Sophia is in Sofia!
I arrived in Sofia this morning at 630am, which was way too early to be sightseeing, though I really had no choice, since my hostel wouldn't open for hours. After buying my tickets to Skopje for tomorrow, I wandered into the city. It's actually fairly nice to explore at that hour, since you feel less like a tourist when there's no one on the street to watch you take pictures.
Beginning in the main square in the center, I took in St. Nedelya Catherdral, which didn't really look like the Orthodox churches I'm accustomed to seeing. Specifically, the dome is more melon shaped, than the onion-bulb in northern Byzantium, which I can only attribute to Middle Eastern influences. Nearby, one of Europe's oldest synagogues stands just a two blocks from an equally old and impressive mosque.
Sofia has a multi-cultural history and the Bulgarian language reflects a great deal of that. Although the alphabet is Cyrillic, much of the vocabulary has Turkish influences, which makes it tougher to parse out a menu. It is also much less nasal Russian (which really requires either plugging your nose or speaking through it to speak properly), so I continually have moments where I think I'm hearing English - of course, it also could be that the exhaustion is finally getting to me.
As I has been warned, Sofia isn't really a city of sites and monuments, although, it is very charming and intimate. By mid-morning, I found a picturesque open air market that went on for several blocks, filled with flowers, fruits and vegetables, olives, honey, various apparel and gadgets. Unlike Bucharest, which is mobbed by cars, in Sofia, most people walk or take public transportation. Now that it's warm, the main drag has many cafes outside along the tree-lined boulevard. In this way, it reminds me of Chisinau, since it is also lacking in tourist attractions, but friendly and charming.
Bulgarian cuisine has more Greek influence than I anything else I can pinpoint, including "sirene" (Bulgarian feta) and yogurt in many dishes. Tomatoes, cucumber and olives are staples and a lot of meals involve grilled meats and kebaps. I should get my fill tonight at a dive-y, Bulgarian restaurant known for a flavorful plates and cheap beverages, as well as a poster that reads, "full sobriety leads to instant death." Can't wait.
Anyway, it looks like the rain stopped and the sun has come out again, so I'm off.
More from Macedonia/Kosovo tomorrow.
Beginning in the main square in the center, I took in St. Nedelya Catherdral, which didn't really look like the Orthodox churches I'm accustomed to seeing. Specifically, the dome is more melon shaped, than the onion-bulb in northern Byzantium, which I can only attribute to Middle Eastern influences. Nearby, one of Europe's oldest synagogues stands just a two blocks from an equally old and impressive mosque.
Sofia has a multi-cultural history and the Bulgarian language reflects a great deal of that. Although the alphabet is Cyrillic, much of the vocabulary has Turkish influences, which makes it tougher to parse out a menu. It is also much less nasal Russian (which really requires either plugging your nose or speaking through it to speak properly), so I continually have moments where I think I'm hearing English - of course, it also could be that the exhaustion is finally getting to me.
As I has been warned, Sofia isn't really a city of sites and monuments, although, it is very charming and intimate. By mid-morning, I found a picturesque open air market that went on for several blocks, filled with flowers, fruits and vegetables, olives, honey, various apparel and gadgets. Unlike Bucharest, which is mobbed by cars, in Sofia, most people walk or take public transportation. Now that it's warm, the main drag has many cafes outside along the tree-lined boulevard. In this way, it reminds me of Chisinau, since it is also lacking in tourist attractions, but friendly and charming.
Bulgarian cuisine has more Greek influence than I anything else I can pinpoint, including "sirene" (Bulgarian feta) and yogurt in many dishes. Tomatoes, cucumber and olives are staples and a lot of meals involve grilled meats and kebaps. I should get my fill tonight at a dive-y, Bulgarian restaurant known for a flavorful plates and cheap beverages, as well as a poster that reads, "full sobriety leads to instant death." Can't wait.
Anyway, it looks like the rain stopped and the sun has come out again, so I'm off.
More from Macedonia/Kosovo tomorrow.
posted by RedSonja at
3:52 PM
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