Land border crossings are a novelty to my life partner. We are halfway through our 4 hour bus journey from Sofia to Skopje and this one passes smoothly and uneventfully. We arrived at Skopje early in the afternoon and hit the ground running again. North Macedonia was a part of the former Yugoslavia and a separate entity to Macedonia in Greece. It is a multicultural melting pot of Macedonians, Albanians, Serbs, Turks and Bosniaks. Skopje is its capitol.
This is a country whose past goes back to the 6th century BC. Phillip 11 of Macedon absorbed the region and created Macedonia in 356 BC. His son Alexander the Great expanded the empire all the way to modern day India to be the dominant of its time.
Central Skype has a number of impressive monuments around Macedon square and a pretty old city. Unfortunately there Is a lack of maintenance and widespread graffiti which lends an element of unkempt scruffiness to the whole place.
View from our apartment Fort Skopje stone bridge built by the Ottomans in 1469Statues around Macedon square Archeological museum Old city Arch Mother Theresa house St Ohrid cathedral
Our final part of the loop around Bulgaria involves 8 hours of driving. Some hours are over rough winding corrugated roads which have a disproportionate amount of international trucks from Serbia and Romania. We arrive at the off the beaten track tourist sight of Belogradchik Fortress a stone’s throw from the Serbian and Romanian border.
As we approach the road winds steadily higher through a rocky wilderness that would be more at home in, say, Utah. The fortress is unique as the over 3 quarters of the “wall” is composed of massive rock towers and only a small amount has had to be built by human hands. Built in the 14th century the fortress walls are a massive 2 metres thick. This is an amazing structure in a unique landscape.
The long drive has us racing against the clock with our return to Sofia. We need to return our rental car, find our new apartment and make our way to our dinner booking at 7:30 pm. It is a rushed 20 minute brisk walk to get us there but we are on time to the “Secret Chef’s Table” restaurant. A 22 course degustation with matched wine. The chef is centre stage here and explains the exquisite dishes and wines in detail to the shared table of a dozen diners. It is a decadent finale to our time in Bulgaria. We have loved our time here, the sights, accommodation and food and wine have far exceeded expectations. This is a country I would be happy to return to.
In 2004 we received a message from our then 20 year old son Anthony. He has been offered a business opportunity to buy a backpackers hostel in Europe’s next new thing, Bulgaria and specifically Veliko Tarnovo. The only problem is that he is on the tail end of 2 years backpacking around the world after completing year 12. He has no funds and is after our help to buy the place. We were not in a position to buy the place which, in retrospect, is probably in everyone’s best interest
The historic and cultural centre of Bulgaria, Veliko Tarnovo, is the next stop in our long and lazy loop through Bulgaria. It has been dubbed the historic and cultural capitol of Bulgaria. The Yantra River meanders between the hills surmounted with fortresses, the largest of which is Tsaravets constructed in the 12th century. It housed both the Royal and Patriarchal palaces between 1185 and 1393 until the all conquering Ottomans laid siege and after 3 months overpowered the fort. Today the ramparts remain and a reconstructed Bulgarian Orthodox church surmounts the hill. We are now out of the main tourist season and having the fortress to ourselves to wander around is magic
Tsaravets fortress ramparts Patriarch palace Rock of execution Baldwin tower
The second city of Bulgaria is a 2 hour drive south of Sofia. It’s built on seven hills and its history goes back to the 5th century BC. We have a perfectly situated room just a stones throw from the old city and also the cafe precinct.
Old city
The 1st century AD Roman theatre of Phillippopolis is a highlight. It seats 7000 Andi’s still used for concerts today which is in evidence with the packing up happening when we were there.
Theatre of Phillippopolis
The day ends with a Bulgarian wine flight at a wine shop and a superb meal at the Aylyakria restaurant where I reacquainted myself with horse meat as a steak dish. Yum!
We are back in a rented car and suddenly we resume where we left off six months ago. I am in the driver’s seat (Suzanne does not drive manual cars) and she is my copilot running the Google maps navigation and playing the role of DJ even if the music list on her phone isn’t always my cup of tea.
We have learned from last year where we rented a car for the whole 6 weeks which restricted our accommodation options in the main cities where lack of parking in old towns meant staying further out. This time we enjoy being walking distance to attractions and only renting cars to travel the countryside. Also we have gone ultra small with our cars and our zippy white Kia Piccanto navigates the narrow congested streets easily while still managing to comfortably maintain the allowed 120kmph on motorways.
Our first destination is Rila monastery located in the mountains 2 hours west. Founded in the 10th century it is the spiritual beating heart of the Bulgarian Orthodox church. The church itself is absolutely sublime. The architecture is unusual and every square centimetre of wall and ceiling space is covered in beautiful frescoes
Passports…..passports! It’s 3 am and I climb off the top bunk and trudge out into the cold night air, beneath the grimy station underpass to immigration. I ask myself once again why are border towns so dirty and ugly? The process is repeated soon after at the Bulgarian side and it is back to sleep. One of the end termini of the fabled Orient Express was of course Istanbul and rather than fly to Sofia we are travelling on those same tracks as a century ago. It’s a shame that the rolling stock is not as luxurious but the train is lean and modern enough and we sleep well in our 2 berth cabin.
Bulgarian countryside
Lunch the next day was in the surprisingly pretty Bulgarian capitol of Sofia named after the patron saint of wisdom. We quickly discover that stews feature highly in Bulgarian cuisine. Also Bulgarian wines are yet another hidden gem and everything is so cheap here! We spent the afternoon wandering through pretty neighbourhoods and visiting some magnificent Orthodox churches. This place has a nice vibe and a vibrant cafe and bar culture with alfresco drinking and dining in abundance.
Pretty gardens Sofia streetscape Alexander Nevsky cathedral St Sofia church built 4th century Ancient crypt beneath St Sofia church St George rotunda church St Sofia statue Presidential guards
Surprisingly little jet lag and we make the strategically correct call to be queued up at the ticket office at 8 am much to my wife’s chagrin who values her sleep ins. We only have to wait 20 minutes to gain entry. (Later in the day as we walk past the line extends back into the distance and the punters are up for a 1 ½ to 2 hour wait.) This place is gobsmackingly beautiful and massive. It is one of those places where you look around and ask yourself how did they do that in those days? The massive 90 metre dome soars 55 metres over the floor. The dome itself is an architectural marvel defying gravity by virtue of 16 ribs rising from the roof. It was the biggest church in the world at that time and it kept that title for 1000 years. In 1453 it was converted into a mosque and in 1935 a museum. Two years ago it became a mosque again. When I was here in 2018 it was still a museum and entry was by the front door to the ground level. Today tourist entry is to the second level the ground floor reserved for prayer. It is interesting to have done the two, the ground floor experience accentuates the dimensions of the place and today’s gives a prettier overview.
Hagia Sophia
On a roll we high tail it to the Blue mosque and get similarly lucky with the queue again. Built between 1609 and 1620 it derives its name from the blue tiles that dominate the interior. We are lucky to see a wedding happening there in full view of hundreds of us tourists.
Blue mosque
Now it is Suzanne’s turn to be blown away!. The grand bazaar here is one of the largest and oldest covered markets in the world. Built in 1459 it has 61 covered streets and 4000 shops. My life partner was in 7th heaven!
Grand Bazaar Suleiman mosque Suleiman mosque Wedding at Suleiman mosqueView from Suleiman mosque
A late degustation lunch and visit to the Basilica cistern completes the day. The latter was also built by Justinian in the 6th century to supply water to the Topkapi Palace. This is an intriguing otherworldly place that in all of my travels I have not seen anything like it. Since my last visit they have added some coloured lights and lit up crystals which may be “cinematically” attractive but for the purist who is more than satisfied with the historical appreciation of the place it detracts from the experience.
Basilica cistern Medusa head column
Our final day has us with an early morning visit to the Topkapi Palace and here it is me who is again blown away. While the sprawling palace complex is beautiful there is a particular pavilion which has a collection of incredible relics. Numerous relate to the prophet Mohammed (PBUH) but the ancient biblical stuff ranging from a pot belonging to Abraham to Moses’ staff to John the Baptist and David’s sword leaves me spellbound.
Topkapi Palace Weapons museum Moses staff Sword of Prophet David Prophet Mohammed PBUH foot print More Topkapi Palace
The finale has us on the “wrong side” of queue management with an hour wait to ascend the Galata Tower. Built in 1348 by the Genoese it affords lovely views over the stretch of water known as the Golden Horn to the old city.
Modern day Istanbul is one of the great cities of the world. East meets West, the city literally straddles Europe and Asia. It is bustling and vibrant. A city of contrasts it is predominantly Muslim but has a rich Christian history and embraces that also and the two cultures coexist freely in all aspects including dress code and issues such as the availability of alcohol, a marked contrast to so many other Muslim countries. Add to it a rich history that goes back to the year 300 AD and this place has something for everyone.
The Greeks first established an outpost on the European side of the Bosporus known as Byzantium. Roman emperor Constantine settled there in 330 AD and built a capitol there named after him and the administrative and spiritual centre of the Eastern Roman Empire. Interestingly it lasted 1000 years surpassing even the fall of the western Roman Empire. The Ottomans conquered it in 1453 and that empire became the greatest at the time stretching from the middle east through north Africa, Spain and Eastern Europe.
We land at midday and check in around 2pm and literally hit the ground running. Our hotel is right in the heart of the old town so most sights are within walking distance. First port of call is Sirecki train station to secure our train tickets onwards to Sofia but also admire the elegant architecture and memorabilia of the terminus of the Orient Express.
The afternoon is completed with a stroll through the iconic Sultan Ahmet Square. Named for the 16th Sultan of the Ottoman empire built the Blue Mosque within that square, a renown landmark of Istanbul. The other famous landmark here bookends the Blue mosque built by Emperor Justinian in 532 as a Catholic Basilica. The sun is shining and the crowds seem happy and our journey has begun. All is right with the world.
Hagia Sophia German fountain donated to commemorate the visit by Kaiser Wilhelm 11 in 1898Egyptian obelisk Sultan Ahmed mausoleum Blue mosque
Sunday in the South Pacific is a Christian day of church attendance and rest. To varying degrees most of the various countries completely close down on a Sunday. The younger generation finds this to be an alien concept. Growing up as a kid in the 1960s I remember well that everything closed down at midday Saturday and only reopened on Monday. The Pacific islander Sunday closure is less religious zealotry and more just retro.
We indulge in a Sunday sleep in and drive down late morning to the little village of Avatele. It is just before 11am and the grassy surrounds of the pretty whitewashed church is packed with cars. Had we ventured into the church we would have been amazed at the singing voices of the congregation. Islanders know how to sing! Our destination was more hedonistic with Sunday brunch at Washaway cafe right on the beach, a Niue institution. We enjoy fish burgers and a beer before a quick snorkel in the rough waters whipped up by the prevailing winds.
This is our last day here and we set out to find the last of our sea tracks. Motu sea track leads down to a beautiful bay but is unmarked. Probably because the walk involves more arduous walking on spiky lime stone and descents down 2 Dodgy ladders one of which is missing rungs. The walk was worth it and we returned to our Matavai resort happy.
For some strange reason Hio cafe is open on a Sunday night and we have pre-booked the coconut crab. Unsure of what we would get we are blown away by the feast of crab before us. We spend a happy hour and a half clobbering away at crab claws extracting delicious crab meat from their shells. Our hostess guides us through the process of breaking down this crustacean including the tail which has an amazing paste that tastes like an amazing paste. Died and gone to heaven, a perfect ending to a great trip.
I pointed out earlier that Niue is unusual in that it is limestone thrust up from the sea. This makes it different to the Fijis, Samoa and Vanuatus of the South Pacific. There are no sandy beaches here. This is an island for able bodied active tourists. Bizarrely almost all of the tourists here seem to be at least 10 years older than me and I am 67 years old. The beautiful bays and sea access is at the end of rough, often rugged, sometimes precarious walks on rough limestone. Swimming with the whales entails jumping off the sides of zodiacs over the seemingly bottomless ocean. Very few of the tourists I have seen here would be able to enjoy this, but if you are fit and have a sense of adventure this is an exquisite unspoiled, off the beaten track destination.
This is it from me until October when I have 6 weeks touring Turkey, Greece, Bulgaria, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. To all my faithful readers, talk to you then.
We complete the ring road around Niue today. The scenery has been amazingly varied to date and today does not disappoint. Back east over the potholes to the nicely presented village of Lakepa and from there the sea walk to Puluhiki. Again the reef and rock pools are beautiful and varied.
Breakfast at Crazy UgasMain road at Alofi, the capitolNew Parliament looks more like a secondary school gymLakepa churchPuluhiki sea walk
Northward bound the roads are terrible and it suddenly seems that we have crossed some sort of dividing line between east and west and the potholes disappear and we are on smooth, newly laid road. A lot of this is courtesy of China who as throughout all of the South Pacific are building infrastructure in return for influence. Our destination is the Tavala Arches which, since their depiction on Niue stamps, has become emblematic of this country. The walk down is grueling over spiky limestone rocks where every step has to be carefully measured. Suddenly we are confronted with a small cave opening. Holding onto guiding ropes we make our way down and are afforded a magnificent view of the arch through a large opening in the cave. Every bit worth the effort getting here.
