Varna Pit Stop

Varna has an urban feel to it once you step out of the central bus station but when you go to the old town & the beach front, the city turns on its charm. I stayed in Hostel Nomado, located in a nice peaceful area close to the old town. As the hostel building wasn't numbered and it did not have any sign either, I had a tough time locating the place. The couple of people whom I asked on the street couldn't help me too. Like in other cities & towns, I was relying on Google Maps (offline version) to help me locate my hostel while wandering in the streets. But, in this case, the maps led me to a point on the street where there wasn't any tell tale sign of a hostel being located in the area. Short of ideas, I decided to ring the bell outside a building hoping that its residents might be able to help me.

To my relief, the very building turned out to be the hostel and the first resident I encountered was a four legged animal. This cat and its kittens delighted me and all the guests during our stay. It had a canny knack of knowing when we were going into the kitchen for a snack - it was ever present for a bite or two.

As it was early evening when I checked into the hostel, I decided to take it easy and spent my time indoors talking to the other guests. The owner was a friendly guy and during the conversation, a plan began to form. He was to take us on a night time tour of the city and we would be hitting the famous party spots in the area. We had a wonderful time in the different beach side clubs and at one place, we were lucky enough to enjoy real good music played by a local band. Time flew and in the early hours of the morning, some of us decided to head back to the hostel. It is always better to have a local friend or guide who can introduce you to their city in a much better way.

I have always loved exploring a place in the night time without the crowds and under the lights, the cities & towns look totally different. The famous cathedral of Varna looks brilliant and you could gaze at it for a long time.

As these famous buildings were on my way to the hostel, I took my own sweet time admiring each and every one of them. I could have continued the tour till sunrise but as I was tired and sleepy, we decided to call it a night at 3am.

Varna has a fascinating history and is a storehouse of legends. There are secrets tucked away in monasteries in the hills and stone forests that have emerged from the ocean. It is also home of the world’s oldest gold treasure which was founded over 6000 years ago. Earlier known as Odessos, it was a seaside settlement that grew into a port under the Byzantine Empire and eventually, became a part of the Bulgarian Empire.

The next day was a local holiday due to Unification Day, celebrated since 1885 when Eastern Rumelia and Bulgaria were unified. There was a relaxed atmosphere and at many buildings around town, some sort of a celebration was taking place. The local market was also in full swing and I was amazed at the sheer number of vendors selling nuts and fruits on the streets.

Another thing that caught my eye was that pizza parlours were mushrooming everywhere in Bulgaria. It seems they eat pizzas more than their local food. It was a blessing in disguise for me as whenever I was not able to find vegetarian options on the menu, these pizza places were available around the corner to satisfy my hunger pangs. However, in Varna, there was no such problem as I found a restaurant serving local vegetarian cuisine very close to my hostel. What's more I found a girl there who could speak English and every time I visited the place, she would show me what veg options I had for the day. Fun Fact - it is estimated that the locals spend half their income on eating and drinking out.

The famous Old McDonald's building in the centre of town is now leased to a teaching centre. But there is a tug of war going on between McDonald's and local municipality for the last few years on who needs to bear the cost to remove the sign. Surprising & hilarious, at the same time!

The entire town centre is very old and was part of the old city of Roman Odessos. The government and locals are currently voting on how best to preserve this area. We pass by the local theater where opera takes place in the evenings. We could hear the rehearsals that were going on for the performance later in the day. The tourists who were not expecting the high pitched sounds of the lady were surprised, to say the least and it was fun to watch their reactions when they passed the theater.

One of the most popular attractions in the sea capital of Bulgaria is the fountain located on Independence square of the city. It was officially opened in August 2015 and is the highest fountain in Bulgaria. A modern computer system controls and manages the different combinations of water, light & music and even though the fountain works all day, it is definitely more impressive when the lights are turned on.

Then, there is the Bulgarian version of the New York Flatiron building. The owner Dabko Dabkov wanted to make a replica but since there was a shortage of funds, he had to stop at 6 floors. He added a pole on the top storey, though, to make sure it was the highest building in those times.

The traditional buildings in the area are beautiful & they stand out in the midst of modern residences. The old Grand Hotel London is one of the oldest hotels in the country and welcomed its first guest in the year 1912.

The street murals in certain sections of the town are fascinating and very well done.

The Archaeological Museum is quite extensive and there are several other museums in the city. The ruins of the Roman Baths (an open museum) give you a glimpse of the ancient city of Odessos. It is one place where you can snap the centuries old ruins and the newly constructed buildings in one shot.

Varna being a coastal city, the first sports kids learn here sis swimming and a plethora of swimming pools are breeding grounds for kids wanting to take it up professionally. The other popular sports in the country are wrestling, chess, football and tennis.

Public fountains are a common sight in Varna. The water here comes from a hot water spring, which is supposed to be good for health. I saw many people coming here to fill their bottles or to take a sip.

The famous torpedo boat Druzki, which was one of the main reasons for the Bulgarian naval victory in the first Balkan war of 1912. The war had its origins in the discontent produced in Serbia, Bulgaria, and Greece by disorder in Macedonia. The Balkan allies were victorious against the Ottomans, which was forced to relinquish most of its European territories.

The Sea Garden is the oldest and the most popular landscaped garden along the coastline. The promenade along the coast is filled with restaurants and clubs, besides souvenir shops and cafes. It also has an open-air theatre where several performances are held. In this area, you will find a map of all the countries which share borders with the Black Sea (Ukraine, Bulgaria, Russia, Turkey, Romania and Georgia). I liked it a lot and spent quite some time identifying the countries. When you look at it, one understands the strategic importance of these locations and why so many countries have been fighting wars in the region in an effort to gain maximum control. The latest example is the Russian annexation of Crimea, following which the cruise line business in Bulgaria has been suffering major losses, as the ships have stopped calling the port of Varna.

When the Black sea topic got highlighted, it was but natural that I made my way towards the Black Sea. I had always heard about it in the geography classes and in my school days, I associated it with a dangerous place - maybe, it has to do something with the name. Over the years, I had always thought that the place would be out of reach, as it is quite far from India & Balkans was never in my travel itinerary for a long time. Standing on the Black sea coast brought all those childhood memories flooding back to me when I used to look at the world map & wonder about the dangerous Black sea.

The origin of its name remains unclear but it is probably named so because of being an inhospitable sea, due to strong winds and presence of savage tribes on its shores in the old days. Marine life can survive only in the oxygen rich surface waters and not in the great depths of Black Sea as the water becomes toxic at around 180 metres below the surface.

According to many marine geologists, the Black Sea was a freshwater lake around 7000 years ago before a rise in the water of Mediterranean Sea caused the entry of saltwater into the lake. In line with this theory, the so-called flood represents the catastrophic flood mentioned in the Noah's ark story in the Bible. An intriguing and almost scary fact is that the dead are believed to persist in the waters of Black Sea because the process of decomposition in the lower water layers is very slow. Despite all the mystery linked to the Black Sea, the fact remains that this remains a major holiday destination all year round. The beach is dotted with bars, restaurants and pubs and you can take your pick based on your budget.

A visit to Varna is incomplete without heading to the symbol of the city - the Mother of God Cathedral, built in the 18th century. It is the third-largest cathedral in Bulgaria and was built largely with money donated by the people and with materials sourced locally. It is a famous venue for weddings and I saw quite a few of them during my stay in Varna.

Varna is good option for a two day stay on your way to Romania or before moving to other cities in Bulgaria. However, if you love the beach life, then it's a pretty good option for a longer stay.