Much to our surprise, we LOVE LOVE LOVED Bulgaria. We took a train from Thessaloniki, Greece to Sofia, Bulgaria (which is the capital of Bulgaria). Bulgarians are extremely warm and welcoming to foreigners and have a fierce pride of their history. Part of the former Soviet Union, Bulgaria is a very new and sometimes struggling democracy that has suffered from intense inflation and rapid market changes.
However, as the Bulgarians have said themselves - their culture overall tends to be easygoing since they were dominated by a foreign government for centuries. Bulgaria was just admitted into the European Union in January 2007 and is slowly transitioning into the EU. The euro is not yet in circulation in Bulgaria, but they hope to have it there soon.
Perhaps most interesting on our entire trip is the "Bulgarian bobble" as they call it. In Bulgaria, if you nod your head - this means that you are saying "no". If you shake your head - this means that you are saying "yes". Basically, the complete opposite of how you communicate with your head in the U.S. We had no idea how much we nod our heads until we were in Bulgaria and managed to confuse them thoroughly!
We had several conversations that quickly disintegrated into "Abbott & Costello" sounding conversations, as it is very difficult to remember the opposite meanings of the shaking/nodding of your head. "Is that chocolate ice cream?" He shakes his head no. We say, ok, so then what is it? He says, Chocolate! We say, ok and nod our heads. He says "what?" We say "we just asked you if that's chocolate?" He shakes his head. Oy vey!!!
Other than the confusing head gestures, Sofia is a beautiful town. It is full of plazas, fountains, gardens, pedestrian only streets, sidewalk markets, etc. We began with the Sveta Nedelya Cathedral which is a magnificent domed church famous because in 1925 communists blew up part of the church in an attempt to assassinate Tsar Boris III. Over 120 people were killed in the attack including most of the cabinet, but Boris escaped unharmed. We then visited the gorgeous St. Nikolai Russian church which features murals painted in the 11th century and was the church of Bishop Serafim, one of Bulgaria's most important spiritual leaders. He is entombed in the cathedral and worshippers write their prayers and wishes on pieces of paper to leave beside his monument.
We traipsed through Yuzhen Park and saw the "1300 Years Monument" built in 1981 to celebrate the anniversary of the creation of the First Bulgarian Empire. Personally, it looked like it could fall over and collapse at any moment...but who knows. We saw the Monument to the Soviet Army which was built to commemorate the Russian "liberation" of Bulgaria in 1944 and is a classic example of the bullish and intimidating social-realism of that time period. It was a stark comparison to the "Sofia monument" which is a 24 meter high monument which has become the city's symbol. It is built on the site where a HUGE statue of Lenin once stood. This statue is a bronze female figure on top of a column, representing Sofia, supposedly the personification of wisdom and fate (yay for having women figures as the symbol of Sofia!)
One of our favorite parts of Sofia is the synagogue which is the largest Sephardic synagogue in Europe, consecrated in 1919. Bulgaria only has a few thousand Jews and the synagogue is very well guarded. We purchased some terrific Bulgarian Jewish music at the synagogue and gawked at the unbelievable 2.5 ton brass chandelier dangling from the ceiling - really incredible to see and well known throughout Bulgaria. We also toured the Banya Bashi mosque which is the city's only working mosque. Built in the 1500s by the Turks it is a beautiful structure in the heart of the city.
And of course, we visited the Alexsander Nevski Memorial Church which is perhaps the most well known symbol of not only Sofia, but of the entire country of Bulgaria. It was built in the late 1800s as a memorial to the 200,000 Russian soldiers who died fighting for Bulgaria's independence during the Russian-Turkish war. The massive, awe--inspiring church is truly exceptional with neo-Byzantine style architecture, domes laden with several tons of gold, intricate mosaics, and chandeliers.
The food in Bulgaria was decent, nothing too exciting. Although we managed to regularly confuse waiters with our head nodding and shaking! Oy vey again! The most famous Bulgarian food is the shopska salad which is made of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, and onions covered with shredded feta cheese. The Bulgarian food is heavily influenced by Greece & Turkey - lots of kebabs, salads, etc.
So, after a terrific time exploring Sofia, we headed for the train station to take the overnight train to Istanbul, Turkey. The train was delayed for over 2 hours so we sat in the train station reading our Turkey travel books. After a few minutes, two young men came over and asked us if we were visiting Turkey? They spoke fluent English and sat with us for the next 2 hours giving us suggestions on where to visit, what to eat (and what to not eat!), how to get around, Turkey's culture, etc. They were both in college and were hilarious and very very helpful.
They gave us their cell #s and emails and excitedly asked for us to keep in touch with them, they would love to have friends in the U.S. The most interesting part of our conversation was when they found out we are from Washington, DC and they immediately asked us what we think of President Bush. Being the good Democrats that we are, we of course told them that we are anti-Bush - which they were thoroughly surprised by. They thought that all Americans support Bush!
They also felt that after the American invasion of Iraq, we would next invade Iran, and then we would invade Turkey! It was absolutely fascinating to hear their perspective on the American government's "blood hungry drive" and our obsession with the military industry and oil. They also told us that although Istanbul was a very modern city, very very few people spoke English. Once we got on the train, they invited us to their cabin to share in their ample supply of wine and vodka (which we politely declined).
The train ride was...well...not quite what we expected. We were in a first class cabin which was by far the dirtiest and shoddiest place we stayed in the entire trip. The train was NOTHING like the very modern, European train we took from Greece to Bulgaria. Rather, this was a Soviet era train that was barely functional at best. But, we sucked it up and made do for the 13 hour train ride. On the train, I was commenting to David that the entire trip had been going so smoothly and not a single problem had arisen. Of course, I spoke too soon.
In Bulgaria, we asked multiple people about the visa fee to travel from Bulgaria to Turkey. EVERYONE told us that we could pay this visa fee with Bulgarian money since it was right on the Bulgarian border. So, we saved enough Bulgarian money to pay for this visa fee (which was $20/person). But, when we had to exit the train at 3:30am at the border to go through immigration - we quickly discovered that they did not accept Bulgarian money!
There was no ATM at the station and our hearts began pounding as we realized that it was the middle of the night in a podunk town on the border between Bulgaria & Turkey. After much pleading with the only vendor that was open at the train station, the wonderful wonderful duty free shop-owner agreed to give us Turkish lyra in exchange for our Bulgarian money - and we were able to purchase the visas! Hurray!
We arrived in Istanbul early in the morning and quickly began to venture out and explore istanbul, which is the only city in the world that is on two continents (Europe and Asia)! It was our first time seeing rain in about a month, so we pulled out our travel ponchos and set out in the storm for our sightseeing!
We began with a lunch at a cafe outside the Ayasofia where we chatted with a newlywed couple from Manhattan on their honeymoon. We tried some terrific kebabs and fell in love with the Turkish dish called "iskender" which is shaved lamb and chunks of pita bread soaked in yogurt covered in a spicy tomato sauce. We ate this dish multiple times in Istanbul it was so good!
But anyway, we toured the Ayasofia which was the largest Christian church in the world from 500 AD to 1500 AD. It was designed to surpass in grandeur, glory, and magesty every other religious edifice ever constructed - and it truly was gorgeous with a soaring dome about 15 stories high that is 100 feet wide, glittering gold mosaic tiles and vast windows
Next we headed for the Blue Mosque which is one of the most defining features of Istanbul's skyline. The goal of the Blue Mosque was to rival the Ayasofia! The successively descending gold domes have created numerous legends, but the place is beautiful. We donned the appropriate scarfs and covering to cover my shoulder's and took our shoes and socks off - as is traditional to do in a mosque.
Along the way we passed the Hippodrome and then toured the Yerabatan Cistern which bears a striking resemblance to a scene out of Phantom of the Opera. It was a gigantic underground fishpond that was used to store water in the city, but now is a historical artifact filled with hundreds of huge fish (like over 20 pound fish!) There are also two famous Medusa heads, one on its side and the other upside down. Mythology says that placing her this way neutralizes her power and caused her to turn herself into stone.
Finally, we headed to the massive and incredible Grand Bazaar - with over 2600 shops, it is incredibly overwhelming to navigate, but very exciting at the same time. We purchased souvenirs and sharpened our haggling skills with the various stores, this is truly THE place to bargain about prices! The sights, colors, smells, etc - just incredible. There are also about 15 gates which all look exactly the same so we also spent quite a bit of time trying to find our way back out of the bazaar as well!
And then we headed for the AMAZING Turkish baths. The men's part of the Turkish baths was more complex than the women's side, so here is David's perspective on the Turkish bath experience:
The Turkish Baths were . . . well . . . interesting to say the least. The women and men both had their own Bath houses, but David's experience seems much more appealing, accurately reflecting the male-dominance in the Turkish society. So, the following is David's account.
As you walk into the bath house, you feel like you are in the lobby of an average priced ski lodge. We both purchased the premium package which included a 10 minute exfoliating soap bath and a half hour oil massage. Then we parted ways and went to our respective baths.
The men went upstairs where everyone has an individual room with a glass outter wall and door that overlooks the common area below. Little did the lucky ladies below know they could get a show if they only looked up! In the room, we (well, now I) stripped and put on red plaid loin cloths (basically) and sandals, both of which were provided. Then, after locking the door and putting the key's strap on your wrist, the men walk back down through the common area (again, those below with wandering eyes potentially receiving a show that usually only those who pay good money can see) and into the first room of the bath house.
The first room is full of men of all ages and sizes dripping with either water or sweat. I'll get back to this room in a bit. After walking through this room, you walk through the next door into the main area of the bathhouse. I have never seen anything like it. It was as hot as a sauna, big enough to hold a Bar Mitzvah, and shaped like an octagon with a fifty foot, dome-shaped ceiling. In the middle of the room was a raised marble platform about three feet high and forty feet in diameter. In the middle of this platform were sweaty men relaxing on their backs, so I joined them.
On the perimeter of the platform were men on their backs or stomachs or sitting receiving their exfoliating soap bath. On the perimeter of the room, about ten feet from the platform, were basins that looked like toilets with a big faucet running into each. Most were filled with water and had metal bowls resting at its foot. Some even had men sitting next to them using these bowls to pour water over their heads and bodies.
Thirty minutes and thirty pounds of water weight later, Ahmed beckoned me to the perimeter to get mine. I remember his name was Ahmed because he reminded me twenty times and spelled it thirty. I wonder if someone was trying to get a tip . . .
Now Ahmed was a very nice guy, but if he were an animal that was regularly eaten by people, he would feed a family of ten for a month, and his moustache would produce three complete wigs. He was one stong, hairy man. Regardless, I was excited because everyone else looked like they were in heaven (I never thought I'd imagine a big hairy man being in my version of heaven . . . ) The soap bath began with cracking my back and ended with a bucket of water being thrown over my head, and I welcomed both equally as much. Ahmed then pointed me to the room through which I had first walked. In there, I took a seat on the marble floor next to one of the same basins as in the sauna room. Ahmed followed me and washed my hair then pointed me to a line for the oil massage.
After a twenty minute wait for the oil massage, upon entering the room, its aura forced a sudden calm over me. After changing into a dry towel and informing everyone in the room that I was not a Bush fan (they asked and gladly laughed at my answer), I endured a thirty minute good massage. It was nothing memorable, but it was definitely worth it. Following a quick shower, I walked back into the hair-washing room where Ahmed (he was all over the place) changed my towel for me and wrapped me in a warm dry towel and gave me a turban on my headwith another. "Yea, yea, yea. You're name's Ahmed." I returned to my glass locker upstairs and changed back into my street clothes. When back downstairs, Rebecca and I were sharing fresh orange juice when I saw Ahmed standing in the middle of the common room staring at me. So, I caved and gave him a tip. I had never been so relaxed, and never had I even had a dream that was as weird . . . What an experience.
We had a terrific dinner of iskender (we love it!) and various Turkish appetizers and headed for the hotel. The next day we TRIED to visit the Jewish parts of Istanbul. After some very very frustrating communication barriers with security guards at the synagogue (which has been bombed twice in recent years), we finally gave up and realized that they simply would not allow us inside!
So, we headed for the Jewish museum which has a terrific timeline of Jewish life in Turkey for hundreds of years. However, the process of finding this museum, tucked away in an alley that was not on any of our maps was quite an experience. As our Turkish friends had told us - very very few people in Turkey speak English. I've been to 24 countries and Turkey was by far, the hardest country I've been in to use English. I was very surprised since Istanbul is such a modern city - but we just tried to adapt and do our best.
After the Jewish museum, we walked across the Galata bridge which is lined with various fish cafes UNDERNEATH the bridge, it was quite interesting. We went to one for lunch with huge bean bag chairs for chairs and tried some of the local fish (which wasn't too amazing to be honest, but worth trying).
Next we headed for the Topkapi palace which is...well, PALATIAL is the best word for it. Residence of the sultans and seat of the Ottoman Empire for almost 400 years, the palace was ENORMOUS. Perhaps most well known was its harem sector with over 400 rooms for the 800+ "concubines" available to the sultan, the last one was released in 1909! As a feminist, it was historically interesting - but i just have to say...YUCK. The rest of the palace was just breathtaking, the kitchen is the largest kitchen in the world and had over 1,000 employees. We bumped into the NY lawyer couple who we had seen several times throughout Istanbul and chatted with them about the palace's grandeur.
We left the palace after quite a few hours and sat in one of the cafes outside. David was playing solitaire while I was chatting with Brad and the man at the next table (wearing a Georgetown shirt) asked him what he was playing. After much conversation, we quickly discovered that the man was from Turkey but lived in the U.S. (his wife had gone to American University!) and he was in the Turkish rug business.
He noticed our Frommer's travel book in my bag and said - turn to page 140 - they interviewed me for that page - and sure enough, it was the page all about "how to buy a Turkish rug!). He kept pushing us to buy a Turkish rug which he says are marked up 5-6x in the U.S. (although they still begin at $1000+ even in Turkey!).
After chatting with him, went to the Spice Market at the top of the Golden Horn. We learned all about the "Natural Turkish viagara" which they are known for - it is basically pistachioes, honey, and some other spices - but they had a million kinds of it and it supposedly has the same impact as taking Viagara. Enough said. But, the spice market was so fun - there were samples galore, you could smell everything, all the colors and scents were quite powerful. We tried some things that tasted amazing, and then tried one candy that was probably the most foul thing I've ever sampled! :) But, such is life in a foreign country.
Well, that's about it! We had iskender for dinner (again) and headed back to the hotel to pack up and head for the airport the next day! It was a tremendous trip and we had a great time!
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