Post from Tim:
My night bus from Istanbul arrived in Sophia with the 5:30 AM sunrise. After spending the night on an 11-hour bus ride full of smoking Bulgarians, the crisp morning air that greeted me felt heavenly. A few deep breathes later I started walking towards town.
At that early hour, Sophia showed few signs of life - just random early risers, an occasional car, and shops clamped down for the night with rolled steel storefronts. I walked into an unlocked hostel and slept on a couch until the proprietor woke and gave me a bed.
Daytime Sophia greeted me with a whole new image. The sleepy town I saw had morphed into a city of contrasts, where the evolution from communism to free-market economy manifests itself on every street. Where a glittering upscale shoe store sits on the first floor of a grotty communist-era concrete building. Or a brand new Mercedes parks next to an old Russian Lada. The antiquated streetcars now scrape through a city in a state of change.
It didn't take me long to warm up to the city. Sophia's wide boulevards and light car traffic furnish it with an open feel. Lively street-side cafes serve espressos to people who seem to have an infinite amount of leisure time to enjoy them. The people are remarkably fashionable and the women are known for their beauty. In my aging travel clothes, I frequently felt like a vagrant at a black-tie affair. But no matter, I spent the day walking through historic churches and meeting new friends at the hostel.
At that early hour, Sophia showed few signs of life - just random early risers, an occasional car, and shops clamped down for the night with rolled steel storefronts. I walked into an unlocked hostel and slept on a couch until the proprietor woke and gave me a bed.
Daytime Sophia greeted me with a whole new image. The sleepy town I saw had morphed into a city of contrasts, where the evolution from communism to free-market economy manifests itself on every street. Where a glittering upscale shoe store sits on the first floor of a grotty communist-era concrete building. Or a brand new Mercedes parks next to an old Russian Lada. The antiquated streetcars now scrape through a city in a state of change.
It didn't take me long to warm up to the city. Sophia's wide boulevards and light car traffic furnish it with an open feel. Lively street-side cafes serve espressos to people who seem to have an infinite amount of leisure time to enjoy them. The people are remarkably fashionable and the women are known for their beauty. In my aging travel clothes, I frequently felt like a vagrant at a black-tie affair. But no matter, I spent the day walking through historic churches and meeting new friends at the hostel.
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