Day 35
Returning to Sofia
Monday, September 23, 2024
Dobŭr den,
Farewell to Istanbul
This morning we packed up and left Türkiye. We have really enjoyed Türkiye and the city of Istanbul. If we ever get the chance we would happily return.
Using our beloved Istanbulkart we travelled by ferry and Metro out to Sabiha Gökçen airport. Our occasional ferry trips have been really enjoyable. They are as easy to use as a tram or bus. They were also the perfect way to both arrive and depart from Istanbul. We enjoyed relaxing journeys with panoramic views.
On arrival at the airport we were greeted by chaos.
Our airline, Pegasus Airlines, markets itself as "the digital airline". Meaning that when you fly with Pegasus you are your own customer service agent, doing everything yourself through their online applications. Including checking in your own luggage at one of the Pegasus Airlines check-in kiosks at the airport. Which is fine, it is simple and easy to use … until the machine runs out of luggage labels. Unfortunately the machine did not know it had run out of luggage labels and was happily allowing people to continue checking themselves and their baggage in. Meanwhile a single human was working at the Pegasus check-in counter reprinting luggage labels for the long queue of people who had used the kiosks that had run out of luggage labels.
We could see that Pegasus do have well developed systems and kiosks. It was just a nightmare because the machines don't have a sensor to tell them they have run out of luggage labels. If that were resolved, and the machine the put itself into a "Do Not Use" mode until a technician replenished the labels, then things would surely run more smoothly.
We endured a truly awful breakfast at the airport before boarding our plane and back to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
First Impressions of Sofia
Back in Sofia we whizzed through the airport, retrieved Helga from her underground car park and found our way to our apartment. It was a Monday, a work day, so everyone was at work or at school. Even so, our first impression of Sofia was, where did everyone go? After the mad chaos of Istanbul, Sofia feels like a quiet little village. Even compared to Budapest or Bucharest, Sofia seemed to be a very quiet little town.
After the non-event that was breakfast, we were hungry. Buzzy Bee is sick of all the “foreign muck” they serve in Europe. Just around the corner from our apartment, we found a place that makes good old Kiwi tucker - sushi. And it was very good sushi.
Grandma has fallen in love with the old trams in Sofia, so we had to take a ride on a tram when we went out for dinner. There are longer, sleeker, modern looking trams, but Grandma likes the smaller, vintage looking trams.
We've found that the trams in Sofia all run exactly on time. The tramlines run down the centre of the wide boulevards in Sofia. Unlike Istanbul or Budapest, the stations are not on pedestrian islands in the centre of the road; in Sofia passengers wait for the tram on the side of the road. When the Tram stops to let passengers on and off, passengers walk across the road to and from the tram. At first, it feels scary. What happens if a car is coming? The rule is that when a tram is stopped, all cars following behind the tram in all lanes must also stop to allow passengers to embark and disembark. A very good safety rule.
Walking to and from our restaurant felt very strange after Istanbul. Last night, a Sunday evening, İstiklal Caddesi was heaving with people and noise, the shops opens until midnight and the bars closed whenever customers finally stopped drinking and partying. This evening, a Monday evening, we almost feel like we're the only people out for dinner in Sofia. Such a big contrast.
Tomorrow we'll learn more about Sofia.
Love to you all from Grandma & Koro & Buzzy Bee.
