SOFIA
Constantine the Great (of Constantinople fame) called Sofia “my Rome”. I'm not sure if Sofia retains any Roman features today although the city still has a grand feel and I would gladly called it my "Philadelphia" if I ever relocated to Bulgaria.
The initial impression of the "East meets West", "Doorstep of Europe" city raised a series of questions - is it Roman? European? Byzantine? The Cyrillic writing makes it seem Russian, although this alphabet is common in this part of the world. Despite four hundred years of occupation there's hardly any Ottoman influence aside from doner kebabs and Turkish coffee. Bulgarians do not seem to have any single “look”; similar to the U.S. “mutt” - some look Italian, some Greek, some Russian. Voices range from the soft and sweet flowing Italian to the short and harsh Middle Eastern dialects. The visit is a clear slate from any expectations.
After a morning coffee and stroll around town I joined a culture tour to help provide some answers. The culture tour focused on traditional “costumes”, dances, and food. Bulgaria shares several cultural aspects with its Balkan neighbors, such as the one,two, long threeee dance sequences and the circle hand holding dance routines have a Middle Eastern influence.
The tour passed several historical buildings and parks. The public space, often named as parks took the form of squares - they may be called parks or gardens but the settings were more reminiscent of New Yorks Washington Square or Philadelphias Rittenhouse Square. Al fresco cafes took advantage of the open space and occupied space around the squares. Alternatively you could purchase a beer from an of the old school style convenience stores and find a bench for an afternoon of drinking. Artists sketched the scene.
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The initial impression of the "East meets West", "Doorstep of Europe" city raised a series of questions - is it Roman? European? Byzantine? The Cyrillic writing makes it seem Russian, although this alphabet is common in this part of the world. Despite four hundred years of occupation there's hardly any Ottoman influence aside from doner kebabs and Turkish coffee. Bulgarians do not seem to have any single “look”; similar to the U.S. “mutt” - some look Italian, some Greek, some Russian. Voices range from the soft and sweet flowing Italian to the short and harsh Middle Eastern dialects. The visit is a clear slate from any expectations.
After a morning coffee and stroll around town I joined a culture tour to help provide some answers. The culture tour focused on traditional “costumes”, dances, and food. Bulgaria shares several cultural aspects with its Balkan neighbors, such as the one,two, long threeee dance sequences and the circle hand holding dance routines have a Middle Eastern influence.
The tour passed several historical buildings and parks. The public space, often named as parks took the form of squares - they may be called parks or gardens but the settings were more reminiscent of New Yorks Washington Square or Philadelphias Rittenhouse Square. Al fresco cafes took advantage of the open space and occupied space around the squares. Alternatively you could purchase a beer from an of the old school style convenience stores and find a bench for an afternoon of drinking. Artists sketched the scene.
CLICK OR TAP IMAGES TO ENLARGE
I left the tour and walked across town to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. This may be Sofia's only “must see” attraction. I figured visiting this early in my stay would allow me to focus on the more pressing matters of finding the ideal al fresco cafe to spend the rest of my time. The cathedral is an Eastern Orthodox Byzantine style church completed in 1912. The central dome created a wide and open interior with paintings cover the walls and ceilings. No pews were set up. This was the style I saw repeated at other orthodox churches. There wasn't much to the church otherwise - there was a prayer candle area at the entrance but there wasn't the surrounding smaller niches I've seen at European Catholic Cathedrals.
I backtracked a bit to another park / square to join a food focus tour - Balkan Bites. This tour passed through a few more squares and main streets and did a good job of filling in other Bulgarian cultural aspects between meals. During the tour the group ate a tarator yogurt soup, banitsa, cheese spread appetizers, and a vegetable spread appetizer.
Banitsa resembles a German strudel although with the Bulgarian white cheese added as the filling. It only took a few meals to see the emphasis dairy products - yogurt and cheese play in the Bulgarian cuisine. Apparently the area is home to a unique form of bacteria that gives the Bulgarian White Cheese a unique taste. Bulgarians also tend to add a bit more salt than there Balkan neighbors.
The vegetable spreads were similar to the Italian tapas dishes of Burschetta and Hot Peppers - instead of being chopped or whole pieces the vegetables were ground into a spread with more ingredients. The tarator soup featured watered down yogurt, cucumbers, and dill. There has been an explosion of soup restaurants in Bulgaria as diners look for healthy fast food alternatives to pizza and the Western brands.
Banitsa resembles a German strudel although with the Bulgarian white cheese added as the filling. It only took a few meals to see the emphasis dairy products - yogurt and cheese play in the Bulgarian cuisine. Apparently the area is home to a unique form of bacteria that gives the Bulgarian White Cheese a unique taste. Bulgarians also tend to add a bit more salt than there Balkan neighbors.
The vegetable spreads were similar to the Italian tapas dishes of Burschetta and Hot Peppers - instead of being chopped or whole pieces the vegetables were ground into a spread with more ingredients. The tarator soup featured watered down yogurt, cucumbers, and dill. There has been an explosion of soup restaurants in Bulgaria as diners look for healthy fast food alternatives to pizza and the Western brands.
After the tour I went cafe hopping starting with a beer on Vitosha Boulevard, Sofia's main leisure strip. From here I had an espresso (I asked for an Americano and was told they only served Bulgarian blends) at an Orthodox Church square. Before heading back to the hotel I had a Shopska Salad at Happy, an upscale Western menu restaurant and a poplar with locals Bulgarian chain. The Shopska Salad represents a Bulgarian fusion dish - it features tomatoes (not endemic to Bulgaria) with two native ingredients cucumbers and of course chunks of the Bulgarian White Cheese.
Spiraling out from the city center leads to neighborhoods with distinct and different feels. On my second morning I headed in the direction of Zhenski Bazar. Old timers were shopping for fruits and vegetables. Almond and nut stores were also prominent in the area. The north end of this bazar finished at a large square and the road south lead back to the city center and administrative area. From here I completed the loop to the hostel back through the southeast section of the city center.
Spiraling out from the city center leads to neighborhoods with distinct and different feels. On my second morning I headed in the direction of Zhenski Bazar. Old timers were shopping for fruits and vegetables. Almond and nut stores were also prominent in the area. The north end of this bazar finished at a large square and the road south lead back to the city center and administrative area. From here I completed the loop to the hostel back through the southeast section of the city center.
In the afternoon I used a combination of the metro and buses to reach the small village suburb of Bankya. There wasn't much at the village - I literally exited the bus, walked around for twenty minutes, then boarded the next bus back to town - although the ride was interesting. I finally saw some Soviet era apartment buildings (I think) and the bus passed by what would be considered a squatter development (I think) with each crumbling home having a satellite dish attached. While waiting for the bus to Bankya I walked through Videopolis, Bulgaria's Best Buy. The store offered the full range of products at reasonable prices, particularly for flat screen TVs - no wonder everyone has a satellite dish.
In the evening I had a somewhat disappointing Hungarian meal at Hadgidraganovite-Izbi but then redeemed myself with a beer at Apartment. Apartment is literally someone's apartment with each room having a different mood. As I walked the stairs to the second floor the owner was there to great me. It takes a while to find the "bar". After paying for a drink it's another pass through the apartment alternating to find the most comfortable of the comfortable couches. It's a remarkable setup and one that from a cost and crowd perspective would be impossible to create outside of Sofia.
On the way back to the hostel I circled through the government administrative buildings lit up with evening spotlights.
On the way back to the hostel I circled through the government administrative buildings lit up with evening spotlights.
For additional Sofia photos see FLICKR ALBUM.