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To start with, a smallish city both tucked away in the middle of Eastern Europe's old Soviet / Warsaw Pact areas, yet far enough away from us in the UK to have some of the mystery and oddity the near east brings - Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
You will increasingly see this as a location ... Read review
Front Cover Page Only Taken From The ILlustration Newspaper Of 1931. A Weekly Newspaper ... more
Published In Paris. It Was Founded By Edouard Charton; The First Issue Was Published On March 4Th 1843. Size Of Each Page Is Approx 15 X 11 Inches (380X280) All Are Genuine Prints And Not Reproductions. Please Check Image Carefully For The Condition Of These Prints.
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In one of the elite Southern living quarters of modern Sofia you will find 6 beautiful ... more
independent residential buildings with professionally arranged and well kept garden and alleys, all part of the closed complex “Borovo”.Amidst the tranquillity of the complex is situated the Bulgaria Apartment House, part of the Bulgarian Hotel chain FPI Hotels and Resorts. Its excellent location – near Bulgaria Boulevard, guarantees the easy and quick access both to the centre of Sofia and to the Vitosha Mountain – both are within 10 minutes by car. The specific combination between the high quality of the offered hotel services and the home coziness distinguishes the Bulgaria Apartment House from the traditional hotel.
Information: :Price is per double room per night and may vary depending on date booked...
c1920 SOFIA BULGARIA MEN FACTORY ROSES KAZANLIK FLOWERS A Page and reverse from People ... more
of All Nations, their life story today and the story of their past captured in numerous photographs edited by J A Hammerton .Countries include Countries include the British empire of Asia, British empire of Australasia, British empire in Europe, Bulgaria, Burma, Cambodia, Canada, Ceylon, Chile, china, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Czechoslovakia, and Dahomey. Dates c 1920 size of each page is approx 9.5 x 6 inches (240 x 150) all are genuine prints and not copies.
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1877 western bulgaria sofia danube austrian frontier . Old antique historical victorian ... more
prints maps and historic fine art---------- Full page from the illustrated london news, an illustrated weekly newspaper weeks date as shown on top of page, the size of each page is approximately 15.5 x 11 inches (395x280). All are genuine antique prints and not modern copies, the illustrated london news is an illustrated magazine which was first printed in 1842 and is the finest pictorial example of a historic social record of british and world events up to the present day. The iln is known for its coverage of the following subjects the wars, ships, boats, guns, sailing, portraits, fine art, old and antique prints, wood cut, wood engravings, early photographs, victorian life, victorian culture, kings, queens, royalty, travels, adventures, natural history, birds, fish, mammals, fishing, hunting, shooting, fox hunting, sports including tennis, cricket, football, horse racing, politics and many more items of interest founded by herbert ingram may 14th 1842.
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1886 RUSSIAN AGENTS BULGARIA PARTISANS SOFIA TRAITORS A part page from the Illustrated ... more
London News dated 1866, an illustrated weekly newspaper weeks date as shown on top of page or in title, the scan size is approx 16 x 11.5 inches (405x290). All are genuine antique prints and not modern copies, the Illustrated London News is an illustrated magazine which was first printed in 1842 and is the finest pictorial example of a historic social record of British and world events up to the present day. The ILN is known for its coverage of the following subjects the wars, ships, boats, guns, sailing, portraits, fine art, old and antique prints, wood cut, wood engravings, early photographs, Victorian life, Victorian culture, kings, queens, royalty, travels, adventures, natural history, birds, fish, mammals, fishing, hunting, shooting, fox hunting, sports including tennis, cricket, football, horse racing, politics and many more items of interest founded by Herbert Ingram may 14th 1842.
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1887 prince ferdinand coburg bulgaria palace sofia . Old antique historical victorian ... more
prints maps and historic fine art---------- a part page from the illustrated london news date if known in title, an illustrated weekly newspaper weeks date as shown on top of page or in title, the scan size is approx 16 x 11.5 inches (405x290). Please check size by scale shown.All are genuine antique prints and not modern copies, the illustrated london news is an illustrated magazine which was first printed in 1842 and is the finest pictorial example of a historic social record of british and world events up to the present day. The iln is known for its coverage of the following subjects the wars, ships, boats, guns, sailing, portraits, fine art, old and antique prints, wood cut, wood engravings, early photographs, victorian life, victorian culture, kings, queens, royalty, travels, adventures, natural history, birds, fish, mammals, fishing, hunting, shooting, fox hunting, sports including tennis, cricket, football, horse racing, politics and many more items of interest founded by herbert ingram may 14th 1842.
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Advantages: Great large town, that's compact and safe to explore Disadvantages: Probably only enough for a weekend; the Cyrillic language
...but just one corner of Sofia highlights it. For you have a grand Synagogue, where you recall the Nazi Occupation that took over the country, and mostly led to it becoming Soviet for the next forty years. The Jewish community is tiny now, although through local determination hardly any Jews were disposed of, and most freely went to Israel in the post-war years.
Next door, a nicely revamped market hall, which was probably the scene of ... ...one of the three attempts Sofia has at a main square. The Largo is an attractive rectangle that features the Party Building at one end, which used to be dwarfed by a Soviet star on top, and a poor statue of Wisdom at the other end, whose prominent nipples were thought better than Lenin.
In between there is the rare sight of a medieval church peeking out of an underpass, for it was built ten foot below modern ground level. There's a ... more
For the first time theediscerning is hereby dabbling in foreign climes - no, not a first trip abroad, but a debut excursion into the esteemed realm of Ciao travel writers. That's what these competition thingies are for, of course.
To start with, a smallish city both tucked away in the middle of Eastern Europe's old Soviet / Warsaw Pact areas, yet far enough away from us in the UK to have some of the mystery and oddity the near east brings - Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria.
You will increasingly see this as a location for a long weekend holiday, for it is yet another fine eastern European city falling under the tourism industry's eye. With Bulgaria possibly entering the Eurozone in 2007, the urge is to go before it all gets changed.
The history of the country is far too complex to summarise here, but just one corner of Sofia highlights it. For you have a grand Synagogue, where you recall the Nazi Occupation that took over the country, and mostly led to it becoming Soviet for the next forty years. The Jewish community is tiny now, although through local determination hardly any Jews were disposed of, and most freely went to Israel in the post-war years.
Next door, a nicely revamped market hall, which was probably the scene of lots of babushka-types queuing for their monthly bread rations in Soviet times, but now is so posh, airy and refitted it carries no such ghosts.
Thirdly, completing the row, the main Mosque. The whole country is a melting pot of Orthodoxy and Balkan tradition, with Turkish and Islamic influence, with a burgeoning look west, away from the old Soviet Bloc past and into the gungho industry of trade. The religious mix is furthered by Roman Catholic minorities, some further Greek influences (for obvious reasons - it's the country due south of Bulgaria) - and just round the corner of the three buildings mentioned, the Roma gypsies seem to congregate for their begging.
There are also Arabic mineral baths across a small park from this triumvirate, and just slightly south, one of the three attempts Sofia has at a main square. The Largo is an attractive rectangle that features the Party Building at one end, which used to be dwarfed by a Soviet star on top, and a poor statue of Wisdom at the other end, whose prominent nipples were thought better than Lenin.
In between there is the rare sight of a medieval church peeking out of an underpass, for it was built ten foot below modern ground level. There's a whole host of churches in Sofia, all different, all worth a look, and too many to detail here.
South a few yards again, and one gets to a larger church in a traffic island - square two. Here seems to be the best place for the postcards home, if nothing else.
Back under the Party Building, one can easily notice the sets in the road - the paved bricks are regularly painted gold. This road heading east is where the old military parades were held, and is still the main road to take you past several of the sites in the direction of the Nevsky Church, the city's orthodox cathedral. But before we leave, we have the president's offices on our right, where the daintily clothed soldiers still do their goose-stepping 'small change' each hour, the prime minister's offices on our left, and in a two o'clock direction, the main archaeological museum. You'll notice it for the remains outside.
Going along our golden road you will find the other museums, first, a large national art gallery, with the third main square outside. If The Largo has a connection with Moscow's Red Square - a large mall where the state shop was (here it's Tzum, not GUM), this has too - there used to be a Mausoleum here for standing on and watching the tanks trundle past. There's no sign now, just gardens, leading to posh eateries and the national theatre. These are a good, cooling spot, watching the children play, and if you're lucky, some busking bluesmen, calling themselves, and this is no lie - Alexandrov's Ragtime Band.
The Russian church is further along, a quaint, small thing, typically dark, gloomy and smothered in blackness inside from the cheap, poor quality candles the congregation use. (For the country's most fabulous Russian church, try and get to Kazanlak, and the Shipka Memorial church outside there.)
The Nevski Church, which you will by now have seen on postcards, posters and so on, is a huge edifice, a roundabout among golden cobbles, gilt domes competing with that at their feet. Inside it's cleaner, brighter and fresher than some other churches, and clearly rich. You have to consider there's hardly anything in Sofia that is over 120 years old, what with infidel invaders, earthquakes and so on, so this isn't exactly ancient. It is though mightily impressive.
In this quarter of town you'll find the university, national library, and other large, important buildings, in a nice sandstone colour. The streets are wider and less oppressive than some cities, but when the buildings need to be grand, they are.
There are other churches, monuments and markets around the Nevski, but if we go back to our starting point back west, we can catch up on other churches - St George's, which is a rotunda, again below current floor levels, with lots of Roman walls on either side. Admission to anything - this or the poky and hoighty-toighty Sveta Petka church, or any of the museums, is barely a £ if anything.
So your fictional weekend is over as regards sites. You can head out down the Vitosha street then, which has lots of western style shops, and a couple of really decent eateries - try the lamb pilaf in the open air at Background for size. Further down is a large park, with the most run-down memorial to anybody and anything in the world, ever, and a huge blob of building serving as culture centre, where according to current listings you can see a subtitled Hollywood cinema film for 60p.
You can then think to get out to the hills to the south of the city - and do so, if not before the Euro invasion, then before the 2012 Winter Olympics are sited there, which is the city's intention. There's a very early church if it would float your boat, and acres and acres of hiking through the woods - a bit midgy though, for some.
This is all very well without knowing something more basic about the city, such as how to get there. You fly, dear boy, you fly. The airport to the east of town is fairly small, and not fabulous as regards shopping or security (it's up to you which is more important), and a short trip away. The flightpath over the town is a great welcome - blag the window seat.
Once arriving anywhere in the country though the Cyrillic alphabet may well flummox. Road signs are becoming bilingual, as it were, and Sofia is the best place away from the Black Sea coast resorts for being understood in English, so you might just survive. You should survive fully intact too, it seems a most friendly and crime-free city, and the only threat might be an assumed one on derby day for the football fans.
You will survive the drinking water, fresh from the hills mentioned earlier, and the food is perfectly palateable. You won't like the country if you're lactose intolerant, as a lot of dishes come with cheese, or yoghurt. A great way to spend the evening is to have a salad, based round either, for starter, then a main course, probably ordered with potato and vegetables (side-salad, in other words) separately, plus the local beers, and spend £7 for the pair of you. You get to see a lot of cucumber, cheese and tomato in a week or so in Bulgaria...
The climate is variable, although winters and summers tend to be much like British, only more pronounced. The heat is never too much of a problem though, and being mainland Europe, is never the horrid humid mugginess England has for a summer. Theediscerning went late July, when it was supposed to be blindingly hot - it was getting on for that, but as it was high season all the locals were on holiday, the tourists weren't interested as it was warm elsewhere, and the town was lovely and empty. Two days after he moved on, the region was deluged by dreadful floods...
(It was also a weekend, and so almost all the churches were being used for weddings. The natives are said not to mind you peeking round and having a look at the church, although probably it will still make you feel uncomfortable. It does however mean there are people much more smartly-dressed and better looking than the average tourist in your photos...)
So, to summarise, Sofia is more of a large town than a major European city. They are only starting to build their second underground line, but for the tourist, the sites are mostly within walking distance of each other, with some busses to think of for the more adventurous going off the beaten track. (It's very flat, too.) The public transport is very cheap by local standards, as is everything throughout the country, and while some parts of town aren't as posh as you'd like - the pavements and roads more pothole than paving in many areas to the east, it's a fun, safe and cheap place to explore.
*Insert the Bulgarian for "see you there!" here* - it's very highly recommended.
It would probably be too much to expect you to spend an entire week in Sofia, as you would have to spend time taking in your surroundings in all the many parks and open spaces, after seeing every museum exhibit (and 60p film) to pass the time, and so it is expected you will happily leave this great town and try and see more of the country. Which should be covered in a second op soon...
Advantages: Not too busy, good value for money, green Disadvantages: Not many "attractions", not much for children
Our visit to Sofia didn't get off to an auspicious start. The other half spent the eve of the trip throwing up in the only bathroom of a hostel in Veliko Tarnovo and we would have stayed there another day to permit his recuperation had we not already reserved and paid for our tickets to the capital. By the following day I was off my food and the day after that I was availing myself of the bathroom facilities, making sure I got my moneys worth! I ... ...ATTRACTIONS AND ACTIVITIES
Sofia is a rather compact city so, while it has trams and a short underground line, weekend visitors should be able to get to most places on foot. Those venturing out of town - perhaps to Mount Vitosha - will find the buses cheap and reliable. For other places in the Sofia region like Rila Monastery, there are plenty of companies offering excursions as well as the standard bus services. Sofia does have lots of museums ...
fizzytom 24.08.2006
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sofia (Bulgaria)
Advantages: Compact, Affordable Disadvantages: Communist architecture
I've been living in Sofia since September 2004, so I've learnt quite a lot about it which might be of interest to any intrepid travellers out there who are thinking of going, or even better, may be I'll spark off a new interest in someone who's never previously considered it. A little history
Bulgaria used to be a communist country and has the unusual accolade of being an ex-communist country that voted the communists back in once they got the free ... ...For the visitor
Sofia is not a beautiful city in the usual sense of the word. But it has a faded glamour and once you begin to get to know it (give yourself a week) you will fall in love with it. Many buildings, it first glance, seem to be crumbling, barely standing even, but this is not the whole story. Look around and you will see some absolutely amazing churches, cathedrals and public buildings. The Orthodox Church favours awe-inspiring golden ...
Tricksty 15.02.2005
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Sofia (Bulgaria)
Advantages: Cheap interesting and friendly Disadvantages: Expensive to get too
Sofia is probably not your first idea of a holiday destination. Especially in winter!! It is, however wonderful. Dont go looking for stunning buildings expansive parks or world class cuisine. Instead, go looking for friendly and genuine people, cheap but good food and ice cold beers at 30p a pint. Stay in a family run hotel, travel on public transport and drink with the locals. Bulgarians are very inquisitive people. They love to know about you, ... ...each has a fasanating history. Sofia has been a crossroad of trade for many centuries and there are many different cultural influences from the Turks to the Soviets. Most importantly the beers. Zakokra and Kaminitza are the main beers. Both are good and come in a number of varieties. For me nothing beats an ice cold Zakorka on draught. Especially for 30p. Cheers ...
Jasonrow 28.02.2001
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Advantages: A short walk from centre of Sofia, cheap Disadvantages: No breakfast, no air con
picky to be vexed; currently, according to their website, a double room with en suite (toilet and shower) costs just ?30 a night which is excellent value for a capital city. Rooms with shared bathroom facilities cost just ?20 and a triple is even better value still at ?30. This would be a good choice for backpackers who want some privacy and don?t want the noise of bustling hostels but also for weekend visitors who don?t mind basic accommodation and don?t want to spend too much. Breakfast may not be provided but there are plenty of places nearby to get some.
Prices quoted from the website August 2009
Pop Bogomil Str. 46
1202 Sofia, Bulgaria
www.enyhotel.com ...
I have flown with this company quite a few times (10 times or so) between Bucharest and London.
Company:
From what I understand the company is Hungarian with 8 operating bases to Katowice, Warsaw, Gdansk and Poznan in Poland, Budapest in Hungary, Sofia in Bulgaria and Bucharest and Cluj in Romania, offering flights to over 50 destinations and 100 routes in Europe. It's quite a young company, considering their first flight took off in May 2004.
Aircraft:
Their aircraft is Airbus A320 with 180 seats on board. The seats are single class only, there is no seat assignment so you sit wherever you can. If you are picky about your seat and do not like to fight with 100+ for a window seat, take advantage of the pre-booking (2. 5 euro for bus, 4 euro for aircraft per flight during booking, more after booking) or extra legroom(5 euro during ...
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Advantages: cheap, friendly and punctual Disadvantages: not many destinations from UK yet
??
Wizz Air started in 2004 and is already one of the largest CEE based low cost airlines and rapidly emerging in Central and Eastern Europe.
All aircrafts have the latest technology, and are very comfortable.
Wizz Air quickly became registered in London, with services flying to Hungary and Poland at very low cost. Rapidly becoming wider known, the company is expanding rather fast, and flight destinations are increasing.
Wizz Air flight destinations from the UK?..
At the present time, Wizz Air flies to 17 European destinations on 32 routes.
They also operate from two bases in the UK, London Luton, and Liverpool.
The destinations you can fly to using Wizz Air from London Luton are:
Bourgas (Bulgaria) Budapest (Hungary) Gdansk (Poland) Katowice(Poland) Juliana (Slovenia) Liverpool (UK)Poznan (Poland) Sofia ...
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