Respite Enroute: Lukovit, Bulgaria

Ray wrote: " I suppose you're preparing to enter Romania any day now. Drum Bun!"

Yes, today, as it happens!  We are now at a found-by-fortune-when-exhausted four-star hotel in Lukovit, Bulgaria, called the Diplomat Plaza.  I recommend it.  God was smiling on us.  We had left Kavala shortly after noon on Monday (Memorial Day in the U.S.), and had driven a slow but scenic route through Drama and Serres, Greece, to the Bulgarian border, and had made our way north through Sofia. It was past dinnertime when we decided to continue driving from Sofia toward the Romanian border, some 200 Km to the northeast, on the Danube at Ruse, Bulgaria.  By 10:00 my eyes were very tired.  Then there appeared this large and elegant hotel.  A Godsend.  A sight for sore eyes.  So here I sit, sugar measuring a low 79 mg/dl, typing when I should be eating.

Our room is excellent, fully equipped (bathrobes, refrigerator/minibar, air conditioner, etc.), and while I have no complaint, Shirl did make me laugh about one feature.  A considerate woman, she tried to open the window a crack to vent her cigarette smoke, and found thereon a message that read, "Please do not open windows.  The air conditioning system is automatic, and opening the window will cause it to turn off to save energy.  We ask that you keep the windows closed to prevent entry into the hotel of insects and saboteurs."

Bulgaria appears thinly-populated, full of forested hills and fertile valleys.  Its people have been quite friendly, if a bit frustrated by my lack of their language.  English-speakers are less common here than in any of the other countries we have visited.   Nevertheless, I have found Bulgaria a pretty place, and I hope to see more of it.

Thanks for the note, Ray.  You've stimulated this morning's post! Now, I need some breakfast.