I wasn’t sure what to expect from Sofia. It’s been a very pleasant surprise. Having been inhabited since 7000 BC, it’s a city with a lot of history. I enjoyed seeing how the different eras mix and come together to form this vibrant city.
St Sofia Church – the city’s namesake cathedral with the remnants of a 3rd century church below including roman mosaics.
I also stumbled into a retro car show. Pretty sure it included the largest collection of Ladas I have ever seen.
Having read some mixed reviews before coming to Athens, it’s been such a pleasant surprise. My neighbourhood is green, walkable and incredibly quiet at night. Even the metro is more orderly and spotless clean than I expected. I wandered through the lush and leafy National Gardens Then into the Psyri neighbourhood Little Kooks is an…
the Et’Hem Bey Mosque started construction in the 1790s and was finished around 1820. It was closed of significant period of time under the rule of communism, coming back into use in the 1990s. Liqueni is an artificial lake created in the 1950s. With its leafy forest and great views it makes for a wonderful…
Two different galleries – both for shopping rather than art. Starting with Gallerie Vivienne a covered set of shops dating back to 1826. Next up, Galleries Lafayette, probably the largest department store known outside France. I took a guided tour that allowed access an hour before the store opened to learn all about the history…
A short half hour train ride away is the small city of Asti. It may be familiar as a wine growing region -both their red wines including Barbera D’Asti as well as their sparkling wines like Asti Spumante. After reading a bit about it, it seemed like an interesting place to visit and pretty easy…
An early start to the day and the shining brightly on the obligatory Eiffel Tower shot. Hiding behind me was a short but intense burst of rain, coming up behind Trocadero Fortunately once it cleared it was blue skies again and a great chance to wander the left bank without any particular destination in mind…
