Sofia, Bulgaria: The city of dangerous sidewalks. Where gorgeous Eastern-European women somehow strut around in stilettos and never break stride. Where I, yet a lowly inexperienced Westerner, strut around in utterly flat sandals with my eyes glued to the sidewalk - hoping not to face-plant when the next loose tile taunts my equilibrium.

I don’t know why the sidewalks are so *#$’d up. But they are – every inch of them. Which makes it hard to window shop, because you can’t safely lift your eyes high enough to focus on the windows. Soenke kept his arm firmly glued around my body the entire time we were there, preventing bruised and bleeding knees (thanks babe). Being a man, he also noticed that these agile-footed Eastern European women are pretty darn hot – and they like to flaunt it! This observation earned him my fingernails dug deeeeeeep into his arm every time a Bulgarian Betty crossed our path….

After I adjusted to the dangerous walking program and tricky women, I set out to enjoy the city. It is truly apparent that Sofia suffered both cosmetically and emotionally under Communist rule – and is still recovering. On the way into the city from the airport, dreary block-style apartment buildings line the road. The city center provides some visual improvement. Western stores have arrived, but have a feeling of not belonging. The city’s top shopping mall is overpriced and largely deserted. The historic buildings - such as the Sheraton Hotel in which we stayed - are well kept. The centerpiece Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is stunning from the outside, but its interior is faded and in need of renovation. The Byzantine ruins scattered through the city are pretty cool, and you can really feel that the locals have HEART - I wish with all my own heart that Sofia will bounce back to its pre-Communist glory days.

On the upside, the food was fresh, plentiful, tasty, and mega cheap! Our first dinner was a 3-course feast for EUR 8 total. Yes, TOTAL - for 2. And that included drinks. A signature dish in Sofia is the oven-to-table casserole: a small trough-like earthenware dish containing your grub (meat, veggies) which has been popped in the oven… then later placed on an iron rack and delivered piping hot to your table. I myself opted for the Bulgarian rice plate – full of fresh veggies topped with cheese. Other tempting menu items included “Nervous Meatballs”, “Sterilized Cucumbers”, “Chilly Peppers” (a misnomer, since these were HOT), and “Macho Salad”.

The city’s main park offered some one-of-a-kind shopping for aficionados of Communist and Third Reich memorabilia: a Russky fur hat with hammer-and-sickle emblem; a wide assortment of Nazi booze flasks, WW2 medals, tacky Stalin paintings, and much more. Also available was the biggest array of iconic souvenir paintings I’ve ever seen; surely there is not an inch of unused gold leaf left in Bulgaria! I saved my Bulgarian Levas for that “perfect find”, which unfortunately never seemed to materialize…

I left Sofia feeling a little bewildered and unsatisfied. Something was definitely missing from our experience. Next time I will find myself a crusty Bulgarian taxi driver and hire him for an entire afternoon of “Insider Sofia”…. I think the real Bulgaria is lying somewhere beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered!

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Not so easy to read the street signs in Sofia!:

Some interesting city architecture:

Browsing the outdoor markets:

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral:

An artist’s kitschy rendition of the old “Trabi” cars of the Eastern bloc:

We are always happy!:

A city tram heads up the main drag:

We enjoy our typical sightseeing break:

In the courtyard of the Sheraton & the Presidential buildings is this Byzantine ruin:

Even kids enjoy the ruins!:

Recovering from the action: