Sofia, Bulgaria

Last Sunday through Tuesday, I my last solo trip for a bit to Bulgaria. Not a country on most people's bucket list, but for me...it was. Having been a history major in college, I've been wanting to see Sofia for years, and I knew I needed to make it happen before departing in June. 

I took an early flight out of Heathrow airport. 

Can I just say how thankful I am to Starbucks for being open that early? 

Although, I could do without getting my name misspelled, for once.

I stayed at the Hilton in Sofia which ended up being fairly close to everything including being across the street from the National Palace of Culture. Around the building of the National Palace of Culture were numerous monuments and memorials remembering the time the country was under Communist rule. 

National Palace of Culture

Old Guard Post from the Communist Period 

Gas Masks

The majority of my first day in Bulgaria was spent exploring the city. I did get lost at one point.

Streets of Bulgaria

Taste of America

I eventually stumbled upon the government area and got to see where the Prime Minister resides, the National Bank, and many government buildings that were built during the Communist period.

Apart from the government corridor, I was also able to view the famous Russian Church as well as the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. I wondered inside the Cathedral, and as it was built during the Ottoman Empire period, it reminded me of the Hagia Sophia (Turkey) in many ways. I could have looked at the frescos all day.

The Russian Church

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Finally, through my exploration and getting a tad lost, I discovered the old Roman ruins as well as what was an old public bath house.

Old Roman Ruins

Public Bath House

Stay tuned for the blog post recapping my day trip to the Bulgarian countryside!