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I, like many, had very little knowledge about Bulgaria, so when I had the opportunity to take a look around, I thought, why not. The Meganissi II ferry was running twice daily from Frikes, so it was an easy jump onto the mainland to start a road trip to this little known country on Greece's north-eastern border. Google maps predicted about 6.5 hours to Bansko, a mountain ski resort just inside the Bulgarian border, but google was wrong, it took nearly 10 hours. I guess we may have missed a couple of turn offs on the way, especially in Bulgaria, where most of the signs were in Bulgarian. Out of need, we were pretty quick to learn the alphabet, so we could at least read the signs.
For EU citizens, the border is a quick stop, for others, there can be a bit of a wait. Bulgaria is within the EU, but still have their own currency. The only noticeable clue that the country is in the EU is the road works going on and the number of casinos. Lots of grant money, leading them to a pot of gold. Once through the border control, you must buy a temporary lisence to drive in Bulgaria, it's also worth noting that, you must at all times have your lights on. Day or night.
Bansko is an ok stop after a long journey through Greece, but during the off season, there really isn't much to see. It does have some nice accommodations and some cheap apartments if you're in the buying market. We then headed up to Veliko Tarnovo, a mountain village with some interest in the center of Bulgaria and then to the Pirin mountains back in the south of the country, where there are many towns and villages with beautiful scenery and amazing forests. Bulgaria must be one of the poorest countries in Europe, there is no consumer culture to speak of, very little English spoken, and a post communism depression, that even after all this time, is still very palpable. The people are friendly and accommodating. There are no Nike runners on the beggars, just deep despair and grooved lines on their faces. Although the country has such beautiful scenery, there is a dark cloud hanging over it, especially noticeable when coming from Greece, where sunshines more than not, despite the economic crisis.
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