Bulgaria has motorways?!
No offence, but after the utter Ghetto that is Sofia (and what a marvellous ghetto is is!), i was surprised... but there they were, 130kph hammer highways! Blistering along, Dubstep clamouring against the likes of R.A. The Rugged Man, with the jibber jabber of two Australians, a Southerner and a near-as-Geordie winning in the end, things were going swimmingly. Sure our way into the Sofia Metro had been padlocked, but we had badass abandoned chemical factories to see and Socialist UFO's to visit.
Then Dsankt threw up about 4 times in a row, while Snappel took pics and truck drivers honked their horns in passage. Side of the motorway = Splattered. From here things got a tad worse. We kept stopping for 'the industries'. Loads of them. Ruins, semi ruins, mothballed shit... all along the way. Problem was tho... well, this was Bulgaria, where nothing is truly abandoned until its a pile of rubble. Then there were all the fucking stray dogs. We didnt get much seen to. Being chased away by rabid mutts and shovel toting locals tends to dissuade one.
Reaching Stara Zagora, we found our huge chemical works reduced to powder. Night had fallen as it went, so despite Dsankt looking like some kind of Ninja Phantom, all pasty n sweaty, we headed for the hills, aware that we'd, for comforts sake, be heading back down to get the vomity invalid a hotel.
The hills were swamped in clouds. By the time we were on the final road, it was only a 6km journey, one that took us 40 minutes, as visibility was down to a metre ahead of the cars headlights. Only Snappels GPS and the white line in the middle of the road got us there.
Arriving near the UFO, we were astonished to discover a big hotel... fucking Overlook Bulgaria! I guess it figures, given the UFO was once a major tourist destination. Driving to the end of the road, we got out and in the wet shroud, headed to where, invisible in the murk, sat our destination. The GPS had us ascend a final embankment. I was looking at my footing, my headtorch useless for much more, when Snappel told us to turn our lights off and look up.
There it was, silhouetted in the foggy pitch by the cars hazard lights, the huge looming Buzludja Monument to Socialism! We ducked inside, just to get an idea of access, then headed to the hotel, amazed to find it a three star joint who only wanted 20 Euros for the four of us!
Next day it was still as foggy outside!
The pics really speak for themselves. It was extremely wet and the atmosphere was summed nicely by Snappel when he stated we felt like he was at the last place on earth.
Despite being wrecked, a lot was left of the socialist mosaics, illustrations of the likes of Marx and Mao (the latter which has been intentionally removed interestingly enough) and depictions of socialist achievements.
As it is now.
As it once was.
Gale Force Clouds.
Built between 1974 and 1981, the place was a festival site every year, with youth discos, Socialist rallies, and demonstrations, all celebrating the foundation of the Bulgarian Socialist Party back in 1891. After the fall of Socialism in 1989, it was left empty, before being sealed up as a national asset in 1992. Despite this, the value of its interior materials has seen it ruined... looters even fired guns at the Star on its mast, under the impression the Star was composed of Rubies.
No offence, but after the utter Ghetto that is Sofia (and what a marvellous ghetto is is!), i was surprised... but there they were, 130kph hammer highways! Blistering along, Dubstep clamouring against the likes of R.A. The Rugged Man, with the jibber jabber of two Australians, a Southerner and a near-as-Geordie winning in the end, things were going swimmingly. Sure our way into the Sofia Metro had been padlocked, but we had badass abandoned chemical factories to see and Socialist UFO's to visit.
Then Dsankt threw up about 4 times in a row, while Snappel took pics and truck drivers honked their horns in passage. Side of the motorway = Splattered. From here things got a tad worse. We kept stopping for 'the industries'. Loads of them. Ruins, semi ruins, mothballed shit... all along the way. Problem was tho... well, this was Bulgaria, where nothing is truly abandoned until its a pile of rubble. Then there were all the fucking stray dogs. We didnt get much seen to. Being chased away by rabid mutts and shovel toting locals tends to dissuade one.
Reaching Stara Zagora, we found our huge chemical works reduced to powder. Night had fallen as it went, so despite Dsankt looking like some kind of Ninja Phantom, all pasty n sweaty, we headed for the hills, aware that we'd, for comforts sake, be heading back down to get the vomity invalid a hotel.
The hills were swamped in clouds. By the time we were on the final road, it was only a 6km journey, one that took us 40 minutes, as visibility was down to a metre ahead of the cars headlights. Only Snappels GPS and the white line in the middle of the road got us there.
Arriving near the UFO, we were astonished to discover a big hotel... fucking Overlook Bulgaria! I guess it figures, given the UFO was once a major tourist destination. Driving to the end of the road, we got out and in the wet shroud, headed to where, invisible in the murk, sat our destination. The GPS had us ascend a final embankment. I was looking at my footing, my headtorch useless for much more, when Snappel told us to turn our lights off and look up.
There it was, silhouetted in the foggy pitch by the cars hazard lights, the huge looming Buzludja Monument to Socialism! We ducked inside, just to get an idea of access, then headed to the hotel, amazed to find it a three star joint who only wanted 20 Euros for the four of us!
Next day it was still as foggy outside!
The pics really speak for themselves. It was extremely wet and the atmosphere was summed nicely by Snappel when he stated we felt like he was at the last place on earth.
Despite being wrecked, a lot was left of the socialist mosaics, illustrations of the likes of Marx and Mao (the latter which has been intentionally removed interestingly enough) and depictions of socialist achievements.
As it is now.
As it once was.
Gale Force Clouds.
Built between 1974 and 1981, the place was a festival site every year, with youth discos, Socialist rallies, and demonstrations, all celebrating the foundation of the Bulgarian Socialist Party back in 1891. After the fall of Socialism in 1989, it was left empty, before being sealed up as a national asset in 1992. Despite this, the value of its interior materials has seen it ruined... looters even fired guns at the Star on its mast, under the impression the Star was composed of Rubies.
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