Arg....... Bed Bugs

I repeat, I hate bed bugs. Still scratching my body from sleeping in the hostel in Bucharist with the bed bugs. Nice red spots all over which means the tiny critters had a little feast courtesy of moi.

I've spent the last two days in Varna by the Black Sea. Unfortunately, the weather continues to be very unpredictable, sunny one moment and then rain the next few minutes. The hostel I stayed at was very funny as the owners were never there and we would offer empty beds to new comers, give a tour of the kitchen and bath and tell them where to get the bed sheets. I like to call it a "self catering" hostel.

As for Varna, it's a resort town but the beach itself is OK. The water is cold and the beach is a bit polluted with garbage. The beaches in the Caribean far surpass these ones but then again, you don't get the Balkan feel here. Lots of very good ice cream shops and as you enter the beach, you are greeted with a concrete slab of bars, resturants and kabab shops. As you walk along, you pass some open air restaurants and then have a chance to finally see the ocean. Lots of British here too and even two at the hostel were looking to buy property. The city itself is easy to walk around and not too bad as there is a beautiful basilica there and the feel ocean breeze and view and seafood is always good. Tried some marinated smelts but passed on the one and only Sushi resturant aptly named Timbuktu.

I have booked my flight from Italy to Spain in mid-July 2006 for .99 Euros !!!! With taxes and baggage fees, this came ou to be about $23 Euros. Now comes finding a route to Milan....