After dinner it was off to the train station to catch a bus. Yes you read that right. Our bus departed at 10pm. We met up with our train around midnight and happily transferred to our couchette for the rest of the journey. We had been led to believe that we would arrive in Sofia, Bulgaria at either 10am or 12:30pm. In fact we arrived at 4:30pm. Wiley, a Canadian I met in Sochi while ticket hunting for the gold medal hockey game, met us at the Sofia train station and our Bulgaria adventures began.
Wiley is living in Bulgaria and coaching hockey with Hockey Without Borders. Through him we acquired accommodation. On my first night in Sofia, Wiley and I went on an intellectual and cultural pubcrawl. We visited 4 different culturally significant local watering holes. Our guides graced us with information about each location. The coolest part for me was how hidden and treasured these bars are. Two of the four were tucked away so discretely that it actually appeared you were entering someone's home rather than a bar. My favourite stop was called The Apartment. It is actually an old apartment that has been turned into an artist hangout where drinks are also served. You can go to this "bar" and play instruments with your friends, premier homemade movies, play card games, read books, and discuss events. It is purposefully kept a secret to preserve the intention of the gathering area.
Before I continue with my blog about my Sofia adventures, I would like to take a brief moment to clarify my new relationship with alcohol. As many of you reading know, until a few days before I left Canada I had never drank alcohol. This decision was my own and very multifaceted. I was and am still proud of those 25 years of sobriety. I decided to begin consuming alcohol so that I could experience all the cultures I encountered in Europe fully and with the knowledge that I was not putting myself into danger. Since I have been traveling I have tried beers, a few wines, some vodka and some local alcohols. I want to be very clear. I do not get drunk. I am surprised if I can finish a whole beer. I have found that I do not enjoy the taste of alcohol. Even more than that, I greatly dislike how alcohol makes me feel. I am an extreme lightweight. Half a beer and I start to feel sick to my stomach, I get a headache, and I get dizzy. I have found that I am actually less fun and social if I am drinking. Therefore, it is my new and informed choice to stay relatively clear of alcohol as I travel. I will still remain open to experiencing cultural traditions that I encounter but alcohol will play as minimal a role as possible. Thanks for listening. It is important to me that I am not misrepresenting myself.
My second day in Sofia sparked my love affair with this city. Wiley and I went on a historical tour and a food tour of the city. Both tours (and the pubcrawl) are run by Free Sofia Tours. They are exceptionally well done and due to them I saw the beauty of Sofia. Please take a look at my Facebook for pictures and history of what we saw.
Our next day was filled with more walking, more museums and churchs and history. I loved every minute. Those pics will hopefully be going up soon.
Throughout my stay here I have also endulged in local cuisine. Bulgarians make extremely tasty food. Highlights for my have been the desserts and cheeses. I knew I liked cheese before this place. Now I know I love cheese. And Bulgarians make the best cheese I have ever tasted in my life. I said I would miss the Сырок in Russia, I think I will miss the cheese of Bulgaria even more.
Today Wiley and I went to Plovdiv, another Bulgarian city. We took the Free Plovdiv Tour and were equally informed and impressed by it. Plovdiv is older than Sofia and for me it's almost as beautiful. True we had some rain today which always puts a damper on sight seeing but I think even on a sunny day Sofia would shine more.
I have picked up a couple Bulgaria souvenirs so far. My first purchase was a game I was introduced to on the pubcrawl. It's called Jungle Speed and it's awesome. I can't wait to introduce it to people as I travel. Along with Dutch Blitz naturally. My second purchase was made today. I bought a delicious rose water perfume. Bulgaria is famous for its rose water. This perfume will make me famous in Saskatoon for smelling good.
So we are nearly home from Plovdiv. I have been writing this as we drive. Bulgarians drive like mad men and writing this has kept me distracted from imminent death. Tonight, should I survive the rest of this ride, will likely be spent in more research. Wiley and I saw Pompeii the other night to prep me for my first stop in Italy. Tonight we will probably see 300: Rise of the Empire in preparation for Greece.
Ok. We are home. Snuggles from Bulgaria.
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