Highlights of Sofia, Bulgaria
Highlights of Sofia, Bulgaria
My last stop in the Balkans was Sofia, Bulgaria, where I spent four lovely days. Here are some of my favorite parts of my time in Sofia:
Emily!
By the time I arrived in Sofia, I had been traveling solo for two weeks. I was tired and I coulda sworn that my voice was croaky from disuse. I missed the people I loved greatly, and it was amazing to reunite with my best friend in a country we had talked about visiting for years.
Whenever we were bored growing up, I would always ask Emily where she could go if she could go anywhere in that moment. Even in middle school I dreamt of traveling and escaping the boredom of Concord, NC, so the question was asked often. And Emily’s answer was consistently Bulgaria. She knew nothing about Bulgaria and still knew very little about the country upon arriving there, but we still thought we owed it to Bulgaria to visit.
Emily booked her flight to Sofia way back in November or December, and it was then that I started planning my two week trip through the Balkans so that I could meet her there. So far we have traveled abroad to Ireland, Costa Rica, and Italy together, and I was happy to add Bulgaria to the list.
The Free Sofia Tour
The first real thing we did in Sofia was join a free walking tour – I took similar tours in Tirana and Skopje, and Sofia’s free tour did not disappoint. Our guide, Desi, did a great job of breaking down the history and interesting bits of the city while including personal stories that added beautifully to the experience. We were able to get a good feel for the city while seeing its important landmarks.
One of Sofia’s major churches seen on the walking tour
Natural hot springs of mineral water flowing in the city center
Bulgarian guards in front of the president’s office
The Church of St.George, the oldest building in Sofia built by the Romans in the fourth century
The National Theater of Sofia
The Balkan Bites Food Tour
Not only does Sofia have a free walking tour, they have a free food tour. They claim that it is the first of its kind, and it has been replicated in other major European cities. It starts every day at 2pm at the Crystal Garden, and it is recommended that visitors make a reservation on their website due to the tour’s unsurprising popularity.
The tour takes guests to five different stops, where they are able to try different dishes and drinks that highlight traditional Bulgarian cooking methods and/or ingredients. Our tour took us to the following stops:
- Bagri
This restaurant believes in the philosophy of slow food – enjoying meals slowly and sourcing its ingredients locally. Here, we tried Bulgarian yogurt on a cracker with pickles. The yogurt is thick, creamy, sour, and very important to Bulgarians who consider this to be the best yogurt in the world.
Our taste of Bulgarian yogurt at Bagri
- Lavanda
Lavanda is a trendy Sofian restaurant known for a fusion of traditional Bulgarian foods and international cuisines. At this restaurant, we tried Bulgarian cheese wrapped in cucumber served on a tortilla chip along with some lavender meringues. Bulgaria is actually the world’s biggest producer of lavender.
Bulgarian cheese wrapped in cucumber at Lavanda
- Garafa Wine Shop
This wine shop was modeled after Italian “vino sfusos,” wine shops where customers can bring back their bottle to be refilled for a discount. At Garafa, we tried a Bulgarian wine called Misket. It was reminiscent of a Prosecco as it was dry, white, and bubbly. We were taught how to say cheers in Bulgarian (nazdrave!) before clinking glassed and enjoying the wine.
A glass of misket at the Garafa Wine Shop
- Mekitsa and Coffee
At this cute little cafe patrons can try Mekitsa, a traditional Bulgarian pastry covered in powdered sugar. It was basically a beignet or funnel cake, so it was obviously delicious and messy.
Mekitsa at the Mekitsa and Coffee cafe
- Hadjidraganovite Izbi
This very long named restaurant is a traditional tavern decorated from floor to ceiling with pieces of Bulgarian culture. They also serve up warm and hearty Bulgarian food – Emily and I had actually eaten here the day before. We saw the food tour come through. We watched amusedly as the tour groups were taught (forced) to dance not knowing that our time would come.
Our (cute) tour guide got us all up on our feet in the center of our room, and taught us a thankfully easy traditional dance. Fortunately, we were also able to try some good food – different dips served on bread and a sweet wine.
Traditional dips with very long names that we tried at Hadjidraganovite Izbi
Sweet wine at Hadjidraganovite Izbi
The tour was great – it’s hard for free food not to be. It is a must for visitors to Sofia.
The Sofia City Art Gallery
We picked this gallery because it is one of the cheapest in the city, but it ended up being pretty cool. They had a decent number of paintings and mixed media works displayed, and two temporary exhibitions featuring two fascinating photographers.
A Bulgarian Cooking Class
My birthday present from Emily was a traditional Bulgarian cooking class through AirBnb Experiences, and it is one of the best experiences I have had abroad to date. Our host, Radost, met us just a few minutes away from our hostel to take us out of the city to her stunning apartment.
Her apartment was on the top floor of a building just ten minutes out of the city center by tram and with a perfect view of the mountains. We began the class by prepping a traditional pastry dish called banitsa, and then we lounged out on her terrace with tea.
The view of Vitosha mountain from our host’s apartment
Our prepped banitsa – a traditional Bulgarian pastry made with filo dough, egg, Bulgarian yogurt and milk, and oil
The view of the city from our host’s apartment
Tea we enjoyed on the terrace of our host’s apartment
After tea, we helped Radost make meatballs and a traditional Bulgarian salad called shopska salad comprised of onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, Bulgarian cheese, and olives. Then, while Radost fried the meatballs, Emily and I peeled and chopped potatoes for a cold potato salad. Just when I thought we couldn’t possibly make any more dishes, Radost pulled out traditional pots for a baked dish made with freshly grown peppers from her garden, an egg, tomatoes, and Bulgarian cheese.
Prepping the meatballs
Shopska salad
Frying up the meatballs
Potato salad, meatballs, and banitsa laid out on the table
When all was said and done, we enjoyed a HUGE meal of banitsa (holy cow, so good!), meatballs with a red pepper sauce freshly made by Radost’s mom called lyutenica, potato salad, shopska salad, freshly made bread, the baked dish, a yogurt drink, and grappa.
A slice of heaven, I mean banitsa
Emily and I with our meal
Em with the banitsa
The baked dish in the traditional Bulgarian pot
I’m not sure I have ever been so full in my life. It was absolutely wonderful to spend time in the lovely home of such a sweet woman and learn how to make so many delicious dishes. I enjoyed everything immensely (except the grappa, it tasted like gasoline) and could not be more thankful for the experience.
And, just when Emily and I thought that there could not possibly be any more food, Radost brought us out a caramel, flan-like dessert. It was not traditionally Bulgarian, but she told us that she grew up making it with her grandmother. It was stories like this that made the experience all the better. I absolutely loved that Radost is an insurance lawyer that also has a passion for cooking – one that she enjoys sharing with guests from all over the world. Emily and I left her apartment after three hours of cooking and eating with full stomachs and huge smiles on our faces.
Visiting the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
One of the most iconic landmarks in Sofia is the Alexander Nevsky cathedral, a large and brightly colored Orthodox cathedral in the middle of the center. We had seen the outside of the cathedral during our walking tour, but decided to make our way back over there to check out the inside.
The inside of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Em and I outside of the cathedral
The Snail House
The one thing Emily knew about Bulgaria is that it is home to a giant rainbow metal snail house. When anyone asked her what she was going to see or do in Sofia, she would tell them about the snail house. The snail house was obviously a must-do, so on our last day in Sofia, we hopped on a train and a bus for over an hour to make it out to the snail.
And it was glorious.
It is huge. It is colorful. It is so weird. It has little snail planters surrounding it. And the pupils of the eyes spin.
We spent what was probably a ridiculous amount of time taking pictures with the snail from any and all angles with and without a tripod. We had to document the momentous occasion. This was, after all, our must-see thing in Bulgaria.
Emily and I with the snail house
After the snail house, we grabbed some food in the area before heading back into the city center to pack and crash before our super early flight the next morning. My entire trip through the Balkans was absolutely incredible, but it was all the better to be able to travel to another country with my best friend. High up on our combined travel list is the Czech Republic, Ukraine, and Antartica, so stay tuned in the coming years for more best friend adventures from Emily and Caitlin!
Thank you so much for sharing your marvelous adventures in the Balkans and especially your cooking/eating experience and splendid time with Em.