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Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast

Written by James Clark on August 11, 2010 · 11 Comments

The Black sea Coast of Bulgaria has been a budget holiday favourite for decades. First with the countries behind the Iron Curtain, and now with the countries from the cold north. Along this stretch of coast is a good cross section of Europe with styling urban cities, cheapo package holiday resorts, old fishing villages and ancient ruins.

Varna

I arrived in Varna with the intention of moving on after a day and ended up spending a few days here. It is a good sized city with stately old buildings that are a bit run down. Varna is a port city that is close to the beach, so it has a part work,part play feel to it. Varna is a candidate city for the European Capital of Culture in 2019, so you may hear more about it in the future.

Varna’s Drama Theatre

Market – Varna

Most people who fly to Varna are coming for the beach resorts. There are two popular resorts nearby called Golden Sands and Sunny Beach. I have seen those names many times in British travel agent windows, so I knew that they were going to be package holiday beaches, but I wanted to check it out for myself.

I was intending to go to Golden Sands but it was a cold and drizzly day – not a good beach day – so I opted to spend my day hiding from the rain in cafes instead.

Espresso Time – Varna.

Sunny Beach

With a name like Sunny Beach it has to be dodgy, but I kind of liked it actually. Sunny Beach is all resort hotels and seaside tackiness, but it doesn’t pretend to be anything else. As an Australian I find European beach resorts fascinating. I mean look at this beach!

Sunny Beach – Bulgaria

There is not a spare piece of beach for all the umbrellas. The sand itself is very good quality, but I don’t come to Europe for the beaches. I come for the old towns.

Nessebar
Next to Sunny Beach is Nessebar. You can walk right along Sunny Beach until you get to a peninsula where Nessebar is situated. This old fishing town is a World Heritage listed site and is filled with old ruins and lovely cobbled side streets. The crowds are quite scary when you first arrive, but as you wander deeper into the town the crowds thin out.

Christ Pantocrator Church – Nessebar

Burgas

South of Sunny Beach and Nessebar is the port city of Burgas. There is another airport here with low cost flights around Europe, and it is also a handy place to base yourself for visiting villages along the coast.

Along the main shopping street of Burgas.

Sozopol

South of Burgas is the ancient town of Sozopol, which like Nessebar is filled with old ruins and winding little streets. It is also surrounded by some decent beaches that aren’t as crowded as the resort towns.

Looking to the beach at Sozopol.

Getting to the Black Sea Coast

Low cost airlines and European charter flights fly to Varna and Burgas. Trains are also a good option, with both cities being connected to Sofia.

Fort Lauderdale Beach, Fort Lauderdale – USA

Written by James Clark on July 2, 2010 · 2 Comments

Fort Lauderdale Beach, Fort Lauderdale, Miami – USA

Notes on Fort Lauderdale: beaches and canals

Written by James Clark on June 10, 2010 · Leave a Comment

Fort Lauderdale is one of those places that turned out better than I thought it would be. The beaches are better than Miami (softer sand) and the mansions and super yachts along the waterways are truly grand.

Fort Lauderdale Beach.

Fort Lauderdale is sometimes called the Venice of America. I wince whenever I hear the term “Venice of X” used anywhere, though I guess it sounds better than “Fort Lauderdale has miles of canals”.

Like Miami, I was surprised by how much of the old Fort Lauderdale has survived development. Sure there are the big condo developments along the beach, but there is still alot of cozy looking 50′s style motels and apartments everywhere.

Apartments in Fort Lauderdale

Notes on Miami: The Capital of the Americas

Written by James Clark on June 5, 2010 · 7 Comments

Going To Miami

It wasn’t my original plan to visit Miami on this trip to the USA. I was planning to road trip from Chicago back to Newport, RI, where I have based myself. It turns out that there is hardly a hostel between Chicago and Newport, so my accommodation budget was facing a blowout of epic proportions.

Instead I found a cheap flight to Miami – where budget accommodation is plentiful – so this detour was a no-brainer. As soon as I got off the plane and sucked in a breath of that sub-tropical air I knew I had made the right choice.

South Beach

Rows of neon lit Art Deco hotels is the world famous image of Miami, and they can be found on South Beach. I knew Miami was famous for Art Deco, but I thought it might have been a dozen or so key buildings that survived the wrecker’s ball. South Beach in fact has over 700 Art Deco buildings, making it the undisputed Art Deco capital of the world.

Collins Ave Art Deco Hotels – South Beach Miami

South Beach seems to be the place to stay in Miami. I stayed the the Jazz on South Beach Hostel, which is one of the best hostels I have stayed at in the US. There are plenty of accommodation options in South Beach and it is easy to walk around. If you tire of walking there is a 25 cent local bus that runs a loop around South Beach. Then of course there is the beach, which is of the white sand and warm water variety.

Downtown Miami

South Beach is part of the Barrier Island of Miami Beach, and downtown Miami is on the mainland.

View Larger Map

The downtown area looks as though it’s going through an urban renewal. It is mostly made up of new apartment blocks and the financial district, and there is not much in the way of shops there yet.

Freedom Tower – One of the few remaining old buildings of Downtown Miami.

Biscayne Bay

Of course you don’t come to Miami for its downtown. It the beaches and waterways that make Miami famous.

Separating Miami and Miami Beach is Biscayne Bay. This waterway is sprinkled with man made islands and super yachts. I took a cruise of Biscayne Bay, which takes you past the homes of the rich and famous and gives you a better feel for the geography of Miami.

Al Capone’s Former Mansion.

This is the Miami I had in my mind’s eye. Perhaps my perception of Miami was influenced by Will Smith.

¿Hablas inglés?

One thing you will notice about Miami is that Spanish is spoken everywhere. The Organization of American States may be headquartered in Washington, DC, but surely Miami is the true capital of the Americas. All of the nations of the Western Hemisphere are represented here. Walking around and listening to the accents from the region made me want to head south. I don’t have time to do that on this trip, but I will come back to Miami again to use it as a hub for Caribbean and Central American travels. If you can’t travel to Latin America, Miami is the next best thing.

Trip Notes: Thanks to Greater Miami Convention & Visitors Bureau and Island Queen Cruises.