I used to plan trips months in advance, I have no idea when did I started practicing that two weeks before the vacation I don’t even have a destination. It’s a common pattern of behaviour lately and I’m not sure if I like it, it stresses me out. The option of staying home is not an option obviously. That’s how I ended up in Bulgaria, alone. Sofia isn’t a city that typically ends up on bucket list, but has pleasantly surprised me. I love when my negative stereotypes turn out to be wrong.
Surrounded by mountains such as Vitosha by the southern side and the Balkan mountains by the north this valley is full of surprises. It’s hard to go far without stumbling into one of the parks. Parks are the epicentre of life in Sofia, at least during the summer. Eclectic, lively city, full of people and quite cheap.
Sofia’s architecture combines a wide range of architectural styles from Roman to Communist buildings, the most famous is Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral with 45 m high gold-plated dome, St. Alexander Nevsky. Although predominantly Orthodox, in the centre of Sofia, only 300 meters from each other, there is an Orthodox church, a Catholic cathedral, a mosque and a synagogue. Very good example of tolerance and respect for different religions. I also stopped by a nearby market a couple of times, since I don’t understand Cyrillic, later I realised that is called a ‘women’s market’ (zhenski pazar). How convenient.
Despite the fact that I met some interesting people here, I would love to go back to Sofia with friends.
I hope you like this little photo diary I put together to share my time adventuring around Sofia. Let me know if you have visited Bulgaria and how did you like it. If anyone has any feedback I’d be so appreciative to receive your comments and questions below. ♥︎ Unta
Explore more:
Unta 