A Travel Journalist About Bulgaria

Find out how a pro traveler and journalist Anne-Sophie sees Bulgaria as a travel destination.

Anne-Sophie Redisch

Anne-Sophie Redisch is a bilingual travel writer who loves hopping off a train in a new city. Her two daughters often come along, enlivening the travel experience. She has lived in the USA, New Zealand, and Norway, and her work appears regularly in in-flight magazines and various Scandinavian and English media. She blogs at Sophie’s World and tweets as SophieR

Hi Sophie, first of all tell me where are you now and where are you traveling next?

Right now, I’m in Oslo, Norway. Immediate plans include a summer road trip in Cornwall with my kids.

You’ve been to Bulgaria twice. Why Bulgaria and why twice?

Ever since I was a kid, I was intrigued by the mysterious countries hidden behind the Iron Curtain, and especially by the Black Sea. I remember seeing a Dracula film many, many years ago, where the coffin containing the vampire arrived in Varna. It sounded very exciting. So Varna is where I went that first time. I travelled on my own and spent days just walking around that maritime city. It was 1991 then, just after the fall of the curtain, but it still had an enigmatic feel to it.

The second time, 14 years later, I was curious to see how the country had changed. Also, I wanted to let my daughters see the Black Sea. So Bulgaria was an easy choice.

Which places did you visit in Bulgaria and what impressed you the most during your visits?

In 2005, we stayed in Sunny Beach, which tempted with good beaches; important when travelling with kids. The beach was very nice, but also very crowded, so whenever I could get the kids away from the water, we would go to the beautiful walled town Nesebar, right across the water. Nesebar has such an interesting history and gorgeous architecture. We loved walking around in the cobbled streets, especially in late afternoon when most of the day-trippers had left. One day, we went to Sozopol as well, a laid-back hippy-ish town, also very nice.

I would have to say the friendly Bulgarians impressed me the most, though. My then 4-year-old was completely spoiled by everyone we met, in every shop, every restaurant.

Also, I think the proportion of beautiful people is higher in Bulgaria J. Oddly, many seemed to have an eye colour I haven’t seen anywhere else; sort of a grey-blue-green, like the colour of the ocean on a slightly overcast day.

Your first visit was long time ago and your second visit was more recent. How has Bulgaria changed during this interval in the eyes of a foreign traveler?

I thought Bulgaria of 20 years ago was wonderfully anti-materialistic. People seemed to be slightly cautious and it was a bit more difficult to communicate then, as many didn’t speak English or German. In 2005, that had changed completely. Bulgarians seemed more outgoing, especially the young people.

If you decide to visit Bulgaria again where would you like to go?

Lots of places I haven’t yet seen, including the capital Sofia. Mostly, I’d like to head for the mountains, though; the Rodopi or Rila Mountains during autumn would be amazing.

I’d also like to return to Nesebar. It would be in autumn too, I think. I’d be on my own and live in one of the old National Revival houses along those cobbled streets. I’d eat lots of delicious Shopska and sit and watch the ocean.

What do you think Bulgarians should focus on in order to attract more travelers?

Perhaps focus on more nature-oriented and exploring travellers. Also, Bulgaria has a long and interesting history that might not be very well-known outside the country. I see Varna is aiming for European Capital of Culture status in 2019. That should bring in a larger variety of visitors as well.

Read travel articles by Anne-Sophie Redisch  at  Sophie’s World.

Most Popular Traditional Bulgarian Foods

As a whole the traditional Bulgarian cuisine is similar to the Mediterranean one – lots of minced meat, pork, eggs, bread, sirene and yogurt.

Here is a list of local dishes and drinks you must try at least once, while in Bulgaria.

Traditional dishes:

Shopska salad: made from tomatoes, cucumbers, onion, raw or roasted peppers, and sirene (white brine cheese); a Shopska salad and a small cold rakia is a traditional and favourite way to start your meal in Bulgaria

Shkembe Chorba is a type of tripe soup (tripe is the thick lining of the stomach of cattle). Seasoning the soup with garlic, vinegar and chilli peppers is a must. You either love it or hate it – nothing in between. It is a difficult soup to cook and it’s hard to find a place where you can eat a really good Shkembe Chorba. I know many Bulgarians who like to eat Shkembe Chorba after a heavy night of drinking. They say it helps the hangover…

Shkembe Chorba

Sujuk – Sujuk consists of ground meat (usually beef) with various spices including cumin, sumac, garlic, salt, and red pepper, fed into a sausage casing and allowed to dry for several weeks. It goes very well with heavy red wines in the winter time.

Similar to sujuk is Lukanka. It is Bulgarians’ favourite salami. Traditionally, Lukanka is made of pork, beef, and spices (black pepper, cumin, etc.) minced together and stuffed into a length of dried cow’s intestine as Casing. The white stuff on top is flower. You can find different brands of Lukanka in the grocery stores. It is much more expensive compared to other local salami, sausages and meets. We eat Lukanka raw and thinly sliced usually as an appetizer. Foreigners often say that it smells like worn socks to them, but… what do foreigners know:)

Lukanka

Banitsa – a traditional Bulgarian pastry prepared by layering a mixture of whisked eggs and pieces of sirene between thin pastry and then baking it in an oven. The home-made version is the best because the pastry is actually made by hand. Where they sell banitsa they usually offer boza – a thick, sweet, brownish drink made of wheat, which we think, goes very well with banitsa. You can also find boza in the supermarkets.

boza - sweet thick wheat drink

Mekitsa – is our alternative to a donut. It is fried dough, which we eat with powder sugar, jam, honey or sirene. Not a very healthy breakfast, but so delicious!

mekitsa

Kiselo Mlyako –  Yogurt. Yogurt as such originates from the Bulgarian region. The bacteria which turns the milk into yogurt lives around the Bulgarian region and it is called “bactericus bulgaricus” They have tried to ship the bacteria to different regions but so far no luck with that. Mr and Mrs Bulgaricus seem to have liked the Bulgarian region and refuse to breed anywhere else. Real yogurt has nothing to do with the creamy sweet substance that Dannone produces. In fact not all yogurts in Bulgaria are real yogurts. I can recommend a few brands that still taste like the real stuff: “Био Кисело Мляко”, “Елена” and there are probably good small local brands.

Kiselo Mlyako (Yogurt) - good brands

Sirene (white brine cheese) – pour some olive oil, sprinkle red pepper on top and its the perfect appetizer and goes very well with local red wines. There is a large variety of brands out there. I recommend these two: “Био Краве Сирене” and “Маджаров”. They are pricier but way tastier.

Traditional drinks

Rakia – strong fruit brandy. I am a big fan of Rakia, but I do not drink the one that they sell in the stores. I only drink home-made Rakia – the one made of plums is my favourite. But be careful with the home-made rakia since it can be overly strong. If you have to order or buy rakia the best popular brand is Burgas 63 (Бургас63). Remember this basic equation: Rakia + Shopska salad = great way to  start your meal.

Wines – Bulgaria is a wine country and wine tourism has a bright future. You should try Mavrud a unique red wine, common only to the region of Thrace in Bulgaria.

Learn about the most unusual foreign food finds from pig placenta drink to baby eels imitation as seen by LonelyPlanet travel bloggers and hosted by orange polka dot.

Useful Tips for Travelers to Bulgaria

Travelers are different from tourists. Real travelers avoid tourist places, because they want to feel the local spirit – mix with the local people, eat the local food, have fun at the places where locals go etc. If you want to do that in Bulgaria here is a list of things that will make your stay in Bulgaria easier and more pleasant.

Travel Tips for Sofia

1. When you arrive at Sofia airport do not go out to catch a taxi! Once you are at ‘arrivals’ turn right and before the exit, on your left, you will see the registers of 2-3 taxi companies. Just ask them to order a taxi for you. Takes only a couple of minutes, but they are reliable. (There are many scammer taxis at the airport, that’s all.)

2. When catching a taxi, always look at the sticker on the front and side wind screens. It shows the price per kilometre. The normal rate is between 0.60 and 0.80 leva per kilometre. (Taxis are allowed, by law, to have as high prices as they want, as long as they announce them on their wind screens. Ridiculous, I know!). Here are some reliable taxi companies in Sofia: OK Supertrans Taxi (tel.  973 2121), €1 Taxi, (tel. 962-22-26), Yellow Taxi (tel. 91119) and Radio CV Taxi (tel. 91263). But still there are scammers who make their taxis look exactly as the OK cars so check the price on the stickers before you get in. This is what the sticker looks like.

Bulgarian Taxi Rate Sticker

This is what the taxi sticker says:

Price per 1 km in leva:     0.59 (day)  0.70 (night)

Initial fee in leva:              0.60 (day)  0.60 (night)

Order by phone:                0.50 leva

Price per 1 minute stay:    0.18 leva

3. Getting from Sofia Airport to the Central Bus and Railway Stations: You need to change vehicles once.  Get on bus 84 from Terminal 1; and bus 284 from Terminal 2. Get off at Pliska hotel – a tall blue glass building. From Pliska hotel you can get on buses 213, 214, 305, 313 which will take you to the stations. You can also get on trolley 5, but it is a bit slower. The journey from Sofia Airport to the Central Bus and Railway Stations takes between 60 and 90 minutes.

4. Public Transportation – public transportation in Sofia is usually crowded. The vehicles are often old  and worn out. The ticket for the public transportation in Sofia is 1 lev, no matter how far you travel or what type of transportation you are using. You can buy a ticket from the kiosks at the bus stops, from most newspapers kiosks, from a machine in the tram (on the back of the driver’s cabin) or directly from the driver. You can also by a set of 10 tickets which costs 7.5 leva (you save 2.5 leva:) Avoid riding the public transportation in Sofia during rush hour (8:30-9:30 am and 5:30-7:30 pm). Only the trams run relatively frequent during rush hour and the underground, but only part of it is ready and working.

From Sofia there are buses and trains to almost any town in the country. Sofia Central Railway and Bus Stations are next to each other. You can buy a ticket from the registers at the stations. For most buses you can buy a ticket directly from the driver.

5. Watch your belongings – when you are at crowded places, or walking the streets of the bigger towns. This is a good advice for any crowded destination. We don’t want you to have bitter memories about Bulgaria.

Travel tips for Bulgaria – when traveling by car:

1.  You will need a GPS with an updated map for Bulgaria. You should not rely on the road signs in Bulgaria. Sometimes they are missing and sometimes they are in Bulgarian, only. I recommend you make a list of the places you want to visit and have their names written down in both English and Bulgarian. Google maps usually does that if you have set your browser’s language to English and you are getting directions for a non-English speaking country

lost?

2. Buy a vignette!!! - This is a sticker that you stick on the front wind shield of the car (in the lower right corner)  - by doing this you pay your road tax for Bulgaria. You can buy a vignette from the petrol stations. It is pronounced [vinetka] in Bulgarian. For 2009 a vignette for one week costs 10 leva, for one month 25 leva, for one year 67 leva. This is what a vignette looks like.

Vignette

If you have decided to visit Bulgaria and if you are reading this post it means that you are a traveler as opposed to a tourist. A tourist will see most of the above as imperfections, while a traveler will find them charming and unique. Bear the above tips in mind, stay open and you will have a great experience in Bulgaria.

This post is part of the Blogsherpa Travel Carnival thanks to Todd and his blog Travel Safely.

Feel free to leave comments or suggest more tips. If you have questions and you wish to contact me, you can use the contact form or just write to me at truebulgaria@gmail.com.