find a hostel.

Green Studio Hostel located, we dropped our gear and I went out on a quest to discover Beograd.

I arrived around 9pm (closer to ten) in Veliko Turnovo, a classical city etched into two steep cliffs surrounding a winding river valley. The city itself is built on either side of the river with three distinctive fortifications. I ended up having to take a taxi to find the hostel I was looking for (the first three cabbies had no idea where it was). 2 dollars and 20 minutes poorer I was at the door. I met up with some folks I’d seen when I had been leaving Flag hostel, dropped my gear on my bed, and ran out to meet up with them. Apparently the castle was to have a laser and light show which was spectacular. The heavy rain and thick electrical storm above us canceled the show but nature provided us with one which was just as spectacular. Great arcing bolts of splitting lighting lit the skies behind the castle as the storm raged on. We’d taken shelter in a bus stop and made a dash back to the hostel. We had a few drinks and dinner in the kitchen area of the hostel (gorgeous home with five bed rooms, 3 big dorm rooms, outside patios, wood floors, rose gardens, wine cellars… really spectacular). Calling it a night we prepared to see the fortress in the morning.

The main castle is connected to the city by a narrow and heavily fortified path that leads to a central island splitting the river. It is flanked by the two smaller fortifications (which have not been rebuilt) and contains a small church. The entire area is undergoing archeological reconstruction and is being rebuilt to represent its ancient glory.

The church at the very top of the fortress of Veliko has been completely rebuilt and houses some of the most amazing new gothic christian art I’ve ever seen…bloody and tortured, the gothic style is mixed and turned with new age artistic flair. It’s 100% worth seeing. Really amazing.

From the church I turned and headed down into the city and across toward the main bus station. I found my ticket for the night train to Brasov Romania and then headed to the hostel for a night of rain, revelry and plain fun before catching my train that same night.

After some frustration at the bus terminal, I was told to board a bus that had left 15 minutes prior. Then, when I asked about the next bus to leave, the information booth told me I should go to each office and ask each individual company what time their next bus was (most of which spoke no English). I found a bus headed 5Km outside of Shumen and hopped on. I was on my way and an hour and 10 minutes later I was at Fifth Kilometer. I hopped off the bus, covered myself in spray-on deodorant and hopped across the road to meet Daniela and her husband. Greeted with warm smiles and happy Bulgarian hearts I climbed into the backseat and off we went.

We started by visiting one of the oldest cliff carvings in Bulgaria – a giant horseman (the Khan) with hunting hound chasing a lion carved into the cliff side below a fortress. From there we wandered around the caves and ancient fortified food storage areas on the cliffs below the fortress. After a hike through the forests we found our way back to the car and then had a leisurely morning brunch at a hotel overlooking Shumen.

From there we headed out to the first capital of the Bulgarian Kingdom. The ancient fortress (still being excavated) was massive. We toured its grounds, admired the thoughts of so many lives spent in these building and foundations and then, ice cream in hand, we walked back along the walls toward the car. We found some wild cherries still a little sour and gobbled them down as we enjoyed the beautiful Bulgarian plains land.

Leaving behind Bulgaria’s 1st capital, we headed to Shumen itself and one of the most magnificent monuments I have ever seen. It was startling, shocking, awe inspiring. A true monument to communistic times. Colossal figures breaking free of their cement confines represented 1300 years of Bulgarian kingship with each major ruler breaking their way free into the light.

We then headed to the nearby fortress before heading down into Shumen and enjoying the local girls walk by. Over a cold lemonade we discussed the trip, life, and how nice it was to be traveling and to see the difference between home and abroad.

Sated and ready for more travel I waved my goodbyes with a heartfelt thanks and headed off to Veliko Turnovo.

From Plovdiv I caught my bus and train connections toward Burgas and then Varna. At 2:14 am I was sleeping happily, stuffed under arm rests in my train car when my sleepy world was thrust into awareness.

A young Bulgarian girl maybe 21 or 22, knocked and then opened my cabin door. Noting that the other side of the cabin was completely empty she motioned me to sit up so she could sit on my half of the seats… thus disallowing my slumber. After nodding understanding and expressing that there was no way in hell I was moving when less than three feet away there was a bank of clean open seats she finally gave my foot a nudge and sat across from me flashing a big happy smile.

She then proceeded to lay down on her half of the cabin and curl up to take no more than a seat in a half. She was tiny. Serenity restored, I stuffed myself back into the seats and headed to sleep. We woke at 5:25 am and disembarked in Varna. I made my way through the sunrise of the sleepy beach city noting the flow of sobering beach goers stumbling back towards home or the next open bar. I made it to the hostel, dropped my gear and headed in.

Flag hostel was a shock, and a surprise. I was greeted at 5:43 am with a bottle of Vodka and a Vodka bong. The customary shot completed I was offered a couch until the others awoke. I slept out in the common room until 10:15ish before the first hostelers woke and gathered their belongings. I claimed a bed, dropped my gear, grabbed my shorts and headed to the beach.

I spent 5 hours on the beach and another 2 swimming before calling it a day, grabbing some beach food and heading back to the hostel. Hot, sunburnt, but happy (the beaches and beach goers were beautiful) I returned to the hostel for dinner… Vodka…and sleep. I woke early the next morning and left Varna for Shumen to meet up with a friend of Alex’s and her husband for a private guided tour of the central eastern part of Bulgaria.

I believe the last time I left you, I was heading away from Cappadokia and into the wide world of Bulgaria. Having finished my Turkish Bath in Nevsehir, I headed north the next day after my tour on the night bus to Istanbul. Staying an hour and 15 minutes the next morning wandering around the Otogar (Turkish for Bus station) I caught a connection to Sofia and bought a reservation for my stop in Plovdiv. I was excited and ready to reach Bulgaria and find a spot to rest for a bit. Plovdiv, housing a friend of mine from University, seemed just the place.

I pulled in around 4:30 and followed a local man who was working in Istanbul but grew up in Plovdiv. He’d helped me with advice on where to stay and what to expect of Plovdiv on the bus ride. We set off from the bus station and made our way to the central square – a giant communist remnant with a huge parade ground style square and a giant war memorial statue. A newer addition in the Square was a new millennium type fountain.

We walked to the tourist information center and got information RE: hostels in Plovdiv and where to go and what to see. I picked the Hiker hostel there, a quaint building with a spacious common room and GREAT internet access located in the heart of Plovdiv’s old town. Perfect location, great staff, and friendly hostelers mitigated the fact that the toilet was literally the shower (one drain in the room with shower head and toilet feeding off the same water line). It was clean and besides the free chair while taking a shower was nice…. hahaha.

I set out from the hostel and wandered the streets of Plovdiv, seeking nightlife and a lively spot to sip coffee and enjoy. I rested and recouped the first night, coming in early and enjoying my sleep. Day two I spent 6 hours getting my fotos, and over 60 video’s uploaded, taking advantage of a good connection (one of the very few I’ve found) I got my videos of Plitvice, Split, Dubrovnik, Albania and Turkey up.

That second afternoon I went out and met my University friend. She showed me around the city, got me a Bulgarian kabap, and led me to the open fruit market where I picked up some fresh honey. We walked back and grabbed ice cream and coffee before calling it a night. I spent the evening enjoying the night life, crashed and then headed to the bus station for my bus to the Black Sea coast!