Bulgarian Interlude

Statue of Sofia in Sofia, Bulgaria

Last week I had the great pleasure of spending a week in Bulgaria. I was combining business with pleasure, attending a conference, doing some work, and doing some sightseeing, mostly in the company of my gracious hosts.

Street paved in gold

I had worked with my Bulgarian friends for a long time and was really looking forward to meeting them in person. They were kind enough to pick me up from the airport, and show some sights on the way to the office. It had just rained, and I was stunned by finding that the streets seemed to be paved in gold! (Being from the US, I would expect gold to lie on the street - but the whole street paved in gold?)

Golden street and museum

Initially, I thought this was paint, but my coworker explained that one of the kings of Bulgaria had decided to build golden streets for his wife to walk to church. The bricks were imported, at great cost, from Austria - these streets are not cheap to maintain, but they leave an impression of great beauty.

Typical house in Sofia

Because my own business was paying for the trip, my hosts had made it possible for me to stay in an apartment. Besides, hotels look the same everywhere, so staying in a hotel didn't seem very appealing. I really enjoyed the neighborhood with its crooked streets, old buildings, churches, and small shops. I discovered some new foods, such as Aryan, a yogurt you drink, and Bulgarian breads which I liked. I also found several stores with fruit, vegetables, and dried nuts and fruit.

Different nuts and treats for sale

Because Bulgaria still has its own currency (not the Euro), everything was cheap - and in Sofia, a big city of over a million inhabitants, everything was available. I especially enjoyed the many bookstores and, on my last day in Sofia, bought a book for the flight back by a Bulgarian author but in English. It was excellent!

After buying my book, I headed back to the subway, managed to get out at the right stop, and promptly got totally lost. This was both entertaining and slightly embarrassing, and because I did find the office after an extra 45 minute walk we'll just say no more about it.

Instead, let's talk about the wonderful weekend. On Saturday, our hosts drove a group to the mountains to see Rila monastery, a UNESCO world heritage site.

Rila monastery

Beautiful architecture, with the church completely covered with paintings! An incredible sight. We took the time to look at the museum, which included old sculptures, and also a printing press and cliches for printing icons. The detail work was incredible!

Possibly just as enjoyable was the fresh mountain air, the green mountains, the little river. We were sorry to leave, but also very hungry, so our hosts took us to a restaurant in a town about halfway back to Sofia.

The food was delicious - our hosts had taken great care to select wonderful restaurants while we were there. Bulgarian food is much more Mediterranean than east block, and the salads, fresh fish, breads, and spreads we enjoyed in several places were delightful.

Small towns, in general, had a southern European feeling, with fig trees in towns that were closer to the Black Sea, grape arbors, apricots and cherries for sale along the road, and fun little touches such as the street that is shaded by umbrellas below.

Street with umbrellas

On Sunday I spent the morning reading because the weather was terrible. In the afternoon, my friend picked me up and took me on a tour of Sofia. I enjoyed the green spaces, the shopping streets, and the old churches. Here, the Alexander Nevsky cathedral, a landmark with its golden dome.

Alexander Nevsky cathedral

And another photo.

We were especially lucky that an orchestra was playing traditional Bulgarian music in front of the cathedral. My friend said that in summer, this is traditional, and that you can often see people doing the traditional dances. The music is also broadcast by the radio station.

Traditional orchstra playing in front of the church

After the long walk through Sofia, we relaxed in an ice cream parlor. The Sunday I ordered was quite possibly bigger than my head, and I couldn't finish it. 

The wonderful weekend was followed by some interesting days at work, and I was sorry to leave - though excited to come back to Berlin!