Beyond the Iron Curtain: Experiences from Eastern Europe
Written by Connery October 29, 2015
On my way to the Black Sea. Such a hard life I live...
The former Soviet Capital buildings of Sofia, Bulgaria
What's actually Eastern Europe (Sofia, Bulgaria)
What people expect in Eastern Europe (Bucharest, Romania)
Breakfast Rush at X Hostel Varna... A lot of great memories, and a lot of funny stories were made here.
There’s a myth/assumption saying that Eastern Europe is still too run down to visit as a tourist and that you should stay away. I’ll be honest, I had those assumptions too, but I still decided to go anyway. Once I got there, I was pleasantly surprised that I was wrong and fell in love with the countries I visited.
- Bucharest, Romania: My first stop beyond the former Soviet Bloc. This was where I first really felt a culture shock. Granted, while the weather was far from ideal (it rained – literally – the entire time I was there), the architecture fascinated me with its mix of pre-Soviet, Soviet, and post-Soviet architectural designs. While it’s made strides since becoming a sovereign nation, it’s still not up to Western European standards (and probably why there are so many assumptions). I’ll admit, when I was in Bucharest, the weather was REALLY bad, and the assumption that people have with East Europe being run down was a bit too apparent. However, if Romania is anywhere as great as people who’ve been there say, I need to go back and give it another shot at an honest review.
- Varna, Bulgaria: “The Malibu of Europe” as some have called it. Bulgaria is right next to the Black Sea and Varna is the ‘beach town’ of Bulgaria. I visited there at the end of August and had this mindset that it would not all that great, but like my reaction to Bucharest, I was wrong. When I arrived, the weather was on average 90-100 Fahrenheit degrees everyday and it was clear skies, literally the best time to be at a beach city. One thing I can confirm is the quality of roads. The roads are far from the standards we have in America. (Their roads made Michigan roads look like airport runways in quality.) Not only that, but there’s definitely a see-able gap in property quality. I noticed that while the roads were awful by my hostel, there were houses that were on par with those in the richest neighborhoods in America. Talk about income equality…. While that may be the case, I still loved the city, and definitely want to go back next summer, and recommend to everyone to do the same.
- Sofia, Bulgaria: After a long, but gorgeous train ride from Varna, I arrived in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. While not as much of a tourist spot as Varna, Sofia was still a busy city. Granted, it is the capital, but it still has a pretty large tourist population. While I didn’t see many bad roads in Sofia compared to Varna, the sidewalks could be a lot better, and some more emphasis on signs. This may be more of gripe, but free WiFi in any train station would be awesome, and probably would have saved me some money on getting to my hostels.
One myth that I can declare is true is the currency exchange strength of a USD and Euro. In Bulgaria, a Euro is about 2 Levi (their currency) and I was able to double my order for almost everything, therefore, I was able to do a lot more with my budget. (Buying a suit that’s normally 400$ for half the price? Yes please.)
Another one I need to admit is the stray problem. There were a LOT of strays in Romania, and a good amount in Bulgaria. While the amount is a lot more than that of America, they tend to be non-aggressive and either stay away from you or are even friendly. As long as you’re not stupid, have your shots updated, and NOT impair your judgement on what animals are friendly or hostile, you’ll do fine in the country, and you’ll hopefully fall in love with them.
A great thing you’ll realize about Eastern Europe is its rich history. So apparently Bulgaria is one of very few countries in Europe who kept its entire Jewish population away from Hitler’s concentration camps by having them work in Bulgaria without pay, but all living in Bulgaria to the end of the Third Reich. Didn’t know that, did ya?
Another thing that I found intriguing and a bit surprising were the people. The people were welcoming, despite my assumptions that they weren’t. In fact, I felt more welcomed in Bulgaria than in Denmark, probably because tourism in Bulgaria is a lot less common than in Denmark or most of Western Europe. This actually became apparent when I was back in Belgium. Although a lot of people there were welcoming, I didn’t feel as invited as I had in Bulgaria or Romania.
Overall, while Eastern Europe is different from Western Europe and America, it is still a great place to go, especially if you’re an adventurer, and if you’re reading this blog, you’re looking to go on an adventure.
“Travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness.” – Mark Twain
Blogger: Connery, Western Michigan University
