A Lovely Day in Sofia

We arrived in Sofia at 6:00 am, cold and tired.  The railway station was empty and freezing!  We tried to book our next ticket (overnight from Sofia to Zagreb, Croatia, leaving the same day) but the ticket desk agent told us we had to come back at 11 am.  We were feeling quite tired at this point and weren't sure what we were going to.  So, we meandered down the road and stumbled on the brightly-lit, warm Bus Station.  We gladly sank into two chairs on the station’s upper-deck, waiting for daylight so we could venture into the city.

The Central Bus Station - in Daylight - that became our morning home.

Once the sun rose, we walked down the main boulevard, crossing a mighty river in the process:

Yes, that's the river.

We found the “Papaya” café, which offered very reasonable prices on food, and free internet.  We made a note to return before tonight’s train ride, and then headed back to the train station to book our last EuRail journey.  Or so we thought – it was made clear at the desk that this trip was in no way shape or form covered by our ticket, so there was no discount added.  At this point we were thrilled to see any way out of Bulgaria and we gladly booked the tickets. 

Some of the Papaya Cafe's enticing dessert options.

Back down the road we walked, on our way to Sofia's Vitoshi district, famous for its shopping.  On our way, we stopped by a small park, and we saw several examples of Greek Orthodox church architecture in full swing - since it was Sunday.  We stopped in Church Sveta Nedelya and actually saw a service being conducted. 

Tabith and Erin posing in one of Sofia's many parks.

A view of the Sveta Nedelya Church.

From the shopping street, we came to the Gradska Gradinia home of the National Palace of Culture.  After taking some scenic outdoor shots, Tabitha included, we wandered inside, in hopes of finding a good view for pictures.

The second and third floors were fine:

Downtown Sofia from the National Palace of Culture.

But the top floor beckoned.  The elevator worked going up, but when we stepped out to the windows, a man working in one of the stairways yelled at us and (we think) told us to head down.  We took the elevator down a floor and went through an open door, where we were surprised by two young women with white-painted faces.  Another open door, and we found ourselves in the middle of a hair-and-fashion show!  In fact, we were 20 feet from the catwalk!  In case this sounds absurd, here’s the proof:

Views from the top of the Cultural Center.

The fashion show at the Cultural Center. We made our entrance on the left in the photo.

Tabitha takes up residence outside the Cultural Center.

Dizzy from the fashion show, we gratefully re-explored Sofia’s daylight in what was turning out to be a beautiful day.  Since the shopping street had been a success, and Erin had purchased both earmuffs and sunglasses, we continued the “cultural” part of our Sofia tour. 

Apparently, "Michigan College" is very popular in Sofia, Bulgaria.

James buys a piece of street pizza for lunch.

Harry Potter wouldn't be the same without one of its Bulgarian characters!

James touches the "Egg of Good Luck" - for Luck.

James had heard that Sofia was proudest of its “Golden Domes” on some of the churches, so we set out to find them.   Successful, we took turns posing in front of the Alexander Nevski Memorial Church, and then took the curved road around to the side, where James examined a makeshift flea market selling homemade toys, artwork, and antique military hardware.  Erin watched patiently, knowing that James has no room in his bag for any purchases whatsoever. 

James and Erin in front of the Golden Domes.

A close-up of the Alexander Nevski Church.

The front of the Alexander Nevski Church.

The flea market in resdience outside Alexander Nevski.

We finished with the church, and then walked back to the main park we had visited earlier in the day.  A quick grocery stop later, we were headed back to the train station.  Our car that evening was nearly identical to the car we had taken on our way into Sofia, but Erin swore it was slightly nicer, and James was loathe to disagree with her.  We were jarred into action when we crossed the border from Bulgaria into Serbia, and this marked the first time this trip we were stepping foot into a non-European Union country.  This was made abundantly clear by the border patrol, including a woman who asked us if we were importing anything into Serbia (we probably did over-pack a bit).  The visits were brief (they come in a pair – from the exiting country, and then soon after from the entering country) and we settled down for our “nap” on the way to Beograd/Belgrade.