As if Bratislava (Slovakia), Vienna (Austria), Pamplona (Spain) and Cala Llonga (Ibiza) weren’t enough another trip to a random European destination had to be planned before the end of the year. This time, Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, an Eastern European country I know very little of and have never seen before. This trip made me realise how much we really take for granted. It immediately became clear that we moan at the state of our country, our roads, the traffic, the homeless, but other countries still part of the European Union have it far worse than we could ever imagine.

The streets in Bulgaria were littered with rubbish, some roads could be compared to a landfill site, I chose not to publish those photos. Being in a car was terrifying and the majority of people certainly knew how to use a horn. Road lanes, signs and signals really need not be there, in fact on our way to the airport we passed three cars driving at full speed the wrong way down the motorway!

We stayed in the heart of the city and it seemed just being English was a bonus in many places. Not only did we get the best, comfiest seats in any bar we walked into, freshly prepared fruit and snacks were only moments away as soon as we sat down. Coupled with the average price of ninety pence per pint, this was certainly a holiday to remember, or not as the case may be! Our first meal out which included bread, olives, starter, main course, dessert, shots and two pints each for six people cost just £35!

Not one to miss an opportunity, we drove out of town to a shooting range on our second day where upon arrival we were asked if we would need any help operating the guns. On displaying our British passports the attendant laughed and guessed that we would! A quick two minute demonstration and three of us stood looking at each other holding loaded handguns ready to shoot down range Rambo style! I was a natural, although I do have experience!

I saw some truly shocking sites in Bulgaria, I prefer not to go into detail but we also met some very friendly and interesting people. Sofia is an intriguing city but one that I probably wouldn’t return too although I am sure there are other parts of the country that I may visit in the future. As with all of these strange and bizarre destinations, it’s always worth going at least once.