AISC gets 2 days off for Thanksgiving- so that 4 day weekend was a perfect chance to visit Bulgaria! I got a cheap, direct flight, found a passable hostal, and had a great time wandering the Balkans for 60 hours.
I LOVED Bulgaria. Clean, full of history, good food, nice people, and fresh produce everywhere. I am eager to return someday soon for a much longer visit.
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| Sofia reminded me a lot of Manhattan |
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| This is Hagia Sofia, the church from which the town got it's name- when this was a trading town in the Roman times, people referred to it as the "town next to Hagia Sofia" |
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The very fancy Alexander Nevsky Cathedral- built in honor of Russian soldiers who died in the Russo-Turkish
War of 1877- the Russians were assisting their Slavic Bulgarian brothers attempt to liberate themselves from Ottoman rule |
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| The very cute Russian Orthodox Wishing Church |
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| signs of Spring |
These are Marthenaiza bracelets. At the first sign of spring, people give these to their friends, lovers, family members, etc. They are given to everyone. You tie them on the tree which shows the signs of spring, to have a good year. This tree must have bloomed early, because it was covered in bracelets.
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| The Romans loved their lions |
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| Public Bath House, connected to hot springs. It was used by everyone in Sofia through WWI. |
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| So many layers of history |
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| An Orthodox cathedral, where a Bulgarian King avoided an assassination attempt because he was running late |
