Day 2 - Sofia

We slept really well and had a good breakfast.  We then headed back into Sofia to revisit some of the main attractions that we learned about on the tour yesterday.

Today was much warmer and sunnier than yesterday so got some better pictures.

First we went to the indoor market.  This was over 3 floors and quite modern.  There were a variety of stalls and we bought a few things.

We went into a few of .the many churches in the city but photographing inside is not allowed or only by buying a very expensive permit.  We saw the end of a wedding inside the Russian Orthodox Church.

The oldest church is Sveta Sofia, built on the highest point of the city and from where Sofia got its name.  There is also Sveta Georgi Rotunda a 4th century church set in the gardens at the back of the Presidential Palace.  It is Sofias oldest preserved building.

We saw more of the Ancient Serdika complex which is the remains of a roman city of Serdika which was discovered and excavated between 2010 and 2012 when the metro was being built.  It consists of 8 streets, a Christian Basilica, baths and houses from the 4th to the 6th century.

Nearby is a 24m monument called 'Sofia' which is the symbol of the city post communist rule.  It is of a woman holding a victory wreath in her right hand and has an owl perched on her left arm.  This is situated on a site formerly occupied by a statue of Lenin.

At lunchtime we spent about an hour relaxing at a café in a park.  It seems that food and alcohol are very cheap in Bulgaria but soft drinks and coffee are not.  My iced coffee cost about 50% more than Pauls large beer!  Clothing also seems expensive.

We went back to the hotel for a couple of hours in the afternoon before going out again in the evening.

After a long walk around some of the streets we had not visited, we found a nice restaurant in the town centre and had a good meal.  We then walked to the Palace of Culture which we had been advised to see at night. There was a row of illuminated fountains leading up to it which were really atmospheric.  It was a lively area, and a popular meeting place for the younger citizens of Sofia.

Tomorrow we plan to go to the nearby Vitosha Mountain which overlooks Sofia.

Sveta Nedelya Cathedral - where communists tried to 

assassinate Tsar Boris III in 1925

Sofia - post communist rule symbol of city 

Ancient Serdika Complex.  This part is under a glass dome.

Sveti Georgi Rotunda

Russian Orthodox Church

Catholic Cathedral of St. Joseph 

created to commemorate the visit of  Pope Jean-Paul II 

during his visit in 2002 where he laid the foundation stone.

Palace of Culture