My alarm is set for 07:00, my bag is almost packed. I wake, shower and dress then proceed on a 20 minute walk to the bus station (10 minutes for everyone else). I sit in the morning sunshine; coffee and a sandwich to hand as I look across at the gleaming bright red BIOMET luxury coaches waiting to whisk people away to Sofia some six hours away. Haven't I told a similar tale to you before I hear you ask? Well patience folks all will be revealed. This time I thought that I would tell more about the coach journey itself.
At about 08:45 hours the our coach pulls forward. The other two are, in fact, ready for the next two journeys on the timetable. Presumably there are three lined up at Sofia too. The driver secures my case with a numbered label and a corresponding sticker is attached to my ticket before loading it into the cavernous baggage compartment. I walk around to the 'stewardess' who points out that the front door will be more suitable to my seat location. I board, find my requested window seat and make myself comfortable. We have air conditioning, free wifi, and three movies to watch. There are drop down screens positioned along the coach so that everyone can see. Despite bringing headphones I can't find anywhere to plug them in. I do have a reading light should I require it though.
All aboard and we set off promptly at 09:00 hours. There are two drivers on board so safety would appear to be of paramount importance to BIOMET which is reassuring as the quality of some of the roads and a lot of the driving leaves something to be desired.
As you can see the driver has a panoramic view from his consul resembling a control centre than the old cold driving positions of old. It is paradoxical that the driving position is more comfortable, power steering and gear change make the task much less strenuous and the myriad of controls and communications make driving much safer yet driving hours are reduced and rest breaks enforced. Oh how the old hands must envy!
It is a bright clear Monday the last in May as we depart Varna. The docks and lake to the left very similar to the view from the train when heading east. We are on the A2 or "Highway Hemus" as it is known. This road, dual carriageway of motorway standard has benefited from investment, along with the rail link the EU strives to make the far flung corners of its domain accessible to all. If I was a cynic I would say that is to help the German economy boom but I am not so I won't. We pass villages, some prosperous, some virtually abandoned.
There is a large British ex-pat community living here where once the locals farmed and worked. Houses could be bought and modernised very cheaply and the countryside is a very pleasant place to live. The inhabitants having moved to the cities or abroad. I have been informed that whole villages have been bought up by Chinese emigrants who grow produce to send back to the markets in China. It would seem that nowhere is immune from their advance around the globe.
There are also frequent signs of industry along the way, rolling arable land will hide the evidence of mineral extraction taking place, coal or ore I know not. I do know that the sight of this conveyor belt of buckets reminded me of our once mighty coal and steel production centres in the North East of England. A great number of people here want to head to more prosperous times in the UK, France and Germany however I point out that just as here, there are large areas of the UK which have suffered too. The S.E. of England my be prosperous in comparative terms but it is also much more expensive to live in the region.
We are all caught up in the effect of global markets and technology. Only the other day one of the Bulgarian internet providers was laying fibre optic cable underground and stringing it through trees to reach apartments along the street. They have more and faster connectivity here than in the UK. They have excellent computer programmers and they constantly beat me at Chess! It is the old skills and trades which have been left to wither on the vine as we pass yet another disused Communist era factory up for sale.
The A2 and the rolling arable plain give way to the E772 and the mountains of the Central Bulgarian Range. The road is narrower and winding but the beauty and diversity of the countryside persists. Forests cling to hillsides and man is at one with nature. Forestry, hunting, and the vine all contribute to the local economy. Now eco-tourism is encouraged too. There are acres of National Parks to walk, cycle and trek in. It was also nice to see the diversity of eating places along the whole route. There are the national filling stations with their bright shop and restaurant but local family run establishments still give them a run for their money.
We cross the river Yantra, after a very comfortable three hour journey I approach my destination. I stated at the beginning that the coach goes to Sophia but there is a 20 minute break at Veliko Tarnavo. For those of you who have paid attention I mentioned in one of my posts from Sophia that the man on the plaque on the wall was instrumental in locating the capital there. Austria and other countries were in favour of Veliko Tarnavo, the site of the capital during the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185 -1396). Therefore it must be worth a visit.
The Inter-city bus station is next to the Hotel Etor, just behind the city centre, as in the new city rather than the original and should not be confused with the bus station shown on the maps which is for local buses and other excursions. Hence I thought is was worth a photograph for no other purpose than to show the taxi driver on my return journey. I had no wish to miss my bus at the wrong station which proved to be a very expensive occurrence once in Thailand. There are taxis on hand to take you onwards if required.
I used Google maps on my 'phone to follow the route to the hotel "Silvester" to make sure that we did not take the long way around. Very decent chap the fare was about 3 Leva. Very decent hotel 147 Leva (£75.00) for 3 nights with free continental breakfast of coffee, toast, ham, cheese, jam. It has TV in each room and WiFi too. More importantly it has a garage with room for eight cars, parking is a very rare commodity in these parts. It is situated down a cobbled street of the main road offering a very quiet nights sleep.
This is a family run hotel. The father designed and built it. His wife is manageress and his son and daughter work reception. I could not have met more friendly welcoming people. The son was very helpful and informative and the daughter was very pretty with a rather large boyfriend. I checked into my attic room which has built in wardrobes and a shower room complete with hair dryer, toiletries and towels. All in all a very comfortable place to stay. The reception lounge has large comfortable chairs to relax in after a hard day touring.
Even better there is a cafe bar 50 metres way back along the main road. Never boring as the proprietor is an interior designer who has all kinds of brick a brac decorating the place. Constantly changing as objects disappear to one of his projects or appear from another interesting find. He has recently completed a project, a restaurant I believe, in Manchester. I was also to discover over lunch and a map that, just as in Plovdiv, I was situated in the heart of things. Another adventure begins this afternoon.
By the way, they do not need headphones whilst watching the movies, the sound track, as with most films at the cinema, is in English so they read the subtitles. Simples huh!
(I hope it works)
The A2 and the rolling arable plain give way to the E772 and the mountains of the Central Bulgarian Range. The road is narrower and winding but the beauty and diversity of the countryside persists. Forests cling to hillsides and man is at one with nature. Forestry, hunting, and the vine all contribute to the local economy. Now eco-tourism is encouraged too. There are acres of National Parks to walk, cycle and trek in. It was also nice to see the diversity of eating places along the whole route. There are the national filling stations with their bright shop and restaurant but local family run establishments still give them a run for their money.
By the way, they do not need headphones whilst watching the movies, the sound track, as with most films at the cinema, is in English so they read the subtitles. Simples huh!
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