SOFIA IS IN BULGARIA
Denitza Toteva
Pictures Ivo Ivanov©
‘Oh, you are from Bulgaria. Great! Are you living in Budapest?”
“Come on guys. Budapest is the capital of Hungary. How could you even think, that it is the capital of Bulgaria?”
“Ups, sorry, it sounds so similar.”
I still can not understand how people can confuseSofia withBudapest. Really, I can not see common things between these two cities, but as it happens so often that I am already used to it.
If you come to Sofia via our airport, your first impression on your way to downtown will be that someone cruel has just dropped you out in a city, whose streets were bombed a couple of times. Don’t worry, your cab is fine, it is the streets, which are a little bit like French cheese. You will get used to it in a couple of days.
Another important thing to keep in mind, especially if you have an intention to rent a car, is that the streets are not divided in lanes. Actually they are, but the white colour is a little bit grey nowadays… So watch out…
OK, here we go! We are already in the suburbs. Do not feel depressed over. These are just sleeping areas constructed during the communistic period so that the people spend their nights there and get ready for the next working day. Nothing more! I know that this is not your favourite part of the city, so let’sjust go downtown. We will take the bus. No there is no metro here. It has oneline only from the biggest suburb to downtown. Yes, they have plans to extend it to the other suburbs, but that willnotbe before the year 2010. Well this is our bus. I know it looks like after the car accident, but these are the new ones. At least they will not get broken on their way downtown.
Yes, this is already the central part of the city. There are actually two - the old centre and the new one. But please do not think that the old centre is a beautiful old town with gorgeous buildings and small streets. There used to be beautiful buildings, but in the last fifty years nobody has been taking care of them and now they are just ugly houses with damagedfaçades. It is so sad sometimes to look at them. The streets are just like the other streets in Sofia – the French Cheese part. The pavement has almost the same problem. So you have to be verycareful and watch your steps, otherwise you could land in the emergency room of the hospital with a broken leg. Another interesting part of the old city is the big open market. There is a plenty of good stuff there. All kinds of food are worth trying anddo not feel shocked by the butchers’ shops. I know that the lamb hanging on the door does not look very hygienic, but believe me, it tastes good. And one more thing: Take care of your belongings. Otherwise you will get an easy victim of the pickpockets. And believe me, staying two hours and answering questions in the Bulgarian police office is not the best experience you could have in the country.
The new part of the centre looks nowadays quite a chick or at least nice enough, so not to frighten the foreigners. Actually the best part iswhere the cheap bars, with quite good ambience and service, are. I am sure that your first question concerning this part of the city will be: “Well, I have heard that the people here are quite poor, so where have they got money for all these expensive cars.” So, you have already heard that the corruption and the crimes are very “trendy” nowadays in Bulgaria. As a country in transmissionBulgaria has to cope with its communistic heritage and to build the democratic structures in the country. During these changes many people became rich in an unfair way, so they have the capitals to buy not only expensive cars, but also to do many other things, that are quite impossible for the average Bulgarian.
At the opposite side of the moon are the beggars all around the central part of the city. You will be shocked, that many of them are just part of gangs, who take this activity as “an ordinary employment”. The beggars have to bring to the head of the gang the amount they “earn” during the day and often they receive almost nothing from the money. I have to confess that for me, going through the centre and looking at these people is the most painful side of my city.
Maybe I have painted Sofia in too dark colours. Actually the city has the adventurous flavour of all the former communistic capitals. It is the city of the contrasts. You could find good bars, theatres and very interesting people and on the other side the poor and the damaged side of the city could depress you and even make you looking forward going away from the city.
I can only say that Sofia is a city, which you could only love or hate. There is no middle stage.
One useful link to find the real cool places in Sofia (hmmm…as always there are some exceptions)