My apologies for not posting for such a long time, but it was a really busy month. I am back now and bring you the newest report from the Balcans.
Imagine you were a king a country and get exiled when a communist revolution takes place. You wait years and years abroad and when liberty finally returns to your country, you return home only to find a newly formed republic that doesn't have a place for its former king. What do you do? Well you can follow the example of the former Bulgarian king Simeon and get elected as the country's prime minister? Impossible? Well welcome to Bulgaria and its glamorous capital, Sofia.
Well, to tell you the truth, I don't think Sofia is a typical tourist destination. For many reasons. If you are looking for ancient fortresses and castles, beautiful palaces or any kind of medieval landmarks, you will be disappointed. The thing is, while the area has been inhabited for more than two thousand years, not much of its ancient heritage has been preserved. After the fall of Rome, the city almost disappeared and remained a provincial little town for most of its history - actually till the Bulgarian independence in the 19th century when the little town was proclaimed a capital and the new growing metropolis was founded. But there is certain feel and atmosphere to the city that does make you not regret that you ever set foot here.
So let's see the five wonders that you should not miss.
1/ Alexander Nevsky cathedral
Although built only in the late 19th century, this large neo-byzantine style church has been a landmark of Sofia throughout all of its existence. It was once even the largest Orthodox cathedral in the Balkans, till it was surpassed by the St. Sava cathedral in Belgrade, now it occupies the second spot. You can visit the church free of charge, just be aware that especially during sunday, there are holly masses taking place and it may get a bit crowded. Taking pictures inside costs 10 BGN (5EUR).
While the church itself is no wonder that will not let you fall asleep for the days to come, it was built on the remains of much older roman basilica. And if you are willing to pay 6 BGN, you can visit theser remains buried deep under the church in its catacombs. Feel free to examine ancient frescoes and mosaics.
The third church in our list (you may get the feeling that Sofia is just a city of churches, right). This one, located a bit further from the city, ended up even on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Why, you may ask when you see this building from the outside. Well, outside is not what matters here. The inside harbors one of the most valuable treasures of all of Bulgaria. The frescoes covering the inner walls of this church date back to the 10th century and are almost universally preserved to this day. The entrance fee is 10 BGN and you can stay inside maximum 10 minutes. Photography is not allowed.
Well, while not the winner of any building beauty contests, this piece of socialist architecture has become just another landmark of the city. Dominating one of Sofia's numerous parks, this is your selfie spot if you want to let people know your are here. The building houses many exhibitions, a concert hall and several meeting halls. In the park surrounding it you may find many spots to rest yourself on your walk through the city, you can enjoy beautiful fountains or take a selfie with the Sofia sign and in some time, maybe the building will stop looking so disgusting to you :)
If you want to rest after the whole day of wandering, you should find yourself on this number one pedestrian boulevard in Sofia. Crowded by beer gardens, ice-cream shops and restaurants as well as numerous souvenir shops, this is your street if you want to enjoy some of Sofia's leisure time activity. Get a beer, coffe or a cocktail, some special balkanian cuisine and enjoy view of the natural landmark of Sofia - the Vitosha mountain in the background. Perfect start of and end to a day :)
And don't stop travelling :)
Love
Lex
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