Photos from Varna, Bulgaria, 2024

The Aladzha Monastery is a medieval cave monastery. I’ve been to something similar to this before in China. Unlike China, this place was not packed with tourists.

There was also a short hiking path out the back and a museum.

Balchik is a town about an hour by bus from Varna. It is famous for its Botanical Garden. Right next to it, or possibly part of it, is the Castle Grounds which is also pretty cool to walk around.

Here is the beach close to my apartment in Varna. I only swam in it a couple of times. There was a hot spring sulfur bath not far up which was free to the public which I went to more often.

I took a day trip to the Golden Sands resort area. I remember there was a nightclub we used to go to called the Golden Sands in Perth. I wonder if it was named after this place.

The Varna harbor is filled with upscale restaurants, bars, and amusement rides. It was nice to walk around when I wanted a change of scenery from the park.

This photo is of the Monument of the Bulgarian-Soviet Friendship. Essentially, it is a walk up many stairs to a massive concrete sculpture.

Literally next to my apartment was the Roman Thermae, which dates back to the second century. I saw it every day, but never went in. This photo is taken through the fence.

I’m a big fan of botanical gardens, and one of the first places I went outside of Varna was the University Botanical Garden Ecopark. It was pretty cool and I got to see goats. I want to own goats one day.