CID > SOF

I arrived in Sofia on Monday around 6:30 p.m. after a long, but relatively smooth trip that took me from Cedar Rapids to Detroit (Delta) to Paris (Air France) to Sofia (Bulgaria Air).  My connecting times were quite short - about an hour each in Detroit and Paris - so I was relieved that I (and my bag) made both connections.  This also minimized my frustration with a two-hour delay on the ground in Paris after boarding the Sofia flight.  I don't usually sleep much on transatlantic flights, so the three or four spotty hours of sleep that I managed were quite appreciated.

The line for passport control was short, and I they processed me quickly.  After claiming my checked bag I met my contact from the Bulgarian Fulbright Comission, Iliana, and we headed into the city by taxi.  The Sofia airport is fairly small and close to the city.  I was told it was rush hour, but for a city of over a million people traffic seemed to keep moving.  Our ride took us by some industrial areas but we were soon on a main six-lane boulevard that leads all the way to the city center and seemed to be primarily commercial and residential. 

We arrived at my hotel, the Rotasar, which is about three miles from the city center just off of Blvd. Tsarigradsko shose.  It is a small hotel that I think is quite charming and reminds me of some of the nicer budget hotels we've stayed at in the past.  The neighborhood around the hotel is, well, neighborhoody.  There are a few other small hotels, some restaurants and shops, and apartment buildings.  It's moderately busy and pleasant in a non-touristy, here's-where-real-people-live-and-work way.  After a much needed shower, I had a nice dinner of shopska salad (a Bulgarian dish - cucumbers, tomatoes, white cheese), pizza margharita, and a Czech beer, followed by a chocolate crepe and a glass of rakia, the local brandy.  The hotel has wireless Internet, so I had an opportunity to check e-mail and Skype before bed.  Predictably, I was wide awake during the middle of the night, but I cobbled together six hours before and after which in my experience isn't bad for a first night after arriving in Europe.

Some quick impressions from my first hours: the outer areas of Sofia appear a bit run-down on the surface, but seem pleasant.  There are gray Soviet-era concrete buildings and busy main roads, but there are also quiet tree-lined side streets.  Although it is a bit overgrown, there is a surprising amount of green space, even out here. (I read in a magazine on the flight that Sofia was named greenest city in Europe in the early '90s).  People have been friendly and seem to appreciate my attempts to use some Bulgarian.  The Bulgarian phrases I've learned, limited as they may be, have provoked smiles or comments from the flight attendant, passport officer, cab driver, waiter, and others.  (The instructor I listen to says "you'll be surprised how far a little Bulgarian will go" in every Podcast, and I'd say this is true.)  Sofia is surrounded by mountains, and you can see them almost anywhere you go.  The downside is that this apparently increases air pollution, and there it is a bit hazy here.  It's warm - mid '80s and the skies are blue.  Nice weather for arriving in a new place.

  


 

Looking across the boulevard and down a side street to the mountains.