I’m off on my travels again, this time visiting some countries in the Balkans, mostly former Yugoslavian countries. Seven new countries in total which is exciting and I’ll get a little taste of each…
We start in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. It’s an easy three and a half hour flight direct from Dublin on Ryanair and twenty minutes on the train into the city. We’ve booked an Airbnb and it’s a really nice ground floor of a house within walking distance to everything. Our host Angelina has excellent English and gives us lots of good information. Her family are winemakers and they’ve left some red and white in the house that we can buy for 8 lev (that’s just 4 euros) a bottle. We shall definitely be trying that. We pick up a few supplies from the local BILLA, get settled into our new abode and then head out to explore the city.
As we walk toward the centre of town, Mount Vitosha is visible in the distance and it’s a nice backdrop to the city.
We don’t intentionally head for any of the main sites, but while rambling around we pass Banya Bashi mosque:
On the other side of the street is Central Market Hall – we do love a good food market so I’m guessing we might be back here:
Further down the Main Street there’s a large intersection with a monument erected in 2000 representing St. Sofia:
Next we come across the “Party House” which was built in 1954 to house the Bulgarian communist party:
And just around the corner, at the Presidency building, we catch the changing of the guard:
Continuing our ramble, we come upon the “Russian church”. Considered by some to be the most striking building in Sofia, it is beautiful on the outside and small and dark on the inside.
A few minutes walk from here is the Aleksandur Nevski Memorial church. This is the key landmark in Sofia. It was built to commemorate the Russian prince Nevski and his success in the War of Liberation. It’s impressive on the outside but not so much on the inside.
En route to Vistosha street, where the main bars and restaurants are located, we pass the Opera house which is beautiful:
Angelina recommended a restaurant called “Shtastlivetca” which means happiness and we’re delighted to get a table as it’s very busy. We have a really good first meal of Bulgarian food and local wine from Melnik.
Day 2: Today we plan to cover all of what we’d like to see in Sofia so we can do some day trips before we leave Bulgaria. We set out for the National Palace of Culture which isn’t so much of a palace rather a large 70’s style concrete and glass block. It does have a beautiful backdrop of green hills and snowy topped mountains behind it but it’s not so easy to get a good shot… I tried….
We walk through one of the city parks on the edge of town. It’s sunny and there’s not a lot of people around so it’s really nice walking around. We have noticed that it’s common for people to drink alcohol in the park… not just drunks on park benches, it seems going to the park, or any common area and having a few cans is an acceptable social outing. Everywhere feels very safe though and although people aren’t overly friendly, everyone we encounter is pleasant.
There are so many pastry shops with all sorts of delicious savory pastries – they are unavoidable. Around lunchtime we try a couple that have meat and cheese and they don’t disappoint.
There are Roman ruins all over the city which is very cool. Although there’s plenty of graffiti on buildings, in alleys etc, none of the ancient remains seem to be vandalized in any way. I find this quite amazing as a lot of them are just on the side of the road and not protected in any way. We continue to The Monument of the Soviet Army built in the 50’s. A reminder of the communist days, it’s not very popular with the locals.
We visit the Church of Sveta (saint) Sofia next. This is the oldest surviving church in the city and has a museum underground with the remains of over fifty tombs and mosaics, some in very good condition, dating back to Byzantine and Roman times.
There are so many churches in Sofia. The Orthodox churches differ from the Catholic churches in a few ways – firstly you stand for any services so they tend to seem big and empty, secondly they have few windows and tend to be dark giving an air of mystic and thirdly the alter is hidden behind a huge screen covered in icons, called the iconostasis and only the priest is allowed to go behind it. Generally you’re not allowed to take photos but when we call into the next church on our list – Sveta Nadelya there’s a wedding so I take a sneaky snap!
On our way home we stop to fill our water bottles at the mineral baths. There are lots of people filling bottles as this is mineral water to drink. Strangely enough it was hot water though….. not for me!
Tonight we dine at a restaurant called Moma, where we’ve made a reservation ahead of time. It’s in a really cool building and again we have traditional Bulgarian wine and dishes. I have rooster cooked in a clay pot which is delicious. Another successful day in Sofia and might I add, over 20,000 steps walked. 😀
Day 3: Today we take a bus tour to the Rila monastery. On the way, about twenty minutes outside of Sofia is Boyana church. Inside the tiny church that allows only ten people for ten minutes at a time are some amazing 13th century frescoes (no photos allowed).
The main attraction is a further hour and a half away and it’s well worth the journey. Nestled among beautiful mountains and feeling very remote is the Rila Monastery:
The monastery was founded in the 10th century by St. Ivan of Rila. The guide talks us through the history of the monastery and the story behind some of the intricate murals covering the walls and ceilings of the church. A lot of them depict sinners going to hell while others are scenes from the Bible.
Inside the main church there is a large iconostasis and elaborate light fixture
Also inside the church is the grave of Tsar Boris III. He was the leader during WWII and although aligned with Hitler, he refused to deliver the Jewish population to the same fate. Jews were forced into labor camps but apparently none were killed and their population remained the same pre and post the war.
After some free time to explore, it’s back on the bus for the two hour journey home.
Back in Sofia we visit one last church that we missed yesterday. It’s the Rotunda of St. Georgi and it’s oddly placed in a courtyard between a large hotel and the Presidency building.
Another fantastic meal tonight at a restaurant that is just around the corner from the house. It’s one that was recommended by our host and also rates high on TripAdivser so it’s a little touristy but the food is amazing and we get a little bit of local music. We order Bulgarian salad, lamb delicacy (which includes lambs brains and tongue) and pork in a clay pot. More local red wine and some rakia (not for me, I can’t handle the local fire water) ensures a great night all round.
Day 4: Another bus journey today, this time to the second biggest city in Bulgaria – Plovdiv. We board the local bus and after some confusion with the assigned seating we are on our way – in separate seats! It’s a two hour drive and having left at 9am we have most of the day to explore this ancient city full of Roman ruins, National Revival mansions and historical charm.
One of the main sites is the Roman amphitheater where they’re setting up for a concert:
Today is the hottest day so far and we get out of the sun for a little break to visit the Icon museum. This is St. Cyril and Methodius – I think they look like twins – I must find out about them!
I’m pretty sure today will be a 20,000 steps day as we’ve pretty much covered the whole town, which is built on three hills and is essentially a maze of narrow cobbled streets! We’ve visited the Church of Konstantin and Elena:
And the impressive Kuyumdzhiogh house, currently the Ethnographic museum:
At this stage my feet are sore and I think we need a little rest. Shane has found that Plovdiv has some craft beer bars so we’ll check that out before heading back to Sofia.
For our final meal we spotted a very popular grilled meat establishment so we load up on that along with some interesting salads and have a quiet evening before setting off for country number two tomorrow.
odohertyelaine 