Scottys Boutique Hotel Sofia

... work we didn't get it set up to work abroad...oops. go outside to find the father...he's not there. ask where to get change and get pointed to a small exchange office. decided that we'd just get a drink at the cafe and get changethat way, picked up a can of coke and went to pay for it....5 LEV. gave a 10 and got a 5LEV note back. but we need change please....go to the bank we don't give change ...

... Brian felt really sick that day for some reason so it wasn't fun when we arrived and the conductor said he didn't have sits for us, that we would have to stand for the first 2 hours! We met some other travelers in the same situation. We couldn't understand how this happened - don't they do this everyday? So we stood and basically it was a first come, first serve basis for getting a seat. Brian stuck his head out the window the whole way (the only moving air). I stayed in ...

... with such natural beauty and lovely people presents this front to the world. It wasn't untill I met Boyana, my couch surfing host, that I felt like the country actually wanted visitors. Four days later finds a contented little Ben sitting atop a child's climbing frame, strumming aimlessly on a Bulgarian banjo. My stay in Bulgaria could not have been better. Boyana, or Bo, turned out to be a bit of a legend. Not ...

Well, we were finally off to another country since arriving in Greece and man were we excited about it! It was fall break and our first real time off from school and we couldn't wait to take advantage of the chance to get away from ACT. Jared and I booked tickets for the night train to Sofia, Bulgaria for Thursday at 12:33 and were on our way. When we arrived at the train station, we were running a little late because we decided to walk to save money from a cab fare. We asked ...

... social values have been distorted beyond recognition. From the Mercedes owner who believes the tram lane was designed for him, to the young girl (the high heels, short skirt, supermodel sunglasses, bleached hair and pink lipstick type, in case you are wondering) who is too busy talking on her cell phone to give her seat to an older person. From the all-important businessman who thinks tax laws exist only to be evaded, to the store keeper who snaps at you impatiently when ...

... seems Sofia might not make the top fifty list - partly because they don't think addresses are important, at all - partly because nearly every person we met scowled at us. These people seem really unhappy, although I guess if I lived here I might be too. We did find the car rental place, no smiles and got out of dodge asap.

... at the border of Serbia given our farewell stamp and the train made its way to into Macedonia (Skopje) the passport control man stamped our book then looked at our passports and said where is your visa you need a visa to enter Macedonia you have to get off the train now and get on the train over there and go back to Belgrade to get a transit get off now ( this was Saturday and we would not be able to get visa till Monday) the guy ...

... have enough time to do that. The trip usually takes a whole day and leaves in the mid-morning. Again, maybe next time... Fortunately, it is not difficult to finish all the sights in town in a few hours. Sofia is a quite walkable city and many sights are no more than 10 minutes' walk from each others. I walked south along Boulevard Vitosha, to see the National Palace of Culture. It was built to celebrate Bulgaria's 1300 ...

... got my ticket for Thessaloniki early. The office looked exactly the same as the horrid place in Lviv, but could not have been more different. I had my ticket in less than two minutes and made my way back to the hostel ready for breakfast and the day. The hostel runs day trips out to a famous monestary south of Sofia called 'Rila Monestary,' and I was all up for a trip at that point. They crammed a few of us in two cars, and we took off ...

... so often associated with it...and...to tell the truth, Albania is about economic opportunity first and foremost! Albanians consider themselves somewhat nationalistic...but...are really more focused on adapting to embrace opportunity while preserving cherished traditions... Truly, a man's word is of utmost importance here...the ties to tribalism and community assistance to those in need is real! Come visit while the visiting is good!