Tuesday, June 22, 2010

Spring Break 2010






This past April I went on a road trip or what one would equate to a road trip when one does not have a car. In an attempt to get out of dodge I indulged myself and went on a Spring Break of sorts to Turkey, Bulgaria & Romania. I met my friend Bridget in Istanbul, where we spent the next three days setting the tone for the rest of my Spring Break 2010. Some of the wonderful things we saw included the stunning Blue Mosque, the beautiful Hagia Sophia, the Asian side of Turkey and the huge Dolmabahce Palace. Istanbul also offered wonderful food, tea and of course shopping. The bazaars were the one of the highlights of the trip. There was the Great Bazaar and the Egyptian Bazaar, the ladder being the most impressive. Heaven for those who cook and love spices, this bazaaror market balances on the edge of sensory overload. The smells of saffron and other exotic spices, coffee and tea mix with vendors shouting at you to join them at their booth.




After 3 days of great food, good company and much walking around, Bridget and I boarded a night train to Varna, Bulgaria. The train ride is only notable since it was in an old Russian Train Car from like the 60s and was very cool to ride in. We were easily impressed, it being the first night train either one of us had ever taken. Varna is a coastal town located on the Black Sea. Being a former Soviet state Bulgaria is very similar to Moldova in many respects, but in some it is not. The city is very old and has lots of character but not much to see as far as sightseeing goes. We visited the aquarium, the old church and even the old Roman Baths, but most of our time was spent drinking Bulgaria Beer and eating good food and good coffee. After not having many options for coffee shops for a year any coffee shop looks and is impressive. I have to also say that the sushi I had in Varna was very good, almost as good as sushi from home. But it was nothing compared to the Chicken Bits with Processed Cheese dish I had at Happy, the Bulgarian version of Applebees. See pictures below and judge for yourself:


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After 3 days in Varna we moved onto Romania, via night train again. Arriving in Bucharest or Bucuresti as it is know herein Eastern Europe, at 6:00am we had little options as to what to do. We arrived at our hostel to find that our rooms were not ready so we rested a bit, cleaned up, left our bags and headed back out to see the sights. Even though Bucuresti is only about 8 hours away from Moldova is might as well be 20 hours away, it is so different than Moldova, but do similar. Romania as a whole is what Moldova strives to be, but might never become. Bucuresti is a modern city with a downtown district, a good public transportation system that consists of buses, trolleybuses and underground trains. One of the other great things about Romania is that I can totally understand the language and even speak it! The time we spent in Varna was very frustrating due to the fact that neither one of us spoke Bulgarian andcould not even attempt to read it since it is in the Cyrillic alphabet. Our time in Bucuresti was short since we were trying to fit in a few stops in Romania in the last three days of travel. Some of the things we saw while we were in the capital includes this fountain in the Piata Unirii, which is one of the main plazas in the city. We happen to be in the city during a major religious holiday which meant that the fountains were all dyed red. I have to admit it was kind of a weird sight seeing all this red colored water in the fountains, oddly it reminded me of a scene from the movie The Shining. Judge for yourself:







After one day in the big city we headed to the Carpathian Mountains, more specifically Brasov, Romania. Brasov is comparable to Vail, CO during the winter season, plenty of snow covered mountains, skiing and other winter sports. But during the other seasons it is a quiet little town where one can look upon the scenery and enjoy a beer or two. Right outside of Brasov is a small town called Bran, better known as the home of Dracula's Castle. Many tourists flock here to see the castle where Dracula was supposedly birthed in a fictional manner. This idea of the castle being home to the Dracula legend is up for debate, but worth seeing none the less. The castle is a small castle with deep history in the Romanian royalty, serving as a summer home to many queens. The only connection to Dracula that I could surmise was that Vald Tepes once, maybe, spent time there at the castle. And by spending time at the castle I mean he killed many people there and more than likely staked them outside the castle to make a point. For those of you that are unfamiliar with the connection between Vald and Dracula, Vald is supposed to be the basis of the Dracula legend. Regardless of the validity of the legend the castle is worth seeing in my opinion.

Well, that brings me to the end of the trip, I have to say that I had a great time and enjoyed traveling with my friend Bridget and seeing my friend Murat in Istanbul, thanks for the good times guys!

If your interested in seeing the rest of my pictures please visit:




Until next time! O Zi Buna!

JJ




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