Interactive Amusements

Sofia, Bulgaria

We left by public bus early next morning.  Great, it was raining….  We managed to find a breakfast of sorts on the way but coffee was in short supply.  The Cap’n, realising this situation had the capacity to be life changing, managed to find two very short, very strong espresso shots just before we left.  No loo on board and no stops – for 3 hours was it?  That’s almost illegal….  The rain continued; it was belting down in Sofia too.

Rotunda of St George

Saint Sophia Statue

Determined to ignore the weather, we forged ahead with a “what-you-see-is-what-you-get” discovery tour of Sofia with George - only because we were promised warm and nourishing food at the nearby large covered markets, Zhenski Pazar or Ladies Market. 

Our sense of humour had returned by the time we’d finished eating (& GS had discovered some rather nice local embroideries too), so off we traipsed, noting the elegant architecture and wide streets (not bad since it was heavily bombed in WW2) of Bulgaria’s capital. 

Hey, I can read Cyrillic!

During our orientation tour we had time to visit the Catholic Cathedral, Rotunda of St George and the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.  We were feeling virtuous, the rain had stopped, so from here we went in search of whatever cultural attractions (or otherwise) interested us on this grey of grey days.  A few of us went over to the Saint Sofia Church (and nearly lost ourselves in the extensive underground tombs), escaping in time to catch the Art Gallery & National Ethnographic Museum where we amused ourselves with some rather interesting, interactive installations. The promised Michelangelo exhibition consisted of 3 (heavily guarded) drawings.  Disappointing, but we realised how lucky we were to have seen those in the Albertina, Vienna.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Dinner is worth mentioning, as we trekked back into town to “Buffet”, a trendy café decorated in a quirky “shabby chic/grandma’s collectables” theme for the young and hip (not old, grumpy & damp!).  But the meals were good; a nice introduction to modern Bulgarian fare.  It was a quick walk back to the hotel.  By this time we were regretting having left our thermals back on board WJ3. 

Sponge Bob. Trend Setting?