Здравейте from Sofia, Bulgaria! 

I have spent the past few days in Bulgaria, both in the capital city of Sofia and several day trips further into the country. I stayed at Hostel Mostel near the city center for $10 and absolutely loved my homey stay! Everything was very clean and the people were amiable, with a large common room and bar crawls five nights a week. I would stay again and recommend it to any others looking for a mixed social/personal experience. The city itself seemed pretty adapted to tourism and Apple Pay was accepted almost everywhere I went. The transportation again included multiple above and below-ground options, although the buses were not always reliable/on time. Each ride costs $0.89 by Apple Pay on each bus/metro gate, but after 2/3 rides a day, you could continue to ‘pay’ to get through but would not be charged if you use the same card. 

Day 1: I arrived at 6 am on my bus, and took most of the first day to rest. I did get a late breakfast at Wonderland Brunch and Cake, a random but delightful stop with kind staff. Later that evening I also took the two-hour free walking tour, including around 40 locations and a detailed history of how they fit into the city and its changing times, specifically due to communism. As everything is charged in the national currency of Bulgarian LEV, I also learned it means ‘lion,’ and there are many depicted in statues and detailed building architecture. The guide also informed us that all churches/mosques are free to enter in the correct/appropriate attire, and most museums are also very cheap. I finished my day with the pub crawl, although I did not drink and only made it to the first two pubs while chatting with the hostel group. 

Day 2: I got up early for my Belogradchik Rocks and cave visit full-day tour, booked on GetYourGuide for $75. It included the 3-hour bus trip to and from the fortress (sandstone formations across the Balkan Mountains) and an additional trip to Venetsa Cave about a 15-minute drive away (discovered when mining, over 2 million years old). The rocks were stunning, with the fortress built into the front and a large staircase ascending to the viewpoint. The rocks themselves formed a sort of fortress, with several taking the shape of human faces. The size was incredible, and the forest surrounded the rocks and mountains. The cave also surprised me, and each section we went to it continued to get bigger. It was lit with rainbow lights and our guide pointed out different rock types and formations. We stopped at a nearby local restaurant with Bulgarian cuisine as well, and I had a cheese dish with tomatoes (similar to feta cheese) and fresh veggies as a salad for around $8, although I was not a big fan of the main meal. I went to the pub crawl again after returning (made it to three this time) but again did not drink since bars aren’t my thing. 

Day 3: After all my information from the walking tour, I took a rest day to discover some of the museums, parks, and churches around Sofia. Below is the list and prices of each; 
-the national gallery (painting and photo exhibits, 3 LEV ($1.67) entry with student card) is also attached to the Ethnography Museum (museum now occupies the old royal palace building)
-Church of St Nicholas Chudotvorets (walked in for free, they were performing some kind of two-person chanting ritual)
-St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (free), the biggest in Bulgaria and in the 50 biggest in the world, with a small craft market outside  
-*lunch: Gevrek Bagel Ship, ate in a nearby park (there are a lot scattered around)
-National Museum of Natural History (5 LEV student entry/$2.78), had 4 floors with different animal and insect exhibits 
-National Museum of Archeology (3 LEV student/$1.67)
*took a break to get a massage at Lau Spa, since my feet have been killing me the last few days!
*also passed by a lot of second-hand shops but I am waiting until Thailand to shop more 
-Women’s Market, shops spread around a larger space with clothes and food stands 

Day 4: Rila Monastery and St. Ivan cave day trip- I booked this for about $38 on GetYourGuide, as the monastery is one of the highlights of Bulgaria and very famous. It took about two hours by bus and was very beautiful with paintings converting the entirety of the outside walls of the church depicting scenes from the Bible. The interior was also covered in paintings across the ceiling and some of the walls, while the rest was completely covered in intricate gold and silver designs. The tomb of one of the Bulgarian kings and the holy relics of over 20 saints were inside as well. The monastery had 90 rooms for those passing by in the past and housed many monks although at the moment there were only 6 active. There was a restaurant and some other food and souvenir shops on the other side of the walls, on a path that led to a small waterfall on the way to the longer hike to the seven great lakes. After the guided tour we had time to explore that outside area before heading to the cave. The hike only took 15-20 minutes and was pretty easy, but the cage was honestly more underwhelming than I was expecting. It had a very sacred background for those more religious, with candles a small shrine for St. Ivan, and an alternative small exit through the rocks. Legend is that if you exit through them and make it through safety, you are cleared of your sins. (so just to be safe I did) There were several other small sacred areas around the cave where travelers wrote their wishes and prayers and stuck them in the rock crevices for St. Ivan. I returned to the center of town on another two-hour trip. I came back earlier than expected so I explored the center a bit with all the restaurants and found a pizza shop for dinner. 

Day 5: For my final day, before my night bus, I visited the popular Mall of Sofia. Hoping to see a movie in English for a calmer day, there were none early in the day. After my breakfast of coffee and crepes, I decided to instead go to the Sofia Zoo, which had a very cheap few of 4 LEV ($2.23). It did make me a bit sad though, as there was a wide variety of animals and the enclosures did all not seem large enough. It was also very difficult to get to since many of the buses Google Maps had on my route were not showing up on time or at all. I ended up walking way further than I would have liked and returned to my hostel area to pack up and get some snacks for my journey. 

If I return, I think the Seven Lakes hike would be worth it, but I feel I was able to see and experience a lot in these past few days. For now, onto Istanbul for my last European country before Southeast Asia! 

xoxo,

Ang around the World 🙂