Eastern Europe

Turkey

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Istanbul

Istanbul is a delightful, vibrant and historical city with many iconic buildings of cultural and religious importance. It is crowded and chaotic, ancient and modern at the same time.

There are two parts to the city, the Asian half sits east of the Bosphorus Strait, and the European half on the west section. Most well-known tourist places (Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, Basillica Cistern. Bosphorus Bridge, Grand Bazaar, Galata Tower, etc.) are located on the European half of the city. Transportation is readily available from buses to trams, ferries, metro or Uber.We were encouraged to scheduled time for an evening stroll around the Sultanahmet neighborhood, where you can enjoy an evening cocktail on a rooftop bar, enjoy a kebab or saunter into the historic spice market to sample the amazing sweet or savory spices. If you go to the Grand Bazaar, be prepared to haggle, it is part of the culture and dynamics.

There is food everywhere, from mussels and kebab on the streets, to restaurants and stores selling delicious turkish delight (lokum) and baklawa of many different types.

You must indulge on one of the numerous Bosphorus Dinner cruises with tourists and a traditional dance show. From the boat you will also have an amazing view of the Bosphorus Bridge and palaces by the shore.
The quality of clothes and textiles are hard to beat so if you have space do some window shopping , you might even find a keeper or two.

Beyoglu
waterfront walk
beyoglu
baklawa
turkish delight
dry fruits
Beyoglu
waterfront palace
view of the Bosphorus
hot air ballon ride
sunrise in Capadoccia
Ready, Set, Go!

Capadoccia


A short plane ride to the east of Istanbul is Capadoccia. It is famous for its fairy caves, wines and its once in a lifetime air balloon rides.

Tips for Istanbul amd Capadoccia


1. Book ahead for your tickets for tours as the same day lines are long.
2. Check the schedules for ferries so you do not get stranded.
3. If you plan to take the hot air balloon ride please book in advance and add a day to spare as they sometimes cancel the rides due to bad weather.

Bulgaria

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Bulgaria in 2026 joined Schengen and started using the euro.

We arrived in Sofia by bus from Skopje. Sofia is the main business and commercial city in Bulgaria and a huge contrast to Skopje.

The city center was organized and bustling with the energy of tourists and locals alike. Our biggest surprise was the high quality of food in the restaurants. Fresh vegetables and meat were well seasoned and tastefully prepared. 

The landscape were similar to Greece and North Macedonia however Bulgaria also has ski slopes and beaches on the Black Sea. We travelled across the country to one of the Black Sea resorts. It was extremely crowded with tourists from Serbia, Romania and Ukraine. We were informed that the resort towns are summer only, and are completely empty for the rest of the year.

Bulgaria has cities and settlement from the Roman period and earlier. Plovdiv has an active Roman amphiteather and many interesting buildings. Sophia is home to several magnificent Orthodox churches. Nesebar on the Black Sea has buildings dating from the 5th century and Byzantine eras.

One of the main export of Bulgaria is rose products so naturally we encountered many things from food to perfume that incorporate rose essence.

Sofia
Nesebar
Plovdiv amphiteather
Plovdiv chruch

Tips

  1. Driving requires maximum attention. We witnessed several rear- end accidents in the highway.
  2. Sophia is a walkable city, with train access to the airport and reliable taxi service.
  3. Many locals speak English very well.
  4. Sophia is a city with a rich nightlife.