Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
When Bulgarian was freed from Ottoman reign in 1878 a royal palace was created at София. Today it contains the National Art Gallery (belonging to the National Gallery) which exhibits fantastic old and contemporary art. Sometimes the amazing palace architecture and decorations capture your views and distract you from the art works, most times both coexist in a wonderful symbiosis.
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Bulgaria has a long history. София was once known as Serdica, the capital of the Roman province of Thrace. The Macedonians conquered the city as well as the Huns and the Osmans. To explain this past and the archeological findings of the country, the Bulgarian Archeological Museum was opened in 1905. If you’re surprised by the structures of the building: yes, it was an Ottoman mosque built from 1451 on.
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You might search quite a while until you find the rotunda dedicated to St. George the dragon slayer at the center of София, Bulgaria. The church, which is the oldest building of the city, is fully surrounded by modern buildings which contain a hotel, the ministry of science and the seat of the Bulgarian president. It dates back to Roman times and was built in the 4th century; the frescos inside date back to between the 10th and the 14th century CE.
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When you’re leaving the metro system of София at the main transportation hub Serdica, you’ll see a large statue of a woman with a golden face high above the square. It’s the Holy Sophia with a laurel wreath in one hand and an owl as the symbol of wisdom on the other arm. This statue was placed there just in the year 2000; before that, Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov (better known as Lenin) was standing there and looking at the headquarter of the Communist party.
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It is a bit hidden and located in an unusual area of София, but once you’ve found the National Polytechnic Museum you can enjoy strolling through the small exhibition of ancient and modern technologies. The museum was founded in 1957 and owns 22,000 exhibits – but only a small fraction (1,000 pieces) can be shown. While taking the tour you’re slowly advancing through the history of mankind; starting with mills and glass production, ending with smartphones and wearable devices.
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Sometimes you only need a plain eatery with good food. If you like burgers and delicious fries, than the Skaptobara is the right place for you. They have different locations throughout София; in the city center, at the Business Park and in different malls.
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Bulgaria is part of the European Union but doesn’t have the Euro yet. The currency is the Bulgarian Lev (plural Leva; code BGN). Lev means lion and one lev is divided into 100 stotinki. The exchange rate of Lev to Euro is 1.95583 – a magical number for all Germans, a strange number I’ll never forget in my life. It was the exchange rate of Deutsche Mark to Euro. As the Lev was initially bound to the Deutsche Mark, it has the same exchange rate.
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When you’re following the Vitosha boulevard of София to the south you’ll end up at an impressive building surrounded by a large park: the National Palace of Culture (or short NDK). It was inaugurated in 1981 to celebrate the 1,300th anniversary of the official acceptance of Bulgaria as an independent state. The NDK is a giant culture and conference center with eight levels, 13 halls and 123,000 sq meters of space for events.
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If you like to stay in the heart of the city, the boutique hotel Les Fleurs at София is a good choice. It is located directly at the boulevard Vitosha and it is conveniently reachable on foot from the Serdika metro station. Since the rise of the shopping centers in Bulgaria this main pedestrian street offers still some shops, but mostly restaurants and coffee bars.
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The airport of София (SOF) is the most important airport of Bulgaria and located in the east of the capital city. It was opened in 1935 and today more than 6 million passengers use it every year. SOF operates with one runway and two terminals; terminal 2 is the modern one. Between the two terminals a free shuttle bus operates which is important, as next to terminal 2 you’ll find the metro station which is the easiest way to reach the city center.
Continue reading “Летище София”