TRAVEL: Sofia, Bulgaria - an undiscovered Eastern European gem

“Oh really?” was the response I tended to get from people when I told them that my next planned trip was to Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgaria, and much of Eastern Europe remains a destination not top of people’s bucket lists, but after reading this blog post I hope you’ll see why you should add it to yours.

Admittedly, one of my key motivations for visiting Sofia was because it was somewhere exciting I could get to relatively cheaply, an important factor for someone who has just started her first job and therefore has little disposable income to spend on holidays. Instead, I managed to secure return flights on Wizz Air for just over £30 – not bad at all when you consider that Bulgaria is pretty close to Asia and I don’t think you could get £30 flights there!

I arrived early Friday afternoon to one of the smallest airports I’ve visited – which is saying a lot having flown out of airports in the middle of jungles and the like that are little more than an airstrip. I had agreed to meet my travel companions at the first restaurant after Baggage Claim, which turned out to be unnecessary given that there was only one restaurant in the whole terminal which actually turned out to be closed. Makes finding one another easier though!

Once we’d found each other, we caught a taxi to our abode for the next few days, the Earth and People hotel. Again, another great deal as I paid close to £60 for three nights for a room shared with one other person, not bad at all if you ask me. The hotel was frankly quite lovely, with large clean rooms and most importantly, a fantastic breakfast of cereals, cold meats and cheeses, hot breakfast items, baked good and Bulgarian specialties. Perhaps the only downside to this otherwise lovely hotel was its location, about 20 minutes drive away from central Sofia which did mean that we ended up spending money on taxis which could of course have been saved had we been in a more central location. Still, it did the job and I would thoroughly recommend the hotel to anyone who doesn’t mind the ‘commute’.

Once we were settled in we ordered a taxi to take us to the Vodenitzata restaurant somewhere deep in the woods at the recommendation of one of my companions Bulgarian friends. And my, did this restaurant suit its surroundings… Walking in, it appeared as if you’d just walked into a log cabin hidden amongst the trees, the inside filled with large fireplaces, stuffed animals and traditional Bulgarian clothing hung on the walls as well as sported by all the servers. It was either really authentic or really touristy, but difficult to draw the line.

This being our first taste of Bulgarian food, a feast was ordered, including moussaka, lamb stew in an earthen jug, a pork grill plate, stuffed peppers, and the national delicacy of shopska salad comprised of tomatoes, cucumbers and a huge pile of cheese. Being vegetarian I didn’t indulge in all of these, but what I did try was delicious and I’m assured the rest was too. As if this wasn’t enough, we also decided to order desserts including baked pumpkin (‘twas the season) and a delicious layered cake which I wouldn’t have a clue how to pronounce. However, I think that whatever you ordered, you’d be in for a treat as everything we had was truly scrumptious.

After our indulgence, we called a taxi to come and collect us with perhaps the most road-ragey driver I’ve ever had the pleasure of travelling with. The journey didn’t start well as we were immediately shouted at for slamming the doors, and his anger didn’t stop at his passengers, as at one point he also stopped the car to yell at another driver for a good 2 minutes, causing us to miss another set of very slow traffic lights. The traffic in Sofia is indeed bad so bear this in mind if you have places to be – we ended up getting out of the taxi to walk the final ten minutes to save us some money on the meter, although were reluctant to do so at the fear of enduring the taxi driver’s wrath!

However, this gave us the opportunity to wander around the city a bit more, admiring the beautiful architecture of some of the old buildings, and walking along the famed yellow bricks that line some of the streets. I was actually surprised at how modern the city was – in my head, it was very ‘Soviet’ style but instead, shopping malls sprang up on every side with all the shops you’d find back home and it wasn’t too different to what one might find somewhere like Paris.

Our wanderings brought us in search of theatres which might have shows to entertain us for the rest of the evening, but finding nothing in English, we just took the city in our stride. Whilst cold outside, I stopped for ice cream due to the fascinating flavours like Kit Kat and Caramac bars which I’d never seen elsewhere. You certainly eat well in Bulgaria. Sofia is a city I was happy to get lost in, walking around with no clear direction in mind and just enjoying all of the things we passed en route.

As the night wore on, we made the executive decision to seek out a speakeasy bar we’d heard of. I’d never been to a speakeasy but had heard tales of places where you have to walk through fridges or other ordinary items to reach them so was highly intrigued. The 5L bar we were in search of too had an exciting entrance, as you walked down the steps to a non-assuming apartment block door, to enter a small room with bookcases on every wall and no obvious door. A hook with a vast number of keys dangling off it was the only clue – I won’t spoil how you get in in case you’d like to visit, but I will say that we were glad some other visitors were ahead of us who opened the door instead!

Inside was a very cool vibe with low seats surrounding small tables and friendly staff who came to talk us through the very extensive cocktail menu where we were encouraged to try drinks make with local rakia spirits. You sure wouldn’t be bored with the vast array of flavours and drink styles, so I think a lovely way to top off a good first day and wind down for the night.

The following morning after a wonderful breakfast to fill us up for the day, we caught taxis again to the Palace of Justice, from where we had planned to take part in a free walking tour of the city, which if you’ve read any of my other travel blogs you’ll know I’m a big fan of! However, this one was very different to what I was used to – I kid you not, but there were over 200 like-minded visitors wanting to join, a big change from the 10-20 on most of the other tours I’ve been on. The crowd was so big that the tour guides themselves commented that it was the largest group they’d seen, and we had to be split into 3 groups to become somewhat manageable.

For the next two hours, we toured the city with our exuberant guide Dino (who unsurprisingly was training to be an actor and included jazz hands in almost every sentence), passing by and learning about various religious buildings such as an Orthodox Church, Catholic Cathedral, Mosque and Synagogue all within viewing distance of one another; the large golden statue of Sofia; the old Baths from which you could drink the distinctly eggy-tasting mineral water (apparently it’s good for you); various Communist buildings; multiple lion statues; and ending up between St Sophia’s Basilica and St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. A great way to learn and see a lot in a short period of time.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is famous for its gold plated roof and is an utterly stunning building, so of course we had to look inside. The building was filled with many religious folk who walked around the room placing coins on various icons and kissing them, or lighting candles in prayer. I could have happily stayed there for a while watching people come and go and revelling in the grandeur of the church.

Nevertheless, hunger got the better of us and we made our way to Made In Blue, a modern Bulgarian restaurant which again, had the most wonderful food. A feast was once again ordered included a trio of hummus, crispy Pita, cauliflower risotto and chicken pate, and for a much lower price than you’d pay for the equivalent in London. A perhaps unknown fact is that Bulgaria is also famed for its wine, so this offered the perfect opportunity to try some of this instead. This time, we didn’t stop at two desserts either, but made room for four – banana cheesecake, a French province cake, chocolate tart and panna cotta. A well received meal.

Nicely full, we spent the remainder of the afternoon checking out the stores, which in retrospect I should have paid more attention to in finding that the prices of high street chains were in fact cheaper over there. Tired from walking (and probably eating) I headed back to take advantage of the hotel’s swimming pool – another perk of our very nice hotel.

A few hours later, we headed into town again for dinner at my recommendation – Skaptobara, which was rated #2 on TripAdvisor, and being a big advocate of TripAdvisor, somewhere I thought we should try. A small place, I practically had to beg the servers to let us in as they were so busy, and so we got sent upstairs to the ‘chill area’ which perhaps wasn’t the best place for eating as we sat on low benches and bean bags, but got us a space nonetheless.

We all ordered burgers as this was essentially a burger joint, and my friends got served theirs. After they were finished, I was still waiting for mine so went down to check out what the issue seemed to be and not feeling particularly hungry anymore having been waiting for an hour since ordering and being past the point of hunger at this stage. Apparently, the vegetarian burgers took significantly longer to cook, something we were not made aware of, and still I believe should not have taken as long as it did. Whilst the burger was fine, the fact that it took so long marred the experience for me and made me feel guilty for choosing this place and wasting time. One of the less successful meals that we had during the trip!

The following morning was an early start as we were to be collected from the hotel by a member of the Traventuria company for a day trip out of Sofia. Piling into a minivan along with two Italian visitors and an American, we drove for about 20 minutes out of Sofia to arrive at Boyana Church, a medium-sized church not too far off the highway but dating back hundreds of years. Having to pay more to head inside the church to see the frescos, we opted to hang around outside and admire it from this vantage point.

Then, the real trip began and we wove our way for another two hours through the mountains, along rivers and past stunning autumnal colours which completely covered the hillsides in what I can only describe as like autumn in New England. Absolutely stunning, and another reason to visit Sofia later in the year before the leaves fall.

Eventually, we arrived at our main destination, Rila Monastery, a beautiful intricately painted monastery nestled inside a small residential structure for monks, and high up in the hills. It truly is very beautiful and worth the four hour round trip, if you’d believe me. Whilst the rest of the party chose to look inside one of the museums, I made the most of my free time to wander around along, admiring the monastery’s vibrant colours, and meeting the ‘monastery guard’, a black cat called George.

However, the outside of the monastery was nothing compared to the inside. I had never been inside an Orthodox church before this point so didn’t realise it would be quite so different to what I was used to, but my gosh, was it! Every inch of the walls were covered in stunning frescos which ran up the sides of the building and into the ceiling arches. The colours were so vibrant with dashes of gold. It was quite unreal. In addition, icon paintings lined some of the walls, and visitors made their way round in an almost pilgrim-like fashion, praying in front of each icon and leaving donations as they went.

Once we had connected as a group again, it was time for my favourite activity – food! We had been recommended to try a restaurant just outside the monastery famed for its trout caught from the river which flowed right beside us. However, we were told that it wasn’t the quickest meal to cook up, so half of us hurried off to order whilst I went in search of a different delicacy – doughnuts! These were doughnuts unlike those I’d seen before, and mainly because of the location you could find them in, which was literally a hole in the wall. I only found it because there was a queue of people lining up outside but it would be very easy to miss! I joined the queue, and 20 minutes later found myself at the front, where from inside the gap in the brick wall stood a woman awaiting orders. 5 doughnuts and a yoghurt drink (another delicacy) later, and we headed to the restaurant to share our spoils.

As per usual, the group had ordered a feast of bean soup, rabbit, and a chicken fajita type dish without the tortillas. With five minutes to go before we were due back at the bus, the trout finally arrived which I was told was very nice, although general consensus said that the chicken dish was best, especially when washed down with some rakia. For dessert, we indulged in the doughnuts which reminded me of beignets as they weren’t particularly sweet with the exception of the mountain of icing sugar that you could choose to top them with if you so wished.

We returned to the van for our two hour return journey which had me wishing that I had the ability to sleep in transport as the rest of the crew slumbered peacefully, but I was more than happy to watch the world go by. Arriving back at the hotel close to 5pm, we took the time to relax after the busy day in the pool and jacuzzi with some of the group choosing to have massages which I quote, left them feeling as if they were ‘walking on clouds’.

As it was our last night in Sofia, we decided to splash out and head somewhere fancy for dinner – Sense Rooftop bar. As we took our table, we noticed an unoccupied table closer to the window which we asked to be moved to, and provided a wonderful view straight to the golden dome of the Alexander Nevsky. As with most places like this, you pay for the view but the food was still a lot, lot, lot cheaper than you’d be paying for somewhere like The Shard. And yes, it was delicious. We splurged on a huge starter platter, tuna tartare, various fish dishes, mushroom risotto and a plethora of fancy cocktails, including one which came in a Maoi head (see my Easter Island blog to share my love of these!) It was a great way to finish off a wonderful trip.

However, my trip wasn’t over just yet, and whilst my friends headed off to the airport in the early hours on the morning, I had yet another glorious day ahead of me. Hey, if I was going to take the day off work, might as well make the most of it, right? After my final wonderful breakfast, I headed down to the lobby to be collected for my day trip. I’d lucked out with the trip I think, having been keen to visit the town of Plovdiv, but finding that they were either not running on Mondays or had been booked out. My last hope came when I messaged a website called ‘Go To Bulgaria’ asking if they happened to be running a tour on the Monday. ‘We can!’ came the response. ‘For how many people?’ I was asked. No way would they run a tour just for one person, I thought, but thankfully I was wrong.

And so, at 8:30am on Monday I was collected from the hotel by Stancho and we began the long journey to Plovdiv. Stancho was full of knowledge and we passed the two hours quickly talking about everything Bulgarian, what the country is famous for, its long and extensive history and involvement in territorial disputes and more, and his time as a tour guide. I felt very lucky to have my own personal tour guide and planned to glean as much information as I could!

Our journey took us through the hills and across flat plains on what turned out to be a surprisingly foggy day but the landscape truly was vast, stretching for miles and miles around. We eventually arrived in Bulgaria’s second largest city, Plovdiv which on the outskirts looked like the Soviet city I had envisioned, with tall and quite ugly apartment blocks, which Stancho assured me where much nicer on the inside. Our destination, however, was the old city. The narrow cobbled streets were lined with glorious large houses, which now no longer affordable to be maintained by a family, most had been turned into museums highlighting what life used to be like – I assume the equivalent of stately homes back in the UK. I’m sure Plovdiv must have one of the highest concentrations of museums within a small area.

We wandered around the quiet streets, many of which appeared deserted (it was a Monday morning after all), stepping into the occasional stunning church completely covered in frescos and rich in so much history, or even buildings which had once been home to Turkish Dervish Whirlers. Perhaps most interestingly, and what I would never have guessed, is that Bulgaria has many links to the Roman Empire, the remnants of which can be found in cities like Plovdiv. For instance, we passed by a large amphitheatre that would not have looked out of place in Athens, and parts of a huge Colosseum, only small amounts of which have been excavated as so much still remains under the city streets and therefore impossible to get to without destroying all of the shops and houses on top.

Never will you find a better time to visit Plovdiv as it prepares to be the European Capital of Culture 2019 – no doubt more tourists will come flooding in after then. We spend our final hour in Plovdiv wandering around a small museum which once had been a Roman home, as evidenced by the mosaic tiles that lined the floor, still in very good condition. Along the walls were cabinets showcasing various intricate glassworks – how they had created this hundreds and hundreds of years ago without the technology we have now is beyond me, but I was glad to have seen it!

Back in the car, we wound our way through the gorgeous autumnal hills until we reached Bachkovo monastery. Like Rila, this was a monastery ensconced within a residential casing, but included not one, but three churches, each dating from different centuries. The first and most glamourous was a large church in the centre of the courtyard which was undergoing renovations to restore its frescos as years of candles burning had left them blackened and dull. What had been restored looked wonderful. This church also held a famed icon of the Virgin Mary said to result in miracles, and so the few people who visited the church on this cold Monday took their time to pray in front of her and leave an offering.

The second church was attached to the first, and surprisingly was an outdoor church, with no walls. However, they’d used this to their advantage as this was now the designated candle burning area in order to avoid the blackening that had occurred in the other church. Amusingly, our admiration of the frescos was accompanied by the bleating of a sheep which had been given to the monastery as an offering and was now a permanent inhabitant. The final church remains closed to the public but its exterior frescos, including vivid depictions of Heaven and Hell can still be admired.

After a few photos in front of the stunning autumnal hillside, we made our way back into town past a variety of small stalls selling ceramics, honey and homemade wine which I’m sure are swamped in the summer months. Handily, Stancho agreed to drop me straight to the airport and I couldn’t have asked for a better day trip to finish my time in Bulgaria. I felt like I had seen what I had come to see, and explored a beautiful and often underappreciated country.

My tips for visiting Bulgaria: Firstly, go! I hope this blog has convinced you that this really is a country worth visiting and there’s plenty to keep you occupied for a long weekend like I had. Secondly, take advantage of local knowledge – the Sofia walking tour and my day trip with Stancho were made all the more special because we were able to use the expertise of our local guides. I made sure to ask as many questions as I could and feel that I certainly got a lot more out of these experiences than I would have done with just a guidebook. Finally, if you’re a foodie or a cultural fiend, I can’t recommend some of the places I visited enough – Sofia has something for everyone and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Did you enjoy today’s blog? I’d love to hear your thoughts – drop me a note on Twitter @CiarasCountry or in the comments section below. This is absolutely my suggestion for an undiscovered gem of a city, and I’d love to hear where you think is underrepresented and I should visit!

TRAVEL: Bilbao, San Sebastian and Northern Spain - architecture, aperitifs and afternoon jaunts

There is undoubtedly no better time to set sail for warmer climes than during England’s cold and long winters so that’s exactly what we did. After an early start (my mantra being that the only reason anyone should be up before the sun rises is if they have a flight to catch) and we caught a flight from London Heathrow to Bilbao.

Just over an hour later, and we had arrived in Spain, which was decidedly colder than we had anticipated. Our first stop – Avis car hire to pick up a snazzy Renault Kadjar which would be our mode of transport for the week. We headed for the city centre, with the road curving right beside Frank Gehry’s famously designed Guggenheim Museum – a striking building with sheets of metal appearing to stick out from here, there and everywhere.

Too early to check into our hotel and not wanting to confine the car to the hotel car park just yet, we decided to head for the coastal town of Getxo, the drive to which was impressive itself with mansions lining the road vying for the best sea view and reminiscent of Rhode Island’s magnificent stately homes. We took a quick wander along the pier, with the strong winds batting against our faces to the quaint white-painted lighthouse at the end.

Nearing lunchtime, we headed up to the Old Town for a quick walk along the cobbled streets in search of something to eat. This corner of the world is famous for pintxos, a bar snack often composed of a slice of crusty bread topped with some form of meat, which we tried for the first time at a popular spot called Tamarises. Like tapas, these are small enough to have a few each, and so my travel companions split some tuna, pork, anchovy, and croquette topped pintxos between the table to keep themselves going until dinner. Unfortunately, their only vegetarian option was an unexciting looking salad pintxo so I decided to wait until I could find something better. Thankfully, this came swiftly, surprisingly in the form of Lidl, which had a great selection of fresh-baked goods including an incredible goats cheese pastry.

Back in the car, we headed more into the centre of Getxo, although the one-way road system made for confusing twists and turns, and eventually we decided to head back to the main highways for fear of eternally being trapped in endless loops. We made our way back along the coast to Bilbao, stopping directly opposite the Guggenheim. This was where our hotel, the Gran Hotel Domine, was conveniently located, and I don’t think you’d be able to find a better location anywhere.

Our rooms were lovely, and it was the view that really made it looking straight across at the Guggenheim and the massive flowering dog structure, called Puppy, which guards its main entrance. After taking some time to rest we headed out as it began to get dark, walking along the river and Bilbao’s version of Oxford Street before ending up at La Vina de Ensanche restaurant for, you guessed it, more pintxos.

Whilst still relatively early (for Spanish time at least) at only 8pm, the place was completely packed. We were extremely lucky to grab a table that had just become free, but this didn’t stop a number of people coming over asking to take any spare stools they spotted whilst members of our party were up at the bar. Again, a pretty poor vegetarian selection so I opted for patatas bravas (spicy potatoes), followed by apple tiramisu – the cheese ice cream is a must. The rest of the group fared better, with slices of Iberian ham and steamed fish to fill them up.

The following morning we got to try what I always think is one of the most exciting parts of any trip – the hotel breakfast. We found the breakfast room up on the 7^th floor terrace, and whilst laid out like a buffet, it was the waiters and not the guests who served up the food. Our breakfast consisted of multiple courses ranging from fruit and yoghurts to eggs and meats, setting us up perfectly for the day.

We’d booked tickets today for the Guggenheim which was almost as interesting inside as it is outside. Whilst also learning about the architecture of the building itself, our audioguide talked us through the exhibitions, including Richard Serra’s huge metal spirals, Anni Albers weaving, 82 Portraits and 1 Still Life by David Hockney, and rooms filled with masterpieces from the collection, including one of Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Monroe prints.

Having had our fill of art (which I’m still not sure I fully understand, but was nice to appreciate nonetheless) we stopped for coffee and a delicious brownie in the museums café before checking out the building from the outside. Words cannot do the building justice aside from saying that it truly is an architectural wonder, and makes a visit to Bilbao worth it if only to see it (although hopefully this blog will highlight that there is plenty to see in addition!) Art is not confined to the walls of the museum either, and the public walkway behind the museum is home to a ‘Stranger Things’ looking spider sculpture, the flowering dog and a few other sculptures.

We made our way across the river for a better view of the Guggenheim, and then to the Funicular de Artxanda which took us up to a viewpoint from which you could see the whole city laid out before you. However, our admirations were cut short by some torrential hail and rain which had us running back to the Funicular after just a few photos. Not quite the sunny weather we’d been hoping for! Umbrellas unfurled, we continued our journey on foot back at the bottom of the hill to Akzuna Zentroa, a restored wine warehouse with some fascinating pillars all of different shapes and sizes. Around the central atrium were a number of boutique shops and a cinema, and looking up, we noticed a glass bottom swimming pool, although it’s not easy to spot!

We weren’t deterred by the heavy rain and continued our wandering through Bilbao’s Old Town, perhaps its most touristy district and therefore the perfect place to pick up a snowglobe for my collection. After a quick outfit change at the hotel, we were back out onto Bilbao’s slick streets for our dinner reservation at Las Cascanueces. They suggested that each plate would be enough for two people, and to try a variety. Again, not a lot of vegetarian choice so I opted for some Asian-inspired wok fried vegetables whilst the rest of the party had some decidedly more exciting plates of foie gras balls, monkfish, and steak all of which I hear were very acceptable.

The real star was the dessert, aptly named ‘The Steppes’ as it came out looking like a snowy landscape. Perhaps one of the most pretentious desserts I’ve had the pleasure of tasting, it included dulce de leche, coconut ice cream, a crushed cookie soil, white chocolate rocks and golden crispy chocolate pebbles. Bilbao is known for its Michelin-star worthy restaurants and I’d say this one came pretty close.

The next morning started with another delicious breakfast, before we hopped in the car to cruise down the coast (in the pouring rain), first stopping at Gorliz beach to watch some brave surfers taking on the waves, through Arminza, and for coffee at Lekeitio. I decided to take advantage of the public toilets after the long drive but soon regretted this after pressing a button I was sure was to lock the door, but turned out to turn on icy water jets presumably for cleaning the floor. Backing away from the jets and the door, I was caught unaware by one behind me which completely saturated my jeans. To think that I’d survived the heavy rain only to be caught out by rogue toilet sprays!

Our drive continued up into the mountains and past viewpoints I’m sure would have been stunning in summer, but now offered little to view as the sea and sky merged into one milky grey. After a few more hours, we made it to San Sebastian and to our beautiful hotel, the Maria Cristina, a large colonial style building bordering the river. The inside was stunning too, with the lobby decked out with glorious Christmas decorations, and lovely large rooms with beds that were turned down with tiny chocolates every evening.

Having settled in, we headed out for a walk (in the rain again), this time armed with dashing hotel umbrellas. Our jaunt took us along the sea where massive waves crashed against huge rocks, splashing unsuspecting passersby. We stopped in at favourite shop Lidl for snacks (I love regional snacks!) and headed back to the hotel to try and find somewhere to dinner. Sadly, nothing within TripAdvisor’s Top 50 appeared to be available for booking, so we decided to do a pintxo crawl. Our first stop was Sirimiri for some squid croquettes, before hopping across the road for warm Spanish tortilla (yum) and ‘solo mio’ steak pintxos. Our final stop was La Vina, famous for baked cheesecake, of which there were plenty lining the bar. Definitely one to recommend.

Breakfast was once again exceptional, this time predominantly because of the stunning breakfast room which was more like a ballroom, and the churros which I dipped into Nutella (definitely not the authentic way). I was glad we had breakfast included as part of our room rate as the a la carte menu revealed an omelette would otherwise have set us back 26 Euros!

As the rain had cleared by this point, we decided to venture back along the coast again, walking beside the sands to observe the paddle boarders and hundreds of dog walkers – my kind of town. It reminded me a lot of Nice, a city I’d loved and has a really chilled vibe to it that enables you to easily pass hours aimlessly wandering along the beach with nowhere much to be. We did however have a goal in mind, this time another funicular which actually turned out to be cheaper than the cost of walking up! This provided some of the best views and certainly was much prettier now the sun was out. The top of the hill was also home to a funfair which at this time of year was pretty much abandoned but I’m sure would be very popular in the height of the summer.

Saving more money, we walked back down the hill and along the boardwalk (more dogs!) to the hotel. Due to having ‘status’ with the hotel, we were entitled to 85 Euros free credit in the Dry bar and so treated ourselves to hideously expensive sandwiches (26 Euro club sandwiches don’t sound so bad when you’re not paying for it), a disappointing brownie and a pleasant virgin colada, which was honestly one of the nicest I’ve had.

Having exhausted San Sebastian, we hit the road in the early afternoon and headed off in the sunshine until we got near to Vitoria, where we would be staying in a Parador. This refers to a state run hotel, normally housed in old palaces and the like, so we had high expectations. Ours was less grand than anticipated and didn’t look too different from your average hotel, but at least we could say it was an experience at least.

Being in the middle of nowhere, there wasn’t much to do, so we set off for a walk in the countryside which, being a city girl, wasn’t necessarily my favourite activity, although it did provide a stunning sunset as we made our way back with pinks and oranges reflected against the endless sky. We were in for another late dinner (‘tis the Spanish way) and so at 8:30 we headed to the dining room for our included 3 course menu. Frankly not much to write home about, I tried a mushroom cake, followed by vegetarian lasagne (which was actually another starter as they had no vegetarian mains) and a traditional sponge cake.

Breakfast the next morning was more promising, consisting of your usual cold meats and cheeses, breads, and even some cakes – always a good way to start the morning. We headed off pretty swiftly thereafter to Mendixur lake just the other side of the highway, which provided a pleasant little loop to walk off our big breakfasts, and again was pretty much deserted.

Our drive took us through wine country, with thousands of bodegas spanning the roadsides – I’m sure you’d have no trouble finding somewhere to do a bit of wine tasting. Our destination was another of Gehry’s masterpieces, this time the Marques de Riscal hotel, a vision of purple-y twisted steel in the midst of a small sleepy town. We arrived at an unlucky time, with the next tour in English not for another 4 hours. Rather than risk an 1hr and a half tour in Spanish of which we would understand approximately 10%, we decided to find a loophole of how else to see the hotel, and figured this could be done by visiting the cafeteria.

Sure enough, they buzzed us in and we headed up to the gorgeous hotel, taking plenty of photos on the way. The food prices were not actually as extortionate as expected so I opted for patatas bravas (I’m seeing a theme here – I promise my diet isn’t entirely potato based) whilst other party members went for the cheese board, salmon, and chocolate cake. This was a great way to get up close and personal to the hotel and saved us a little bit of time and money rather than going for the organised tour (although you do get wine tasting at the end of it!).

Having filled my camera roll with more photos than I can count, we left the hotel and wandered through the neighbourly sleepy village of Elciego. Life certainly moves a lot slower here and the only inhabitants we saw were lazing about outside of the local bar enjoying a glass of wine. A lovely way to live but perhaps not something I could stick at for very long! However I can imagine how pleasant it would be to while away the hours soaking up the sunshine and a nice refreshing drink.

Our final leg of the journey was en route to the airport via a number of pleasant villages like Logrono, Briones and its historical architecture, and Haro at the heart of the Rioja trail. No doubt a better route than one along the highway. At the end of it, I do feel like I have seen a good chunk of Northern Spain, and undoubtedly spent some of the cold winter months in a far better location than back home. There’s plenty of culture to be found in this corner of the world, and no doubt I’ll be back to explore even more of it soon.

Tips for visiting Northern Spain: Check the weather forecast! This applies to any and every trip – whilst we had anticipated sunny climes, alas this was not the case so it is always good to be prepared with hats, gloves and umbrellas if the need calls for it. If you’re an avid reader of the blog, you’ll know we’ve been caught out by bad weather before in the Netherlands so this is always a key watch out for me! Secondly, embrace the local culture and cuisine. I may well have spent the whole time not knowing that such a thing as pintxos existed but what a great way to ‘do as the Romans do’. A pintxo bar crawl should definitely be on your list! Finally, travel around. Bilbao is a great city to entertain you for a few days but this stretch of Spain has so much to offer – make sure you see as much of it as you can!

 I hoped you enjoyed today's travel blog! I'm slowly but surely thinking of travel plans for 2018 but would of course love to hear any recommendations you may have, both near and far afield! What are your travel plans for this coming year? Drop me a message in the comments below or on Twitter @CiarasCountry and stay tuned for more upcoming travel blogs soon! 

Top Albums of 2017 (So Far!): Part 4

We made it to the end of another year! Whilst 2017 sure as heck hasn’t been an easy one for a lot of people, at least we’ve been blessed with some amazing music from our favourite artists. If you’ve not seen Parts 1, 2, and 3 of this series for 2017, be sure to scroll through my blog to check them out. Now on to the round up of some of my favourite albums from the last part of the year. Hope you enjoy!

Kelsea Ballerini – Unapologetically

Why it made the list: Kelsea is such a joy to listen to, with lyrics that speak to the millennial generation (and I’m sure others), in the same way that early Taylor Swift did in her country era, and continues to do now. In Unapologetically, Kelsea again toys the line between country and pop with plenty of drum beat, and yet differentiates herself from mainstream pop with lyrics that actually mean something. High School details the story of a boy still stuck in his glorious past; Roses of a fast paced but beautiful romance, and the sultry Music of someone speaking to you just like a song does. My favourite track, however, has to be I Hate Love Songs, a satirical track with brilliant lyrics – definitely give it a listen. Sophomore albums are always a challenge, and Kelsea had a lot to live up to with the fantastic The First Time, but she’s certainly done herself proud with this one.  I have no doubt she’ll be giving the likes of Carrie Underwood and Miranda Lambert a run for their money in a few years time. Check out my review of Kelsea’s concert here.

Top Tracks: I Hate Love Songs, Roses, Miss Me More 

Kesha – Rainbow

Why it made the list: I know, I know, a bit different from the usual types of albums I talk about, but I’ve really enjoyed listening to Rainbow over the past few months and I’m sure you will too, regardless of what genre of music usually floats your boat. And yes, for my country fans out there, there’s even a duet with Dolly Parton on here too! I’ve long been a fan of Kesha from back in her electro-beat party pop era, but this album is truly something else. After years of hardship and legal battles with her producer, Kesha has used both the pain from the fight, and the relief on getting out the other side to create a truly stunning album. There are still some great party songs, but even these have evolved. Take Woman for example, which can easily be screamed out loud on the dancefloor, but take a closer listen and you’ll find an empowering anthem. The real stars are where you can feel raw emotion, three of which follow each other almost chronologically. First up is Hymn, both about losing faith and finding it again (and covered by Maren Morris which encouraged me to check out this album); followed by Praying about wishing not pain on those who have hurt you, but hoping they find redemption within themselves. Finally we have the liberating Learn To Let Go, whose title speaks for itself. Kesha is undoubtedly a phoenix, rising from the ashes as something even brighter than before.

Top Tracks: Boots, Learn to Let Go, Hymn

Walker Hayes – boom.

Why it made the list: Dan & Shay first told me about Walker Hayes as one to watch, and I’m glad they did because boom. certainly suggests we should keep our eyes open for him. The album is full of refreshing songs which deserve a call out only because of their interesting titles – Shut Up Kenny, Halloween (listenable at any time of the year) and the simply titled Craig. This isn’t easily recognisable as country music, with plenty of similarities with the likes of Jack Johnson and Jason Mraz as Hayes almost sing-talks and raps more than sings as we know it but if you’re looking for something that’s certainly very different to your usual, you might just find in this.

Top Tracks: Beckett, Beautiful, Mind Candy

Chase Rice – Lambs & Lions

Why it made the list: Chase Rice’s gravelly voice and anthem type songs certainly lend themselves to raising a glass or lighter, and this is clearly evident on Rice’s latest album. The album begins with Lions and On Tonight which set the tone for hard rocking hands up tracks before shifting year into some actually quite sweet songs like Unforgettable and Eyes On You. There is of course the obligatory drinking song (Jack Daniel’s Showed Up) but also very personal songs like Amen. For this reason, this is an album hard to define that, as aforementioned, would easily work in a stadium as well as in an intimate venue, which is where I first heard most of these songs (read my review here). If you like Sam Hunt, you might just like Chase Rice too.

Top Tracks: Eyes On You, Unforgettable, Three Cords & The Truth.

Did you agree with my list, and my top picks for 2017 (don’t forget to read the other parts elsewhere on my blog!) I’d love to know what albums you enjoyed listening to this year, so drop me a comment below or on Twitter @CiarasCountry. No doubt there’s plenty of great music I missed out on this year so be sure to let me know what you loved, and what you’d like to see in future blog posts. Thanks for reading!

TRAVEL: Crete, Greece - swim, eat, relax, repeat

I'm typing up this blog from my private balcony overlooking the calm and inviting waters of the Sea of Crete. Honestly, there's no better place from which to blog. My location: the Radisson Blu Beach Resort in Milatos, Crete, an all-inclusive resort with more pools than I can count, but more on that later.


An easyJet flight from Luton (officially named the UK's worst airport) brought us to Heraklion, the main airport on the island. After wandering around the airport for a while, we finally found our transfer driver who seemed not to have realised he was taking us to the hotel in spite of holding a sign with our name on it in one of his hands... An hour later and we arrived at the coastal town of Milatos. By this point, it was dark outside meaning there were no views to be admired but that left something to look forward to in the morning.


The rooms at the resort vary from standard hotel rooms, to those with a beach-view balcony like mine, and some with their own private mini pools (I told you there were a lot of pools here). It's a very expansive space too, and I was pleased they'd given us a map or else we would have undoubtedly gotten lost walking around in the hot Grecian sun. And yes, in spite of it being late in the year it's still over 30'C here with glorious blue skies and sunshine. A nice break from the Autumn rain back home. Plus, since the kiddies have now gone back to school, the only sounds I can hear is the water lapping at the sides of a nearby pool and the tapping of my keyboard. Pretty nice.
 

Day one started with breakfast in the Mosaic restaurant in the main lobby building. With the 'Ultra All Inclusive' package we're on (your other options are Bed & Breakfast or Half board), breakfast, lunch and dinner are included, as are snacks, ice cream, drinks and a small selection of drinks available in your mini bar. With this much on offer, it's easy to take advantage of it all but I'm trying to pace myself to ensure I still fit into my swimsuit by the end of the week!


We made our way around the resort for a while (with map, of course) before heading over to the 'Adults Only' pool on one of the upper levels. One benefit of sun-seeker resorts like this is that guests seemed to be more interested in soaking up the rays rather than swimming, which meant that while there were only a few loungers left, the pool was completely abandoned. And yes, blissfully cold and refreshing for a mid-morning dip.


I headed down to one of the many pool bars down by the beach to grab some nachos and (free!) ice cream before settling down with a good book for a few hours. At 3pm, we bee-lined for one of the resorts organised activities - Greek cooking. Well, I say cooking but it was really more assemblage of a snack called Dakos, literally hard bread, tomatoes mixed with olive oil, and feta. Nice and all, but absolutely no cooking involved and took literally 30 seconds to assemble.


The afternoon continued with more swimming, eating, and relaxing, as well as a quick trip into one of the nearby towns, Milatos to check out life outside the resort. In the evening, I headed to my second activity of the day - crystal healing. I hadn't a clue what this involved but thought it sounded exciting! It turned out to be an introductory session to what crystal healing is, and how natural stones can be used to activate our different chakras like heart and intuition. As the sun began to set over the island, we headed for a buffet dinner at Mosaic which offered a variety of Italian, Greek, Asian and American cuisines. Somehow a busy un-busy day trying to get into the swing of resort life!

The following day started earlier for yoga with Dmitry at 8:30 down by one of the pools - quite a gruelling session but I was glad to get a bit of exercise in! We raced for breakfast before it finished at the Pool Front Restaurant which had slightly less of a selection than Mosaic but a nicer and quieter atmosphere.


Our first swimming location of the day was the gorgeous Cretean Sea which changed from lovely clear water close to the shore to a deeper blue further out. It was surprisingly pretty freezing but a pleasant change from pacing up and down in pools. Plus, there was a small selection of fish circling below the surface which you (hopefully) wouldn't see in any of the resort pools!


After lunch and a Nutella filled crepe at the Olivia snack bar, we decided to leave the safety of the resort (shock horror) and walk along the road to the closest village, Sissi, about 5km away. The heat was at times pretty uncomfortable but the hillside route offered some lovely views and the town seemed to have some good options for coffee and Greek restaurants - one of the downsides of being all-inclusive!

Once back, I couldn't wait to try out the water park where splashing straight into a deep pool at the end offered a huge relief from the heat. I don't think I'd ever visited a water park before either, so it was great to experience some good old childhood fun.

Dinner was at On The Rocks, a BBQ Grill overlooking the sea. We decided to head down slightly earlier than our 7:30pm booking to catch the sunset, and I was glad we had as I got a wonderful timelapse as the sun set right in front of us with stunning colours filling the sky. I'm a sucker for sunsets. Dinner was pretty good too, with a large selection of salads and hot foods as well as having whatever meat or fish you fancied grilled up on barbecues right in front of you.

I decided to forgo yoga the following morning to save my energy for a later session of TRX which is an exercise class based around those large elastic bands - I thought it sounded interesting. However, after a rushed breakfast to make sure we were there on time and waiting a further twenty minutes, it became clear that no instructors were going to turn up. It transpired that the activities sheet we had been given was incorrect and TRX was not occurring on that particular day which I found mildly annoying - what else was wrong, or what had we missed if it wasn't printed on our sheet?


After plenty more swimming and relaxing, we headed down to the pool bar close to the shore for an activity we hoped would be on - Greek language lessons. I love foreign languages, so this was something that I really enjoyed and thankfully picked up very quickly. Whilst being based in a resort meant that I couldn't see myself using my new skills in the near future, I guess it gives me reason to come back and practice!

 We continued our Greek day with dinner at the resort's Greek restaurant, Ariadni. They certainly don't let you go hungry here, and dinner consisted of a variety of starters brought to our table including dolmides, Greek salad (mmm, fresh feta...) rabbit, lamb and squid; followed by a main course of skewered meats and grilled vegetables; and finally a selection of Cretan desserts. Mid-dinner entertainment was also provided in the form of a kids disco occurring in the mini amphitheatre below the balcony we were eating on. Who doesn't love a bit of limbo to accompany dinner?


We had big plans for the following day, and after breakfast, began a 5km walk to Milatos Caves. I'm sure anyone who passed thought we were mad to be walking in the heat (and to be honest, we were but hey, you have to make sacrifices when you don't have a hire car). However, the (sweaty) walk did provide an opportunity to walk alongside pretty olive groves, typical Greek houses and little statues of churches that lined the route.


After an uphill struggle we arrived at the cave (my mind had convinced me that we'd be going DOWN to get to a cave, but no, it turned out it was at the top of a hill). The generator didn't seem to be working on this particular day, so I was glad for my mobile phone light to guide the way through the cave. Inside, I was surprised to find a small chapel which looked out through a large hole in the rock to provide pretty panoramic views. What a place to hold mass! The cave was pretty much free to be explored as much as you wanted, and I wiggled my way along some of the cavities to marvel at the way the rocks had broken and joined together. A much more pleasurable experience than my last time caving, where I squeezed through holes no human should fit through in the Yorkshire Dales.

The return journey seemed quicker, probably because we knew how far we had to go, and that it was mostly downhill. We decided to make things even quicker by taking a shortcut around the village.


THIS IS WHERE IT ALL WENT WRONG.


As we walked along the rough surface on the shortcut, I lost my footing, cutting my hands and legs. Although only about a kilometre from the resort, it was a painful one at that. Eventually we arrived at reception and I was given first aid by a guest passing by who so happened to be a doctor, including having a stone extracted from under my skin (ouch!) and getting everything bandaged up. Worse than the pain though was the knowledge that I wouldn't be able to go swimming for the rest of my time at the resort. Now that hurt.


However, the Radisson staff, and in particular Customer Relations Manager Danai, made sure that I was well looked after, and we were offered lunch in the resort's Italian restaurant as opposed to one of the snack bars, which I thought was very kind of them. I spent the rest of the day moping by the pools and wishing I was in them, before we headed back to the Italian for dinner. Again, no one was going hungry as we were served a selection of antipasti followed by a second starter of risotto; followed by meat, fish and pasta; and then brownies for dessert. Calories don't count on holiday, right?


We took our final breakfast of the holiday back down at the pool bar which felt a bit less chaotic than Mosaic. I headed back to reception to get my bandages changed and be told I still had stone fragments in my hand (why?!) but would be allowed to paddle in the sea as the saline water had the potential to help healing (yay!). Before that however, I wanted to try out a new activity - Greek dancing. Unfortunately however, no other guests showed up to the activity, and my injuries meant that I couldn't join in so the activity was cancelled. A shame, as I think that would have been good fun.



After lunch at the Italian again, complete with the freshest fresh pizza this side of Italy, we took our second Greek lesson of the week. Some newbies meant we had to go through the basics again, but a bit of reinforcement was no problem at all, and we then moved onto some more advanced vocabulary. I'll be doing my Greek GCSE in no time I'm sure.


My favourite activity of the week occurred afterwards - Mandala stone painting. This involved painting lotus flower designs onto rocks. Extremely relaxing, and a lovely souvenir to take back home with us (along with my standard snow globe that I collect from every destination). In fact, it almost made me forget about my injuries - that is until I went to see the doctor who told me my hand had become infected (noooooo) and would require antibiotics which we could only get with a hefty medical bill in order for her to prescribe it. I felt awful! Not the way I'd wanted the holiday to end, but hey, these things happen.

After a final yummy dinner at Mosaic (try the Asian station - they know how to cook up a mean stir fry) we got into the transfer bus to take us back to the airport (via the pharmacy) to head back to the colder shores of England. Barring the post-accident days, this was a pleasant and relaxing holiday. I'm not sure how much longer I could have spent chilling by the pool, but I can't say I don't feel refreshed after it. The Radisson had all we needed, and most importantly, friendly staff who dealt well with mishaps and know how to make their guests feel special. Thank you, Radisson staff - I'm sure we'll be back.


My tips for Greece (well, more for resort life): If the resort you're staying at offers activities, take advantage of them. It'll provide you with an opportunity to do something different from relaxing, and you might learn something in the process, be that a new form of exercise or cultural skills. If, like me, relaxing isn't your forte, I'd recommend considering a hire car, or looking into public transfer to take you away from the safety of your resort. For instance, the ancient ruins of Knossos were in our vicinity but out of walking distance, but I would feel like I could more say I'd 'done' Crete if we'd gotten out of the resort more. Finally, although this is easier said than done, relax. That's what you're here to do and you deserve a break. Enjoy yourself!

Have you visited Crete or Greece? I'd love to hear all about it - let me know what you got up to on Twitter @CiarasCountry! I'd love to hear your thoughts on this blog too, so feel free to leave a comment below and I'll get back to you as soon as possible!

Concert Review: CHASE RICE, The Borderline, London

I’d always thought that handmade signs were made for stadium shows, but they were out in force for Chase Rice’s intimate gig at London’s Borderline venue, with Sharpied ‘London Loves You’ and ‘It’s My Birthday (Follow Me On Twitter)’ carefully sketched onto cardboard. Whilst never having toured the UK before, Chase clearly has many a loyal fan this side of the pond.

The crowd last night was lovely – strangers took selfies with each other, and we all joined in for a collective chorus of Maren Morris’ My Church. I stand by my opinion that country music has the best fans so it was good to be surrounded by kindred spirits for a night of good music.

At 8pm, opening act Twinnie took to the stage. She’s very much an artist for the millennials with plenty of fun songs like It Won’t Stop and Better When I’m Drunk. Nowhere was this more clear than during self-penned track Social Babies, probably the only song out there to use ‘iOS’ (as in Apple) as a lyric. I preferred the more heartfelt songs like Looking Out For You, interestingly written from the point of view of her grandfather, and Superhero, written with the brilliant Lucie Silvas. Whilst some of the crowd chatted away at the bar, it was nice to see others easily picking up the words to her songs and singing along.

Chase’s set started in a way reminiscent of the man himself – with no fanfare as he walked silently on stage and took a seat in front of the mic. No ‘how you doing London?!’ or ‘you ready to party?’ that other artists would be tempted to do, but the ideal entrance for a no holds barred artists like Chase. He began with Do It Like This, occasionally pulling his head back from the mic whilst singing to create a sense of depth, difficult to do in such an acoustic setting.

As he began How She Rolls, I found myself thinking that whilst his style worked well in such an intimate gig, I could see easily how he could play the same songs to arenas full of screaming fans as the opener for the likes of Kenny Chesney. No doubt the songs would sound very different, so I would be interested to see how he would perform in situations like this. We were told last night that he’ll be returning next year with a full band, so I guess we’ll see then!

A lot of his songs are what I would call ‘Saturday night songs’, party anthems like I Like Drinking, Cause It’s Fun and Jack Daniels Showed Up, which even if you’ve never heard before, you can guess what they might be like. Nevertheless, if you wanted an artist to get the party started on a Tuesday night, you’d be hard pressed to find one better than Chase, with glasses raised all round.

As well as his drinking songs, Chase is far from a PG-13 artist, as evidenced by songs like 50 Shades of Crazy and Ride. However, whilst the crowd may otherwise feel awkward singing some of those lyrics in a room full of people, Chase helped to diffuse the atmosphere, inviting a girl from the front row up for the latter song and jokingly instructing her boyfriend to sing it to her at some point.

I must admit, my favourite songs from the night were the less usual ones that showed what he termed his ‘sweeter side’ and I think as well, his vocals. On softer tracks like Three Cords and the Truth, Carolina Can, his favourite song that he’s released, and the romantic Eyes On You, about missing all the sights the world has to offer because you can’t take your eyes off the one you love, his raspy voice took on a different tone to the ‘new country party sound’ of many of his other tracks.

He finished his set with some of his successful hits, including Gonna Wanna Tonight (easy to sing along to!), Ready Set Roll, and one of the most successful country hits of our time, which I was unaware that he had written, Florida Georgia Line’s Cruise. Whilst certainly not an artist I imagine is to everyone’s taste, Chase has very loyal fans and some great party tracks. For a Tuesday night, he sure put on a good show.

Interested in more reviews like this? Make sure to follow me on Twitter @CiarasCountry and let me know of any upcoming concerts you'd love to see a review of!

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