Travel: 14 Mar 2008 - Updated: 01 Nov 2009

Sofia is the capital of the newly admitted Euro-zone member, Bulgaria. It is a city that has sat at the crossroads of cultures for centuries. Ottomans, Hapsburgs, Turks, Russians and now heaven forbid the EU. It's budget friendly, parties hard and has great pizza. The Police also have at least one Porsche 911 convertible!

Talking to Bulgarians can be a thoroughly confusing experience:

• Nodding = “no”
• Shaking head = “yes”

Exception: Some locals will attempt western convention when talking to foreigners... but frequently get mixed up!

I tried to break the habit of nodding along when listening to someone telling a story which can be very disconcerting for the storyteller, but failed miserably. Fortunately Bulgarians are amongst the friendliest people I’ve encountered anywhere and invariably seem to have a great sense of humor.

Photo: A rare photo with me in it... in this case next to a Porsche 911 Police car! The full blog post has a few more photos of Sofia and my impressions from traveling here.

Back in Europe?!?

Once my train had finally stopped in Sofia – around 4 hours late - I stepped onto a platform that once formed part of a grand old station. Now it could best be described as “derelict”. In its better days the escalator from the platform probably worked and wasn’t rusted together.

It was however good to be back in Europe after a long time in Asia. I actually liked the fact that there was something left of the city that hadn’t yet been touched by the “Euro-zone-look” and given a nice polished appearance just like every other part of Europe. Getting deeper into Sofia, the buildings started to look less Soviet and reminders of a more distant and glorious history started to emerge.

In the 14 hour train ride from Istanbul, I’d crossed from quasi-Europe into Europe itself. For the first time in ages I could walk down the street without people staring because I looked different. Of course they still stared, but that was because I was walking through the city carrying a massively over-sized backpack.

Apart from that all the sights, sounds and smells had changed. The kebab stores had given way to Bulgarian-style pizza and corner stores now sold 3-liter bottles of beer.

Photo: Alexander Nevski Cathedral, Sofia. Olympus E510 + 11-22mm @13mm f6.3

Night out in Sofia

It wasn't until well after dark that Sofia showed her true colors. Sofia is a party girl. The hostel I stayed at put on a plate of Pasta and a glass of beer as a warm u for evening festivities. They also provided a city map – one side with sightseeing attractions, the other with eating and drinking establishments – there were hundreds. Along with several other backpackers, I headed over to some student bars within walking distance – it was Friday night after all.

The nightlife in Sofia was like a trip down memory lane. The music was stuck at 1996, the beer prices were from 1982 and the fashion somewhere in between. To me this seemed like the best of all worlds. It was like being back in my student days except the beer was a lot cheaper, I was now fashionable and the girls were eastern European. By the time the time came to stumbling home, I was a whole $5 poorer, but the night had been a lot of fun.

Hostel Mostel

My next day in Sofia was perhaps more surprising than my first. I woke up slightly later than normal without the expected hangover from the previous evening’s festivities. Apart from that, the clouds had given way to sunshine and to top it off, the hostel’s advertised “all you could eat breakfast” turned out to be just that. More surprisingly still they had chocolate spread and freshly brewed coffee. It doesn’t get much better than that when you're a backpacker.

Free from the encumbrance of an alcohol-induced headache, I was able to set about exploring the city in Spring sunshine. In this light, Sofia could do no wrong. The gold dome of the Alexander Nevski Church shone, the Russian Cathedral boasted vibrant green, the markets buzzed with activity and on top of that there was deliciously unhealthy Bulgarian pizza available at every corner. The people were friendly, even if I didn’t have a clue what they were saying most of the time. It seemed that Sofia had managed to overcome first impressions and has reaffirmed its association in my mind with that nice girl of eastern European origin after all.

Photo: Historic building in Sofia - Olympus E510 + 35mm Macro f5.6 @ 1/500sec

Advice for travel in Bulgaria:

Food:

There are 2 types of food in Bulgaria – Bulgarian food and Pizza. Pizza is around US$1 a slice.

Drinks:

Beer and spirits at genuine 1982 prices - often less than $1 for a beers and spirits at a bar particularly "Studentski Grad" - warning the standard size for a "shot" spirits is closer to a tumbler... nights here can get messy!

Accommodation:

I stayed at Hostel Mostel – a great place to stay if you’re backpacking – 10 euros including breakfast, internet, a bowl of Pasta at night, and free glass of beer at night.