SoSofia.com

No doubt that dancing is an universal language that brings people together.

Obviously, this is the ambitious project of Sofia Dance Week, organized by 1 Magazine. The festival is international and is made for a first time, so at the end of September, our capital will be trembling under the movements of professional dancers from all over Europe.

They will perform the latest and the most modern tendencies in the art of dancing, expressing different symbols and philosophies so that all we can understand their meaning. Or maybe not…
The event is so big that one stage would be not enough and various theaters and halls, including the National Palace of Culture, have been arranged for the purpose. The idea is clear – less talking and more action, inspiring even the toughest hearts.

Full information about the event and a program of the performances you will find on the official site of the festival which has an English version too:

http://sofiadanceweek.com/

With its many Greek and Turkish influences, Bulgarian cuisine has a great mixture of tastes, ingredients and recipes. In this respect, the sea food is no exception despite the fact that in our Black Sea live different creatures than the Aegean Sea or the Sea of Marmara.

Though the season is over, fish could be easily found in any shop around turning into a good reason to invite friends to dinner. This soup was found in the  Bulgarian National Cookery Book and it comes from the ancient city of Sozopol. It turned to be extremely delicious, easy and time-consuming recipe which I would surely do again.

Ingredients:

500 g fish fillet (of your choice)
(the fillet does not have any bones, so its even more easier)
2 onions
250 g mixture of carrots, virgin soil, parsley
2 tomatoes
1 tbls tomato puree
1 tbls flour
1 tsp mustard
dill
5 tbls yoghurt
salt and black pepper

Method:

Peel the onion and dice it finely. Heat up the oil in a saucepan and then fry the onion until it gets soft. Sprinkle the flour and then add hot water or fish broth. Add the mixture of carrots, virgin soil and parsley. Spice it with the mustard, the tomatoes, the tomato puree and salt. Leave it like this for about 5 to 10 minutes and after that add the fish fillet which you have diced beforehand. Leave the soup for 25 minutes to boil quietly. Before serving, you can garnish it with yoghur adding dill and black pepper or some croquettes.

There have been several years since this juice bar opened and it has always something new and interesting to offer.

The cocktails are elaborated in such a way, so that the magic powers of the fruits and the vegetables to be used at maximum. Every cocktail has its purpose – for energy, for a better digestion or just for fun you can design your own taste by choosing among the different contributors in this juicy fiesta. I imagine how happy are the fruits to unite in such a colorful mixture.
Personally, I prefer all drinks with carrots like Eye Opener or Easy Morning, especially in the morning.
The sandwiches are everything but ordinary and this is made on purpose so that we can enjoy a whole new combination of tastes. Try di Palma or Chick and Cheese.
Better check it for yourself because Fix Mix offers many other curious things.
Drinks for two would be 8 Leva (4 Euro).

There are two addresses on which you can find Fix Mix – 24 Vasil Levski blvd and Sofia City Center Mall, second floor.
The places work all week long from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. during the week and from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.
web site:  http://www.fixmix-culture.com/

Lakatnik rocks are above Lakatnik train station and are a breathtaking phenomenon.

They are right next to Lakatnik village, near the city of Svoge, north of Sofia, so it is a great location if you want to feel on the top of everything that surrounds you. The place is not very far away from our capital but at the same time it is far enough to feel that you are tripping.
To climb the rocks you have two options – either by using the steep scenic path which of course starts at the very bottom of the rocks where Lakatnik train station is, or by climbing them if you have professional equipment and lots of experience since they are literary vertical and reach over 250 meters. This place is like a magnet to the alpinists.

Whatever way you choose, once you step on the very top, you will discover a spectacular view – the village and the station are far below you, so little and insignificant in comparison to the mighty nature which surrounds them.
Setting up a tent is no problem there, even it is recommended – you will hear from time to time the distant horn of passing trains and in the morning you will feel reborn.

A map you can find here, otherwise I found and interesting web-site which is dedicated to the rocks.

To reach them you can use either the train which goes through Svoge or a car by following the map.

I found the place where the bar has moved and it is quite underground – you open a door and then just follow the long corridor painted in black with a thin red line in the middle. Quite thematic, you’ll say.
The corridor ends up with the billiards table and the thin red line disappears somewhere behind the large posters of emblematic movies like Pulp Fiction or Run Lola Run. Few steps further and you will see the bar itself and the two large TV sets which can gather the attention of many football fans. However, the music dominates considerably which is mainly in retro style or rock’n'roll.
It is a nice place to spend time with your friends.

Drinks for two would be around 20 Leva (10 Euro)
Address: Oborishte, 27 Vladayska street

I started a quest for contemporary sculptures and statues, trying to find their places out of Sofia’s galleries and the results somehow made me anxious. If you ask some citizens about such modern constructions, the answers would be vague or not very helpful. I am totally positive that few are the people who can point out where is the newest creation in town. I don’t know too.
Nobody talks about their obvious absence and it is not because the artists are species threatened with extinction.
Much of this kind of art is concentrated in the parks, like Zaimov or the Southern one and their message is really ambiguous – are they made to be contemplated and enjoyed? The definition of a statue is not always so clear-cut but honestly, the person who arranged the marvel blocks in the Southern park made a total mess by putting them in the middle of the alley.

Sofia is definitely lacking statues or similar forms of expression. Moreover, the present ones are totally anonymous and even provoke anger or are being used as a place for graffiti or tags. Is this a new form of art?

Furthermore, the monumental Communist art, an example of which is the NDK monument, is not being taken care of  which is so wrong because we have inherited lots of it and importantly, it is part of our history, irrespective of whether it was good or bad.
Probably, the absence of modern sculptures reflects our present state and the problems of the municipality, however, as the biggest city in Bulgaria, this is something we cannot just pass by.

When you have serious intentions for a blasting party, go to Chervilo Club.

Meaning “lipstick” in Bulgarian, this club has seen lots of make up during the many years of its functioning. Literary, it is a historic place for the party people, since it appeared at the dawn of the electronic music in our country.  The list of renowned  djs seems innumerable and no wonder why “Chervilo” is a first-class club, stylish and preferred by many. The parties usually start from 22.30 till the end when people always want more.

Address: 9 Tzar Osvoboditel Blvd.

Web site:  http://www.chervilo.com/