• Sleeping Bag, Bulgaria

    Sleeping Bag, Bulgaria

    It was time to replace my sleeping bag. Out of the corner of my eye I saw it sitting on the lounge, bound up tight in its red stuff sack. I looked away. I felt like I was betraying a friend.

  • The Red Flat, Bulgaria

    The Red Flat, Bulgaria

    Close to the centre of Sofia, in an ordinary, non-descript housing block, is a unique time capsule. The Red Flat is an apartment that has been set up to replicate a family residence typical of 1980s urban Bulgaria.

  • The Chess Players of City Garden, Bulgaria

    I like to walk, so I booked accommodation in central Sofia, Bulgaria, so I could explore on foot. If I hadn’t, I may never have discovered the chess players of City Garden.

  • Second Covid-19 Vaccination, Bulgaria

    Second Covid-19 Vaccination, Bulgaria

    Having to figure out where to get a PCR test done in a non-English speaking country, within the stipulated time window before travelling to a new place, and then sometimes having to have another test upon arrival, was a real bastard.

  • Seven Rila Lakes, Bulgaria

    Seven Rila Lakes, Bulgaria

    The Rila National Park in Bulgaria is home to one of the most famous and popular hikes in the country.

  • Apricots

    Apricots

    Maybe as you get older, life’s bag of apricots just loses its taste.

  • National Aviation Museum Plovdiv, Bulgaria

    National Aviation Museum Plovdiv, Bulgaria

    I’ve always been a bit partial to aviation history, and when I heard that Plovdiv was home to Bulgaria’s National Aviation Museum I was keen to have a look.

  • Diving Shipwrecks in Sozopol

    Diving Shipwrecks in Sozopol

    We jammed the cars full of diving gear, and squeezed in for the hour’s drive south from Nessebar on Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast. The Black Sea has a long maritime history, and we were off to spend the day diving shipwrecks in Sozopol.

  • Varna’s Retro Museum, Bulgaria

    Varna’s Retro Museum, Bulgaria

    Right next to Varna’s bus station is the Bulgarian city’s Grand Mall; a modern shopping centre full of brand name stores and teenagers whiling away their summer school holidays. Somewhat strangely, it is also home to Varna’s Retro Museum, a treasure trove of soviet-era cars and memorabilia. Now that’s gotta be worth a look.

  • First Covid-19 Vaccination, Bulgaria

    First Covid-19 Vaccination, Bulgaria

    I heard that the Bulgarians were willing to vaccinate tourists against Corona, so the day after I arrived in Varna I set off to find out if it was true.

Midlife Crisis Odyssey