Where is Sofia, Bulgaria & what is it like today?

In the past ten years Bulgaria's ongoing, rapid transformation has been nothing short of amazing! Communism is now just a distant memory, as the country has accepted, unconditionally, the values of democracy and market economy. In fact, Bulgaria is somewhat of a peaceful exception on a turbulent and ethnically divided Balkan Peninsula.
Drawing from its perfect location, Bulgaria is quickly becoming an attractive destination for world travelers, backpackers, vacationers, and fun loving adventurers. It is almost hard to believe how geographically diverse these , square kilometers are. Among its blessings are gorgeous mountains, valleys, rolling hills, and endless sandy beaches.

Most likely, you would arrive at the "Sofia Airport" which will tax your patience, since the boom in travel has long surpassed this facility's capacity. The Parliament has just accepted the removal of the entrance visa fee so it will be a free start. Hurry up to the baggage claim area, though, where the two outdated luggage belts pile up bags on top of one another and are known to devour soft suitcases.

There are countless taxi companies and private cabs outside, but you Should aim for the ones with the numberon the hood: this is a great service at a puzzling low price. The taxi should cost you $2-3 for the 15 miles from the airport to the center. 50 cents tip is considered generous. Public transportation is fantastic! Street cars, trolleys, and "Mercedes" buses go everywhere and an all day pass costs two dollars! If you don't want to spend Sheraton and Hilton type of money you can stay at Pliska(Luisa(or some of the many cheap small hotels in the downtown area. English is the most popular foreign language, albeit spoken with a very hard slavic accent.

Downtown Sofia is one of the most amazing surprises you will find in Europe today! Essentially, it is a wild, out of control concentration of bars, fancy shops, nightclubs, beer pubs, and disco joints. Nobody really knows if they ever close, as the fun loving Bulgarians keep them busy seven days a week. There is no drinking age and parents are insanely liberal, so don't lose your composure if there are some 15 year olds in the club. The prices for drinks and food are perplexingly low.

Try "Mr.Punch" just off "Rakovski" street: it is a bizarre Underground complex designed like an old boulevard complete with pavement, street lights, a mexican restaurant, two bars with tropical decoration, statues of dinosaurs, dance floor, and live music stage. 50 feet away from "Mr.Punch" is "Kamikadzea club you can't miss, since there is an airplane that appears to have crashed right through the front entrance Bibliotekata" is a famous nightspot, which, believe it or not, is located inside the Bulgarian National Library. It is divided into a karaoke bar, and a live music club where the band stage is elevated over the crowd. You can catch a virtuoso jazz band called "Infinity" at "The Swing Club" right across from the Institute of Architecture. Vili, the trombone player, is very friendly, speaks fluent English, and if you carry your instrument will, probably, Let you jam with the band.

In the enormous "King Boris Park" is the most popular Disco in Sofia AlibiThis is a gargantuan dancing mecca that used to be a Stadium for high-speed bicycle races Alibi" has many bars scattered in between the dance floors, laser shows, and a movie theater screen that runs Japanese animation minus the sound (someone has discovered that the animation synchronizes naturally with the disco beats). There are individual elevated platforms that are open for "show offsmostly girls from the crowd eager to exhibit their dance moves and bodies.

Right across from the University of Sofia is "Yalta" - a really Happening place where representatives of different generations converge Effortlessly in a mad dancing frenzy. The music usually reflects the general European obsession with "techno" spiced up with the occasional R&B hit from across the ocean. Also, be prepared for the unavoidable modern Bulgarian folk, called "chalgait's an annoying and repetitive music with oriental ornaments and is digestible only if you like belly dancing.

There are fantastic bars and pubs intensely dispersed all over Sofia. You can't go wrong with the Irish pubs on "Graff Ignatiev" street or any of the countless bars around the National Palace of Culture, which is the centerpiece of the city. Every imaginable brand of beer is available but I will recommend the Bulgarian brew "Kamenitza" which is owned by the beer gods from the legendary "Interbrew" of Belgium. Go ahead and sample the fabulous "Zagorka" and "Astika" as well. The price of one such beer in a pub will set you back just half a laughable dollar.

There are McDonalds, Pizza Huts and KFC's everywhere, but that is not the place to play it safe when it comes to food. Bulgarian cuisine is an interesting variation of the Mediterranean culinary establishment. You have to be very careful, because even lunch typically starts with a Massive shot of "rakiaThis is basically grappa brandy with an unreasonably high proof and demonic strength. In fact, it is so powerful that Bulgarians only drink it while eating a salad. The logic behind it, is that the oil and vinegar dressing absorbs some of rakia's strength.

The "shopska" salad is a Bulgarian institution and includes tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, green peppers and industrial amounts of feta cheese Ovcharska" and "Selska" salads are even better if not as popular. Be brave and try the surreal cold soup "taratormade out of yogurt, water, cucumbers, parsley, salt and olive oil! I know it sounds rather insane, but the taste is surprisingly good. Some of the best Bulgarian dishes include guvetche, kavarma and the local version of musaka. Be prepared for a lot of feta cheese, potatoes and pork. Most food is organic, very tasty, rich and the prices are comically low. I took four friends to a fancy restaurant called "The Art Club" on "Patriarch Eftimii" Blvd. We ate exquisitely prepared food that included steaks, salads, and deserts. In addition, we had an entire bottle of the rare dry wine "Traminer from Chan Krum" and my friends had gin and tonics. The entire bill was 37 leva (less than 20$) and I had to fight the waitress to leave her a 2$ tip. She kept insisting that the tip is included in the ticket.

One of the most delicious treats in Bulgaria comes courtesy of the Countless duner-kebap vendors on the streets. For 1$ you get a pocket-pita with slow roasted meat topped in vegetable juices plus the obligatory French fries.

If you are reluctant to dive into a Bulgarian gastronomic adventure, there are chinese restaurants everywhere and, strangely enough, a number of TexMex joints.

Bulgaria is the birthplace of the bacteria required for the preparation of yogurt. This priceless microorganism is appropriately called Lactobacillus Bulgaricus and is a powerful antioxidant. Yogurt junkies, this is your promised land for the quality, taste and choices for yogurt here are unsurpassed!

When it comes to shopping remember the name "Vitosha" street, since this is the busiest avenue and a main vessel for the retail business in Sofia. If you prefer the American type malls there is "ZUM" and "Halite" downtown, and the German giant "Metro" in the suburb Mladost.

You can buy the weirdest stuff from the street market in front of the majestic "Alexander Nevski" cathedral: there are shotguns and helmets from WW2, communist era kitsch, Russian matroshki-dolls, orthodox icons, and thousands of those things that people usually bring to the "Antique Road ShowI went there this July to buy gifts for my family in the US and witnessed how Alice Cooper accompanied by a couple of body guards bought himself a t-shirt with the KGB logo. I didn't even notice the shirt before but five US dollars later I had one, too.

While in Bulgaria, try to get out of Sofia and visit the countless Wonders of this beautiful and yet little known to us country. The East coast is an endless, topless Black Sea beach packed with glitter, entertainment and world class resorts. Throughout the country, mountains are the dominant landscape and they are truly breathtaking. Depending on how much time you have, make an effort to visit Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Nessebar, Sozopol, Etara, Koprivshtitza, and Melnik. You will not regret or forget it.

In fact, I haven't met an American who didn't like Bulgaria, and if You manage to survive the rakia, you will find it very hard not to come back.