Albena’s journey to Syria was a decade-long dream come true. She persevered through numerous obstacles, including the war and the pandemic, to finally make it happen. Despite her husband’s reluctance, she decided to go in a 10-day solo adventure to Syria with Syrian Guides.
Throughout her journey, Albena discovered the true beauty of Syria and formed unique bonds. She encountered Meis, a captivating young girl who “kidnapped” her with love and affection. Albena explored historical sites, experienced genuine hospitality, and fell in love with the Syrian people. Here is her story written by her own words.
Syria is not for anybody! Syria is only for those who may endure it! It is my dream that came true! ❤
I will tell you how I saw Syria through my eyes. I will tell you about its beautiful side, because anyone may tell you about the ugly one, and the media has already done a lot. I will tell you about my 10-days adventure alone in Syria, organized by myself. So, I will kindly ask those who will criticize me, explaining how they wouldn’t have done it, how much risk I took to go there, and so on, just to skip this post and not read it at all!
For the rest of you, I will tell you how I obtained a son as soon as I arrived there, how we got lost together, how I was kidnapped, then how I became the president of Syria for one night, and finally how my heart was shattered into countless pieces. 😍😉💖
(Warning: This post is long, now it is the time to make the decision not to read it! 😉)
But let’s start from the beginning. I had been dreaming of Syria for over than 10 years. But back then, I didn’t have this opportunity, then the war started there, then COVID, and so on until a few months ago when I found out that this beautiful country, full of magnificent history, was slowly but for sure reviving its tourism. And I decided to make my dream come true. However, my husband said, “No.” He refused to come with me, refused to let our daughter come with me. So, I decided to go guided by a Bulgarian agency. Great, I found one (by the way, the agency was a great choice, very honest people), but because of that there were no enough candidates, and because of that they used a Lebanese travel agency instead of a Syrian one, the Lebanese refused to conduct the trip 😔.
Anyway, they refunded our money, but I was deeply disappointed and decided to find an agency in Syria and try to contact them directly. Generally, to get a visa for Syria, you need a reservation at a local Tourist agency, and especially to visit sites in Syria, including Palmyra, a separate special permit is required. I did some serious research on the agencies there, read, searched, and at the end, I settled down on a newly created one, run by three young people 🤩, Rami, Mary, and Bashar, who had incredible knowledge of their country’s history, and I have no regrets about choosing them because I had my wonderful experience in Syria; and later you’ll find out why 😊. The rest was super easy, a round-trip ticket Sofia – Beirut, a hotel for one night in Beirut, and that was it. The next morning, everything was well organized; they came to pick me up from the hotel in Beirut. It turned out that only two of us had signed up for this 10-days tour, but the agency still went ahead with it! The other traveler was a 20-year-old Norwegian, Amund, who was traveling alone for the first time and hadn’t even told his parents where he had gone. He had never before visited another country besides the major “white” European ones. So, when at the Lebanon-Syria border, he decided that he definitely had to exchange dollars for Syrian pounds from the street vendors, taking out all his dollars and we almost had a real problem ☹. Luckily, the driver sent from the agency, Anas, was an absolute professional, knew what to do, and managed to disperse them (thank you, Anas, you’re amazing).
Then Amund said he was old enough and didn’t need someone to act as his parent; he could handle it on his own! But he was mistaken. I replied him that since he’s only 20, and I’m 43, it’s absolutely possible that I could have given birth to him and that I’m sorry, but he already has his parent on this tour, and that’s me! So, on the first day of my journey, I obtained a son 😉!
Bashar, who was our guide on this tour, met us at the borders. Everything had been prepared in advance, and we quickly crossed the borders and went to buy Syrian SIM cards because I wanted to have direct contact with my family and friends, not just with the hotels’ WiFi (it’s quite cheap, about $5 for 10GB). Then we headed directly to Damascus, and the first thing we visited was the National Museum. Right away, I knew I hadn’t made a mistake in choosing that agency. Bashar, in addition to his work, is also a translator at the Syrian Parliament, and, of course, he’s well known everywhere! Thanks to him, we managed to get permission to take photos where this was prohibited! After that, we strolled through the streets of old Damascus, visited the oldest market, “Al-Hamidiye Souk,” and checked into the hotel. The hotels they work with are amazing, but this one is truly unique. An old Damascene house, a real one, transformed into a beautiful, luxurious hotel 🤩. Then we visited an old cafe, where we witnessed an old Syrian tradition, a storyteller telling some of the oldest preserved stories to the audience. You know, the sultan was once both the king and the judge, and people would come to him to settle down their disputes. The servants at that time recorded those stories, and now we were witnessed one of them! ☺ After that, we went to dinner, the five of us – Rami, Mary, Bashar, Amund, and me. For the food in Syria I may only say: it’s incredibly delicious and authentic, and it deserves a separate post 🤪🤪🤪.
On the next day, the 2nd, we spent the entire day in Damascus. We visited the St. Ananias Church, the Zaytuna Church, which was under restoration, but Bashar, as I’ve already explained, is a magician (in fact, we visited over 20 churches in Syria and only one mosque). We also visited the Armenian Orthodox Church, where, unintentionally, we became witnesses to a memorial service for a deceased one. Of course, the people there welcomed us very warmly, immediately started asking us where we were from, and when they heard “Bulgaria,” they competed each other: “I’ve been to Sofia,” another said, “I’ve been to Burgas too,” and then the oldest one said, “I’ve been to all these and to Plovdiv too.” They were very happy to see tourists and thanked us for not being afraid and going on a tour there. After that, we visited the central mosque in Damascus. We had a late lunch, but it was so plentiful and delicious that we didn’t need more food (one lunch or dinner, depending on how our day went, was included in the tour). After that, we visited one of the oldest caravanserais in Syria, and then we just strolled through the center of their beautiful capital. In the evening, Amund and I decided to go out on our own, take a walk, and have a drink. It was a great idea, and we did it. We wandered the streets, found a café, had a drink, and then headed back to the hotel. Of course, just then, there was a black-out of the power. Now it is the time to tell you that Syria has a power schedule, two hours on and four off. We turned on the flashlights on our phones, like everyone else, and continued. Well, of course, we got lost 🤣🤣🤣. Left, right, and we ended up at someone’s home 😔. They couldn’t explain very well how to find our hotel, but at least they directed us to the main street, and from there, with the help of Google maps, we managed to find our way back to the hotel.
On the morning of the 3rd day, we packed our bags and headed with Bashar and our driver for the next few days, Amar, to the Syrian desert to visit Palmyra. Of course, Palmyra is not the same as it used to be before the Islamic State had vandalized it. In fact, they deliberately destroyed the four jewels of Palmyra: the Temple of Bel, the Triumphal Arch, the Tetrapylon, and the Temple of Bel-Shamin. But still, Palmyra is a place that leaves you breathless, both literally and figuratively. The heat there was a real challenge for me. Moreover, right upon arrival, we found out why a special permit is needed to visit it. The Syrian army conducts exercises there! We met a Bedouin family, they invited us into their tent, gave us lifesaving cold water, we chatted, and we had coffee with them.
After that, we headed to Homs, where we had lunch (in Palmyra, the new city, this was impossible because it’s 90% destroyed). I can say a lot about Homs as well, but I’ll mention only this: as we were leaving the restaurant, immediately a young man, Taher, recognized us (thanks to the magical Bashar, of course), and we talked to him and his friends quite a bit about the situation in Syria. Of course, they were also very happy that we had visited their country. You’re great, Taher 🥰! Then we wandered through Homs, and in the evening, we continued to Al-Meshtaya, where we spent the night. 😊
On the next morning, the 4th day, we went directly to visit Krak des Chevaliers, the best-preserved and largest castle from the time of the Crusades. I won’t describe it; you can read about it. But I will mention the people again. As we were leaving, we encountered a large family, grandparents with 5-6 kids of different ages. Of course, they were also thrilled that we came to their country. The kids wanted to take selfies with me, and because I took the time to chat with each one (Syrians know English pretty well, young and old), the grandmother was so happy that I had made the kids happy that she came over and kissed me 😘!
After that, we went to Hama, where we saw the famous norias on the Orontes River, the “rebellious” river that supposedly flows backwards. We also visited the workshops of local adult artists, from whom I bought a beautiful painting 😍. Then we continued to Aleppo. We had a late lunch, went for a walk, and decided to buy a beer each and go to a viewpoint in Aleppo to watch the sunset. There, I met Meis, a four-year-old girl who fell in love with me as much as I did with her! And when we finally decided to leave, Meis just… kidnapped me! Yes, I was kidnapped in Syria! In the most brutal way, she just grabbed my clothes and pulled me with all her strength towards her family, calling on the others to go away because she didn’t need them, only I was staying with her! 🤣🤗☺😉. I love you, Meis, you’re amazing! Her father somehow managed to convince her to let me go, with a lot of persuasion, but I promised to come back to cuddle with her the next evening too 🥰🥰🥰!
Then we went to the hotel to check-in, and it turned out there was a mistake by the hotel in room reservations, so I had to be accommodated in the Presidential Suite! I’ve never in my life booked myself to stay in a presidential suite! I’ll upload a video 🤪! The guys suggested we go for an evening walk, but of course, I texted them, “I’m very sorry, but since tonight I am the President of Syria, I don’t leave this suite under no other circumstances, unless I’m forced out by the real one” 🤣🤣🤣. In fact, I didn’t go with them because I had just come out of the shower, and my hair was wet through, and I didn’t want to keep them waiting for me while I got ready 😉😊!
On the next day, the 5th day of our trip, we spent the entire day in Aleppo. This city has been one of the hardest-hit by the tragedy because they were just beginning to recover from the war when the earthquake struck. However, the people in Aleppo are also wonderful! Despite the destruction, they are slowly rebuilding shops and returning to normal life. We bought souvenirs from an elderly man whose shops had all been destroyed. His souvenirs were dusty and limited, but I didn’t mind, and I made my choice.
We then visited the oldest soap factory, 800 years old, and the owner gave us a tour of the factory. Of course, we bought some wonderful soaps 😍! Afterward, we went straight to the Citadel. Aleppo’s Citadel is undergoing reconstruction due to the earthquake, and it is closed to visitors. But once again, our magical guide, Bashar 💖, managed to persuade the museum director to let us inside and explore. Later, we had coffee with the director and had a good conversation.
We had a wonderful evening in Aleppo, walking around the city center late into the night, and we spent the night there once more.
On the morning of the 6th day, we headed to Apamea, or as the locals call it, Afamia, which is also the name of one of their beer brands. Apamea has the longest colonnaded street, about 2 km, ever discovered. We strolled along it and continued uphill towards the mountains. There, we visited the Salah al-Din Castle, also dating back to the Crusader period, and the museum director had driven 30 km just for our visit! 😲 We had tea with him and had a good conversation too. The place is absolutely breathtaking!
Afterwards, we continued to Latakia, Bashar’s hometown. There, we went directly to visit his elder brother Feras and his family – his wife Areej and their three beautiful children, Joel, the eldest, Hasan, the middle child, and Hadi, the youngest. They had prepared us a wonderful lunch, and we were truly charmed by their hospitality! I love them all 🤍🤍🤍!
Then we checked into an incredible 5-star hotel at the seashore and went for a walk around the city. Latakia is one of the two coastal cities in Syria and remained untouched by the war. There was no destruction there, and we walked around the city until late. I bought my daughter some wonderful Syrian clothes and shoes for a very reasonable price and she said she would be very proud to wear them because they meant much more value to her than the super-branded clothes of her peers 🥰!
On the next, already 7th day, we went to visit the ancient city of Ugarit. The museum director kept apologizing to us for it being neglected, but they couldn’t maintain the place due to the lack of tourists. For comparison, before the war, he mentioned they used to have over a thousand tourists a day, but now… 😔
Afterwards, we headed to Tartus, the other seaside city in Syria. We visited the only inhabited Syrian island, Arwad, where we explored the Citadel, talked to the locals, and then returned to the mainland. From there, we had a late lunch and visited the ancient city of Amrit, where we met a group of Italian archaeologists working on the site. We had a conversation with them too and explored the temple, stadium, and tombs. We spent the night in Tartus.
The following morning, on the 8th day, we visited the most famous winery in Syria, owned by a Christian family. We toured the winery, and the owner told us about how they make the famous blue Syrian wine. Of course, we had a wine tasting since they had prepared meals for us. Well, I couldn’t resist and bought some wine to take back to Bulgaria. 🤪 Then, we headed to Maaloula, the most Christian town in Syria, and the place with the largest community of people who speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ. There is no mosque in Maaloula, only churches! ❤ We visited two of them, first the Catholic one, where a woman agreed to recite a prayer in Aramaic for us while we video-recorded it. Bashar, you are magical! 🤩 After that, we descended through a gorge to the Orthodox St. Tekla. We arrived just in time for their prayer, an incredible experience! And because I really wanted to buy icons from this place for presents to my family and my beloved ones, Bashar tried to convince one of the nuns there to do something. And this woman, the nun, oh, this woman, she literally shattered my heart! She broke it into countless pieces!!! 😭😭😭 Yes, she broke it! She took us to her room, took out her only personal icon dated by 1736, YES, seventeen thirty-six, and offered to GIVE it to me as a gift because there was no way to convince the elderly lady who holds the key to open the shop. She wanted to fulfill my wish! To give it to me as a gift, could you understand? I cried (and keep crying), of course, I couldn’t accept it, but I promised her that I would come back to Syria, this time with my family, and I would visit them again, this time during their working hours! After returning to the hotel, I cried again, and the next day, when I remembered it, I cried again! 😭😭😭😭😭😭 That woman truly broke my heart! 😭
In the evening, we returned to Damascus, where we spent our final two nights in Syria.
On the morning of the 9th day, we visited Bosra, the Black City, named by the basalt from which it is constructed. It is also home to the largest preserved amphitheater in Syria with a capacity of 15,000 seats. There, we had conversations with the locals, bought souvenirs, and then returned to Damascus, where we had an excellent late lunch (continued to the evening) with Rami, Mary, and Bashar 🥰. They gifted me two necklaces with names written in Arabic, one for me and one for my daughter. Thank you, you made me a wonderful surprise! 🤩🤩🤩
On the next morning, the 10th day, we headed back to Lebanon, to Beirut Airport, and then back home.
In conclusion, I may only say that Syria is beautiful! Truly! What I had experienced there could not be put into words. I tried to convey it to you, but I am sure I couldn’t realize even a fraction of the real emotions I felt there 😊😊😊!
I love everyone I met there: Rami, Mary, Bashar, Amund, Anas, Amar, Taher, my sweetheart ❤Meis❤, Feras, Areej, and the amazing Juju, Hadi, and Hassan, the Bedouin Mohammed, Mania, Hala, the museum directors who made great gestures for us, the nun from St. Tekla, and all those Syrians who made me feel at home when so far away from it. I love you all!
P.S. Thank you to those who read and followed along until the end! 💖💖💖