September 14, 2012

  • Sofia

    I haven't been to Sofia and don't plan on going at least in the near future but I went to a discounted book shop in Hereford and bought quite a few cheap travel guides which are primarily to blog about so there will be quite a lot of tourist blogs over the next few weeks. Anyway the book I read to research this post was City Spots - Sofia which is a very good book & it was 99p reduced from £6.99. Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria which used to be part of the Soviet Bloc but in a bid to improve itself economically has joined NATO & the EEC. It has continental weather meaning it has cold winters when it is a good ski resort and hot summers. Sofia has only been the capital since 1879 & I think some people might prefer the Black Sea Resorts which are also a tourist area. I like to go sight seeing when on holiday so I think it's my kind of city. The international airport is nearby and it is overlooked by Mt Vitosha which you can see from the city centre. There is a good night life with lots of nice but cheap bars and night clubs and staying open till 2am is the norm. It has a huge synagogue because there used to be a sizeable jewish population although that is no longer the case. There is also a mosque which is the only one in Sofia and a bit of a tourist attraction. Note men in shorts and all women are banned from the mosque also you must have your shoulders covered. A bit further afield is Rila Monastery which is a fully preserved christian monastery complete with battlements as it was an unstable country in those days. For a small fee it is possible to stay in a monks cloister overnight but there is no hot water. Rila Monastery is 75 miles from Sofia so it might make sense to stop one night there. Also 62 miles from Sofia is Blavoevgrad which is a perfectly preserved Medieval City.  Also 47 miles from Sofia is Koprivshtitsa which apparently played a key role in an uprising against Ottoman Rule. Finally somewhere in Sofia that you must see is the military museum where they have mig fighters & T34 tanks. The latter played a key role on world war 2.

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