The President safely guarded I moved off to the other end of the block. Looking down the street there was the 'Sveta Nedelya' church at the end not so far away. Where next, attracted by a shop window I turned to follow ul. "Saborna" in the opposite direction. Bulgaria has certainly adopted the 'Christmas spirit' since independence. The 'Bank of Bulgaria' on my left afforded a look at some of the typical architecture surviving in this historic centre. I have discovered that 'Sofia' means 'Wisdom' hence the statue.
Reaching the end of the street I crossed over to a park, this turned out to be the 'City Garden', once the playground of royalty, now a place where the young of Sofia congregate to chat on the many park benches there. A winged sculpture on entry, translation anyone? The old kiosk at the crossroads of the garden paths gives a sense of grandure amongst the trees. The lake had been drained for the winter but still looked good. A children's playground consisting of rather unique set of activities, a cross between modern sculpture and play. Perhaps not just for children? A street musician entertained, a frequent occurrence in this part of the world, I was contemplating looking for a cup of coffee then sitting on one of the benches to soak up the atmosphere. Following a path at random, no I don't believe my eyes....
.... I was surprised to find 'Weihnachtsmarkt Sofia'. Complete with Christmas trees, decorations and a stage, curtain drawn at the moment. The cabins contained the usual fare of German sausage and wines, wooden Christmas decorations to fine crafts. It would seem that these markets stretch from Newcastle to Norwich, Düsseldorf to Dortmund, Sofia to who knows where? This market would be a recurring theme during my visit. Fortified with 'bratwurst and 'gluhwein', trying to avoid the temptation of the stalls, I continued my exploration of the garden emerging in front of the 'Ivan Vazov' National Theatre built in 1907. Of Neo-Classical design this must be one of the finest buildings in Sofia. I looked to see if I could enter but all appeared to be secure. I turned and re-entered the garden.
Passing a statue who reminded me of Churchill, I headed out through the far corner of the garden and found myself looking across at the National Art Gallery, once Royal palace. Crossing the road at the green man I followed the road along the side of the building. Running behind the Gallery with the 'Party House' at one end and the 'Alexander Nevski' Cathedral at the other, ul "Moskovska" must have been a very select address. Now a mixture of the grand old architecture of the late 1800s to modern edifices it houses a row of the major Embassies of the world and a very select restaurant.
I was going to head up the street but became intrigued by a cobbled alley which lead down a long set of steps. Billboards proclaimed either a cinema or theatre I am not sure which. I continued down the steps and found myself back at a rear corner of the 'Party House', on the road running down the opposite side of the building to the presidency. Trolley bus and traffic, I decided to retrace my path back to the more peaceful ul. "Moskovska" and head for the Cathedral.
But what have we here? The 'Mini Cooper' gets everywhere! One of a group of sculptures, mainly of Bulgarian workers, in amongst the trees led me down a path to a quaint cafe bar housed in the rear of the National Art Gallery. A pause for thought in the form of a small coffee (thick and black) and a brandy, well it was starting to get cold again, that's my excuse! I then headed up the street in the direction of the cathedral noting how grand the palace was even from the back.
It turned out that the view up ul "Moskovska" was deceptive, leaving the National Art Gallery behind the road forks and disappears off into the distance. Straight ahead lies ul. "Oborishte", the "Saint Alexander Nevski" Cathedral dominates the view. Set in the ploshtad "Sveti Aleksander Nevski" how could I have mistaken the earlier church for this magnificent building? Trouble is with their golden domes striking architecture they all look grand. Time to explore inside but no I am distracted by a statue to my right and divert into a small park to investigate.
There are several large, rugged heroic statues hewn from stone but the one which intrigued me bore plaques around its plinth depicting a significant event in the long history of Bulgaria. The monument of the Bulgarian volunteer units, the “opulchentsi” who fought with the Russian Army against Ottoman Turkey in the Bulgarian Liberation War of 1877-78. It is a seven-meter high bronze monument, a copy of a famous painting of Jaroslav Veshin “The Samara Flag”. Twelve artillery cartridge cases with the names of the thousands of Bulgarian volunteer fighters are built into the monument. They contain soil from the places of their most decisive battles during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. The monument was officially opened 131 years after the fiercest battles at the Shipka Pass. On the side, next to the monument, there is a stone from Shipka Pass which also forms part of the monument.
Moving on around the square I stumbled on the open air antique fair. This is a must see! My first SLR camera, a Russian Praktica, or one very much like it was on sale at the first stall I passed. A veritable museum in its own right, I bought an old thimble for my sister at another stall. Not the usual form we see but a large copper affair used by tailors a century or more ago to stitch the heavy material which formed uniforms and peasant cloths alike. Moving on I could purchase a whole Russian uniform and other military memorabilia, collections of old postcards and paintings, toys the like of which I have not seen in decades. Fascinating well worth a visit and a large baggage allowance! The tall tower once housed a telescope where the public could observe the night sky, now disused a relic of the communist era apparently.
I moved on around the square emerging at the other side where I could see the Russian church, a unique building in Sofia. Dusk and the temperature were falling. I decided that I would visit the Cathedral tomorrow and headed off down bul."Tsar Voboditel" past the church in the direction of Knyaz Al. Batenberg Square and the City Garden. Just past the church is the Museum of Natural History. An hour or so till it closed I went inside. The usual 5 Leva entrance fee but photography not allowed. A great pity as this is a museum in the traditional sense. The ground floor housed rooms containing cases of geodes, crystals and meteorites, the second every stuffed bird you could imagine. Butterflies and insects on the third floor with stuffed mammals, live snakes and and rodents scattered around all three.
Departing it was now quite dark which was quite fortunate as I gained a different perspective of the National Theatre, the City Garden and the "Weihnachtsmarkt" which really comes alive at night. Santa was entertaining on the, now open, stage - gifts for young and old if you got the questions right. Delicious smells and wafted across the air, taste buds stimulated mouths watered. Happy boys and girls of all ages enjoying the sight and sounds of Christmas lights and music.
A fitting end to an interesting stroll from hotel to city but a taxi back I think. It is now freezing! I returned to the hotel to freshen up then around the corner, across the bridge opposite where I stopped this morning. 50 metres up the street is a delightful local Bulgarian restaurant where the hostess had made me welcome the previous evening. If you are ever in this part of the world well worth a visit. The traditional food and atmosphere are good, a log fire burns in the grate. People are friendly and the prices, by our standard are cheap.
I have added more photos to the album started in my previous post
View the new photos in my album (it may work or may take you to the first photo)
I have added more photos to the album started in my previous post
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