On Location: Sofia, Bulgaria

By Gray Shealy

I don't know what I expected of Sofia, but it wasn't what we experienced. It was far more cool. Far more underground. It was a city of contrasts. It had been a decade since I was last in Eastern Europe, and at that time, the beige bore of former communist architectures and dread cast a grey hue over the environs. But this was not Sofia. Yes, of course, the use of Cyrillic language made our location distinctly of the Russian and Orthodox realm. Yes, there was the civic architecture of stately boulevards, imposing government structures, and decorated soldiers standing at the ready. All the pomp of an Eastern European regime was there. But around the corner were verdant parks. Unique art installations. Boutique shops brimming with wallet-burning finds. And some great restaurants. Immediately, we were wanting to return to Sofia, but we had only just arrived.

And we had landed at night, so all of that intrigue built on us over the course of the weekend we were there. Winter would've been too cold, but the prospect of a cool summer visit seemed fitting.

Sofia was much smaller than the grander, sprawling outskirts made us believe. At the city's core, everything was within reasonable walking distance. Layered roofs of the secular architecture centered on carefully landscaped squares and parks, drawing us inside like a magnet. We reveled in the interior of the scalloped domes intersecting upon one another. The dark interiors of centuries of layered smoke were burnished by gilded paintings and shimmering mosaics that radiated in the moodiness. In the next square, archeologists where excavating ancient ruins of a city past.

It was hard to pick a cafe...they all delighted our senses. Many alfresco patios sat underneath shady oaks and late-blooming wisteria vines. The shops beside them gave me great delight– we discovered vintage glassware and tchotchkes that I collected for the voyage home. There was a thriving gay scene. The presence of rainbow flags confused us: we were in conservative Eastern Europe, weren't we??

On our last night, one of our trusted members suggested we try out Niko'las 0/360 for dinner. Everything was superb. The service, the polished silver, the linens, the combination of flavors...and then they brought out desserts - so expertly presented that we had to be in a 3-star New York or Paris establishment. But no, it was Sofia.

We drove out of town towards Macedonia to continue our exploration of the region. Not 20 minutes away, we had not only left the sophistication of the city, but we had left all remnants of Europe: Domiciles so impoverished, we could've been in the deep American South, or in Latin America perhaps. Villagers lived in make-shift shanties that demonstrated the dramatic contrast of Bulgaria. A contradiction and contrast of experiences to say the least.

Stay: Hyatt Regency Sofia

Eat: Niko'las 0/360

See: Patriarchal Cathedral of Saint Alexander Nevsky

Photo Credit: Syllogi

Syllogi’s ‘On Location’ is a series of trip reports reflecting on our personal travels, as we research and experience the bounty the world has on offer.