Finally arrived!
AS we learned any country even if you been there time after time could bring you new surprises ...))
Here is first hotel we stayed in...actually planned to stay in...
So we moved =)
Bulgaria Unplanned!
2014 was a year of unplanned trips or planned one where one party is abandoning the other. Not greatest feeling but it is a lesson! So grab it and learn. I can say that we did!
Bulgaria trip was in the end of Summer and start of September. Totally new experience. We travelled by car had 2 pit stops on the way to have more relaxed journey.
We stopped in Ukraine just by the border. To the one who does not know - Ukraine is very large country so from Kiev to the border is nearly 500 km - full day of driving. We needed our rest to concur border early in the morning and Romania.
Here you can check hotel we stayed in Ukraine:
Next day we managed to arrive safely to Romania - exhausted but were uplifted with warmth of the owners! Here is a full review of our stay!
Spain moment was an accident!
We had connection flight from Madrid to Amsterdam and on the day of the flight it got cancelled...I would never forget that feeling...but! KLM are great! They dealt with all passengers, gave out water etc...all was super...put us in the NH Hotels...
We had great opportunity to visit Madrid during cool (+28C) night hours with lovely breeze...
Here you can see pictures:
Spain 2014
And here is our review of the lovely NH Hotel:
Hope you find this helpful in planning your future journey!
Kisses
Lovely and Sunny trip to Spain and Portugal!
This trip was absolutely awesome. Friends did completely blow us off with it though! We have been planning it since February 2014 and all was going good...except one of us apparently never wanted to go. She kept it very hidden and her agenda was different... So we ended up going alone and to be honest we had best adventures ever!
Pictures of this trip you can check here:
Portugal adventure 2014
Porto, Portugal 2014
Douro River, Portugal 2014
And we filmed our first video for my YouTube channel here! Very excited to share it here!
Hope you enjoy!
Baltic Romance in Poland
June 2014 was very cool...we went to Gdansk and Wolf's Lair... and that was the time when an idea to do YouTube videos about hotels we stay popped in our heads - in the hotel we stayed in! We had some comments on that place ...
You can go an check out pictures from that trip here:
Gdansk, Poland June 2014
Wolf's Lair
What was next...
March 2014 - I went for the Illamasqua Glamour course in London. Was very little time to suck all in ...You can not re-visit whole your early life in 5 days 3 from which you are at the course full time!
I did try my best though! Have full course report here:
Let's Make all Up_Illamasqua course
I do remember missing home a lot but also remember few distinctive complaints or remarks:
- Shitty music in places (clubs, bars...)...why is everything has to be covered with techno sound?
- Food...well thanks to Gordon Ramsay - I know how to cook and bad food is something I can no longer stand...
- time difference...first is great after it catches up with ya LOL..(not complaint just general rumble)
My meet ups I will post in my book or other post through out. But I can say one thing for sure! True love and true feelings of friendship do not die after 10 years...and the odd once do show the true colours...
Hello Everyone!
I have been opening many Blogs here on this space. Mainly because I have so many thought overcrowding my brain and needing an outlet.
But recently I've realised that the only constant thing and event was going on in my life is - my travel routine!
No matter how small my budget was - I always managed to go somewhere and have some fun!
So why not to share this great experiences with all of you and give some information to travellers around the world!
My partner is keeping more detailed journal and it is in Russian - that means I have all unique information preserved in case someone asks and on here it would be girlie way to share travel experience!
So buckle up! And let's GO!
Ukraine - Bulgaria - Turkey - Bulgaria - Ukraine
As I've been slightly late on update I will start as any woman would (I hope :)) ) in the middle!
We've just gotten back from Istanbul, Turkey! What a journey!
Just a quick stop to explain where we started. We drove our car from Kiev,Ukraine to Pomorie, Bulgaria. With one night stop in Galati, Romania. More detailed tour information you can find here :
Отчет о поездке Украина -Болгария
As we had normal day to day activity we've decided to spice things up a little. Specially as week-end was coming up meaning locals would flood the sea side. So our prospective would be standing at the beach and in the sea. Not my idea of fun!
We booked Ibis Hotel, Istanbul and as it is only 4-5 hour drive - headed south
Route map Pomorie (Bulgaria) - Istanbul (Turkey)
Road was good - slightly boring as I was a passenger! My partner loves to drive! As this trip we are doing on my car (as it has an AC) and it is small (Nissan Micra) but it has a downfall - small tank! only 37 litters! That means long distance drive can be worrying - if there is no Gas station around!
We had our Fun on the road I tried not to sleep all the way and my partner let me )))
Bulgarian border checked our Rovenette payments and said rather rude " That's it! GO!GO!" (when I tried to ask about our next steps)
Turkish border was rather interesting … Very dated and old. You have to park (just anywhere) and if you lucky someone (no uniform, just stamp in his hands) would check your luggage and put stamp in your passport. Same person would tell you to go inside for a passport check. Everyone from the car had to be present!
So you leave your car and you go inside and see loads of people running in between different windows or queueing in one with all family members by their side!
Thank God they speak some English. At least man do! So we were queueing in one window..got stamp there, moved to another...stamp there...and final stamp in the other room... And Off you go! But only after last stop before barrier to check if we made all the windows inside!
And finally we are in Turkey! Next stop - Gas station for a WC =))
All is very clean and friendly!
I'll tell you more tomorrow...
Drive to Istanbul
Drive to Istanbul is quite simple - long boring highway with some (very good equipped) rest stops with Gas stations, restaurants, cafes and even clothes shops!
I have to admit I made only one stop in the beginning and than somewhere in the middle of the highway I was lost in my dreams.. Leaving my partner to suffer alone. Even though we had AC heat outside was daunting and it would make me sleepy in no time!
I did try to take some photos on the way though! Here some of them:
Soil outside looks like that
Outside was very nice at times but there is only so much I can do to fight myself ))
Finally after sleeping probably 30-40 min we were approaching massive
City - Istanbul and just before it there was lovely view of Sea of
Marmara with lovely villas above it:
When we moved into the City you can feel traffic and movement absorbs you. Driving is something different here!
15 million Megalopolis were ahead of us! Come and read about our fun there!
Istanbul "Trouble"...
As we find out later it is Ramadan time...Meaning very special time to Muslim people...They do tend to gather together for an evening prayer...
But before that let me tell you the story how you can feel yourself invisible...
When we arrived to Ibis Hotel all was great, staff was speaking English, was very friendly and than when asked to produce passport they took both of them and with great negligence throw mine back and registered us on my partners Name!
"Funny" thing is - room was booked on my name! Payment was made by my Credit Card...and yet they made me feel like non existent creature that should follow her husband and obey...
Never the less we went to massive shopping center and saw many girls and woman in shorts and skirts with open arms etc..
In the evening we decided to visit main sightseeing places...we hardly find a place...many thank to a restaurant valet who let us park for 1 hour for free..We were offering him money - he never took it!
So we parked our car...city is full of people in the parks and on the streets having BBQ and just little dinner...as it is the only time you can during Ramadan...
So we are crossing the road and there in the middle of Istanbul I felt how my summer sandals broke...!!!!
There is no chance for me to walk in them...And it is 21.30 (9.30 p. m.) - no shoes shops around or at least opened...
So I took broken shoe in one hand...and started my walk up the little roads of an Old city..towards Sultanahmed and Aya Sofia Mosques..
We decided to drive off and take a picture somewhere from far:
All and all very bright experience. Thank you Turkey!
P.S. On the way back on the border we had troubles also connected to the fact that in the mind of some people of older generation "Women can't drive!"...so what they did is illuminated my passport apriori and were looking for stamps in my partners doc's...when I was the one who had them all the way...
What can you do )))
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