Bulgaria my friend politik big problem for 40 yrs! communist big problem!!! My friend put on safety belt, polizia big problem my friend, 100 lev (lions - their currency, about 50 Euro). Dacia cars made Romania. Good ski resort Mount Vitosha. Folk Turkish music.
Rain like mad! Big traffic, drink Kamenitsa and Shumensko beer, very good beer! Ah Mandela big politik! Good politik, Syria very problem, Bulgaria money no problem...mafia problem, big problem Roessia (Russia) mafia shoot shoot finish!! 7 million people Bulgaria all Christiani. All of this and more said in one breath.
And with all this talking talking he doubled our fare but eventually dropped us infront of the Red House!
The Red house is a lively cultural centre and museum, and a B and B too. The house belonged to a very famous Bulgarian sculptor, Andrey Nikolov (1878-1959) that lived in Italy for many years. He was asked to return to Bulgaria by the government, this was before Communism, and he built this house and turned it into a studio. The studio now houses Art film screenings, concerts and dance performances, and lectures often in English...all for free! The bottom floor is a gallery where some of his works are on display, beautiful marble figures and even a bronze of an ostrich too!
We are exhausted and starving. We left for the bus station early this morning and had no breakfast, we shared an apple on the bus. It's now around 3 pm in the afternoon. The receptionist calls us a taxi and sends us to a typical Bulgarian restaurant, where we cannot believe the extensive menu! See www.podlipitebg.com. The restaurant is called "under the Linden trees", on the menu we find:-
Homemade biltong (can you believe it!)
Stewed tongue
Spinach schnitzel
Oven roasted beans
Rabbit in a clay pot
Olives, dandelion leaves and mustard dressing
Shopska salad: tomato, cucumber baked peppers, onion and grated cheese
Parsley salad: parsley, egg, cheese, carrots and walnuts
Chicken hearts with butter
Tripe soup
Chicken livers with plums
Lambs head
Calfs head in tripe
and many more.
We try the soup, mom and dad try the lamb soup and I take the veggie option , bean soup! Mine was truly delicious with the magical ingredient of mint leaves! We then eat a meze (a platter of different dishes) of their specialities. Real Balkan cuisine, all freshly prepared and wonderful.
We get back to the B and B and I see a pamphlet that reads: Free Sofia tour! Join an English speaking local on a free walking tour around the main tourist attractions of Sofia. The old folks are are dead tired but when I mention the tour they are dead keen! I am really impressed by their joy de vivre!
We take the tram to the Palace of Justice and low and behold at 6pm, 2 youngsters arrive with a sign that reads : Free Sophia Tour. Our guide Kris, is open and friendly and very enthusiastic and passionate about his underrated city!
The tour starts off in the Square of Tolerance, surrounded by a mosque, a synagogue, a catholic church, an orthodox church AND a McDonalds! In Bulgaria McDonalds is the 5th religion! Everywhere on every street corner is a McDonalds!
We see a glorious statue of the Goddess Sofia, in black and gold. On the one arm, an owl and in the other hand a crown of olive leaves! She is the Goddess of Wisdom, and she is truly a sexy goddess; the Church in Bulgaria was most upset about this revealing Goddess, she replaced the statue of Lenin, (big joke in Bulgaria, Lenin was confused with Lennon as in John!) that stood on the square during the Communist regime!
The famous Sofia church was next to a market place, and the name came from "I am going to Sofia" as in direction! Bath houses often turned into churches and churches into mosques and then mosques turned back into churches.
Today Bulgaria is a Democratic state with a people elected president and parliament, much like South Africa... But there was no Law of Administration, and our guide believes that their parliament still have members of the Soviet Regime. Like South Africa there is often a conflict between the state and the local municipality! Our guide calls it The triangle of powers!
We see rows and rows of Chestnut trees and roses every where. Turkey and Bulgaria produces Rose oil and you would need 3 tons of roses for 1 liter of Rose oil.
From the square the snow capped peaks of Mount Vitosha, a 2300 m high ski slope in winter and in summer a spa with warm water, is highly visible.
New Byzantium style baths, the Facebook of the past century, is right next to all the religious temples. The baths, till today, are the favourite place for people, to hang out in the Balkans.
We meet 2 British woman that bought a little house in the Bulgarian country side for 1200 pounds. They say it is like going back 200 years, still horse and cart and trading with produce.
Next door a whole village was bought by the Japanese.
This morning mom is busy with the pharmacy...Sy sê: geen geen siektes of kwale of pyne of maagseer of blisters of krampe tot dusver!
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