Memories and hints of a travelling IT professional.
Boyana is a city quarter in the Southwest of София at the foot of the Vitosha mountains. It is the region where the rich people and the leaders of the People’s Republic of Bulgaria created their homes – even the presidential palace and the assembly of ministers can be found here. Most tourists come to this remote part for a small but important beauty: the Boyana church, a UNESCO world heritage site.
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If you visit the bell park of София at the wrong point in time, it might be really loud there. It is a bell tower surrounded by seventy bells from different countries, also some that don’t exist anymore. Children are allowed to try them all out. Why only children? The monument called Kambanite (meaning ‘The bells‘) was created when in 1979 Bulgaria hosted the international children’s festival of UNESCO. Delegations from all over the world brought bells from their countries to complete the monument.
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The oldest and largest park of София is the Borissowa gradina, named after tsar Boris III from the House of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha-Koháry. It was created in 1884 in the Southeast outside of the city; due to the vast growth of София it is now part of the city center. When you walk through it you can see the different faces of this place: in the North it is a landscape park, further south it is more like a forest.
Continue reading “Giant garden”
One of the most important sights at София is the Alexander Newski Cathedral. It is huge, the dome is around 45 meters high and it was designed in Neo-Byzantine style. The impressive house of prayer was built from the year 1882 on and is today the central church of the Bulgarian-Orthodox community and one of the fifty biggest Christian churches. It gives space to 5,000 worshippers and is named after Alexander Newsky, a saint of the Russian-Orthodox church.
Continue reading “Dark cathedral”
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.
Continue reading “Hidden church”
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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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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What would Belgium be without chocolate? When you’re walking through the city center of Bruxelles you can find numerous small chocolatiers offering their products (even in the shape of the Manneken Pis, obviously a famous souvenir) and the shops of famous brands we all connect with the country (like Godiva or Leonidas). Belgians love chocolate and say that theirs is the best; because they select the best cacao, use the best ingredients, and have the best production process.
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In medieval times the city of Bruxelles was protected by massive stone walls. The first walls were created in the 13th century, but the city was growing so fast that they were removed, and new ones were built in 1356 CE. These walls were eight kilometers long and fortified with seventy-two towers as well as eight gates named after the cities that could be reached through them.
Continue reading “Porte de Hal”
One of the most beloved gardens of Bruxelles is the Parc du Cinquantenaire (or Jubelpark). It can be found close to the European Quarter in the East of the city and offers a massive amount of space, long paths for strolling and jogging and three museums: the Art & History Museum, the AutoWorld and the Musée Royal de l’Armée. Most dominant item is the Monument du Cinquantenaire, a giant triumphal arch visible already from far away.
Continue reading “Celebrating independence”