SOFIA, BULGARIA

2015-10-25, 16:40, THORIN

STAY: HOSTEL MOSTEL, SOFIA

‍

We arrived in Sofia in the afternoon after a mammoth journey from Pristina via Skopje. In Skopje we had boarded the bus scheduled before the bus to Sofia, and managed narrowly to avoid travelling from Macedonia to Leipzig, Germany. Just! We spent the day and night in Sofia, and went the following day to Veliko Tarnovo.

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria, and often considered the 'Vienna' of the eastern-bloc (although I feel everywhere is, but nevermind). The city is full of stunning orthodox churches alongside gigantic concrete soviet-era buildings. The boulevards are very wide in the city centre, giving the architecture a very commanding presence. When we arrived, we checked into our hostel and went sightseeing around the city.

We had arrived on a Sunday, and the whole vibe given off by the city was just very cool. People were hanging out at the park, kids skateboarding - it had a very relaxed atmosphere that made Sofia very enjoyable. In general, many Bulgarians we met seemed quite laidback. Made it very pleasurable to travel through. Sat in the evening having a few drinks on one of the promenades in the downtown centre, with local families and twenty-somethings walking around. Definitely a good stop after the adventures in Kosovo and Montenegro.