Sofia, Bulgaria

Sofia, Bulgaria wasn’t part of my original route, I ended up flying here as I couldn’t find any direct flights to Macedonia or Kosovo. So, the way my brain works was simple, fly direct to a neighbouring country and work my way across – makes sense to me…

Sofia is a funny town, I can’t quite put my finger on it. Very few tourists (it is May) but a long weekend in Europe. A lot of Sofia is run down with a few beautiful buildings and tree-lined roads dotted around and very confusing street signs! It has an easy, safe feel about it, everyone is going about their own business, not exactly friendly but not uncomfortable in any way.

After work, the locals head to the parks for sundowners. Beer on a bench or around a permanent table tennis table for the younger crowd, chess and a chat for the older guys.

I ended up on Vitosha Blvd a street full of restaurants, bars, shops and ice cream parlours (ice cream is big here!!) nestled amongst the blossoming trees and snow capped mountains off in the distance. A lovely spot, worthy of any European city in spring to sample a few local brews!

I had spent about 7 hours wandering around the city and decided a day was enough, so am heading off to Skopje in Macedonia this morning.