Sofia- Ahh Sofia. I don’t really know what to say about Sofia. Maybe it was the fact that we had 2.5 days in a city that requires one day to explore. Maybe it was the fact that the lovely yellow bricks made me feel like I might fall at any moment (though I only fell once – which, for those who know me well, is a HUGE accomplishment). Maybe it was the fact that there was an entire day when all the museums were closed, so after seeing every church in town and exploring the neighborhoods around us, we succumbed to the warmth of our hotel room and the entertainment of hulu – but something was missing from the Sofia experience.
Realistically, simply, I don’t think I realized how small Sofia is compared to places like Budapest and had I planned more accordingly, I could have been impressed by the city and the country. It was definitely a change from our first stop in Budapest. Here, most people spoke very little English and I had the pleasure of trying to decipher menus written in Bulgarian (using my Russian of course!) – though sometimes just for the fun of it as menus in English are actually available at a lot of places, though English speaking waiters are a different story. More importantly, there was no swarm of tourists, and our visits to the museums (on Tuesday, once they were open) and churches were, thankfully, without a throng of tourists and flash bulbs. In this respect, Sofia was a welcome stop along our journey.
Overall, I would go back to Sofia again, because, unlike Budapest, I don’t think it was necessarily meant to be seen with snow (though, it also had its moments) – nor was there much majestic (or attractive) about waddling across streets like a penguin in an effort not to fall in the slushy streets. Moreover, with all the park areas around the city, it would be good to see the city in the spring or summer months when things are abloom. Further, I would definitely visit Bulgaria again and plan a trip out to Plovdiv and its ancient sites and the beautiful monasteries.
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