Morning stroll around Sofia

Occasionally when travelling you get presented with an unexpected opportunity to discover something new and that was the case on the morning of 29th October 2016. Following a few days in Athens I flew back via the Bulgarian capital Sofia as it was a much cheaper option due to the typical school holiday price hikes. I had no expectations of anything much but thought I may as well look around for a few hours as my flight to London wasn't until the afternoon, it turned out to be the case that I stumbled upon an interesting and beautiful city.

It was a cold and foggy morning as the sun rose at Sofia airport.

Time to board the metro to the centre, I have a long way to go before I can decipher what the writing on such as this train means but thankfully I only could only go in one direction from the airport.

I got off the metro near to the city's most famous attraction which is the Alexander Nevsky cathedral, there was a hive of activity as it is next to what seems to be some sort of bus station, otherwise there was just a few tourists including myself roaming around at this time of the morning and the occasional stray dog. The cathedral is incredible to see for its size and looked particularly special bathed in autumn sunshine.

Next door was a smaller but equally beautiful church, the occasional church goer came in and out presumably of a morning mass.

I continued on walking the quiet streets and admiring the pristine condition of the pavements and parks. This is clearly Bulgaria's showpiece and they take pride in ensuring its at its most presentable. The colours of the trees against the white buildings made for a beautiful scene.

Below is Sofia's main shopping street with a mountain backdrop yet to get going for the day but with everyone preparing for what I assume is a busy Saturday in the capital.

I stopped by another church where a  busy morning mass was ongoing.

Some kind of training taking place for a terrorist or similar incident ongoing as I walked back towards the metro station.

Past the beautiful cathedral again, roads still quiet.

I joined the metro again for the trip back to the airport at the Vasil Levski Stadium, presumably an event was due to take place that day as many sellers were setting up outside and police were already roaming around.

On the metro back to the airport.

I arrived back at the airport half an hour later and a beautiful and mild day was starting to emerge but I sadly had a flight to catch home.

 

 I didn't know what to expect from this city but from my morning spent here it seemed to be a place that would be worth a longer visit. It would be possible to enjoy a fine time in the centre with the many bars, restaurants, parks, museums and churches to explore. The transport was also surprisingly quick, efficient and of course everything is of a very low cost. A surprising visit indeed.