Sofia, Bulgaria

A refreshing gem of a find. Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria, and believe it or not the 15th largest city in the European Union. Bulgaria is infamously known to us for the cheap red wines we knew in our youth, but these days, with the English taste buds ripening we are seeing more and more excellent wines from this country on our shelves.

The city has, like many other European cities, had a rough past with wars and invasions, and liberations happening even up to the 20th century. The last struggle for the Bulgarian people was in 1946 when the Republic of Bulgaria was finally born.

Its offical religion is Christianity (Predominantly Orthodox), but has various religious communities that co-exist peacefully - a model for many other countries to follow. In fact, the capital Sofia is known for its so-called Triangle of Religious Tolerance: the St Nedelya Church, Banya Bashi Mosque, and Sofia Synagogue are located within metres of each other in the very centre of the city. If you like wandering round this sort of building, then we recommend taking a tour of all three.

Sofia is a working city, but still sports a plethera of classical buildings as well as more contemporary. Sofia these days offers everything that any place has to offer in shopping terms. With shopping malls including the Serdika Center, and Mall Tsarigradski and more each year, an outlet centre, central shopping streets and plenty of smaller supermarkets.

There's plenty of what I call old-style markets to peruse too. Graf Ignatiev Street sports a row of fruit and vegetable stalls on the tram-only thoroughfare. Fantastic for food shopping with all local produce. There's also shops and a few bars to watch the world go by.

The Zhenski Pazar or Women's Market, is an intensely crowded affair where you can find everything from fruit and vegetables to fake designer-label tracksuits and car parts. Locals from the surrounding countryside arrive here early each morning to sell their produce, and it's one of the few places in Sofia where the pulse of the Balkans of old can still be felt. Beyond lies one of Sofia's older quarters, with rutted cobblestones and low houses built around courtyards.

Rimska Stena is a lively food market amid the Byzantine walls on Ulitsa Hristo.

Although now part of the EU it has yet to take on the currency of the Euro. At the time of visiting, the lev (meaning "lion") was equal to approximately 41 english pence, or 0.52 euros. The exchange rate for us is fantastic and therefore a great get-away or vacation can be had for very reasonable rates.
A meal for two with drinks can come to as little as £10. It is a must to try any of the national beers, as they compete gracefully with any other European beer. A pint (half litre) cost us between £0.70 and £1.40. So, if (like us) you enjoy a few drinks watching the world go by, then we recommend this lovely city wholeheartedly.

Taxis are everywhere, but beware.. there are plenty of one-man bands willing to rip you off or coerce you into giving them more than the going rate. For example, even being taken from the airport to our hotel, the taxi driver insisted on stopping at a shop and getting us a beer each. Granted we were happy for the drink, but all of a sudden we were paying more than the going rate for the beers on top of the taxi ride. That said, there are plenty of honest drivers out there that are very willing to help you around the city.
Try going for the older drivers, as they are likely in the business for the long term. We were advised to use OK Taxis as a good firm. Be careful looking at the emblems on the side though. there are a few that try to mimic their logo using 'HK' and 'CK'. There number (found in the rear side window) should end in 2121.
A special thanks to Ivan (driver 628) from Yellow 333 Taxis (http://www.yellowtaxi.bg) - another good firm. I would even suggest you ask for him specifically as he loves to practice his english and has a good knowledge of things in the city you might be interested in. Many Thanks Ivan.

Finally. Whatever else you do you MUST try the trams. They are frequent and cheap just to jump on. Each has a machine onboard where you can purchase a 1-way journey along any of the tracks for just ONE lev. Its a cheap way to see some parts of the city you might not normally, and you don't really need to get off until you find something interesting. You can also buy a multi-ticket, but be sure you stamp it every journey so you don't get into serious trouble.

Taba, Egypt

Taba is a little Egyptian town near the northern tip of the Gulf of Aqaba on the Sinai Peninsula. From Taba you can see 3 other countries (from the beach – WOW). There are many protected areas including caves, valleys, mountainous passages and some natural springs. The main thing that is protected though is the coral reefs which are some of the best.

In these reefs you can see many different types of fish including; Lion Fish, Trigger Fish, Clown Fish, Cornet Fish and Puffer Fish. You can also have a chance to see Sea Turtles and Sea Horses (however these are a lot more rare to see but they can be seen.) There are many excursions that you can do and one of these is scuba diving with Red Sea Waterworld which is PADI accredited which means that it is very professional and you get to have two dives, the first is to get you used to using the mouth piece and the second is to have a proper look at some of the coral reefs.

Other excursions include seeing Cairo where you can visit the Pyramids. This spellbinding city is stuffed with history that deserves a visit. You will get to see the Saladin Citadel, the Pyramids at Giza, the Sphinx and you get the chance to watch the dazzling Pyramid Sound and Light Show (for some extra money that is) the second day you get to see the Alabaster sphinx and a fallen statue of Ramses II. You will also be able to see the Stepped Pyramid which is the worlds oldest stone monument. You then have lunch on the Nile cruise and then you will make your way to the Egyptian museum.

Taba is ideally located because you are close to 3 different countries and can do excursions to some of the attractions there. Some include going to Jerusalem, Eilat (where you can do a fun day or a fun day and dolphin snorkel) and Petra.

The best place to stay is one of the resorts called “Taba Heights” within here there are many hotels the two best being the hotel Sofitel and the Intercontinental Hotel. The Intercontinental is on the rise and is slightly cheaper to stay in and you get roughly the same things. In the resort there is a small town that is called “Uptown” which you must go to (however there is a perfume shop you should not go into unless you bring a lot of money. It is quite expensive). Also on the resort is an 18 hole golf course which has hosted the Pro Am. It is beautifully kept and you get wet towels and drinks brought to you throughout your game to keep you cool in the hot temperatures.

The weather is hot hot hot so I wouldn’t advise small children because it can get very hot. The pool in Intercontinental is around 26-27 degrees and the temperature averages around the high 30’s low 40 (celcius) in June – September. It is coldest November – Feb where the temperature is between 21 degrees and 15 degrees. So still hotter than England.

Taba is a must see and with its surrounding countries it is a brilliant destination.