Sofia - so good!

Interesting Bulgarian fact ~ if you nod your head it means `no`. If you shake your head it means `yes`. This could get me into a whole load of trouble!!!!

St Sofia - means Wisdom in Greek. So the statue holds an owl in her left hand and a laurel wreath in her right. Sept 17th is St Sofia day, a national holiday. St Sofia was Italian, she had 3 daughters, Faith, Hope and Love. They were still children when they were tortured and murdered, one by one by Hadrians guards in an attempt to force Sofia to give up her faith in Christ. Her statue stands in the city centre, it was erected in 2000 in the place where a monument to Lenin once stood.

Left, right, left, left, right, left, I have no idea where the taxi is taking us on this maze of little one way streets. Finally, we drive a short way the wrong way up a one way street and stop in front of a building covered in scaffolding. Oh, please not again!!! But our building is actually next door. Phew. I ring Boris, the owner, who says he will be down in a minute. What a welcome! With Boris comes Charlie, gorgeous, waggy tailed blur of fur. A spaniel. We get well and truely inspected, sniffed, licked and fussed over (by Charlie of course, but Boris is nice too). Love it here already.

So, floor 6. With a lift, bliss. The apartment. Oh my goodness. It is lovely. A huge open plan living, dining, kitchen area. Large spacious bedroom. Beautiful big shower room. And a balcony accessed from both the bedroom and living room. Two walk in storage cupboards. I love it. We do a quick reccee of the area, and email Boris about booking for a second week. This is exactly what I have been looking for. The second load of washing is finishing when Boris replies and says `yes`. Woo hoo.

The area - just 5 minutes easy stroll to the city centre. Fabulous buildings. Bars, cafes, restaurants. I can't wait to explore. But first things first. Supplies! We find a little mini market just around the corner with all we need for now. I am looking for eggs when a voice says `where are you from?`. The voice belongs to a lovely lady from Sweden who lived in London for some years, loves travelling, knows Brighton, and is in Bulgaria for the skiing. We exchange details, hope she keeps in touch. She also helped me find the eggs! 

We are both pretty tired, so chill out time, glass or two of good Bulgarian wine courtesy of our lovely host, Boris, and an early night.

Several cups of tea in bed this morning. Poached eggs on toast for brunch. Then off for a proper explore. Good news! There is a great Lidl, baked beans, woo hoo. I want to cook. Norman wants to eat. His choice - roast pork and all the trimmings. Lidl provides. But, we do a little strolling in the city centre as well and find a great cocktail bar. Its called The Cocktail Bar (original) on Angel Kanchev. We start off with a beer. WYUEHCKO MNBO. Its local, 4.5%, don't ask me to pronounce it, but its lovely. Then, as its a cocktail bar with great people watching, an `old fashioned` and a `negroni`. The waitress prompts a little reminisce of `you were working as a waitress in a cocktail bar.....`. Human League. She is a bit of a looker. Low cut neckline with a bullet nestling on a chain between her ample assets. My Mum would have called the skirt a `fanny pelmet`. Ha ha. But this lady can wear it well, if you've got it, flaunt it. Sun is shining, people are out promenading. Loads of dogs wearing loads of costumes! Little trousers and jackets, woolen jumpers. And the owners are stylish too. I feel like a vagrant! Ha ha. Then off home to cook. We are both stuffed! Must say it was delicious.

Tomorrow we will do some serious tourist stuff, I promise. But we have two long wonderful weeks here, no rush.

We are both so surprised by Sofia. We were expected a post communist, drab and dreary place. This city is truly lovely. The tram system is so good. The traffic is minimal. And it seems pedestrians actually have a right of way! Scarey actually when cars stop for you - are they going to or not? There is no litter and very little grafitti. The air is clean and you can hear the birds singing. The main Vitosha boulevard is busy with shoppers enjoying high end brands, Polo Ralph Lauren etc, and the more usual H&M plus interesting homegrown Bulgarian  shops. Loads of cafes, bars and restaurants doing a roaring trade. The sun is shining, you can see the mountains with their snowy peaks in the distance, people are happy, its got a good vibe. 

SERDICA - When they were digging in the city centre for a road system and new shopping  and leisure building (which fits in beautifully). They uncovered the old Roman city of Serdica. Instead of building yet another museum, they made the ancient walls and columns into part of the pedestrian subway. It is a fabulous idea. Walking through ancient history on your way about your business. Can't help but wonder how it would be abused in London. (Might be being synical!) Michele W` would love this. Michele is a dear friend who should have been archeologist. But, if she had to walk this way to work she would always be late, too busy looking at the stones. Bless her.

THE SQUARE OF RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE - A mosque, a catholic cathedral, and orthodox church and a synagogue. All within a few minutes of each other. Such is the diversity of Sofia. The Sveti Yosef (St Joseph) catholic cathedral was completely destroyed by the Americans during WW2, and has only recently been rebuilt. The synagogue is the biggest Sephardic temple in europe. Sveta Nedelya orthodox cathedral was badly damaged in an assault by the communist party in 1925. All worshipers of all religions living happily side by side.

BULGARIA SQUARE - Heading down Vitosha Boulavard, you get to Bulgaria Square. A large pedestrian area with fountains, flower beds, grass areas, interesting statues and plenty of benches to sit on and enjoy the spring sunshine. The National palace of culture is at the southern end, always lots of events going on. Then head over a big wide bridge into a lovely park. Great for strolling.

There are so many lovely buildings. I think my favourite is the tiny Russian orthodox church. Its like a fairy cake or a fantasy castle, so highly decorated and ornate. It was sparkling in the sunshine. Inside was equally spectacular, but no photos allowed.

So.....Sofia! What do I think? I think it is a great city. Fabulous to combine it with some days skiing or hiking in the mountains. The city has a great night life as well as lots to see in daytime. Here are a few of my favourite haunts;

The Cocktail Bar on Angel Kanchev - read about it in previous paragraph.

Sidewalk on Vitosha Boulevard. - great for coffee, beer and  they also do a great cocktail. Good watering hole whilst shopping.

Miyabi - Japanese restaurant tucked away in a peaceful alley off Stara Planina - best Japanese meal I have ever eaten. Sushi heaven. Tranquil, lovely place. Food beautifully presented. Second trip tonight. Start with Asahi. Pan sticker dumplings (don't know the real name), scallops in tempura, prawn avocado cucumber sushi rolls, salmon cucumber sake sushi, warm sake, 3 types of homemade icecream and a delicious little fish shaped waffle. My description doesn't come close to doing it justice. You might need to book. Miyabi@abv.bg.

The Famous Barber on near Hotel Rila on Positano - turned a hairy monster back into my old geezer. Best since Turkey.

Asiprint on Hristo Kovachev 4 - did a fabulous quick job of printing new business cards for the blog. Also sent me the design on a PDF so I can get more printed without paying for the artwork. LOVELY PEOPLE.  THANK YOU.

Lidl - got to give it a mention.