Meeting Friends Unexpectedly

Sunday, Aug. 9, 2009--Plovdiv to Tryavna

It took 45 minutes of fast walking to get to the bus station this morning. I had plenty of time having gotten up at 6:20 and the bus not leaving until 8:00. However, it is 2.5-3 km (1.5-2 miles), and I wasn't sure how long it would take. I left the room at 6:45 and got there at 7:30. There was no problem getting a ticket for Veliko Tarnovo on the 8:00 bus.

But then I didn't go to Veliko Tarnovo. I had already decided that I probably wouldn't stay there for the night due to the office that books private accommodation being closed on Sundays. I was planning to arrive there and then go to a nearby town for the rest of the day. I had been worried about the fact that the bus station where I would arrive is about 5 km (3 mi) from VK. And the train station, the only way to Tryavna from VK is another 3 km (2 mi) out a different direction. As I read my guidebook on the bus, it said that the only buses to Tryavna were through Gabrovo. Then when I looked at my map, I realized that my bus would probably be stopping in Gabrovo. So I decided to get off the bus in Gabrovo and take a bus from there to Tryavna. It was a good decision. I only had to wait 1 hour for my bus connection. It would have taken at least 2 1/2 hours to go into VT, transfer to the train station, and take a train back out, and that is IF the train schedule coordinated perfectly without my having to wait a few hours. The bus driver was surprised when I got off and requested my luggage, because he knew my ticket was to VT.

As I waited my hour at the Gabrovo station, my mind was wandering. One thing I did was to inspect the wheels on my suitcase. I have been worried about them throughout the trip, since the wheels on the bag I used last year wore out on me about this time during my trip causing me to have to start carrying it everywhere. So far, these wheels seem okay. When I was in India, I had some concern when I felt a drag indicating that one of the wheels was catching and not rolling. When I inspected the wheel, I was further concerned to find that it had some rough edges to it. I've tried to be careful--to carry the bag over bad areas, to choose the smoothest surfaces possible for the routes I am traveling, etc. So far, so good. I really cannot tell how much wheel (in terms of soft padding) still exists. I'm hoping I can make it through the rest of the trip without a problem. There has been do catching or dragging since that incident in India. But these cobblestones in Europe must be bad on the wheels.

One thing I have always disliked about Eastern Europe is the use of toilet attendants and the related requirement to pay to use the toilets. It is a holdover from the communist days. Back then, they had to find a job for everyone to do. Each toilet got assigned an attendant to justify their receiving payment from the government. I have avoided these toilets so far, even if it meant I had to go back across town to my room before the end of the day. If it is like it used to be in communist days, you even have to buy toilet paper from the attendant--a couple of sheets at a time. And if there is no attendant on duty, there is no toilet; they close them down rather than let people enter and use them for free!! Welcome to any of the old communist countries still not comprehending how to go western!!

Tryavna was a nice surprise when I arrived. My guidebook had made it sound nice, but there is more to it than I had even imagined. I think it must be my second favorite (after Koprivshtitsa) place I have visited in Bulgaria. It has a very large old town with wonderful houses, churches, bridges, clock tower, etc. And it is full of tourists wandering through this area stopping at the museums, seeing the old buildings, having drinks at the cafes, etc.

I got a private room just at the beginning of the Old Town. It's a little over-priced at $22 when compared to what I have paid elsewhere, especially considering that the bath is in the hallway. But it is clean and new, has a wonderful bed, has cable TV, and there are no other people here meaning that the bath is a private one for me.

I immediately went exploring. Toward the end of the Old Town, suddenly I recognized someone. It was Sean and Louise, the two Australians who are teaching in London. I yelled at them and we visited only briefly since they were down for a day trip and had only one hour remaining before they had to return to V.T. This is the third time we have come together on this trip. How nice it is to meet someone familiar when traveling, however.

At their recommendation, I went to the Woodcarving Museum. Tryavna is the woodcarving capital of Bulgaria. The museum was nice, but so was the work of the many artisans working in their small studios throughout Old Town. I just wandered the streets back and forth enjoying the atmosphere and watching the people.

Before going back to my room of the evening, I stopped at the supermarket and bought some supplies for eating in the room.

Monday, Aug. 10, 2009--Tryavna to Veliko Tarnovo

I had checked yesterday on the schedule. The best train to V.T. would leave at 9:30 letting me get up and leisurely clean up and leave. When I got to the station at 9:10, there was already a crowd waiting for the train and a long line for tickets. Since the train is the main transport to the big city, I'm sure that all the scheduled departures are busy. There was no problem getting a seat on the train, however.

There was a problem knowing when to get off the train. There are frequent stations, and some of them are in areas with big buildings. Hardly any of the stations have obvious signs naming them. Knowing this and that the Veliko Tarnovo station is a bit rural, I was worried that one of these suburban-looking stations might be it. Fortunately, as I was looking out the door to see if a station might be it, a man came in. I asked him, and he told me it would be later and that he would be getting off there, too.

Getting a room was not as easy as I expected here in Veliko Tarnovo. First, although the guidebook said there would be some there, no one was at the train station offering private rooms. I caught the bus into town along with everyone else who got off at the station and went to the tourist office. No one was outside the bus stop or the tourist office offering rooms. Inside the office, they told me that they do not keep lists of housing. Instead, they offer only paid brochures advertising hotels. Then they couldn't even suggest a direction for me to walk where I would see the signs that are on houses that offer rooms. (I got the impression it was more of a Chamber of Commerce operations to benefit businesses than it is a tourist information office.) Anyway, I started walking one direction and looking for signs. As I paused to study my map, a man approached me and asked if I was looking for a room. He said that he had friends who rent rooms around the corner and took me there. Well, the room was very nice--clean, big, balcony, TV, private bath, a/c, etc. But it was also more expensive than I knew I should have to pay. I took their card and said I would return if I didn't find anything else.

Then the man who took me there, understanding that I was on a budget, asked if I would consider staying at his house while apologizing for its condition. I went with him to look at it. It was cheap enough, but I did not want to live in the conditions of the place--messy with things stacked around and a bath and toilet that were not really clean or nice. Therefore, I headed off again on my own looking for signs.

I found one place, but no one answered the doorbell. A man next door told me about Rosa's around the corner. I went there, and Rosa was out front thinking that I was leaving town and suggesting that I consider her place next time. When I told her I needed a room, she took me inside and started showing me business cards and letters from other Americans who have stayed with her. She told me she was the first to offer rooms to tourists in a home and that she is famous and listed in the French, Australian, and Swiss guidebooks. She said her guests are kings in her house. Her price, too, was a little high (almost as high as the first place where I looked), but she said that she would serve both breakfast and dinner. Since I have not eaten as well as I should have lately, I decided to stay there to try having some real meals. The cost is $29 per night, and I have paid her for two nights.

That may have been a mistake, because Rosa is a bit possessive. She goes overboard being the hostess. She immediately made me a lunch--omelette, toast, fresh tomatoes, dried ham (with a strong garlic taste which I had already smelled on Rosa's breath), and herbal (fresh herbs) tea. It was all delicious. But she continued. I saw photos of her trip to western Europe when she was in her 20s. I saw photos from visits of previous guests. She suggested taking me on a circular bus trip to introduce me to the city. Then she suggested taking a taxi to see some monasteries and a church tomorrow. Today, I managed to avoid all this by closing my door and reading. But when I came out to come to the internet cafe, she was ready to do the bus trip. I told her that I needed to make contact with my family and friends and that I was tired and didn't want to do more than that. I have saved tomorrow for exploring the city, so that will be my excuse to avoid the taxi trip.

I finished reading a book today--The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford. Although it was on many Top 10 lists the year it came out and was a finalist for the New York Times Book Review Book of the Year, I was disappointed in it. It is humorous somewhat in the way that Dave Barry writes, but I have never been a fan of his style of humor. And I just could not identify with the main character or any of the others in the book. It was an interesting story, but nothing grabbed me about it. I gave it 2 1/2 stars out of 4.