Spring Break: The Good, Bad, and Ugly- Part One

This is easily the most challenging post I've attempted yet; trying to describe a 12 day trip through 4 countries with any justice takes far more writing than I can do at the moment, and would require more reading than most of you would probably care for. That fact, combined with the rather annoying reality of schoolwork, means that instead of a thorough summary of my break I'm only going to cover some of the highlights, and maybe a few of the low. But first, let me say that there were far more of the former than the latter, and in general it was the best break I could have asked for, both because of the excellent sites we visited and the great company we enjoyed. And now let me present the 2010 Eastern Europe Trip Awards:

Best Country: Bulgaria

Bulgaria was the suprise of the trip, with just the right combination of great sights, cheap prices, and the feel of being undiscovered. But what might have really made the Bulgaria experience complete was the highly-reputed Hostel Mostel, who turned out to be just as good as advertised. When we arrived in Sofia off the overnight bus from Skopje we were three tired travellers in a random, wet Eastern European city, without much of an idea what, if anything, there was to be seen in town. But as soon as we arrived at Hostel Mostel we were greeted by a cup of coffee and a free map, made by our hostel, with a recommended walking tour that stopped by just about every site in the city, large or small. This gave us a much-needed sense of direction and purpose, and we spent what turned out to be a beautiful day seeing a suprising number of beautiful buildings. The Soviets aren't known for architectural brilliance, but they actually managed to make some impressive, albeit somewhat imposing, buildings in Sofia. And of course there was the beautiful Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is dedicated to the 200,000 mostly Russian soldiers who fought to free Bulgaria from the Ottoman Empire.

Best City: Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

The other half of the Bulgarian experience was even better than the first, although this may just show my preference for smaller, historical towns. Veliko Tarnovo has a setting that is hard to beat for good scenery and good defensive capabilities. The oldest part of the town is set on a ridge between two rivers, which is narrowly connected to the old fortress, pictured here. Most of it is ruins nowadays, but it doesn't take much imagination to realize that this was once an excellent place for a defensible capital. Walking anywhere in town was a challenge, as no road could manage to go more than 10 yards without turning, rising, or falling. Veliko was also the setting for one of our best meals, with some excellent Bulgarian beer, some sort of strange Spanish pizza, and some Bulgarian pot dishes.

Worst Moment: Train Ride from Athens to Thessaloniki, Greece

When we decided to save money by taking a midnight train from Athens to Thessaloniki, we assumed that the Greeks would prefer to sleep between midnight and 6 in the morning. Or at least accomadate those who might wish to by turning off/dimming the lights. Unfortunately, the reverse seems to be true, which resulted in a very long and frustrating train ride between the two cities, spent listening to a group of chatty women in the rows before us. Nevertheless, we managed to put in a solid day sightseeing in Thessaloniki, although the coffee market received a considerable boost.

City That Most Deserves More Time: Istanbul

This is a hard one to choose, especially since we only spent a day and a half in Athens, one of the most important cities in history. Nevertheless, Istanbul seems like it would be a wonderful place to spend time a couple of months in. Of course there are all the major sites in Sultanhamet (the oldest district), but our brief forays into other parts of town revealed a town with a much more distinctly Turkish feel, and a huge number of secondary sites that would be worth a visit. Unfortunately student discounts seem to be unknown in Istanbul, so we had to limit ourselves to the must-sees. With a little more time and money Istanbul would be the perfect introduction to the Middle East; with its clean streets, easy public transportation, and somewhat exotic feel it makes for a less shocking transition than other cities. Cairo, for instance.