Our trips around the world…
After the disappointment of Bușteni, we were looking forward to reaching Brașov. Unfortunately, our accommodation wasn’t exactly ideally located. It was way out in the suburbs, leaving us with a fairly long journey whenever we wanted to get into the city centre.But, as it turned out, perhaps that wasn’t such a bad thing.The suburbs gave... Continue Reading →
The train from Bucharest to Bușteni was our first experience of Romanian trains. Although the scenery along the way was stunning, it was hard to enjoy while sitting in a four-seater facing backwards, staring directly at a random couple. Why? Why on earth would you design a whole carriage like that instead of just a... Continue Reading →
Our entry into Bucharest was… well, interesting. Interesting in every possible sense of the word: fascinating, frustrating, and very much a what the actual fuck kind of start.Crossing the Friendship Bridge over the Danube set the tone. Construction work was going on, and as we looked out the bus window we saw a fight break... Continue Reading →
Our final stop in Bulgaria was the border town of Ruse. The only real reason we chose it was because we had a few extra days to fill after deciding not to head to the coast. The idea of throngs of people, superheated beaches, and endless parties really isn’t our style, so instead we opted... Continue Reading →
Having had quite a lot of down time in Stara Zagora, we got to Veliko Tarnovo feeling somewhat revived, and hit the ground running. Our accommodation was in a local area as opposed to the old town, which turned out to be perfect, as we weren't subjected to the eye-wateringly high tourist prices for things.... Continue Reading →
After the heat and health issues of Plovdiv, we were looking forward to moving on—especially in a nice, relaxed, cool train. But guess what? The train’s air conditioning was broken. Oh joy! It got so hot that staff started handing out bottles of water to passengers, and more than a few people ended up taking... Continue Reading →
Koprivshtitsa—or as we started calling it, just “Kop”—never happened.We had planned to visit the town in hopes of escaping the brutal heat of Plovdiv and finding a bit of cooler mountain air. Unfortunately, a perfect storm of issues meant that Kop just wasn’t going to happen.First and foremost, Will came down with a bad case... Continue Reading →
If there's one thing we'll remember about Plovdiv, it's the heat. Extreme heat. All the heat.After arriving on a sumptuously cool, fast, efficient, and punctual train—a refreshing contrast to its Macedonian equivalent—we made our way to our accommodation. It was a strangely assembled apartment featuring the longest couch in history, a bed with a single... Continue Reading →
We were perhaps even more excited about entering Bulgaria than we had been for either Macedonia or Kosovo. That’s not a reflection on the countries themselves—more that by this point, we felt fully in the travel groove. Any lingering anxieties or worries about travelling had completely vanished, and in their place was a skyrocketing excitement... Continue Reading →
This may sound like a bitching and moaning session. Primarily because that's exactly what it is. We decided to take the train from Bitola to Skopje. We adore trains, and the prospect of doing this leg by train instead of bus was really exciting for us. We were aware that the train would take longer... Continue Reading →
2 Travelling Kiwis 