#bulgarai

[stefanzl]

Here’s another update for my Europe in 1337 map! 🗺️✨ This time, I’ve added Bosnia 🇧🇦, Serbia 🇷🇸, and Bulgaria 🇧🇬. I'm currently working on completing the Balkans and Anatolia, after which I’ll release it as a standalone map. What do you think so far? Do you notice any mistakes? 🤔🖌️

[brbstr]

[lauracuff]

Flight to Macedonia - Day 1

Bit of misnomer, actually. Technically, a bus took fellow Fulbrighter, Caitlin, and me to Bulgaria's neighbor to the southwest. 

And here's how Macedonians write "Macedonia."

Both Caitlin and I happened to [finally] obtain our visa extensions this week, the same week Bulgarian schools broke for a long weekend holiday. In the space of about 24 hours, we decided that weeks of winter hibernation and significant bouts of cabin fever demanded an out-of-country excursion. Based on where we could visit cheaply and on the spur of the moment, Macedonia won out as our destination. We traveled to Sofia on Thursday, meeting up with another Fulbrighter for a quick catch-up, and headed for the border on Friday morning.

The 5-hour bus ride carried us from Sofia, through rolling hill country and among some beautiful mountains.

Our bus stopped short of the border for a bathroom/snack break at a convenience store located just downhill from this picturesque, unfinished Orthodox church. The break served as a welcome chance to stretch our legs a bit before the final leg of the journey.

Disembarking at Skopje, we purchased return tickets to Sofia. (We had already learned our lesson in Bucharest, back in October, when we scrambled across the city for several hours at the end of our trip, trying to find bus tickets home before finally giving up and purchasing overnight train tickets. Fortunately, I had bought a 2-way train ticket, already, but it was a bitter pill to swallow for my fellow travelers. The moral of the story? Pretty simple: Figure out how you'll get home before you need to be there.) Immediately accosted by aggressive taxi drivers, we trudged down the street from the bus station, finally pausing in a cafe for coke and tea and to borrow their free wifi to locate our hostel. 

Yeah, yeah. That's something we should have done before leaving for Macedonia. In our defense, we thought we could call them for a shuttle pick-up, as advertised on their website. Oh, well; live and learn. Thankfully, Caitlin located the address on her smartphone, and she navigated us to the general neighborhood. Soon, however, we realized her phone would only take us near the hostel, and we'd have to divine its exact location ourselves. Not good news for someone as directionally challenged as I am.

  However, as if by minor miracle, I spotted a sign down the side street pictured above - a sign that was still too far away to read - and we turned on the hunch and found our hostel. Thank goodness!

The hostel was located pretty near the center of town, so we dropped off our stuff and left in search of dinner, grabbing a quick bite to eat at an Irish pub that advertised "taco" chips. They were NOT right. However, the rest of the food was decent, and we had fun observing the other patrons while we ate.

Map in hand, we departed the pub to continue walking toward the center and the Turkish part of town. 

Once we hit the center, the view - and our general expectations for the weekend - improved dramatically.

Statues and sculptures dotted the square, and each side street seemed to promise more enticing restaurants, cafes, and sites. 

Well, hey there, Aslan! Many lion statues marked Skopje's cityscape. 

Note the Alexander the Great statue and fountain in the distance. Despite the fountain part apparently being under wraps for winter, Alexander's stately visage observes the square with breathtaking splendor. 

just another cool sculpture in the square

After snapping several photos, we crossed the bridge pictured above and headed into the Turkish area of town, scoping out places to shop and sightsee the next day, as the sun sank lower on the horizon.

In crossing, we glimpsed a better view of some under-construction buildings next to the river. We couldn't tell if workers were repairing old ruins, creating new buildings in the old style, or creating new "ruins." We've lived in Eastern Europe long enough to know that the last option is a distinct, if surprising, possibility.

See? Old or new? ...hard to tell...

We wandered the Old Town until the sun had fully set and most shops were closing. Then, we did an about-face, returning to the square to enjoy dessert and coffee at a restaurant in the shadow of the formidable Alexander the Great statue. We enjoyed the food and almost Western atmosphere so much, that we ended up returning to the same restaurant for lunch and dinner the next day! ...before you judge, wait until you see the photos of this food. It was incredible. 

I ordered rice pudding, which was quite good. And that delicious candied apple slice on top? I believe my words were, "Ohmygoodness! It's chewy until it disappears... Where did it go?! I never even swallowed!"

Reluctantly, we vacated the restaurant to return to our hostel, taking a few more photographs along the way. Although I turned in early, I drifted off to sleep thoroughly satisfied with the decision to escape wintry Bulgaria for a quick weekend of warmer weather and wandering.