My name is Marion Vermazen. I am a traveler, hiker, reader, Sun alumnus, computer geek, YouTuber, Spanish and French language student, knitter, weaver and genealogist.
To make it easier for you to follow our 2026 Spring European trip from the beginning I’ve linked the blog posts in order.
You can go to the first blog post of our trip by clicking on this link.
At the end of each blog post after that, there is a link to the next day’s blog post.
This morning after breakfast we drove into the Lidl store in Velingrad and bought six big bottles of water.
Velingrad is located in one of the largest geothermal regions in Bulgaria. There are more than 90 mineral water springs in and around Velingrad. When we got back to the hotel we took advantage of the spa facilities.
After we got back to the room Duke went down and had his hammam massage. He said it was good.
We had another great buffet dinner.
This morning we left Sofia and headed south. We picked up a rental car at the airport in Sofia. From there we drove south for about 2 hours. We are in Velingrad about half way between Sofia and the Greek-Bulgarian border.
We are staying at a fabulous hotel and spa, the hotel Arte Resort and Spa. They have an indoor pool and outdoor pools plus saunas, steam rooms and jacuzzis. Dinner and breakfast are included in the price. The dinner was an excellent buffet and we realized that there are lots of families staying here. We saw play rooms and game rooms with cameras so parents sitting in the restaurant or bar could keep an eye on their kids in the play room. Duke booked a hammam massage for tomorrow.
If you want to read my next post from Velingrad click here.
Our last full day in Sofia was lovely and restful. We’re still working on conquering jet lag. I didn’t fall asleep till well after midnight so it was heavenly to sleep in until almost 10. Duke’s first task today was to get a haircut.
I stayed at the barber shop long enough to get a picture of Duke in the chair. While I was waiting I had a nice chat in English with a young boy (about 10 I think) who had just had his hair cut. He seemed eager to practice his English and it was very good.
It was a nice sunny day so we went for a couple walks. We had a good view of the mountains that overlook Sofia.
We had an excellent dinner at a nearby restaurant called Cava.
Tomorrow we leave Sofia. If you would like to see my next post click here.
Today we went out exploring in Sofia. But before that we had breakfast at our hotel. When we went down to breakfast they gave me a red rose and said, “Happy Mother’s Day!” Today is Mother’s Day in Bulgaria!
After breakfast we went out for a walk. We started at the Russian Orthodox Cathedral and then went to the Bulgarian Orthodox Cathedral.
Next we went to the Art Museum and the Regional History Museum.
When they were building the Metro station that we came into last night, they discovered the archaeological ruins of Serdica, the Roman Town that was in this location in the 4th century AD.
On our way back to our hotel we stopped for coffee on Vitosha Blvd., the main pedestrian street of Sofia. it was packed with people. I’m sure that was at least partly because it was a beautiful Sunday afternoon and also Mother’sDay.
For dinner we went to a nearby traditional Bulgarian Restaurant called Izbata II. the food was really good and everyone was friendly.
To read my next blog post about our last day in Sofia click here.
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