Tour of Sofia 

Last week, we were given the opportunity to take a tour of the downtown parts of the city, which was given by a former student.  She graduated from ACS last year and is taking a year off to study opera with a teacher.  She was absolutely lovely, and was so excited to talk about her city to us!  We learned how to take the bus, she coached us through ordering bus tickets, saw some beautiful landmarks and buildings, and had a delicious lunch at this wonderful restaurant, MOTO (maybe MOTTO?) Anyways, I took some nice pictures of the city too, which are below with captions.  I love the downtown area, and I am sure I will be spending some time there during the year.  It is too bad it is not a little closer (about 3 miles from campus, which is not completely walkable so you have to bus/drive to get there).

This building is the Cultural center, which was built during the Communist reign  and was meant to house all the major venues, etc.  The square it was built on was supposed to be the largest public square, and that large (kind of ugly, but still kind of cool) statue was built to represent the Bulgarian independence from the Communist government.  I dont know if you can see from the picture, but it has fallen into some disrepair (as a lot of things around the city) and is behind a wall for reconstruction, although who knows if anyone is working on it.  Oh, the quirks of Sofia...

Some city views...

            

This is the National Theater, named and built after Ivan Bezov, a famous Bulgarian writer, poet, playwright.  The building was painted red, not because of the Communist ruling, but because red was Ivan's favorite color.  

       

 

This is the Russian Orthodox church.  All the other churches in Sofia are Bulgarian Orthodox, which is different from the Russian Orthodox tradition.  I guess there was a Russian diplomat/representative who visited the city, but wanted his own church to go to.  So this was built.  We didn't go in because I guess Bulgarians are not allowed, at least Mimi wouldn't be allowed, she said.  So, we had coffee at this great little shop right across the street.  Delicious espresso!!

This is the Hagia Sofia Church, built after St. Sofia, and the namesake of the city.  It was built in the 6th century, and has survived the centuries of war and invasions because it is protected by St. Sofia's powers.  It is a beautiful church.  On the side of the building is the Everlasting Flame, symbolizing Bulgarian independence, as well as the lions statue, symbolizing bravery and strength in numbers, as Bulgarians were the underdogs in many wars and struggles, but have come out victorious.

Pictures of the Nevsky cathedral, probably one of the more famous attractions in Sofia.  The inside of the cathedral is spectacular...but no pictures are allowed. 

      

A woman selling flowers outside the cathedral...

The following pictures are a smattering of different things: the Bulgarian Parliament, a political protest in front of the president's office, and other things on our way back to the bus stop. 

     

          

There is really cool graffiti all over the city.  It is neat seeing something that you are used to seeing, but only in another language...

     

And of course, evidence of the Americanization of other countries, a McDonalds, right down the street from the school...