Intriguing Sofia (Bulgaria)

I was in Sofia for only 2 days but I was able to visit a lot of sites, understand the rich history of the country, talk to an expat living there and have a taste of their cuisine and wine.

For the past few years, I have been intrigued by the Slavic world. I had such a great impression of Russia (Moscow and St Petersburg) that I wanted to visit other Slavic country and Bulgaria was at the top of my list. Bulgaria is one of the oldest society in Europe dating back to 6500 BC. It is only also where you will find the oldest city in Europe with Plovdiv. The country history is interesting and very much mirror the history of the Balkans as a whole with a constant fight between the Orthodox Christians and the Ottomans who were constantly pushing to invade this countries. The Ottoman empire took Sofia in 1382 and occupied the country until the end of the 19th century when an uprising helped by Russia was able to kick out the Ottomans and regain the country independence.

Strolling in the streets of Sofia, it is like going back in time to the old Europe with its medieval, Neo-baroque or Neo-renaissance style mixed with some unfortunate Soviet style ugly building. Some of the museums are really interesting and I would recommend the Sofia History Museum which is very good. When I was there, there was a n excellent exhibition about the Bulgarian Royal Family. Of course, you cannot miss the Sveta Nedelya Cathedral, the small and magnificent Sveti Nikolay Mirlikiiski church, the monumental Alexander Nevsky Cathedral or the very ancient St Sophia Church. Going into these places of worship is a great personal experience, whether you are Christian or not, you will feel an incredible sensation of contemplation, increased by the beautiful iconostasis , the illumination art or the surrounding silence.

Culturally speaking, I wanted to go and see an opera, a play and listen to a classical music concert but unfortunately the dates did not coincide with my stay so I was not able to go but apparently the quality is excellent and it's really affordable (the exact opposite of the Royal Opera House in London). I'm more into classical art but I heard that modern art is also booming in Sofia so you should definitely check it out if you are into it.

People are really nice and welcoming, English is spoken broadly and the infrastructure is excellent (modern subway which goes directly to the airport in 10-15min!). It seems that the life quality is really good here, the culture is rich and the economy is booming. The food is also pretty good, an interesting mix of eastern Europe and the Mediterranean, they also have interesting wines. I was thinking moving there with my family last year. Opportunities will take us elsewhere (at least for now) but I will definitely keep it in mind in the future and come back to visit other cities and the countryside which seems absolutely incredible (according to pictures I have seen and stories from friends). Let me know what you think in the comments.