Since things are now going so much better in Bulgaria, I’ll start off this generally-positive topic with a rant. Fucking cyrillic! When I arrived in Sofia I had only English-written directions to the hostel. When I walked out of the bus station and into the city looking for Vitosha boulevard I was greeted by several signs which read with some sort of Russky scribble-scrabble. How the hell am I supposed to follow my directions if I can’t even read the street signs?
Bulgaria, At Last
What an ordeal this trip to Bulgaria turned out to be. I thought I was being clever by purchasing a nighttime bus ride to Sofia as I hoped that nine-hour transit would allow me to arrive here refreshed and ready to hit the city. Every bit of the process was unnecessarily complicated from the bus station to my first hostel.
An Experience to Remember
W&T left this morning to catch their flight and are now in the air on their way back to the states. I’m killing a day by doing absolutely nothing as I plan on travelling to Bulgaria tonight. We had one last adventure yesterday, whose outcome necessitated its own blog topic.
Sights and Sounds of Istanbul
I just uploaded a couple of pictures from our trip. From a hotel terrace the three of us captured the following images. First, the group of us with the Blue Mosque as our backdrop. Next, a shot of the Hagia Sofia just south of the Blue Mosque. Then a movie I recorded during the dusk call-to-prayer which, if you jack up the volume on your speakers, you will hear. And lastly, me relaxing like the locals.
Turkish Traffic
Will and Tiffany are out doing some last-day shopping now so I wanted to take a few minutes and record some observations I’ve made about Turkey. At the forefront of my mind is the traffic situation. It’s not so much bad, as utterly batfuck crazy. Let me explain.
Allahu Akbar!
Our time in Istanbul is drawing to a close. The copious amounts of Turkish beer were broken by occasional tokes on the nargile (hookah) in a wonderful week in this lovely city. Will and Tiffany have been most excellent travel partners as they are both adventurous, curious, and in good shape. Believe me when I say that this last quality is essential for my break-neck walking tours.
Merhaba, Baby
The secret to Turkey ıs negotıatıon. For several days now we have collectıvely bargaıned down the prıce of everythıng from rugs to beer wıth much success. The turks are equal to the task and prove to be fun-lovıng and jovıal people under the most intense monetary disagreements. I am thınkıng that I need to apply some of my negotıatıng skılls to the ladıes.
Scott/Rich Travel Itinerary
The following notes are being used while Rich and I flesh out the specifics of the last portion of my European Adventure.
Phase 2: Filling Out the Skeleton
After wranging with management, coordinating with friends, and generally chewing my fingernails to the quick I’ve finally resolved the outstanding issues that were preventing me from getting this sabbatical planning going. I now have a skeleton in place as to what I’m going to do and where I’m going to do it. Over the coming month(s), I plan on filling this out where question exist.
| Dates | Location | Company |
|---|---|---|
| 7/30-8/6 | Turkey | Will, Tiffany |
| 8/6-9/1 | Greece Czech Republic, Luxembourg, Austria, Belgium | None! |
| 9/1-9/9 | Switzerland | Matt, Hilary |
| 9/10-9/24 | Holland, France, Germany | Rich |
I may have some company for part of that five-week block in the middle of the trip. However, I’m hoping to leave at least a couple of one- or two-week blocks in unplanned. That gives me the option to travel spontaneously. Cities that I might see during that time include the European Capitals of Culture.
Phase 1: Events in Europe
If possible, I’d like to see some cool annual event in Europe. I’m trying to collect a list and publish it here. So far my only source of information is this page I found from Google.
Anyway, here’s the list as it stands today:
- 9/17/05-10/3/05: Oktoberfest in Munich. Maybe too late in the year.
- 7/7/05-7/14/05: Running of the bulls in Pamplona.
- 8/27/05-8/31/05: La Tomatina in Bunyol (Valencia).