Day 36
Things to Do in Sofia
Tuesday, September 24, 2024
Dobŭr den,
After extensive research, we have a comprehensive list of the top three things to do in Sofia:
Nothing
Stuff All
Sweet Stuff All
Sofia is probably a great city to live and work in. The trams provide good, cheap public transport and there are plenty of modern shopping centres. There are some truly awful old, communist-era apartment buildings, but these appear to be getting replaced with modern accommodation. But as a town to visit for a holiday? Nah, go to Bucharest instead, or head for the beach at Sozopol.
This morning we found our way to the city centre. All we saw were groups of walking tours getting themselves organised. There were a few coffee shops, but nothing really of interest. We wandered around filling in the time.
We had booked a free food walking tour for the afternoon. Apparently, Balkan Bites was the very first free food tour in Europe, and possibly the first in the world. They rely on people providing a tip to the guide at the end of the tour. There is probably some sort of affiliate relationship with the food vendors as well.
The food tour was very good. It is limited to fifteen or sixteen people per group. We spent an enjoyable couple of hours walking around Sofia, tasting the local dishes and learning a little more about Bulgaria.
The highlight for Koro was rakia! Rakia is popular throughout the Balkans. During communist times people used whatever fruit was available in their backyards to make their own Rakia. The most common is using grapes.
So what is Rakia? Basically it is legalised methylated spirits. It is strong stuff.
Koro does enjoy the occasional tipple of alcohol, the odd dram of whiskey or a shot of vodka every now and then. Koro very much enjoyed Rakia. Grandma took one sniff and that was enough for her, so she gave her glass to Koro. Koro did as he was told and drank it. Then Grandma told Koro he was an alcoholic. Poor Koro can never win!
So by the end of the afternoon Sofia had grown on us. Yes, it would be a lovely city to live in. But don't bother coming here for a holiday - there's not a lot of things to do in Sofia.
Love to you all from Grandma & Koro & Buzzy Bee.