Category: Seven wonders

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.

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.

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.