Making A Jewish Mother Proud - Bulgarian Style

This typical train station is indicative of my overall impression of
Communist buildings in Bulgaria...

Well, it seems like Jewish mothers have some competition - Bulgarians! Never would my mother be so proud of the way someone extended hospitality towards me and worried about me so much more than one would think possible, than with my friend and guide in Bulgaria.

Mineral water springs in the centre of the city - the locals are constantly
filling up water bottles to take home so they can enjoy the good minerals.

The warnings I got prior to and during my trip made me think I was entering the third world: Don't cross the street when the green man appears without first checking for cars (only to have my guide cross at a red light instead). Don't go north of this street, it's very dangerous. I wasn't allowed to walk around by myself at night. Warned about getting ripped off left, right and centre. Concerned that there were lots of ugly buildings around. Worried that I would be too busy and get tired. Concerned that there was more to see and do. Very tiring. But wow, what an absolute pleasure! My experience in Bulgaria could not have been better, and despite all the bad things I had heard from my friend, the country was a pleasant surprise for me.

Yet another great photo, thanks to my guide & photographer. This is the old mineral bath house

Sure, Sofia isn't the most beautiful of cities. But Plovdiv and Koprivshtitsa make up for it. Perhaps the people do what they can to make money (perhaps sometimes at the expense of tourists), but they are a friendly, talkative bunch.

My favourite 'ugly' Communist monument - much of the metal
has been stolen off it, and now it's just left to fall apart.

So, Sofia... Bulgaria's capital is a mish-mash of classic 19th century buildings set amongst some of the most ugly Communist buildings I can imagine. Interspersed are a few beautiful buildings from earlier centuries, as well as some particularly bad looking Communist statues and monuments. The city has been around in one form or another for over 2 millennia and sits atop Roman ruins. It has a beautifully rich history and was totally fascinating for me.

National Theatre by day....and night

On my first full day there, we went to the History Museum to help me get a bit of an understanding of how the country came about. Definitely something useful when one really doesn't know much about a place. Interestingly, the museum is housed inside the old presidential palace from Communist times. This building is a great example of how the Communist elite truly enjoyed a lifestyle that is unparalleled in today's world. Massively wide avenues lead towards the building which is on a massive plot of land at the foot of the mountains. Inside, the place is beautiful. Covered in marble, huge, and looked like it would have been rather lavish one day. Definitely not "of the people".

Outside the History Museum - although not exactly looking classy now, it was still a rather impressive building

Mt Vitosha, which looks over Sofia from the South, provides a beautiful backdrop to the city. Hiking grounds in summer and snowfields in winter. We attempted to go up one day on the chairlift, only to find it was not operational due to the low demand. Thankfully our taxi driver took us part way up the mountain to a 'not particularly exciting' monastery. However, the air was crisp and fresh up there and the walk back down provided some lovely expansive views over the city. Further down the mountain, is the most interesting Boyana Church. Built around 1,000 years ago, this tiny church has the most beautiful murals on the inside and was a fascinating place to visit for me.

The Dragalevtzi Monastery on Mt Vitosha

The rather impressive, Aleksander Nevski Church

Interestingly, one of my favourite things about Sofia, and what I found particularly interesting was the religious harmony that once existed in the city. Around Independence Square, where the status of St Sofia stands (where that of Lenin used to stand), you will find the grand synagogue of the city (now the only one still in use), the mosque (again, the only one still in use), an Orthodox church and a Catholic church. All within a hundred metres or so of the square. Religious tolerance isn't quite what it used to be there, but the signs remain...

As seems to be commonplace with my holidays, the rain that was around while I was in Austria, followed me West towards Sofia and showed its face for 2 of the days there. I can't really complain though, it wasn't that bad, and at least the temperatures were quite reasonable.

Derelict buildings, example A

Bulgaria, unfortunately, seems to have a massive oversupply of buildings - both residential and commercial. As a result, plenty of places are sitting empty - mostly the type of building that in other countries you would expect would be pulled down (for OH&S reasons...). The word 'derelict' hardly begins to describe some of the sights, most of which are thanks to our friends the Soviets. They definitely left their mark with the style of buildings, the plain, ugly train stations and the disgusting statues. Perhaps it all looked better during Communist times when it was maintained, but now it looks terrible. Who's to say that grey concrete can't look good?

Cookie Cake - yummm

As per usual with me, much local cuisine was consumed. Bulgaria, for tourists like me, is dirt cheap. Eating in nice restaurants one can be extremely comfortable, and with taxi rides that beg the question: "how does that price even cover fuel costs?", one really is able to not worry about spending... On top of this - the food is plentiful and delicious. My new favourite salad is the traditional shopska, and my love of cheese was reinforced with some heart stopping deep fried yellow cheese - yumm! Something also has to be said about the desserts - with a strong Turkish influence, no one can possibly complain! Baklava and other syrupy goodness galore!

Manual override for traffic lights - pressure pads and induction sensors
don't seem to have made it to Sofia yet... - I have been corrected: turns out
these are for policemen to monitor compliance with the law. Less
exciting, but the truth rules...

The Russian Orthodox Church

I think I learnt quite a bit about the country during my stay. Out of all the countries in Europe, Bulgaria is the one which has kept its name and roughly its original borders for the longest. Since being proclaimed an empire in 681 (I think...) it has been the subject of 2 monarchies, Turkish rule for 5 centuries and Soviet rule for nearly 5 decades. Then there is the history prior to 681, the Romans, the Greeks, the Thracians and probably a few others here and there. The people there have been through a lot and it's interesting to see a country which has a lot of national pride. People who worship the Russian saviours who freed them from the Turks in the late 19th century, yet despise the Soviets who controlled them with an iron fist in the 20th century. Of course there are differences of opinion, and thanks to my guide/translator I became well aware of the standard conversation between any two random old men, which typically involves the line, something to the effect of: "wasn't it good during Communist times when...."

The rather modest parliament

Finding the way home on the Yellow Brick Road...