Bulgaria? Where is that?

With Charles' recent birthday, that meant it was time for another vacation! Our original plan was to visit two new countries--Kosovo and North Macedonia. I know... very random. When he first mentioned North Macedonia, specifically, I was like "what?!?!" After learning a bit about the country, I decided it sounded cool. Unfortunately, the price of the flights went up which prompted Charles to look at other options for our vacation. He found a really cheap flight to Sofia, Bulgaria and our decision was made.  

Bulgaria was another country that gave me pause. What is there even that would interest us? But soon after starting my research I was very much looking forward to visiting. 

The capital city is Sofia and that is where the bulk of Bulgaria's population lives. Bulgaria is a very old country, but has been controlled by many different groups over its history. Most recently, they were part of the Soviet block. Sofia has an interesting blend of all this history. 

All around the city you will find lions. I have not done the research about why, but nonetheless, here's a picture of one of the lions we found while strolling around Sofia. 

There are also a number of beautiful churches in the city. This one was my favorite that we walked by and I was so disappointed not to be able to visit the inside. We visited during a warm week, so I was wearing tank tops and shorts most of the time. The churches in Bulgaria, much like in Italy, have stricter policies about your attire when visiting. I probably could have gotten away with a quick visit inside, but I did not want to be disrespectful.

This church was in an area we visited a few times when grabbing meals. On our last morning in town we had crepes and coffee and sat on a bench in this square to enjoy them while doing some people watching. 

This is the main cathedral in Sofia and it truly dominates the skyline. We visited the inside, but did not take any pictures. I could not quite tell if regular people were allowed to freely take pictures inside or if you have to pay a small fee. So, I just lived in the moment and enjoyed it without the pressure of taking pictures that would not capture the artistic creations inside. 

Can you believe this view from our hotel room? We stayed at the Intercontinental Sofia. Can I just say that their service from beginning to end was top-notch? They were spectacular. They greeted us at the cab when we were dropped off, took our bag to the room for us, let us sleep in a different room on our last night when the club around the corner was playing their music so loud (that's another story), and even surprised Charles' with a birthday treat. Plus the location was perfect for our stay in the city. There were tons of restaurants down the street and it was an easy walk or cab ride to everything else we wanted to see. If you visit Sofia, please consider a stay at the Intercontinental!