A Balkan Recap

So how does one sum of 1600 plus (1,652.3 to be exact) miles through six countries over the course of fourteen days?   

A Balkan overview

 

Upon learning about our summer plans some people told us we were crazy while others were simply intrigued.  (I mean, who goes to Bulgaria and Romania for their summer vacation?)  I have to admit, I was thinking that we were a bit of both.  Just by looking at the map I could tell that the trip would entail a lot of driving and I hoped our poor little Honda would be up for the challenge.  And there weren't a lot of roads where we were going.  Sure once we were out of Albania our Tom Tom was able to map out a route for us but we weren't so sure about it all.  With a three and a half year old any road trip is always an iffy proposition; just how many hours is he willing to be strapped into a car seat before demanding to be set free?  And I knew it would be hot.  Very hot.  After all, the residents of the places on our itinerary flee the area in July and August to escape the heat.  So why were these crazy Americans actually going into the depths of the heat?  For the adventure and to be able to say we did it.  (And we are glad we did).  So here's a recap of the highlights and commentary about the trip.

 

Greece:

 

• The monasteries of Meteora are amazing and if you ever have a chance to visit, do it.  Yes it was hot but because of the heat it was "off season" for the area so we had much of the place to ourselves.  It was breathtaking to take in the sweeping views from the mountain peaks and with an occasional breeze, the heat wasn't so bad.  And at night I loved sitting on our hotel balcony and looking back up at the looming hills.  I can completely understand why the monks settled here.

• We didn't love Thessaloniki.  We wanted to but we just couldn't.  With the exception of a few hidden gems and the fabulous view from our hotel room, we found the city to be dirty, graffiti covered, and down trodden.  Venturing outside of Thessaloniki was better and afforded us the opportunity to explore ancient ruins and take in a waterfall or two.  

• The vast area in between our two stops in Greece was flat, dry, and seemingly endless.  We witnessed firsthand how the depressed economy has effected northern Greece.  The bright spot along this stretch of road was the road itself.  Maybe I have been in Albania too long but I found the road, or divided highway as it was in most places, to be well maintained.  (Greeks love their signage as well.  I quickly lost track of the number of signs we saw warning us of the presence of bears or cows).  The main highway was obviously new and in places, still under construction.  You just don't realize how important the quality road is to a place until you live in a place that doesn't have them!

Romania:

• We absolutely loved Bucharest.  This up and coming city felt grungy yet hip.  It appears that the city is slowly awakening from a dark past and being renovated without becoming completely gentrified.  From churches and cafes to public parks and large scale apartment buildings, everything seemed to be under going a slow renovation. (I say slow since our Romanian friends say that they work just isn't being done fast enough).  And Bucharest has plenty of true pedestrian only areas.  I love being able to meander through these areas without the fear of being run down by speeding mopeds.

• You only have to walk down a Bucharest street or two to witness Romania's Communist past first hand.  During Ceauseascu's reign, entire neighborhoods had been demolished leaving areas devoid of character yet so many of the churches dating to the Byzantine Empire had been left untouched.  Combine this with architectural influences from both western Europe and the Ottoman Empire and Bucharest is nothing if not eclectic.  All of this made for a interesting city where we never knew what we would discover around the corner.  

 

Bulgaria:

• Who knew that Bulgaria is expected to produce 1.4 million tons of sunflowers in 2013 and 2014.  I didn't and it wasn't until we spent hours driving through field after field of sunflowers that I began to understand the extent of Bulgaria's sunflower oil production.  Bulgaria also produces corn and corn oil and we saw our share of these crops as well.  Having driven a large portion of the country my impression of Bulgaria is that of a largely rural and agricultural nation.  These rolling fields, mountains, and deep gorges were beautiful and my favorite part of Bulgaria.

• Customs and passport control in and out of Bulgaria is tough.  We had our required visas but even (or perhaps) of our diplomatic passports and Albanian license plates border crossings were long and a bit tedious.  Crossing from Greece into Bulgaria resulted in our (and Russian plated cars) being pulled over on the side of the road for close to a full hour as other cars zipped past.  Crossing into Bulgaria from Romania was slightly easier.

• Signs of Bulgaria's Communist past were readily evident whenever we entered a city or urban area.  Blocky concrete high rises ominously filled the skylines reminding me of how harsh living conditions had been for so many people.  This was particularly evident in the city of Ruse which is located across the Danube River from Romania.  Here kilometer after kilometer of depressing and dilapidated buildings lined the highway reminding me of many of America's public housing projects.  The fact that they are still occupied by hundreds of families reminded me how poverty stricken this part of the world really is.

• We covered a lot of miles here but spent our time in two Bulgarian cities, the historic city of Veliko Tarnovo and the capitol city of Sofia.  In between were hundreds of miles of narrow but paved roads and unexplained detours.  (Well, maybe they were explained but in Cyrillic only).  Veliko Tarnovo was hot and interesting but not my favorite stop along our journey.  In many respects Sofia felt like a smaller version of Bucharest.  It was both historic and modern.  It may be because we ate better food there, but I just might have liked Sofia better.  

 

Macedonia:

 

•  Macedonia produced the biggest surprise of our entire vacation.  Skopje proved to be a small vibrant city filled with a surprisingly high level of buildings and reconstruction going on.  Not only is the city investing in new municipal buildings but the building boom includes a large number of monuments, statues, and fountains.  Our brief Skopje stop was the perfect way to end our trip.  So much so that we are trying to find a time to go back.

 

We then passed through Kosovo on our way back to Albania.  We've been there before and in many respects the country feels like a slightly more developed version of Albania.  We were greeted by Albanian flags at the Macedonian-Kosovo border where our passports received only the slightest glance by the Albanian speaking customs official.  Crossing into Albania was even less stringent with a mere wave of the hand before we sped off.  But we didn't go too far too fast; a herd of cows was standing in the middle of the divided highway.  Yes, at this point we definitely knew we were back in Albania!  (And unlike Greece, there were no signs warning us beforehand).  

 

So this was our summer vacation.  It was a far cry from our much more relaxing Scandinavian adventure of last year.  This year we returned home weary and travel worn but so glad we had undertaken this endeavor.  We saw places we had only heard about and experienced a culture that is so unlike what we are used to.  From the Cyrillic language to the local cultures we were pushed outside of our comfort zone but for me, that is what travel is all about.  So if you want clean and pristine, go to northern Europe; if edgy and up and coming is more your style, then come visit the Balkans.  It won't always be easy or comfortable but it will be an adventure.  

Sofia Underground

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Like our stop in Bucharest, Sofia was a very pleasant surprise.  Sofia has been in the news lately because of their ongoing protests against public corruption.  We witnessed several of these daily protests ourselves and while there was always a strong police presence surrounding them, overall they felt very civil.  One of the larger protests we witnessed, complete with flags, drums, and families pushing baby strollers, could have easily been mistaken for a parade.  These protests were nothing like the more riotous ones that have been the hallmark of public angst throughout the rest of Europe.

Snack time in the (underground)
Ancient Complex Serdika

Sofia has kilometer after kilometer of cobblestone streets, old trams and streetcars operating in conjunction with a modern underground metro system, and architecture that rivals that of other European cities.  There were pedestrian zoned areas lined with upscale stores, large fountain filled parks, and this being a former Communist controlled city, the ubiquitous statues.  And yet, Sofia is definitely international; we heard and saw people from around the world and ate some of our best meals of our trip, including a spicy Indian dinner and a night of sushi, here.  Sofia felt simultaneously old yet modern and with its combination of old blending with new, the word I would use to describe this compact capitol city is spunky.  Her people, her politics, and her history all speak to this.  And while there was some magnificent architecture to be seen throughout Sofia, the biggest surprise for me, and my favorite part of the city, was what laid underground.

I had heard about Sofia's notorious "squat shops", basement level shops where patrons bent down and made their snack and drink purchases from the vendor whose head appeared to be poking up out of the sidewalk, so when I saw them, I laughed but I wasn't surprised.  The underground metro stations we visited were clean and modern to a level I haven't seen in awhile but again, while they were nice, these weren't the surprise. What did surprise me was the underground archaeological sites that served as both passageways under the city and historic landmarks.  The Ancient Complex Serdika was one such site.  From the street level, sandwiched between government buildings, a metro station, and a highway, it was so unassuming.  We stumbled upon it when we thought we were entering an underground passage that would allow us to cross a major traffic artery without having to play Frogger.  It was this, complete with a smattering of kiosks selling knick-knacks, cigarettes, and bottled water.  But upon closer examination the area was also ancient ruins on top of which modern Sofia was built.  Intermingled with the modern conveniences mentioned above were the ruins of partial walls, pottery shards, and even a Roman amphitheater.  Who knew all of this was hidden under the city?  (Actually, no one really did until 2004 when construction workers stumbled upon the ruins).  This was just such a neat surprise.

Looking up into church apse from below

But for me, the most impressive underground site, however, was the archaeological museum housed under the Basilica of Santa Sophia.  This namesake church dates back to the 5th Century AD.  From the outside it didn't appear to be nearly as impressive as the neighboring Alexander Nevesky Cathedral or even the other churches and mosques we visited throughout the city.  The inside of the Basilica had the dark wood, stern soot covered murals, and intense smell of incense that I have come to associate with churches from the Byzantine Era.  The church was still active, with the pious outnumbering the tourists.  We thought the Basilica itself was the highlight of the church but we were wrong; when we noticed people disappearing through a staircase in the floor, we decided to follow suit and we surprised by what we found.  Hidden under the church was a complete archeological museum that had been excavated from the city ruins.  In the cool, dimly lit underground we wandered through narrow passageways as we explored one room after another.  Walking into a new room was like exploring a maze since we never knew when we would reach a dead end and have to turn around or when we would be able to continue on our way.  Some rooms were simply a combination of brick and stone ruins; others held tombs, mosaics, and crypts.  Some walls were plain stone while others were ornately painted.  From the street, I never would have guessed that all of this under here.  And this was the type of surprise I loved about Sofia. On a hot summer day, finding underground treasures was just what these weary travelers needed.

An underground chamber

Wall painting

Pieces of a floor mosaic 

Another above ground treasure- the immaculate Russian
Orthodox Church- the interior was under construction
during our visit

Veliko Tarnovo In All Its Balkan (Plum) Glory

Like any good Communist era statue,
this one is soldier is holding a gun

En route from Thessaloniki to Bucharest, we spent a night in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria.  This was by no means the half way point between the two cities and the narrow winding roads and unmarked detours (or maybe they were marked in Bulgaria's Cyrillic language making them unrecognizable to us) made the drive feel much longer than it actually was, but we wanted to see as much of the country as we could during our short stay.  And a stop here gave us another small taste of Bulgaria and her long and rich history.

First a brief geography and history lesson:  Veliko Tarnovo is located in an oxbow of the Yantra River in north central Bulgaria.  Today it is an important economic, cultural, educational, and civic center for Northern Bulgaria but the city itself has a long and important history dating back to the Middle Ages.  During the Bzyantine Empire it was the largest Bulgarian stronghold and was home to approximately 15,000 inhabitants.  The city was considered by many to be a "third Rome" because of its cultural influence over the rest of Eastern Europe.  Veliko Tarnovo continued to grow for 200 years until it was seized and the entire Bulgarian Empire destroyed by the conquering Ottoman Empire. After surviving 480 years of Ottoman occupation, in 1877, Veliko Tarnovo was liberated and two years later with the ratification of their first constitution, the Bulgarian Parliament was officially moved to Sofia.  Today, a drive, or walk, through Veliko Tarnovo reveals evidence of all of the chapters of her long history.

Everything we had read and heard told us that this former capitol city would be filled with charming architecture, impressive churches and a fortress whose size would rival all those we had previously visited.  We told ourselves that this would make the long drive well worth it.  After kilometer upon kilometer of rolling farm land filled with sunflowers and corn, Veliko Tarnovo seemed to pop up on the horizon out of no where.  First we encountered the blocky concrete high rises on the outskirts of the city that are the hallmark of all former Communist cities.  They are purely utilitarian and there is absolutely nothing aesthetically pleasing about them.  As we exited the main road and passed run down store fronts and abandoned buildings with little architectural character, I began to have my doubts about this overnight stop.  Was this place all that it was cracked up to be?

Night view from our hotel balcony

The view from our hotel balcony was impressive, and by far the best part of our overnight accommodations.  I know we are in the Balkans but everything about the hotel screamed over the top Balkan. (I have to remember that much of Eastern Europe essentially slept through the 1980s without having the benefit of western cultural influences).  The best word to describe the hotel is "purple".  Or plum to be exact.  We were greeted by a male valet wearing a shiny plum shirt and checked in by a female desk clerk wearing an identical plum outfit.  From the shag wall-to-wall carpeting on the room of our floor to the velour love seat and matching throw pillows and accent blanket on the bed, just about everything was plum.  Even the walls were covered with an ornate plum colored wallpaper that took me back in time fifty or so years.  The lamps, while not plum, were made of a silver reflective plastic that gave the room a misguided retro feel.  I started to think I was smelling over ripe plums but I think it was just the too floral room freshener scent that permeated the entire hotel.  (I was also a bit creeped out by the offer of his and hers full body waxing sessions at the attached spa............).  Yes, we were definitely in the heart of the Balkans.  We reminded ourselves that it was just for one night then quickly escaped outside to the balcony where we took in the impressive view of the fortress below us.

The northern wall of the fortress

Daybreak revealed the quaint city we had been promised.  Sprawl from the current times and recent Communist era past was confined to the outskirts of the city with the traditional city being protected along the river below.  Today, Veliko Tarnovo is listed as a UNESCO world heritage site for a reason.  Red tiled roofs dotted the horizon while traditional Bulgarian houses lined the narrow cobblestone streets of the old city.  As we discovered during our trek into the fortress however, the old city is far from pristine.  Preserved and rehabilitated buildings shared sidewalk space with abandoned and trash filled ones smelling suspiciously like stale urine.  The stench marred the experience but we carried on in the hot sun up the hill and into the fortress itself.

Shaped like a triangle mirroring the curve of the river, the Tsarevets Fortress was originally home to 400 houses and 18 churches built between the 5th and 12th Centuries.  The original fortress walls were crumbling and numerous signs in both Bulgarian and English warned us of the dangers of falling through holes or off of the walls themselves.  (If this was the United States all access to the walls would have been cordoned off in order to prevent even the slightest possibility of someone falling).  Today few of the original structures still exist but it was nice to see that restoration efforts are underway for those that are.  At the top of the hill the well preserved Sarevets Patriach's Chapel was spartan, dark, mildly ominous and smelled strongly of incense.  Middle Age churches certainly weren't places of enlightenment and cheer.  Although the blazing sun was a deterrent, cobblestone paths zigzagged across the green expanses of the fortress providing plenty of opportunities to explore.  During select summer evenings there are multi-colored light shows that illuminate the fortress grounds.  There wasn't one the night of our visit but they are apparently a must see if the opportunity arises.  Perhaps the next time we road trip through Bulgaria we will have the opportunity to check one out.

This puts a whole new meaning on the term "being at the
pointy end of the stick"

Sarevets Patriach's Chapel

Bells