Threatening rain created an eerie spectal of our journey from Sofia into the heart of Bulgaria. As we wound through narrow valleys, mist clung to the mountains creeping lower as we ventured deeper into the wilderness. The rain intensified as we pulled into the Veliko Tărnovo station. The tiny station in the middle of the woods was totally dark, without even a streetlight to guide us. Through the pouring rain we found a bus stop, but all the bus information had been ripped off or was impossible to read by the light of our flashlights. When a couple locals joined us in the bus stop, we tried to ask for help but the language barrier was too great.

After a few busses headed the wrong direction passed, a small bus going our way arrived. We asked the driver if the bus was going to the stop near our hostel to which we were met with a blank stare. Thankfully, a passenger understood well enough and assured we should take this ride into town. Sara and I were both relieved to be out of the rain and leaving the eerie station. As the bus entered town, the nice local pointed at a bus stop and told us to wait there for a connecting bus. While waiting at the new station, we studied the route map and found four different bus numbers that we could take. We waited for over thirty minutes but only saw one bus number that was not helpful. After trying to read the map again, we deciphered that most of the busses (except for the one that keeps passing) discontinued service just a few minutes prior to our arrival into town! Completely soaked, we hailed a cab to take us the rest of the way to the hostel (and it didn’t cost much more than the bus).

The front desk employee at Hostel Mostel gave us a warm welcome and told us about the different tours and day activities in the area. We were only interested in the UFO Tour. We signed up for the next available slot which was scheduled for the day we were leaving, so we also extended our stay one night. For the first night, they only had dorm rooms available but after that we were able to move into a private room.

Tsarevets Castle

The next morning, we woke up to cool crisp air and clear blue skies which was a welcome change from the heat in Italy and Greece. Venturing outside, the town looked completely different than our rainy welcome. I first noticed a big statue on a nearby hill of what looked like Stalin watching over the town. Up the hill from our hostel, we found a really cute old town strip. But then we turned a corner and bam(!) – a huge castle perched on a large hill dominated the landscape. The only access to Tsarevets castle was a narrow road along a tiny ridge with huge drops on either side. We spent a couple of hours exploring and climbing the various fortifications and ruins.

Once we finished at the castle, we spent the afternoon before dinner calling home and working on posts. Sara was off restaurant duty for a few days because our hostel included half-board, meaning breakfast and dinner were included in the price! Dinner was just a simple soup and bread, but the best part was free beer. Because the dining room was not very busy, we were able to enjoy more than just one glass. We had a wonderful evening socializing and getting to know the other backpackers.

The UFO Tour

I woke up early excited to finally be going on the UFO tour. Our guide, Andy, picked us up at 10:00 and seven of us piled into a rugged beat-up Toyota Land Cruiser. The tour started pretty tame by visiting a historical village where everything was powered by water (there were even water powered lathes). Seeing all the ingenuity made me miss the building and tinkering that I did at home. The tour got more interesting after the village. We turned off the main road and onto old logging dirt tracks. Andy was driving like a pro as we careened around the tight curves, splashed though mud pools and carefully climbed up steep tracks.

During one of the steep ascents, we all heard a loud thud and the truck came to a stop. Andy was worried about the noise and asked us to exit the truck to reduce the weight as he reversed onto level ground. We were stopped in a narrow ravine and could barely open the doors to get out. On flat ground, Andy put the front end up on a lift and inspected the suspension and axle. He found a broken leaf spring and a strange thumping from the front axle. Andy decided to take off the front axle and to limp along on the broken spring but that meant no more off-roading.

Inside Abandoned Buzludzh

Not too much later, Andy cued communist music as we rounded a bend and the UFO came into sight! We were in the middle of no where with wilderness for miles except for this odd structure. I had seen pictures of the building but was still blown away at how bizarre it looked perched on top of the hill. It truly looked like an alien ship had landed in the middle of Bulgaria.

The building is officially closed with all the doors completely sealed off, but we didn’t go all that way not to go inside. Around the side of the building was a little hole where we could climb into the unique structure. Once inside, Andy gave us some background on the UFO. Officially named Buzludzha, it was built by the Soviets as a conference center in the early 1980s when Bulgaria was under communist rule (here is more information on Buzludzha). We spent the next several hours exploring the abandoned building. Andy did a really good job of not rushing us so we could explore independently at our own pace but he was still easy to find when questions arose. We started in the main auditorium before exploring the hallways, the basement and even the top of the 107 meter tower! The views from the top were phenomenal.

After Andy ensured all were satisfied exploring the UFO, we piled into the truck and drove back into town for a traditional meal at Andaka next to the Dryanovo Monastery. Usually the tour includes one more stop but the day became long with the truck damage so we just headed back to the hostel for some much needed rest.

More Buzludzha Pictures

Sara and I didn’t know where we were going next and everyone we talked to at the hostel had great ideas of where to head. I was intrigued with going to the Black Sea for some beaches and the infamous napkin parties, but there were no convenient trains that direction. We eventually settled on heading north into Romania to explore more mountains. We were about to get in the cab for the train station when we learned the local train was delayed and we had to take a cab to the main station. The main station wasn’t close and I was annoyed we would have to pay for a cab rather then use our Eurail Global Pass, but in the end the cab was less then $5! I sometimes forget how affordable Eastern Europe can be. The train was almost two hours late when we finally departed for Bucharest, Romania.