Hi,

Taking advantage of the fact that I've recently finished my website, which also includes this blog, I decided to make my first post about the vacation I went on with my wife, close family, and friends to Bulgaria. We spent our vacation in the town of Sozopol. Since most of the tourists there are from Russia, Ukraine, and Bulgarians – the languages are similar (I can't tell them apart), we joked that the town was called Sto-zhopol.

Flight

We'd bought our plane tickets about six months earlier. Unfortunately, because renovations were underway at Wrocław Airport (I don't know if they're still ongoing or have already been completed), we were flying out of Krakow.

The journey from Wrocław to Kraków via the A4 motorway is about three hours of continuous driving. With breaks for a pee and a hot dog at the Orlenk airport (greetings to Mata), it's about four hours. So we had to get up early (2:30 AM) to get ready and hit the road.

Fortunately, there were no surprises along the way, such as traffic jams or accidents. We arrived at the airport, which, thankfully, is located near a highway exit.

And now the worst part for me – checking in luggage. While the check-in itself is easy for me, going through security and unloading my carry-on luggage is a nightmare. I had a bad experience on a flight from Wrocław to Gdynia, when they "groomed" me at the Wrocław airport, as if I were at least a dangerous character (and I look inconspicuous, probably because of my earrings). I had to take everything out of my backpack and go through security three times. But they finally let me through. That's why I always get a little adrenaline rush every time I go through security at the airport. Fortunately, at the Krakow airport, I didn't have to take anything out of my backpack.

Anyone who knows me knows that I always carry a lot of electronics with me - a laptop (and sometimes even two), a power bank, a power supply, a power strip (you never know), a tablet, a keyboard, external drives, etc. Taking it all out and putting it away again is, to put it mildly, a bit of a hassle.

Oh well, we're waiting for the gates to open. Time flew by. We're on the plane and taking off.

Since I have a double fear of heights, I always try to get a window seat (you have to fight your demons 😁). This time was no exception. The worst part for me is takeoff – the biggest adrenaline rush comes when the landing gear lifts off the runway and we rapidly gain altitude. 10 seconds... 20 seconds... 30 seconds... a minute... and we're already in the clouds. I look at my hands – they're damp with sweat. My wife laughs at me. So do I. So off we go. The planned flight is about 1 hour and 50 minutes. Too bad I forgot my headphones. Oh well.

I guess I haven't flown in a while, because on a RyanAir flight, I saw something that made me a little uncomfortable – practically the entire flight, the flight attendants and steward (did I spell it right?) acted like they were at a market or reenacting Polsat commercials – first, an ad for duty-free goods (which is the norm), then perfumes, scratch cards, competitions, promotions... a disaster. It might appeal to some, but not to me.

I guess I haven't flown in a while, because on a RyanAir flight, I saw something that made me a little uncomfortable – practically the entire flight, the flight attendants and steward (did I spell it right?) acted like they were at a market or reenacting Polsat commercials – first, an ad for duty-free goods (which is the norm), then perfumes, scratch cards, competitions, promotions... a disaster. It might appeal to some, but not to me.

On the way, we stopped at Lidl to do some basic shopping. The currency in Bulgaria is the Bulgarian lev (1 lev is about 2.18 PLN in Revolut). Before leaving, we stocked up on cash and topped up my Revolut account. Incidentally, this was the first time I'd ever paid with my phone connected to Revolut, and I have to admit, it was very convenient.

After shopping, we settled into our apartment and arranged to have dinner at my brother-in-law's and sister-in-law's apartment 🤗 And so the evening flew by, talking and having dinner together.

The resort

The Green Life resort is a picturesque and well-maintained place with four swimming pools, located about 100 meters from the Black Sea. It has a well-coordinated team of staff who ensure cleanliness and order, including maintenance staff, gardeners, and more. Air conditioning is standard in every apartment (thank goodness), as temperatures during the season often reach 35 degrees Celsius or more.

There are several small shops within the resort offering basic necessities. Prices converted to PLN are comparable to those in Poland.

There are two types of beaches near our resort: a tourist beach and a wild beach. The tourist beach is located about 100 meters from the resort. Lifeguards, deployed in specific sectors (each has their own section to guard, separated by buoys), ensure safety on the beach. The access to the sea is very shallow and descends slowly. The buoys marking the boundaries of swimming areas are quite far from the shoreline. The shore itself is sandy, which pleasantly surprised me. The sea is clean. You can definitely see the seabed at a depth of several meters. Sunbeds are available for rent on the beach, but you can also bring your own umbrella, blanket, and chairs. At the end of each day, the cleaning crew drives a Trantor with a sieve attached to the back and clears the beach of debris and trash, ensuring it's clear the next day. I was very pleased with this experience.

There are several places on the beach where you can grab a drink, snack, or something to eat. There are also several restaurants where you can enjoy lunch or dinner at a reasonable price. In the evenings and at night, there are discos where you can have fun.

The Wild Beach is located behind the cliffs visible in the photo. As the name suggests, it's wild and unguarded. It's significantly less crowded and worth a visit if you want some peace and quiet while enjoying a beautiful view.

Fauna and flora.

Unfortunately, I didn't do my homework and didn't familiarize myself with the local flora and fauna. I don't know if there are any insects or animals to avoid here. However, as you can see, I've encountered quite a few praying mantises here.

There are smaller and larger jellyfish in the sea. While the former are half the size of a palm, transparent, and harmless, in deeper water you can find larger, purple individuals half the size of a hand, which I preferred to avoid.

My brother-in-law's children had fun catching little crabs, putting them in a bucket, and collecting shells. As we walked home from the beach, they released the crabs, of course, and took the shells as souvenirs.

Return

The 12 days in Stożopol flew by, but all good things must come to an end. Two days before departure, you're already starting to think this pleasant time is coming to an end and you're getting a little sad, but oh well.

On the day of departure, my brother-in-law booked a taxi (or minibus) that took our whole pack to Burgas airport for 50 euros. Unfortunately, the airport gate wasn't as easy as it was in Krakow, and I had to drag everything out of my backpack. But it worked out somehow.

The return flight was similar to the arrival – takeoff, wet hands, a bit of a fair from the flight attendants, and then landing. We were greeted by weather typical of our climate at this time of year, namely 25 degrees Celsius. It wasn't a disaster. My brother-in-law drove on the return trip, and we were home by 10:30 PM.

I recommend vacations in Bulgaria to everyone. It was my first time here and I'm sure I'll want to return. If I had to name any inconveniences I encountered, it would be really hard to pinpoint them. Only two come to mind. The first is the Bulgarians, or rather the older generation (50 and over) – they're incredibly annoying and can pick on everything. My brother-in-law says it's probably a vestige of the communist era they grew up in. For example, it bothers them that you're grilling fish on the terrace in an air fryer, but they're okay with eating and frying it themselves at 11 p.m. Generally, if an older Bulgarian has a problem, they won't start the conversation with "Excuse me, but could you please?" but rather with a raised voice. This should be taken into account. However, it's worth noting that I'm not generalizing, as there are also Bulgarians of that age who behave in a civilized manner. I'm simply reporting what I've seen. Perhaps we were unlucky.

Another thing that might be a problem is that some stores only accept cash. It's simply a good idea to have about 200 leva in cash on hand for such occasions.

That's all I had to say about our stay in Bulgaria. It's a brief summary of our trip, but I don't want to create an epic – this post is a short and subjective commentary on the vacation we spent in Bulgaria. We returned happy, tanned, rested, and a bit sad because we would have loved to stay there another week or two.

See you soon 🤗