Today wasn’t as exciting as some of the others because it was a travel day. Still, I managed to fit a lot in.
I tried to sleep in late this morning, but was kept awake by a loud snorer right above me in my hostel. Thankfully I will be staying in a two-person bedroom for the next two weeks.
I woke up and checked out of the hostel, leaving my baggage so that I could wander around the city before catching my flight to Burgas, and from there the bus to Sozopol. I started by grabbing some breakfast, a traditional fried dough. Then, I wandered around a few parks, taking in the beautiful Saturday morning and watching the locals enjoy the sunshine.
After the parks, I walked back to the Alexander Nevsky church, this time passing it from behind and getting a completely different view.
From there, I wandered slowly back to Vitosha boulevard. On the way, I passed a hotel that houses the ruins of the second-largest Roman Arena in Europe. I walked back through the Serdika ruins, then walked up and down the boulevard before heading to my hostel, grabbing my bags, and going to the train station.
Of course, I got a little confused as to which Metro I was supposed to use. Thankfully, I asked before getting onto a train. I waited at the airport for a while, took a quick flight, and then landed in Burgas.
Burgas is only about a half an hour drive from Sozopol, and I’d given myself a little over two hours to get there. But of course, I was late. First, I missed the bus that would take me to the center of Burgas by a minute. I saw it pulling out of the airport as I was trying to find the bus stop. The bus sign said the next one wouldn’t be for about 38 minutes, although the internet had told me it came once every 10 minutes. So, while waiting, I was listening to a book on tape and not paying attention. When the 15 bus came, I hopped on, knowing that was the bus that would take me where I needed to go, even if it seemed to arrive quicker than 38 minutes. That was because it was heading in the wrong direction. I ended up going to the end of the line, waiting, and then stopping back at the airport before heading into Burgas.
I was supposed to arrive at 7:30 at my accommodations, and I got off the bus in Burgas at 7. There are buses every half hour until 8 pm, but I was cutting it too close and didn’t know what time the bus would come, so I decided to get a cab instead. I arrived at 7:36 and was immediately shown up to my room and given a bag with a t-shirt and info on the program. I also got to meet the girl staying in the same room as me. At 7:45, we headed downstairs and got to meet the rest of the participants, all of whom had participated in the 4 week session. The group is 15 in total, much smaller than the previous 2 week session. At 8, we headed off to the restaurant, where we were served a traditional Bulgarian meal as a welcome. It consisted of their local variety of spirits, called Rakia, a cucumber, cheese, and tomato salad, and grilled meat and veggies. At the restaurant, we danced with the owner to Bulgarian music.
Afterward, some of the other participants wanted to go to a bar, so I was able to see a little of the town by night. I stayed until midnight, then headed back to my room and got unpacked.
Tomorrow, I get to learn a little more about the course and get a tour of the town. Then, on Monday, I start my dig.