Bucharest - Sofia

Ive only got one place left after this! Train arrived at 6am this morning (Im in Bulgaria now - slept on the floor of my seat cabin on the train), found my hostel, but wasnt allowed to even crash on a chair in the communal area until I could check in at 11.30 so I tramped around the local area like a zombie for a few hours, before finally falling asleep on and off for about 4 hours in my freshly-made bed! In a half daze, have seen quite a few sights already.

Leave here to go to Istanbul tomorrow night. Get in at half 8 on Sunday morning, although this train is apparently always late. My parents are flying out to meet me for my last few days and will come back with me. Except theyre staying in a nice air-conditioned hotel, and I will be in a hot stuffy hostel!

So, in Bucharest I met loads of people - Brits and Yanks mainly, went to a REALLY nice traditional Romanian mediaeval-themed restuarant(!) and shared the biggest platter you have ever seen with Adam from Nottingham!!!! Im not sure we even got half way through! Went to a bar and a club in the eve (my first and probs only club on this trip! Its harder to go out clubbing when you re on your own in generally not v sociable hostels lol). This was after we saw the very very impressive presidential parliament building - huge! Was too late to go in though. Wandered around Calea Victoriei and the surrounding area, where all the sights are, but didnt really pay attention to what each individual building was, as I was so hot and bothered - just know that I saw all the important buildings in some order! Would have liked to have had an extra day in Romania to go to Dracula's Castle, but apparently its not really worth it anyway, it just all tourist hype.

Bucharest was amazing - such a mix of buildings - some v nice and grand, and others totally delapidated. You d see some exquisite architecture, turn a corner and be in a slum! So here in Sofia there's more Churches and Mosques and a Cathedral to see, Parliamentary buildings, etc etc the usual - a nice park, lion's bridge... Tonight Im meeting up with Youri, who I met at my hostel in Copenhagen, who's staying in a hostel just round the corner until tomorrow! I love it when that happens!

Anyway, the nice guesthouse owner is currently doing my laundry for me - definitely required as I have no clean clothes left. The shower here is quite hilarious, it just rains from the ceiling in the middle of a long corridor-like bathroom. Just a slight slope in the floor and drainage hole and a scary-looking shower head I didnt even notice until she pointed it out to me. There is a mop for DIY floor de-flooding afterwards! Am happy cos got my bed reservation, money-changing and tram-ticket negotiating out the way in the early hours this morning at the train station - so I can just chill out till I meet Youri later. I quitejust want to go to sleep again actually!