Our First Day in Sofia, Bulgaria
I was very impressed with the way Sofia looked on our first night in Bulgaria. While the sights in Bucharest were spread apart, Sofia seemed very compact and its attractions very close to each other. I remember how impressed I was with the architecture of the buildings everywhere we went. If I remember right, we walked from our hotel all the way to the Intercontinental Hotel as we did a quick walking tour. We didn't stay out late since we were tired and in need of rest having woken up at 5 in Bucharest earlier in the day.
Like I mentioned in my previous blog, the Sofia Balkan Palace, we complained about the room we were given for our first night in the hotel. Fortunately, that problem got sorted out quickly and we resumed our sightseeing like the cultural blitzkriegers that we are every time we travel. Little did I know that we hit most of the major sights on the first day and a half of our stay since our arrival. Given that we had lots of time at our disposal, we leisurely revisited many churches we had seen, compared prices of Orthodox icons from one souvenir store to another and actually visited many museums. We even had the luxury to book a day tour to the Rila Monastery and Boyana Church at our convenience.
I have never ever seen a Metro station filled with ruins from centuries past. The Serdika Station was attached to the Serdika Archaeoligcal Complex. The ruins were both in and out of the station.
The Saint Nedelya Church was literally across the Sofia Balkan Palace.
The Archaeological Museum of Sofia was likewise located in the Serdika area.
The guards at the Presidential Building.
A view of the National Theater early in the morning
An entrance to the Metro Station close to the Grand Market
The Rotunda of Saint George right in the courtyard of the building next to Sofia Balkan Palace
The Saint Nicholas Russian Church
A closer view of the facade of the Saint Nicholas Russian Church
The impressive Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Jewish American tourists outside the Saint Sophia Church near the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral looking at some markers remembering the Jews of Sofia from the Second World War
These were the Jewish markers honoring the Jews from Sofia.
This Intercontinental Hotel was right across the street from the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
I loved seeing the Bulgarian flag painted on utility box. Cute if you ask me.
The Sofia History Museum was divided into two parts. One wing was the Ethnographic Museum while the other was the Art Gallery.
The National Palace of Culture on one end of Vitosha Boulevard
The Hansel and Gretel themed restaurant along Vitosha Boulevard
A cake shop along Vitosha Boulevard right before opening time.
The Palace of Justice a block away from Vitosha Boulevard
The National Gallery. I thought this museum was no bigger than the other museums we visited in Sofia. Was I wrong! It was humongous! It
The painting, the Girl with the Pearl Earring from Mauritshuis, seemed to have followed us in Sofia. We actually saw this cute copy outside a retail establishment in the Vitosha Boulevard area.
The Old Central Market now a very modern and posh supermarket in downtown Sofia. I loved coming to this supermarket where we bought sandwiches, cakes, and water. There was also a small food court on the mezzanine of the building.
A tram passing in front of the Old Central Market now a supermarket