Bulgaria Roundup

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A gate in Sofia with the symbol of the country - the lion

A gate in Sofia with the symbol of the country – the lion

I spent 10 days in Bulgaria and spent an average of $35 per day. I saw three major places: Sofia, Veliko Tarnovo, and Nessebar. It would have been nice to spend some more time around the Black Sea, but the huge resorts really don’t appeal to me very much and unfortunately there’s very little virgin land left to explore. Nessebar was a wonderful place, though, and definitely worth the stop!

The highlight in Bulgaria for me was independence day in Veliko Tarnovo and meeting some wonderful people at the camping site where I stayed. Sofia was also a pleasant surprise with its rich history and tolerant culture.

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Bulgarian Independence Day in Veliko Tarnovo

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Dancers lined up for hundreds of meters to dance during Bulgaria's independence celebrations

Dancers lined up for hundreds of meters to dance during Bulgaria’s independence celebrations

I had the good fortune of stumbling into Veliko Tarnovo during the Bulgarian Independence Day celebration – September 22. There was dancing in the streets, a light show, and a military marching and singing performance. It reminded me the no matter where you are, people are more or less the same! The energy and patriotism felt on the streets in front of the castle were nearly identical to those felt on the Fourth of July in the United States.

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Sightseeing in Sibiu

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The 14th century citadel in Sibiu

The 14th century citadel in Sibiu

After recovering from my rough week in the Apuseni mountains, I finally got my energy back up and moved on to Sibiu. The city is known as one of the gems Romania’s Saxon heritage, and after visiting I definitely understood why. The old town is extremely well preserved and the architecture is really fascinating. I had a great time walking around!

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Serbia Roundup

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The view of Novi Sad from the fortress

The view of Novi Sad from the fortress

I spent 19 days in Serbia and spent an average of $38 per day. I visited 6 different places – Subotica, Novi Sad, Belgrade, Tara National Park, Nis, and Vrsac. There wasn’t too much that I missed out on that I would have liked to see, but I’d love to return to Tara to camp and see more of the sights there. The highlights were the food (although I got sick of meat after just a few days!), the language, the people, and the history.

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Photo Gallery: Street Art in Valparaiso

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A cat on a door in Valparaiso

A cat on a door in Valparaiso

Valparaiso, Chile is one of the most striking places I have ever visited and the street art is among the best I have ever seen. Every corner you turn brings another mural, and the artists don’t see traditional walls as their limits. I’ve honestly never seen anything like it, and even after spending three days walking through the pasajes and trying to see as much as possible, I feel like I’ve only scratched the surface.

Unfortunately I didn’t have a chance to learn that much about the artists themselves as I didn’t take any kind of tour, but if anybody has any information about the artists who painted the work in the gallery I’d love to hear about it.

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