A roaring good time in Sofia

Bulgarians love lions.  Their currency, Lev, means “lion” in archaic Bulgarian.  The capital city, Sofia, is covered with lion statues.

Their national beer has lions on the label.  Bulgarians even believe that the shape of the country is that of a lion.

The coat of arms of Sofia stands for fortune, mountains, thermal waters and St. Sofia church, for which the city was named.  In the St. Sofia church, we happened upon an Orthodox christening.

Though named after the St. Sofia church, the city’s biggest church is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

Bulgaria’s religion is that of Eastern Orthodox, and we had never been in an Orthodox church before coming here.  They tend to be much darker than Catholic churches, but covered floor to ceiling in frescoes.  Orthodox Christians light candles as symbols of prayer, well in excess of anything I’ve ever observed in a Catholic church.

I’m a bit embarrassed that the bulk of our time in Sofia was consumed with seeking out the creature comforts of home.  Fall is such a wonderful time in New England, and I’ve been missing the pumpkin flavored foods and buffalo wings that we typically consume this time of year.  At this point in our trip, it was nice to have some time enjoying the things that remind of us autumn at home, like pumpkin coffee, buffalo wings, and football.  We spent an inordinate amount of time in Starbucks.  Yes, I should be ashamed, but it’s pumpkin spice latte season.

Australia was playing in the Rugby World Cup semi-finals, and the Patriots were playing the Jets.  Somehow we managed to find a bar playing both games, which was no small feat, considering many people didn’t know what rugby was (Bulgarians are very enthusiastic volleyball fans; Sofia recently held the Volleyball World Cup).

We sat in the nearly empty Cheerleaders Bar, and watched rugby and football on side by side TVs.  The menu contained buffalo wings and burgers (we had both). And to top it off, the bar served Bloody Marys, which is a Sunday ritual at home, but the drink has been nearly impossible to find in the Balkans.

Hedonistic splurges aside, we found Sofia interesting.  Sampling its thermal waters, and strolling the yellow brick roads was quite pleasant.  

 

It was difficult to keep track of its lengthy history of invasions and rulers, but it was clear that, despite being a Communist country in the 1900s, it was never a part of the U.S.S.R.  What is clear is that now, with a stable currency and as a member of the EU, Bulgaria is an up and coming tourist destination.

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Beer of choice: Live beer