Wednesday, April 18
The bus ride to Varna took about 2.5 hours. We found out the hard way that some bus companies run large coach buses and some run smaller Sprinter Vans. Our trip was in a Sprinter Van. The seats were a little narrow and the interior was a little on the spartan side but it was a short trip and we made it without incident.
Varna is larger than we expected. We’d heard stories that it has gotten somewhat rundown and isn’t as nice as it used to be. We found it to be charming and much nicer than we expected. Like Burgas it is on the Black Sea and has a lovely Sea Garden. It seems fairly large but is only the third largest city in Bulgaria after Sofia and Plovdiv.
Varna has been an active port city for more than 3,000 years. In ancient times it was referred to as Odessos and was inhabited by the Thracians before becoming controlled by the Greek, Roman, Bulgarian and Ottoman civilizations. Today it is a major sea port and home to the Bulgarian Navy and Merchant Marines.
Instead of our usual practice of getting an apartment in the middle of Town we opted for a residence in a village about five miles north called Konstantine and Elena. This is a beach resort with many hotels and restaurants catering to tourists. We’ve obviously arrived before the summer season started because many of the local businesses are not yet open. Few people are staying in the hotel at present. The pool has yet to be filled.
The hotel complex is actually split into two parts. On one side is a traditional hotel and on the other side, where we’re staying, there are guest apartments. These guest apartments enjoy all of the typical hotel services (cleaning, linens, etc.) but also come with complete kitchens and a separate bedroom. We also have a large balcony that spans the living room and the bedroom. It overlooks the empty pool. 😉
Most people have been addressing us in German and many locals seem to be fluent in that language. Varna and the surrounding areas are very popular with German speaking peoples. We hear it being spoken frequently. Thankfully our German is better than our Bulgarian.
The cab ride from the bus station to our hotel took about 15 minutes. After we checked into the hotel we realized that I’d left my tennis racket in the cab. This is the second time I left my racket behind since we left New York. Perhaps fate is trying to tell me something. Not knowing even the name of the cab company we figured it was a lost cause and gave up hope of ever seeing it again.
There is a nice supermarket right next to the hotel but they were not yet open for the season so we opted to raid a nearby market for supplies. It was not really open either but the doors were open and there was food on the shelves so we just invited ourselves in. The cashier was very kind and helped us find the things we needed. Many of them were in the store room in the back. We determined to go into Town the next day and do a major shop.
We strolled along the beach for a bit before trying to find a place for lunch. Our first choices were closed but we found a very nice restaurant with an extensive menu. The waitress asked us, in German, if we wanted menus. We responded in English and the conversation continued in our preferred language. We decided that it was time to try another Bulgarian specialty: stuffed peppers. These were sweet red peppers stuffed with a mixture of chicken and vegetables. Being that we were now in a Germanic frame of mind we also ordered Wiener Schnitzel and some garlic bread. The peppers were particularly delicious (no pictures unless you want to see another empty plate).
(The Beach)
Distance walked: 5.1 miles
Thursday, April 19
We decided to go into Varna, see something of the city, and buy enough groceries for the next few days. The hotel informed us that the 31A bus stopped right by the building every 40 minutes or so and would take us into Town. The cost was one leva per person and tickets could be purchased on the bus.
Confident in our new found knowledge we walked over to the bus stop. After a few minutes a 31A bus stopped and we got on. The woman selling tickets waived us off. I said, “Varna?” and she said, “Neh!”. We were very confused but since we weren’t welcome on that bus we got off. We decided there must be another bus to take so we waited for about 10 minutes before the SAME bus returned to the stop. This time the bus driver waived to us and we got on. The same woman came over to us, smiled and said, “Varna” and sold us tickets. We still have no idea what happened.
The bus dropped us off in the center of Town right near the big Cathedral – just where we wanted to go. The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral (aka The Assumption of the Virgin Mary) is the largest cathedral in Varna. Construction was started in 1880 after the liberation from the Ottoman Empire. The exterior has the characteristic onion domes. The interior, in typical Byzantine style, is beautifully decorated with frescos and icons. Unlike any other church we’ve seen in Bulgaria this one had pews. The interior was in excellent condition.
(The Dormition of the Theotokos Cathedral)
We decided next to head towards the bus station in the hopes of finding the tennis racket. Perhaps the cab driver would be there or perhaps he had turned it into the lost and found. We figured it was a long shot but we had to give it a try. Besides, it seemed a great way to see some of the city.
It was a bright, sunny day with the temperatures in the 60s so we enjoyed the two mile walk over to the station. Along the way we discovered another Cafe Nedelya (our favorite cake cafe from Sofia and Burgas). This time we exercised a little self-control. You might hear about it again in a later post.
Upon arrival at the bus station we searched for our cab driver in vain. We went inside and checked the lost and found. No luck. We had noticed that the cabs were all from the same cab company and decided to give them a call in a last ditch effort. We weren’t sure it was the same cab company we had taken but there were no other options. A very polite woman answered the phone and said that she would find our driver, ask him about the racket and call me back. The rest was up to fate.
Afterwards we strolled down one of the pedestrian ways toward the sea garden and found a interesting looking restaurant with outdoor seating in a large square near the Opera House. After a short German/English exchange we had menus and had ordered a sesame pizza (a regular cheese pizza with sesame seeds on top) and fried hake. They were tasty.
We continued down towards the sea and visited the Roman Baths and the Naval Museum before heading to the beachfront. We walked along a road adjacent to the long stretches of white, sandy beaches. There were quite a few pubs/restaurants with umbrella covered tables and chairs in the sand which reminded us of typical Caribbean vacation scenes.
(The Roman Baths)
At this point we started getting tired so we headed over to the supermarket. Along the way we got a phone call from the cab company. The driver had found the racket and had brought it back to the hotel at 9:00 am that morning. He didn’t know our names so he just left it there and hoped we would discover it. We were shocked and thrilled. I’m sure nothing like that would happen in New York City. Hopefully there won’t be a third time.
Distance walked: 8.2 miles
Friday, April 20
The day was a little overcast so we decided to explore the area near the hotel. We walked along the waterfront until we ran out of road. On the way back we stopped at one of the waterfront hotels and had cappuccinos overlooking the sea. The port area was very active and we saw quite a few cargo ships going into and out of the harbor. Once they clear the protected waters they really hit the accelerator and disappear across the horizon within 20 minutes.
We also visited a nearby monastery. It’s called Konstantine I Elena. We really couldn’t find much information about it. It’s rather small but appears to be a working monastery. It has a lovely chapel.
(Monastery Konstantine I Elena)
Distance walked: 2.7 miles
Saturday, April 21
Since it was another beautiful day we decided to head back into Varna. While we were waiting for the bus a cab driver came by and, in a mix of German, English and Bulgarian, told us that the busses don’t run regularly on the weekends and that the next bus would not be for several hours. He offered to take us into Town. We had our suspicions that he was not being truthful but we really wanted to get to Town and start our day so we went with him.
This time we took the other pedestrian way and walked north in the sea garden. All along the way there were intricately landscaped gardens with tulips, petunias and flowering trees. Like in Burgas there are many sculptures and monuments. The park also contains an aquarium, the natural history museum, a chapel, a zoo and a separate arena for dolphin shows. It seemed too lovely a day to waste indoors so we continued walking. We might visit some of them another day.
(The Sea Garden)
For lunch we ate at one of the restaurants on the beach Our meal consisted of tsatsa and stuffed peppers. The food was good but we’d had better elsewhere. I don’t think we’ll ever get better tsatsa than we had in Burgas.
During lunch we researched the bus schedules and found that the busses do run regularly on the weekends. We took the bus home. 😏
Distance walked: 7.8 miles