Monday 7 July 2008

Another week another thousand miles!

you know, give or take the odd 100.

I am now in a place called Velko Tarnovo which is a small fort town outside of Sofia in Bulgaria. I probably should have posted something about Belgrade before this. And Sarajevo before that but I have been erm drunk I guess is the best excuse.

Sarajevo was definitely an eye opener. It is hard to think about war when we live in such complete safety in the UK but walking around the streets seeing grenade marks, bullet holes and blood stains really brings it home especially as it happened so recently. For those of you that don't know Sarajevo was kept under a complete siege for almost 4 years. The Serbian attackers took the high ground surrounding the city and literally bombarded it with immunity from retaliation. The effect on the city, even now 14 years on, is visible both visually on the streets and in the mentality of the people.

A quick switch now from the depressing to the more light hearted night scene of Belgrade seeing as Sarajevo has been documented by far better writers than me. Belgrade has this awesome three stage, every night concert inside a ruined castle. The atmosphere there was great and again the drink was cheap. Met some people that night who I am planning on seeing again in Istanbul if I make it on time.

Now like I said, I am in Bulgaria. My first night I spent in a hotel that cost 20 Euros and was by far the nicest room I have ever stayed in. My second night I haven't experienced yet but I will let you know in a couple of days how it goes!

More border trouble due to my green card, again waved off after handing over a smoke. For something so cheap (about 5p each over here) cigs carry alot of weight with border guards!

After a couple of nights here I am going to make a big push into turkey and Erdine. It'll be a hell of a ride but I need to get myself into gear if I want to get my visas before next year!

2 comments:

o said...

5p for a cig mate, the pack is about a pound!

It's strange but I kinda miss the regularity of work. Knowing what has to be done over the next couple of days is reassuring! I get over it soon enough though, usually around the first beer of the day which costs about 50p sitting under some ancient tree with a cig in my hand and staring out over epic landscapes.

Checkout the Veliko Tarnovo fort light show. Watching it makes you forget everything to the point where my camera fell to the floor. It is indescribable!

Did you find anyone to replace me yet? I am half expecting the position to still be open when I get back! :-P

Anonymous said...

Hi Ollie. we are suitably impressed with the sound and light show. Bet it looks great in the flesh. I can't send emails to you at the moment. they are sitting in my outbox....any suggestions?! See, you just can't get away from it!

Keep an eye on the FO website. things are kicking off in Iran.

Weather here is awful. Rain, rain and more rain. We're off to Pip and Kevin's for Max'x christening on Sunday. Don't think we will be spending much time in the pool. We're trying to arrange a couple of days away in Budapest in August. Aunty Barb and I are off to Cyprus in September. When do you expect to be in Turkey and how long will you be there for? Have you met anyone to travel with? Enjoy the trip down . Loads of love MumXXX

 
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