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Blossoming BulgariaBy Joel Chusid
While my visit was confined to the capital, Sofia, and the top tourist attraction in the country, Rila Monastery, the country has excellent winter ski resorts, charming mountain villages, and the famous beaches on the Black Sea, which are where much of the real estate development is taking place. The capital has a lively expatriate population, and its own brand new monthly English magazine, Vagabond (www.vagabond-bg.com), created by publisher Anthony Georgieff (who brought Playboy to Bulgaria) and a weekly English paper, the Sofia Echo (www.sofiaecho.com). There is a thriving cultural scene. For the adventurous, there are activities like bungee jumping (www.adrenalin.bg) to “extreme” bowling, heli-skiing, and river rafting. Many people do not realize that during the Second World War, Bulgaria was on the side of the Axis and was, in fact, bombed by the Allies. It was “liberated” by the Soviet Union, which held considerable influence (and troops) for years following. Its first communist leader, Georgi Dimitrov, did not develop as much of a personality cult following as was the case in neighboring Romania, Albania, and Yugoslavia. As a result, Bulgaria had a closer relationship with the Soviet Union, and there are still monuments to the Soviet Army. While most people try to forget the past, there are plenty of historical remnants to see in Bulgaria. It’s interesting to note that the younger generation, now getting ready to enter university, was not born under communism (1944-1989), so it’s something they don’t know first hand. Sofia
Sofia is an interesting city of 2 million people, with many museums, art galleries, world class hotels and restaurants, outdoor cafes, bulb-crowned churches, pleasant parks, and historical buildings of ancient and not-so-ancient times (such as the former communist era from 1944-1989). It is compact enough to visit most of the important sites by walking, although a few points of interest are located a short distance away by taxi. Traffic is chaotic, primarily because during the communist times apartments and offices were constructed without garages, unnecessary at the time, but today with many more autos on the road, most parking is on the street, the sidewalk, or wherever one finds an open space.
I stayed at the Grand Hotel Sofia, a five star glass structure that had excellent oversized rooms with plenty of amenities. (www.grandhotelsofia.bg). My €130 room was classified as “superior” and had a large marble bathroom, three phones, free DSL, nightly chocolates, and the bedside table offered complimentary slippers and condoms(!). Slightly smaller, but still unusually large, “deluxe” rooms were €10 cheaper. Meals, from the breakfast buffet and the café and restaurant, were excellent; the subterranean piano bar was a pleasant place to congregate. We ran into players from the Dutch National Soccer team there, who were in town for a championship game. There is also a Hilton (www.hilton.co.uk/sofia), SAS Radisson, and many other hotels and hostels in a variety of price ranges. The Grand Hotel is centrally located, beside a small park on which the National Theatre faces. At the far end of the park, an open area is the place where the mausoleum of the first Communist Party leader, Georgi Dimitrov, once stood. People used to line up in the square to see his embalmed body during the socialist period. It was dynamited in 1999 and is not identified by a sign.
Just beyond the park there are a number of sites. The presidential palace, which actually shares the building with the Sheraton (the former Balkan Hotel where visiting dignitaries always stayed) and has two red-uniformed guards that change on the hour. Within the building courtyard is the Church of St. George, the oldest preserved building in Sofia, dating back to Roman times. It was damaged by Allied bombing in World War II but was opened to visitors in 1998. Nearby is the architectural gem of a building that houses the patriarch of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church. The former communist party headquarters, a fine example of Stalinist architecture, dominates the street. A block away is the former Zum Department Store, now a luxury indoor mall, and in the middle of the street, the towering figure of Sophia, representing wisdom and fate, constructed in 2001, replacing the statue of Lenin. Below the shopping mall is the Ottoman era Sveta Petka Samardjiiska Church.
There are many more churches in this area, plus a synagogue and mosque. The small St. Nikolai Cburch, built in 1914, is worth a visit, as is the Sveta Nedelya Cathedral. The magnificent Aleksander Nevski Church with its icon museum and crypt, is located on a small hill nearby. Behind this, the one block flea market features a few handicrafts, but its treasures are in the former communist and surprisingly, original Third Reich memorabilia There were even a large number of Leica cameras, telescopes, and compasses from the 30’s, complete with Third Reich insignias. (As mentioned above, Bulgaria was on the side of the Axis in World War II; I have never even seen these items sold anywhere else so openly, and certainly not in Germany.) You can also pick up things like someone’s red communist party membership document book or souvenirs produced for the 1936 Berlin Olympics.
Across the street, women sell a variety of hand made lace products. Other museums, such as the Ethnographic, National Museum of Natural History, the Archaeological Museum and the Museum of foreign Art, which are close enough to walk between.
The two important sites located just outside of town are the tiny Boyana Church in the upscale suburb of the same name, and the nearby National Historical Museum, These are located in the foothills of Mt. Vitosha, which itself is within a national park. No longer just a country covered by the guidebooks as “Eastern Europe,” Bulgaria now rates its own. Both Lonely Planet (www.lonelyplanet.com) and Rough Guides www.roughguides.com) are excellent, and there are several free city guides available at tourist points in the city. Here are two of them, both excellent, and their online links: (www.sofiacityguide.com) (www.insidesofia.com) Eating OutI was pleasantly surprised by Bulgarian cuisine. Salads are exceptional and varied, with delicious red tomatoes and succulent cucumbers omnipresent. The mushrooms called “edible boletus” are prized and excellent. “Shopska salad”, with the tomatoes and cukes plus cheese on top, is on every menu. Spices are used effectively to produce a variety of meat and fish dishes. Pri Yafata is a special place to try Bulgarian cuisine, and it’s centrally located in an old house, features a huge menu, and excellent fresh fish, meats prepared in a variety of ways, Soups are excellent; we had a celery soup and a white bean soup (monastery style). Yogurt is a prominent part of the Bulgarian diet, and it’s eaten, usually plain, at breakfast and for dessert, with honey and nuts. Bulgaria used to be known for cheap wines, and it was not unusual to find bottles for $5 in the US years back. Today government subsidies have stopped, and quality and prices, while still reasonable, have risen. There are plenty of restaurants with all kinds of cuisine, in all price ranges. We ate at Pri Orlite, on the 18th floor of the Ministry of Transport building adjacent to the Grand Hotel (11 Vasil Levsi Street), and it featured excellent food and a birds’ eye view of the city. Another birds’ eye view we tried was at Vodenitsata (the “Water Mill”), a traditional Bulgarian restaurant located in Vitosha Park, just outside the city. (www.vodenitzata.com) The restaurant is a pleasant place to dine and enjoy local folkloric entertainment, with the bonus of fire walkers, if it’s not raining. Antique is a trendy restaurant atop the National Theatre, located at 1 Ivan Vazov Street. An intimate establishment, it also has outdoor dining on a balcony. The Club Restaurant Kushtata, at 15 Moskovska Street, serves lunch in an elegant setting both indoors as well as on an outdoor patio. Alexander, our waiter who spoke English, took good care of us. A perfume launch took place the day we were there. There are many, many other restaurants for visitors throughout the city. Contrary to the drab soup kitchens of the past, they generally look appealing and have good quality food. Cafes are also all over, with places like Toba & Company (68 Moskovska Street), Café Theatre, and Club Lavazza attracting locals and visitors alike. Check out jazz club Checkpoint Charly, at 12 Ivan Vazov Street. It’s a parody of the Berlin Wall, with Cold War memorabilia throughout, even peepholes from the men’s room into the restaurant. The Sofia Echo has excellent restaurant reviews online. (www.sofiaecho.com) Vagabond Magazine (www.vagabond-bg.com) has an entire “info guide” section; just turn the magazine over and it starts from the back. Rila Monastery
A couple of hours south of Sofia is the beautiful Rila Monastery, dating to the 1300’s. Still in use, it’s the number one tourist attraction in the country. Located in a narrow valley, the hills rise up around it and sometimes there’s a mysterious fog that gives the place a unique feel. There are two museums, and one features the Rila Cross, a remarkable piece of work that took Brother Raphael 12 years to carve in the late 1700’s. Double sided, it features 140 biblical scenes and no less than 600 human figures, pictures of which are blown up on the walls. You can even stay there, although a day trip from Sofia is easily done. An organized tour is recommended as driving can be tricky, with roads under construction and a lack of road signs; where signs are posted they are in cyrillic. Additionally, museum explanations are only in Bulgarian. The Nativity Church is known for its huge iconostasis. Note that the monks don’t like people putting their hands in their pockets and have been known to chastise visitors who do so. Inside the monastery are some souvenir stands, with typical handicrafts, dolls, and icons. Outside the Samokov Gate are more shops (rose petal jam and honey are popular buys) and places to stay or eat. We ate at the Drushylavitsa, a hotel with a restaurant that overlooks a stream and the forest. Helpful HintsThe Bulgarian language is Slavic, akin to Macedonian in that in its written form it’s in Cyrillic which presents a challenge to many visitors. Many people, especially younger Bulgarians, speak English. Americans don’t’ need visas, just a valid passport. From the airport, take an “OK” taxi. The drivers at this company can be trusted to properly use their meters. Elsewhere find out what you’re going to pay before getting into a taxi. Use care with your belongings as you would in any large city. Democratic freedom has also led to an increase in crime, but the city is as safe as any other in Europe. Your biggest danger here is crossing the street! Water is safe to drink, but bottled water is widely available. Check the rate carefully before exchanging money. The current U.S. dollar rate to the Bulgarian leva is about $1US = 1.50 leva. Eventually Bulgaria will be on the euro (€), and even now it’s beginning to make an appearance in daily life. Banks are generally the best places to exchange, but some kiosks offered as high as 1.55 without commission. However, others had a sell/buy rate that reflected 1.25/1.55, and you would get the lower rate for selling dollars. Hotels generally also have a less favorable rate; the Sofia Grand offered 1.40. Bulgarians are proud of their country, and you will find people accommodating and helpful. Sofia can be seen in 3-4 days, but allow a week if you plan to see other parts of the country. Roads are mostly of the two lane variety, but construction is visible so this will change. Sofia is served by several major carriers, but some of the new low fare carriers have discovered it as well, so do some checking in advance for the best airfares. Bulgarian-based Hemus Air flies from London with fares starting at €19.99 one way (www.hemusair.bg). Generally spring and fall are good times to visit. Summer is also pleasant, of course, but prices are higher and places are more crowded. It does snow in Sofia in winter, so if you’re planning to go at that time, maybe you can combine your visit with some skiing. We combined our visit to Bulgaria with one to Romania. On the map they are neighbors, but in reality there is not a lot of traffic between the two countries. For one thing, the languages are completely different. Bulgarians I met had never been to Romania and vice versa, yet the Romanian capital Bucharest is only an hour from the border. The capitals of the two countries are linked by a mostly two lane road. Crossing the Danube, the dramatic two-level Friendship Bridge, built in communist times, had just a trickle of traffic. Trains take 12 hours; it took us about 4 ½ hours by car with friends. Hertz refused to allow a rental car to be dropped off in Romania; Avis wanted a $3,100 drop off charge. If you do decide to combine the two, fly between Sofia and Bucharest by plane. One Last WordIf you like places slightly off the beaten track but still with a tourism infrastructure, see Bulgaria NOW. It’s at its best these days, before it goes “mainstream” with hordes of Americans and other tourists arriving. Some will debate this has already occurred, with McDonalds and Dunkin Donuts, among other chains, having opened in several locations. Indeed, Brits and Scandinavians have already discovered it, and the real estate frenzy will put this country on the main tourist track very soon. Or, better yet, when you arrive, talk to that young man in the baggage claim and learn about why you should buy in Bulgaria! Photo Credits: Author, except Vagabond Magazine, courtesy of Anthony Georgieff |
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TM
Immediately after entering the baggage claim at Sofia’s
international airport, I am approached by a young man asking if I am interesting
in buying property in Bulgaria. Awaiting their baggage, other passengers are
being solicited as well. Why on earth would anyone want to buy property in this
former communist country? Well, it seems there are quite a few good reasons.
First of all, since 1989 Bulgaria has been a democracy, and that’s resulted in
enormous change. Second, many foreign residents, especially Britons and
Scandinavians, have already discovered that Bulgaria is actually a pleasant
place to retire, have a vacation home, or in which to invest. Prices are a
bargain right now, with the January 2007 entry in the European Union expected to
stimulate real estate values. (Think Spain twenty years ago.) From a tourist
perspective, it’s also great place to visit, and now is the time to go!
In the other direction from the Sofia Grand, two blocks
away is an outdoor book market, and on the side streets, you can pick up
bargains in antique books. I found a rare English version of “Twenty Years of
Socialist Construction in Bulgaria” printed in 1963 that, as a propaganda tool,
featured black and white pictures of communist leaders, parades, collective
farms, and Bulgaria’s first (room-size) computer. It was marked about $35; I got
it for $28. This neighborhood is worth strolling in; Vitosha Boulevard, the
large main street, is open only for pedestrians and streetcars and features
international and local fashion stores, restaurants, exchange kiosks, and the
ubiquitous McDonalds and even Dunkin Donuts. On a side street, we discovered a
pleasant ice cream shop. No one spoke English, but with my ability to sound out
Cyrillic characters, we could determine flavors, and the proprietor was patient
and we got big ice cream cones for less than a dollar each.
