Sofia

[darmstadt]

For money at the airport just use a cash machine. There is 1 by the luggage carousals and a few if you turn left as you walk out of security - although the UBB one is slightly fussy over what card it accepts.

For taxis at the airport as you leave security just turn right and and walk out the end door and there is a OK Taxi rank there.

And if you are at the Hilton ping me as I'm there Monday to Friday next week..

Thanks, may well take you up on the offer as we'll be staying in the Hilton too for the whole 2 weeks. Already have cash but will probably have to get more while I'm there but as we're working at one of Bulgaria's largest banks, it wouldn't surprise me if they have cash machines in the offices.

We're actually a group of people, there's my boss and his wife who are flying in from Washington (via a short stopover in London), there's 2 guys from Florida (they're a different company who provide the banking software and are there for both this and another project) of whom one is actually Bulgarian and from Sofia and the company are then paying for Frau D. to fly over for a long weekend break.

[darmstadt]

Rila Monastery ...

I quite agree with Freewill

Thank you both for some good information and we'll try our best to do some of the items, it is much appreciated.

[darmstadt]

So far, so good...There were quite a few Indian people in the hotel over the weekend, some with film equipment and saw a crew of them filming what seemed to be a perfume advertisement out the front yesterday. Weird advert as can be seen by the main actor below below:





Also on the go in the hotel is: FEAR FACTOR - BULGARIA | Global Group

This is the nearest underground station :-)

[Paddy]

This is an interesting clip showing how Sofia was turned into Tehran with green-screen and VFX. Both cities are similar in that the mountain range is close to the capital; the corrected mountains were added in.

[darmstadt]

So nearly finished...

- Quite a mix of cultures and economies within one city makes it interesting to say the least
- Bulgarians are quite friendly and helpful unless they're on the checkout of Billa
- Sadly not too much sightseeing but plenty of old ruins (and that's not just the old Soviet apartment blocks)
- Really hot and still very pleasant until late into the evening
- Taxi drivers have watched too much Death Race
- They are currently filming the 2020 episodes of the Indian version of Fear Factor here so there are a few Bollywood stars and other assorted B list Indian celebrities in the hotel
- The Japanese Foreign Minister was staying this week so some high security (such as armed guys on each floor stopping you getting in the lift when he and his entourage are in it.) They had the whole shebang outside one day with the limos, police and so on and it's the first time I've seen an Audi TT Cabriolet police car
- Fags and beer and food is dirt cheap
- Did I mention it's really hot
- Project hasn't gone to plan exactly (their fault) but the customer is very happy with what we have provided

Back home Saturday and then off to Lubeck and then have projects planned for Prague and (hopefully) Alaska and New Zealand...