Bulgaria:Where the Mountains meet the Sea. Visit to socialist Bulgaria

 

Breakfast adventures continue. This morning, the host once again tried to seat us at one of those mystical low sofa tables – you know, the ones apparently designed for people who enjoy eating scrambled eggs while performing the downward looking dog position. Demanding tourists as we are, we cheerfully informed them that we’re more than happy to wait until one of the four empty window tables is cleaned. No rush.

And so, here we were: once again the people-watching table. Honestly, I will never understand who voluntarily chooses to hunch over a tiny coffee table trying to cut into an omelette.

Yesterday’s plan included visiting the famous Red Flat in Sofia – a perfectly preserved 1975 socialist apartment now functioning as a museum. Unfortunately, my migraine had other plans, so we postponed it to today. At 10:28 sharp we stood at the door like the world’s keenest communist-history enthusiasts, waiting for them to open at 10:30. For Scott, it was apparently fascinating. For me… well, let’s say that growing up in a communist-era Estonia means that nothing in that apartment felt particularly exotic. Still, undeniably interesting. I guess I was counting on more differences between Estonia and Bulgaria.

We rewarded ourselves with donuts, walked around the city a bit more, and then made our way to the airport. There, we had the pleasure of eating the continent’s most expensive sandwiches, which were not so much meals as financial commitments.

But – and here’s the plot twist – both flights home were perfectly on time. Our Riga–Tallinn flight even landed 10 minutes early. Probably the first trip in our recorded history, where not a single flight was delayed. A historic moment. It should be marked with a certificate.