From Sofia, we headed back to the bus station…this time without assistance from a “helpful” scammer straight to our platform to wait for the bus amongst a sea of fast-talking smokers. This ride, which would take us three hours south to the town of Sandanski cost $11/each, which is steeper, yet a bit quicker than the train. We have been dreaming of returning to this part of Bulgaria since summer 2019 having fallen head over heels with its mountains, wine, sunshine and charm, so it seemed natural we chose to spend a month here.
After trudging 20 minutes through the south of town, and another sticker-shocking stop for lunch, we arrived to our fourth floor attic apartment nestled an easy five minutes walk to the center. We knew it would be a bit awkward because of the attic layout, but the location and view make it all worth it, especially for around $500 for the month.
Our room, which we found on Booking, was pepto pink and purple, and felt like some Cabbage Patch dolls should be lining the bed. However, it had a terrific selling point in that you can stand all the way up….so long as you’re near the bed. We also had an A/C which was used as we got closer to the summer months, but in the beginning, we were in pleasant temps in the mid-20s. (70’s F) The room also includes a second bed, which we’ve converted into our “couch.”
From the bedroom, adjoins a balcony with a sigh-worthy view of the mountains and accompanying red roof tops below. Of course, it doesn’t matter which way you’re looking, there’s inevitably mountains, many still snow-dusted, in this part of the country.
And if you looked directly below us? Rows of neatly lined grape vines and gardens leafing out and ready for the party of summer. Oh, we loved it already!
The bathroom is where the loveliness ended and the eccentricities of our abode began. From our experience, this is quite normal in Bulgaria, but this one features a corner throne complete with a splashed out lid (which might make it more inviting for the average male.) It also includes a shower over the toilet if you want to take care of two items of business simultaneously. (Note: you may HAVE to do this if you’re on the tall side.) In addition, you could open the window and say hello to the pigeons sitting on the window sill just below you. However, the sill is blocked off with those necessary prongs to deter birds, but it’s still nice to get some fresh air at digestive height.
Moving on, the most curious highlight of them all is the ceiling pockets that are cut out for the shower head and the water heater. It’s all quite the hodge podge of construction.
Needless to say, we got a lot of practice being mindful of our headspace in this apartment. Fortunately, the top of the mini fridge worked well for food prep, which meant only the washing up area is leading to our hunch back development. Like most rental apartments, it’s also a bit poorly equipped, but our host has brought us a few things we’ve asked for and we’re being resourceful with the rest.
Our stove and OVEN!! Again!!! This includes one glass baking dish, and one pot. We were happy that Sue, in the UK, had just gifted us with collapsible poached egg cups, which came in handily.
Greg rarely gets to feel like a giant, so he enjoyed this…We did do some rearranging to make the space work better for us. Mandy could even do yoga…so long as she positioned and wedged herself strategically. 🤣
Street life below from our front balcony, where we even heard a couple horses clomping on the cobblestones
Enjoying a dinner made with the freshest ingredients from the local market.
Our first lunch, at a family-owned and non-lavish restaurant which bizarrely translated to “At the Doctors.” Fortunately, we didn’t get poked or prodded, though the waitress did seem somewhat impressed that we even spoke a lick of Bulgarian. But…don’t expect English menus! Chat GPT came to the rescue again.
The restaurant had 4.7 stars on Google and an online menu whose prices definitely didn’t coincide with the one provided. In the end, we spent $23 on four chicken skewers, two salads, and two drinks, which again, is easily double a similar meal a few years ago. Beer and wine were still affordable at $1.75 for a large beer, and $1.92 for a large pour of wine.
As for food, one of us ordered a Greek salad, and the other a Shopska, which is Bulgaria’s national dish and one of the many reasons we adore this country. We’ve found that any country with a healthy, non-red-meat national dish is typically one we’re really into. Of our two salads, the only difference seemed to be the style…and piles…of cheese, and oregano on the Greek one. It was excellent the portion was so huge because we were able to have the same lunch the following day, which certainly made up for the expenditure.
More on the Bulgarian Language
In the 2000s, Greg and I lived in Czech Republic…when it was still called the Czech Republic…for a combined total of 8 years. Thus, we are no strangers to Slavic personalities. And although each country is slightly different, we’ve come to a consensus that they’re a bit like creme brûlée…a bit hard to crack on the outside, yet sweet and gentle on the inside. And Bulgarians are no exception. In fact, some of the kindest people we’ve ever met on our travels came from this country and is one of many reasons we wanted to come back and stay awhile.
That said, in a part of the country where English is much rarer, this time, we came armed with a new tool…a bit more knowledge of their language after spending ~10 minutes a day learning it for the last six months. Of course, learning Bulgarian is not like learning Czech because there is one big difference…the Cyrillic alphabet, which is far from the Latin one. (Fun fact: Bulgaria was actually the first country to adopt Cyrillic in the late 9th Century).
Fortunately, in 2018/2019, Mandy taught herself Cyrillic which was immensely helpful for getting around. Although it’s less necessary today with the improvements in Google Camera and now, Chat GPT, knowing a little definitely goes a long way to crack that outer shell and develop a stronger connection. But it takes a bit of confidence to try actually interacting with it. Many times already, she totally bombed, undoubtedly mangling the pronunciation to Bulgare mush and sometimes receiving just an intimidating stone-faced response.
However, we finally met Jasmina at the Tourist Information Center who was more than willing to let her flub her way through, considering she didn’t speak hardly any English either. She seemed so appreciative of Mandy’s effort, she was rewarded with a giant hug and some other gifts before we left. And like this comically accurate European map indicates, we walked out with a new best friend.
The Episcopal Basilica
In Bulgaria, it’s quite common to practically trip over ancient ruins, which can remarkably even be found in the center of many towns.The Episcopal Basilica in Sandanski is a one of these early Christian monuments dating back to the 4th century, situated in the heart of the city of 41k. It stands as a testament to the architectural and spiritual significance of the ancient city of Parthicopolis, now known as Sandanski.
Although it seems they sometimes charge, we walked into it with no attendant, and therefore no fee. The restoration was incredible including a baptisterium, which is clearly a fancy name for a place where baptisms are done, and a recently unveiled mosaic tile floor.
It’s pretty common to see this in Roman sites. Clearly this is what happened:
“Hey boss! We’ve got most the parts in, but not sure where to stick these Roman columns!”
“Eh, no worries. You can just leave them there!!”
The Cyrillic translates to Episcopika Basilica.
The dunk tank, which appeared that it would hold up to six rejoicers at a time.
The authentic remains of a mosaic floor. The basilica’s walls were constructed using boulders interspersed with rows of bricks, a technique typical of the late Roman period. Also, reliefs that still have a dusting of color.
Funded by…US. I recently read words from Rick Steves that we have commonly been known as the cooks, while the EU is known as the clean up crew. It seemed fitting in this scenario.
The Nature of Sandanski
After a month, it was with a bit of sadness our month in SW Bulgaria wrapped up because we couldn’t have chosen a better base than this pleasantly sprawling city. It was an ideal and quiet destination to catch up on some much needed rest and work, do some wonderful day and overnight trips (which you’ll see in upcoming posts), and it also had most of the modern conveniences we needed as well. However, the thing we treasured the most was its immediate access to nature, including weaving trails along a pristine and constantly tumbling river, a lovely spacious park and lake, and access to trails that rose into the nearby mountains. In short, it was a lovely place to linger.
From our place, we were able to access the river in about a 10-minute walk. To get a bird’s eye view, it took longer…about 45 minutes.
It was also jogger’s paradise, especially the way the pedestrian bridges stitched themselves across the Bistritsa River.
As in most Balkan cities, there is also an extensive pedestrian thoroughfare, which extends into the park itself.
Here you’ll find a lake with paddle boats, a commuter train (which is far more fun, and convenient to access than the actual out-of-the-way Sandanski version), semi trucks (but only for mini humans)…
A giant lap pool, which unfortunately wasn’t open yet, and clearly neither was this high dive 😬
In the park, you will also find a little slice of fairy tale, thanks to this mini house which was designed to resemble Baba Yaga’s hut from Slavic folklore. Although details on this specific rendition are vague, Baba Yaga was a mythical witch who lives in a hut that stands on chicken legs. Such imaginative installations are common in Eastern European parks, aiming to bring folklore to life and provide interactive experiences for visitors.
Another thing that’s brought to life in the park are brilliant snow white peacocks, which look like the perfect pet for an Ice Princess. Unfortunately, he’s kept in a sad little cage barely big enough to spread his feathers. There are also cave-like structures which encapsulate a flowing fountain inside.
We got a fair bit of rain this month making the river rage even more than normal.
Heading up the hills beyond Sandanski, we would often encounter trail friends, which followed us around like dogs until realizing we’d forgotten our kibble at home.
Into the thick forest near the village of Polenitsa, which eventually made way to a dazzling viewpoint. There is so much to explore in Sandanski!
Our Daily Life in Sandanski
Sandanski is not necessarily a city that permeates cuteness like so many of the rural villages we visited as day trips during the same month. Nor did it have the cultural vibe of Plovdiv or Sofia. But it is functional and pleasant; with a large Kaufland and Billa supermarkets, tons of produce vendors, barbers, restaurants/bars and specialty shops. And, as we showed above, it’s superbly walkable with ample access to nature.
The one thing it lacks, compared with other areas we’ve visited in the country, is terrific public transportation options. The buses are fine, and provide a direct connection to other nearby cities like Petrich, Blagoevgrad and Sofia and there are numerous regional buses to small villages (so long as you go to the regional bus station behind the Billa and not the bigger autogara at the south end of town.) However, we were disheartened to see that bus prices, even the mini variety taking you to the villages, have more than doubled since our last visit in 2019. And the significantly cheaper train might be more helpful, except it’s 50-minute walk out of town, and not aligned with the city buses to take you there. Seems like a taxi ploy?
But alas, if that’s our only beef, that’s pretty manageable. 🤣 Yes, we thoroughly enjoyed and quite missed this city after we left. Here’s a peek inside our daily life…
The cutest section of Euro-charm in the city near the pedestrian street featured al fresco dining like any proper city in this part of the world. There are also several inviting riverside restaurants. However, while in Sandanski, we stuck to cooking meals in our apartment mostly due to the price. Not that we were complaining with this selection. 😋
And even though we weren’t donating bites of restaurant food…the local cats still obtained their share thanks to our at-the-ready bag of “Whiskas.” Also, why eat out when you have this view?! And of course, most dinners were also served with a classy plastic bottle of homemade red. These table wines can be highly quaffable…or…highly questionable. Either way we’re happy to support the locals, especially for $2-4/liter.
Since we mostly prefer to follow a Mediterranean diet, and were kinda “starved” for it throughout last year in SE Asia, Mandy has been ecstatic to cook here. Just a sampling of things we devoured…Tuscan beans and rosemary chicken, caprese salads, stuffed peppers, chickpea salads and Mediterranean quinoa.
The main square of Sandanski wasn’t the most beautiful, but it was lively and often had something going on during the weekends, like this kid’s pop-up basketball tournament.
And the leaf-draped pedestrian street was usually buzzing most evenings. Sandanski also tried to speak Gen Z with things like a selfie museum, while those who passed were honored as well. It’s quite normal in Bulgaria to see dozens of death announcements, called nekrolozi, displayed like “missing lost dog” or “apartment for rent” posters for all to see.
In Orthodox Christianity, not only are they obituaries of a sort, they ensure the community remembers to pray for the deceased because they believe the soul passes through trials during the first 40 days after death. They are also renewed annually and on pertinent anniversaries.
Ancient steps still in use transporting pedestrians from one part of the center to the next.
Modest playgrounds, but elaborate murals.
Riverside dining, and although we weren’t using the restaurants, we certainly learned the word for za kushti (takeaway) at the bakery. 😜
Now that’s a proper nut.
Our fish guy stooping over to prepare our bacalao, brought up from Greece. It was $10 for a portion which served us two meals. Greg also stooping over to wash our dishes. Yes, let’s not forget the fun we had in our attic apartment. 🤣
Another challenge…figuring out the New York Times level puzzle that was our washing machine. The fact that it was Latin letters and not Cyrillic was clearly not helpful.
A weekly market load, which cost $17. Although the supermarkets are definitely pitching some seriously inflated prices, the local markets still thankfully offer tremendous value. Eggs are $.23/each, if you’re curious, although they may be more diverse than the people in this part of the world.
Speaking of price gouging, we wouldn’t recommend going for a box of ice cream bars. If you’re a westerner complaining about your $.50 egg, you better be glad Walmart isn’t charging $11.68 for three ice cream bars. A lady in front of us literally threw a grown up temper tantrum over the price. And when a Bulgarian shouts in public, you know it’s serious!
Another cheese board. This time we went a little overboard. We regularly found fantastic deals on the smoked fish, and all this wild herring was marked down to $1.75. So, what we’re learning is…there are plenty of good deals for healthy food, and junk food seems to be soaring. Now isn’t that a novel concept?! 🤔
Regardless, we never got tired of this and it might be what we’ll miss the most.
What we definitely won’t miss is banitsas. Yeah, we know, these savory pastries are one of the most beloved and traditional foods in Bulgaria, but after our third try, we still don’t see what all the fuss is about. Sorry Bulgarian friends. I’m sure if our baba made it, it would taste differently.
They’re made from layers of thin dough (similar to phyllo) and a filling, most commonly of eggs and sirene (Bulgarian white brined cheese, similar to feta).
In case you thought this second hand store was touting hobo clothes, that actually means NOVO, or new, in Cyrillic. If you’re not into hobo clothes, you can also shop at the Y&M.
Although you might think you’ve just gotten the backhand for your poor fashion tastes, you’ve just arrived to the Spartacus Monument in Sandanski, which stands as a powerful 7-meter-tall tribute to the legendary Thracian gladiator who led a major slave uprising against the Roman Republic in the 1st century BCE.
It was near here, in the village of Sklave—whose name derives from the Latin word for “slave”—is traditionally considered the site where Spartacus was sold into slavery. The village hosts an annual fair that traces its roots back to ancient times, when it functioned as a slave market.
This darling babushka remembers it during her childhood. (At least according to her grandson.)
