Varna

I have decided that night trains are certainly not the most comfortable way to travel. At least in buses they give you your own light so you can read all night. I spent most of the night wandering from car to car, wishing the bathrooms had toilet paper and didn't reak of urine and standing by the window to escape the sweltering heat. Of course, by 4am I understood why all the passengers had closed the windows as the whole train was consumed by the early morning chill. You can't smoke on trains anymore as of a year ago, but that didn't stop passengers from sneaking to the windows and lighting up when the coast was clear. I saw one man get fined for it, but most people were able to get away with it. I enjoyed watching the sneaky Bulgarians creeping around for their nicotine.
I arrived at Varna at 7am having gotten maybe one hour of sleep. I wandered the streets like a zombie in search of a bathroom (i opted to hold my bladder instead of use the train's) and a coffee.
Varna is one of the most overtly touristy cities I have ever been to. The hostel was totally filled with women, a stark contrast from my male dominated art hostel, and all they wanted to do was sit on the crowded, polluted beach and go to beach night clubs when a small rum and coke costs ten leva (that's absurd for Bulgaria! It should be maybe 3lv). The mafia runs the whole town- you see saabs and beamers all over the place. The men wear huge chains around their neck and hold themselves with powerful stances. They own all the night clubs and have intentionally designed them to be money making machines. As of last year, they put all the bars in the middle of the dance floor. This way, tourists won't dance and they will just continue to buy rip-off drinks all night. I didn't actually go inside one (I had been warned) but I did walk along the strips of beach where the clubs were trying to find a decent bar. Each club plays their music at top volume, all Chalga music (a synthesis of Bulgarian and pop music always sung by beautiful half naked women and men dressed like pimps. One of the worst musical forms I've ever heard and you hear it everywhere!!!). When walking down the road, it sounds like each club is trying to max out the volume of the one next door- all you hear is a dozen competing bass lines and a dozen competing melodies.
I went to one show and the crowd was equally unimpressive. Everyone just stood around or sat on couches, crowding near the back not dancing. There were a few die hard fans singing along to all the songs and dancing a little, but nothing compared to how sofia hardcore kids freak out. No one was jumping on each other or moshing or anything.
Anyway, I spent most of my time in Varna hanging out with Ben and Roland, two Aussi guys whom I had met at the Art Hostel. We played chess all night and they taught me Australian slang. Their presence at the Flag Hostel in Varna is what colored my time in Varna- they saved the city for me.
On Sunday, after eating a big plate of fruit and getting beaten by Ben at chess, I walked to the bus station and headed back to Sofia. The bus was much more comfortable and I was able to read the whole time. I got a bit car sick at first but my stomach settled down. I'm reading a really interesting book about the Lost Boys of Sudan. Well, it is an autobiography of one of lost boys. I highly recommend it- its called What is the What. Peter lent it to me.
I returned home to the Art Hostel at one in the morning to find all of my friends crowded at the bar eager to see me! Simeon and some virtuosic french fiddle player were playing amazing rock/folk jams in the room next door. It didn't take long for me to remember why I believe that the Art Hostel in Sofia is the single best place in the whole world. I can't tell you how lucky I feel to be living here, of all places.
Yesterday I met a man named James Anthony Gilligan who was just in Germany speaking for Iraq Veterans Against the War. He had lived in Sofia for a year so he came here for a few days to visit old friends. He is coming to Minneapolis for the RNC protests!!!!! I can't wait! This is the first person I've met here who I know I will see again. Its a very different feeling than the fleeting friendships.