From fish and chips to beer on the Black Sea, our next stop was Nessebar (sometimes spelled Nesebur) in Bulgaria, one of the oldest towns in Europe. We only had one day here, and it was chilly, so I skipped Sunny beach, even though it’s considered one of the best on the Black Sea.

Instead, spent the day meandering along the cobble stone roads which, while charming, were really hard on my feetI have to give props to Denina Martin who rocked chunky-heeled sandals while browsing the sites

This little town was once a Greek colony, and the remaining ruins landed Nessebar on the UNESCO World Heritage list. After taking in those sites, and visiting some of the 41 churches in town–St. John Aliturgetos is worth a stop, as is the Basilica of the Merciful Virginit was time for shopping; Fantastic stuff, at very reasonable prices.

I even scored a stunning flower ring at The Seven Seas Silver and Gold. To finish the day, stopped at a cafe and got an MM, the favored local beer. Light and delicious!

The next day we visited Varna, a much more modern city, but also one that’s clearly struggling. One of the major attractions in town is the Dolphinarium, but I couldn’t bring myself to visit, as I truly believe no healthy animal should be held in captivity. I know some of you will have lots to say about that, but it’s just what I feel is right, You do you, as they say. Instead of this tourist draw, we took a bus to Varna Cathedral in city center – just magnificent! It reminded me a lot of churches I’ve seen in Russia, only it was painted instead of tiled.

After the Cathedral, we grabbed a coffee at the theatre cafe and braved the wind so we could at least say we’d walked one Black Sea beach.

I think if we’d had more time in Bulgaria, we’d have visited one of the nearby Resorts of the Golden Sands like Albena (as Elisa Ivanova did for Ellysa Fashion Diary).

We still thoroughly enjoyed the day. If you can look past the wear and tear of Varna, you can really see the structure of a beautiful city.