tanek

There are only few places in Europe I've felt light and home-like in right away and one of them is Paris of course.
If you wonder, the others are Salzburg, Bratislava, the Hungarian countryside, and several villages and towns near Veliko Tarnovo. I haven't been to Tarnovo itself, gotta visit soon.
Some places just feel inviting. Paris felt amazing, like a real-life postcard, even from the airplane. Not just the architecture, the whole vibe.

shelemm

Which places around Veliko Tarnovo?

Michael

Arbanasi?

tanek

Yes, Arbanasi and Gorna Oryahovitsa. We spent a night in Arbanasi getting back to Sofia from the sea coast several years ago. Really nice vibe!
More, recently, on my trip from Sofia to Bucharest and back I just felt the same nice vibe just passing through Gorna Oryahovitsa train station (just a few kms from Arbanasi). G. Oryahovitsa is a town that's just made out of commie flats, nothing much to see in itself but it's so close to Arbanasi, Veliko Tarnovo and Lyaskovets, you could say all those places are in the same metropolitan area. There were ideas long ago to merge them into a single city BTW. Lyaskovets has some old interesting houses here and there but Gorna Oryahovitsa looks more like a suburb of Veliko Tarnovo. It's its own legit city despite that. For its drab looks it was all the more surprising I felt so nice there. Yeah I know it's very close to Arbanasi but I guess the whole area there has a good vibe, for me at least. I have to visit Veliko Tarnovo soon to see how I'll like it there.

G. Oryahovitsa might be drab but it's the largest train station in Northern Bulgaria and an important rail junction. The trains between Sofia and Varna, Sofia and Ruse/Bucharest and Bucharest and Istanbul all pass through its train station. It even has an airport, but it's a shame it's not used except for cargo. Veliko Tarnovo could've profited from it.

Ever felt a drab looking city that somehow feels right for you as in vibe/energy? That's how I felt both times I had to pass through Gorna Oryahovitsa. I expected to hate it and love the vibe of Ruse but the complete opposite happened.
Ruse, despite being a beautiful city felt to have a heavy vibe. Both times I had to use its train station and saw way too many rude people there. I even went outside of the train station to feel it more and still, ran into rude people. I doubt I'll return to Ruse, at least not alone. I didn't like the energy of Bucharest either for that matter...I guess it's individual but it's surprising when a drab city/town makes you feel calm, just more alive and home-like more than a posher one like Ruse. Thank God there are legitely beautiful cities like Paris and Salzburg where I've felt the same.
You know that feeling of being able to breath more easily in a city.

bmillersc

I'm getting ready to do just this - with my oldest son. He has an opportunity to travel to London for a conference, paid for by his university. So, I am going with him a week in advance of the conference, spending most of our time in London (never been there myself, actually, so I jumped on the opportunity). I have been to Paris several times, but this is his first international trip ever, so he floated the idea of taking Eurostar for a day trip to see Paris, quick as it may be. So we're doing it - Saturday last train to Paris, Sunday last train return to London - he is fully aware of only being able to do a few things but is thrilled with the idea, and my prior experience will help maximizing our time. Honestly, I almost hate taking a day away from London and surroundings, but this is HIS trip, not mine, and we're going to make the most of it!

AlessandraZoe

I don't think I ever shared that I did once create a "Paris in a day" itinerary for a supervisor of my daughter's. There was no arrive by and leave by time, because there WAS a hotel stay at one end, but I forget which end, before or after. I should have to dig that itinerary up one of these days.

Backstory: My daughter, who had spent her study-abroad in Paris (plus had been there a zillion times she'd been there with us even as a pipsqueak) was told before they were returning from a long business trip to India that she would be the "tour guide" on the return trip. For one day. It was not a request. It was a command. Thank goodness, her underlying knowledge of where to go, when to go, and how to do it is what made the day work along with my trip design. No wasted minutes or hours getting lost.

But there were several significant obstacles besides time. The supervisor had a built-in prejudice against both the French and even worse, French food (blasphemy in our house). And art museums (equal blasphemy). Hence why I got a text from my daughter, "Help."

Two bright spots: I knew the supervisor adored the movie, "Midnight in Paris," and that the supervisor was capable of hoofing it. If the weather was good, they would be golden. Creating a walk that captured Woody Allen's and Audrey Hepburn's Paris films, I timed out their one-day early a.m. to late p.m.walk.

Full disclosure: It actually worked mainly because they were staying at an end of town we would never stay, near the Champs Elysee and yes, the weather was perfect. They took some deviations, but all in all, the "Paris in film" theme worked.

What was lovely was that my daughter got to share her college "hood" in the 7th, a studio apartment above a bar, around 2 pm, and her supervisor turned to her and said, "I finally get it. This all made you you."

And yes, it had.

Bonuses:
Supervisor tried first REAL Paris croissant. Convert.
Supervisor tried first "steak-frites" and practically passed out in ecstasy.

geetika

What a lovely story AZ, kudos to your daughter! Travel is what has shaped and molded us into what we are today! 😊

kerouac

This thread makes me smile, seeing that so many people have such motivation even for a day trip. Good for all of you!