BEAUTIFUL BULGARIA

From the title of this post I’m sure you’ve guessed that we’re not beavering away at DIY but instead we're bumming around Bulgaria sipping chilled Zagorka (a local beer) in temperatures last seen in the UK in 1976. It is hot.  So hot that Microsoft’s servers must have melted as I haven’t been able to access Hotmail in a week and nor it appears has the rest of the world outside Bulgaria.   Hey, who needs Hotmail anyway when there’s beer to be drunk, sights to be seen and trams to be photographed.

Oh look there's another tram

 

Bulgaria has swapped the red star of communism for the red badge of consumerism yet the city of Sofia retains a sultry, laid back charm devoid of the brash touristic traps of other European capitals we’ve visited.  

Museum of Socialist Art

Everything that's wrong with this world

This is the ‘Ryanair’ of cities to visit – no in your face tourist attractions, no annoying waiters trying to drag you into restaurants, none of that ‘let’s try to squeeze every last Leva out of this sucker stuff, it’s no frills tourism but in the nicest possible way.

On the surface, Sofia may come as a shock to some tourists especially those expecting the glamour and glitz of let’s say a visit to London but behind its dusty unevenly paved streets and concrete Communist tower blocks, lies a thriving metropolis full of history and culture.  There are beautiful churches and parks, grandiose buildings and ancient Roman ruins all within yards of each other.

Church of Sveta Nedelya

And when you’ve tired of pounding the pavements, you can quickly escape into the countryside as Sofia is surrounded by mountains so plenty of hiking tours available where you can commune with nature.

7 Rila Lakes hiking tour

A challenging hike but worth it for the views

Rila Monastery

Here’s a small taster of what you can see when visiting Sofia:

Sofia Synagogue

Central Market Hall

Aleksandur Nevski Memorial Church

Rotunda of Sveti Georgi

Fountain by the Archaeology Museum

National Palace of Culture