SoSofia.com

Honestly, I couldn’t believe the signs when I passed by.

Free Wifi in the park sounds great, especially when the hot days are here and you can sit under the shadows of the trees and browse, browse, browse.

How about during the night? If you are not afraid from the dark or some strangers, Sofia’s parks are open at any time.

Now, the place is completed by offering us lots of cafes, playgrounds, a drinking fountain and of course, the WiFi connection! Both parents and children will not want to go home.

The only thing I didn’t see was a plug for my computer.

The park is on Yanko Sakuzov boulevard, very close to the University Botanical Garden

Hostel Mostel will shelter you not only in Sofia but in Veliko Tarnovo as well!

The hostels’ locations in both cities are just few steps from the main tourist attractions, very easily accessed from the bus and the train stations so that it will be hard for you to get lost.

In Sofia, it is impossible not to feel the unique setup of the hostel’s entirely renovated 19th century building.

Inside, the modern interior is organized in a way satisfying any needs or if you do have some – the friendly staff are always ready to help you and to provide you with the latest information about events, trips, various places or things to do.

And if it happens so that you aren’t in the mood for walks, there is always something happening in the hostel – movie and barbeque nights, pub crawls and party!

Hostel Mostel’s address in Sofia is: 2A, Makedonia Blvd
Cell phone: (+359 8 ) 89 22 32 96

You can learn more about on: http://www.hostelmostel.com

I cannot wait to mention it – it is my favorite one and it is perfect for any time of the day. During the morning with a toast, or for an appetizer accompanied by a strong drink like rakia or vodka, Snezhanka salad is universal for any occasion.

Well, about the mornings… since it is prepared with garlic, maybe it is not the perfect breakfast before going to work but still you can afford it during the weekends.

The other ingredients are strained yoghurt, diced cucumbers, dill, walnuts, olive oil and salt.

Simple and tasty!

Rakia is a drink made of plums, grapes, apricots, or other fruits which is similar to the brandy and a great part of the people prepare it themselves. It is normally 40% alcohol but it can be much more stronger, especially when it is home-made.

Though almost all Slavic nations have it, we consider it as a traditional drink, and indeed, its popularity here is enormous. Once you sit on a table with some locals you’ll notice that they order rakia right away. For my grandfather, for example, it is a matter of honor to offer his home-made rakia to his guests.

Rakia cannot go without a meze (an appetizer) and maybe this is one of the reasons you cannot find it in the clubs or the discos.
The most preferred choice is the Shopska salad. The name comes from the people who inhabit the area around Sofia and are usually referred to as Shopi.

The salad is really delicious and easy to make, just chop tomatoes, cucumbers, spring onions, peppers – either raw or roasted and add sirene (white cheese), olives and parsley.

Isn’t this a nice start to getting familiar with traditions?

The club is where expectations and good organization meet.

Be aware also that the building of the party center has stable foundations as it was a former military restaurant.
So, if you are a party person with serious intentions, jumping all night long is almost compulsory.

You choose between the music, the funky interior or the loudness of the sound that vary in every of the 3 rooms.

Famous electronic djs play there every weekend, however hip hop, break beat, jazzy kind of vibes and other styles also have been part of the club’s program.
Inside is really spacious and it takes time while trying to find your friends scattered all over the place.
At least you have where to move and the fact that the club is out of Sofia’s center is not of big importance. It is easily accessible either with taxi or public transport. You will find it at 111 Tzarigradsko shousse Blvd.
Admission is usually between 15 and 20 Leva (8 to 10 Euro) and drinks for two would be 20 Leva. There is no food around so be sure to have had a solid dinner before that.

The parking is free, so have fun.

The name Nedelya in Bulgarian means Sunday.
It is an important facility for it is the cathedral of the Sofia bishopric of the Bulgarian Patriarchate.
Built during the Medieval ages and gone through many demolitions and then reconstructions, it is not known much about its history.
Nowadays, the remains of the Serbian king Stefan Milutin are kept there, therefore St. Nedelya is also known as St. King.
The church is also famous for an event happened on 16th of April 1925 during the funeral of general Konstantin Georgiev.
This is the biggest terrorist attack in Bulgaria’s history meant to assassin Tsar Boris the 3rd and the country’s political and military elite.
However, the tsar did not make it on time and 25kg of explosives went off to kill 150 people and around 500 were the injured. The attack had serious political and social consequences.
St. Nedelya church is on St. Nedelya square, next to Sheraton Hotel and Tzum. It is at the end of Vitosha boulevard.

Vitosha boulevard is Sofia’s main commercial street.
It starts from the Southern Park and ends at St. Nedelya square. The boulevard is named after Vitosha mountain because when we are facing it we have the feeling that this road will take us there.
And why not? After a tiring walk around the luxury stores, we can just replace the boulevard with the mountain.
Otherwise, the stores of Miss 60, United Colours of Benetton, Ermenegildo Zegna, Tru Trussardi, Max Mara, La Perla, D&G, Lacoste and many others are always open for us.

Also, on the boulevard you will find many fine restaurants and cafes, stores for candles and cosmetics, galleries offering traditional and modern art.
The old trams which pass by contribute to a retro atmosphere.
Let’s pretend that the decoration left from Christmas holidays is just an all-seasonal one used only when the winter comes. Very conveniently, indeed.

Quite interesting building in many perspectives.
Finished in 1981, it was part of a giant project for celebrating 1300 years from the foundation of Bulgaria.

Initially, it was named after the daughter of the former communist leader Todor Zhivkov – Lyudmila Zhivkova who at that time was also Bulgaria’s Minister of Culture.

After the political changes in 1990, the building was renamed to National Palace of Culture or NDK (Natsionalen Dvorets na Kulturata).

The architect is Alexander Barov who has used lots of concrete for materializing his ideas.
Inside the building you will find several halls with the biggest one of them containing 5000 seats.
The huge corridors are often used for fairs and exhibitions.

There are 3 underground floors and on one of them you can take a walk around conveniently organized shops. The entrance for them is from the underpasses in front of the building itself.

A friend of mine says that the building is actually a spaceship after wreckage, to me is more like a huge billboard having advertisements on all of its sides.

Nevertheless, it is curious to note that NDK has more steel in its foundations than the Eiffel Tower in Paris – 20 000 tons. Also, once I spoke with a porter who claimed that has been working all his life there and he was eager to share that NDK has two or three secret passage ways that he even did not know. His example was with Condoleezza Rice’s visit who suddenly popped up right in the conference hall. Cool!

Inseparable parts of the whole complex are the Lovers’ Bridge and the NDK’s Monument which is about to be demolished soon. See NDK map here.

The bridge’s name probably comes from the fact that lots of couples in love like to sit on the railings, talking sweet nothings while watching the view which opens from there.

It unites the National Palace of Culture and the end of Southern Park, where Hilton hotel is.
We are happy that the place is often used as an artistic area for displaying different exhibitions or artistic projects. It is a nice way to present works of art and to introduce them to people, making the atmosphere even more romantic.

As is in this case – you are welcomed to see our country from a bird view.

120 photos showing vast mountains, blue sea and endless fields are displayed to present Bulgaria in all of its greatness.

The only thing I wanted, after I visited the event, was to grab my bags and go traveling.

The photographer is Alexander Ivanov.
The exhibition will be there till October 18th of June.

The church has an interesting story beginning in 16th century.

Initially, it was build with the idea of being a mosque celebrating the greatness of vizier Mehmed Sokolu, and indeed, it functioned as such till 19th century.

The great Ottoman architect Sinan is believed to be the designer but this is not proved. However, he is the architect of Banya Bashi mosque, right next to TZUM and Central Public Spa.
Nowadays most of the people don’t even suspect that this church had such history.

In the past, it was known also as “the black mosque” because of the black granite used in the construction of the minaret.
During the 19th century, an earthquake partly ruins the building and as a result it has been abandoned. After Bulgaria’s independence, the mosque was turned into a military depot and then a jail.

The happy end is in 1903, when after its restoration, the church Sveti Sedmichislenitsi officially has been inaugurated. It is named after St. Cyril and Methodius and their 5 deciples who popularised the Cyrillic alphabet.

The church is on Graf Ignatiev street.