It is winter in Bulgaria, as in the rest of the Balkans in January.
We travel through Bulgaria in winter because we are on our way to Asia, after this we want to enter Turkey.
Historic city of Plovdiv
The city of Plovdiv was also a surprise for us. This is also a beautiful historic city in Bulgaria in winter with a cozy center where many archaeological treasures have been preserved.
It is cozy in Plovdiv, with many restaurants and narrow alleys where we can wander around.
The capital Sofia
We also use the facilities of Sofia, the capital, with its good international airport. For a good week we flew back to the Netherlands to hug and give attention to our ever-expanding family.
We find the city of Sofia too busy and not attractive enough for us to visit.
Tourist town Sveti Vlas
After our long week in the Netherlands, we decide to travel to the Black Sea. When we arrive back in Sofia, our Milady Landy is covered with a layer of snow. We leave for the east and the whole of Bulgaria turns out to be snowy, which makes some roads quite challenging. Fortunately, only one mountain pass (+1,000 m) was this snowy. Later the landscapes were more of an alternation of white, gray and green.
Curiosity in particular drives us towards the Black Sea. An unknown sea with unknown beaches where a lot of history is written, even today.
It is also winter here and we decide to book a cheap apartment in Sveti Vlas, a tourist town on the Black Sea. This gives us the opportunity to catch our breath (we both caught quite a cold). We are right on the Black Sea, so we also enjoy the beach and the sea, although it is very cold (-5 °C at night, just above 0 during the day).
Nesebar, historic town on/in the Black Sea
On a beautiful day we drive from Sveti Vlas to nearby Nesebar. Just like Monemvasia in Greece, this historic town was built on an island that was later connected to the mainland by a dam.
Like Monemvasia, the peninsula has a long history with dominations by the Thracians, the Romans, Alexander the Great and the Ottomans, among others. Much of this history is visible in the architectural styles and decoration of the town.
Also striking are the many churches that adorn the streets of the town.
Our route through Bulgaria
We like the apartment in Sveti Vlas so much that we stay there for 10 days. Then we drive to Turkey.
This is the route we took through Bulgaria:
