Sofia

[khiemtran]

Sofia is the capital of Bulgaria. A relatively small city, but with an ancient history. This is the closest to Asia I've ever been in Europe, and I was surprised to find at times an oddly Asian feel. It wasn't something you could detect up-close, but more something that was only visible from a distance. More than once I saw people from across the road and found that slim figures and dark hair, and perhaps a certain gait, were enough to code them to my brain (and fading eyesight) as "most likely Asian" until I got closer. Asian from a distance, European up close. That's Bulgaria for me...



Once this was in the land of the Thracians. Then later part of Roman Empire. Then the Bulgars. Then the Slavs. Then the Ottomans. And no doubt a few others in between. Here we have Roman ruins in the city centre, in front of the largest mosque.



Originally known by the Celtic name of Serdica, it took the name of Sofia ultimately from a church dedicated to Saint Sophia (incidentally, the same Hagia Sofia that the famous church in Istanbul was named after).



These days a church still stands on the site, built over the ruins of many other churches (and a mosque). You can walk inside and look down through glass panels at the ancient structures below. When I was there, there was a choir practising, filling the church with rich, Slavic acapella singing (I didn't know it at the time, but Orthodox churches apparently have no organs). A wonderful moment.



Now, the new religious centrepiece stands across the road, in the form of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.



It looks impressive (and is actually modelled on the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul), but it's also surprisingly recent. It was only completed in 1916.



No photography permitted inside, but it was a special moment to be able to walk inside and see the icons gradually come to life as your eyes adjusted to the dark. Here's an image from the outside.



Nearby, you can buy icons of your own to take home.



And beyond the park, another church, this time for St Nikolaj.



Despite being the capital, the city has a pleasant, walkable scale.



And, on Sundays, people spend their time promenading on the wide boulevards and in the open parks. (This isn't very crowded, because it isn't Sunday.)



That was Vitosha Boulevard in the last photo, named after Mount Vitosha, which towers protectively over one end of the city. In winter, it's a ski resort.



Sofia and the mountains are also known for their mineral waters. One of the springs is actually within the city centre and free for anyone to drink from. This is a detail from the banya built over it.



Elsewhere, the city is colourful, but not so spic-and-span...



And, after a long day's walk, why not relax with a plate of musaka? Served perhaps with tarator (a cold soup of yoghurt, cucumber and walnuts).

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

Lovely photos--the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is breathtaking. I didn't know that about organs and Orthodox Christianity either! How wonderful to hear the a cappella singing.

Asian from a distance, European up close

That's an interesting observation and makes me wonder about where else one might see or feel something similar. I guess some Russian cities have something of the same feel?

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

One of the oddest experiences in Seoul was sitting opposite a man on the metro and thinking, "Gosh, doesn't he look like the chap who owns the garage at the end of our road." And then I thought, "Huh? How can that be?" Alun is, of course, Welsh. The chap on the metro was Korean. But there was a distinct likeness. Now possibly I was mistaken about the likeness, but there is a particular type of Welsh person who is small in stature and has very dark hair that doesn't really every go grey and who has a skin that tans easily and I can only guess that it's inherited from the pre-Celtic original inhabitants of Britain. But whether these original Brits are genetically related to the Asian population, I have no idea.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

I also watched "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" (which was excellent btw) on the flight over, and I kept seeing people in Sofia whose faces reminded me of Jiro's eldest son, Koshikazu.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

I imagine Greece and Turkey would be the same too. I wonder if some of the things I was picking up as "Asian" were actually Turkish.

[heleninwales.livejournal.com]

Lovely photos. The one next to the bottom reminded me of parts of Riga. The juxtaposition of the mosque and the Roman remains reminds one of the age of many European cities.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

The layers and layers of history was fascinating. In one of the museums in the city, there's supposed to be a piece bone 1.6 million years old, with markings on it believed to be a deliberate attempt at counting (and possibly a calendar). I thought it was in the Archeological Museum, but I went there briefly and didn't see it. Perhaps it was in the National History Museum instead. The Archeological Museum was very impressive though. Lots of artifacts from the Paleolithic through to Medieval times, including a life-size replica of the Madara Horseman (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madara_Rider).

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Lovely photos and now I want some musaka!

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

Fortunately relaxing with a plate of musaka is allowed to mean eating it for other people, as opposed to khiemtran, for whom it means photographing it. ;^b

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

I shoot first and ask questions later (such as "who ate my musaka?").

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

ROTFL!

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

*lol*

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Thanks! I'm looking forward to seeing what you encounter in Egypt...

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

Only one week to go!

[lethargic-man.livejournal.com]

This is the closest to Asia I've ever been in Europe, and I was surprised to find at times an oddly Asian feel. It wasn't something you could detect up-close, but more something that was only visible from a distance. More than once I saw people from across the road and found that slim figures and dark hair, and perhaps a certain gait, were enough to code them to my brain (and fading eyesight) as "most likely Asian" until I got closer. Asian from a distance, European up close. That's Bulgaria for me...

Of course, by "Asia" what I think you mean is the body type you get in southeast Asia. Go to southwest Asia (better known as the Middle East) and you won't get that feeling at all. But of course, Bulgaria, being somewhere in the vague vicinity of where the forests of Europe met the steppes of central Asia^* (I have no idea where this interface is exactly) is where any number of steppe nomads from way across Asia—Huns (who may or may not have been identical with the Xiongnu 匈奴), Mongols, etc—washed up or passed through.

* The only reason I'm not now earwormed with Borodin is because I'm currently listening to Stevie Wonder. :o)

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

That's true, although I probably mean more generally "East Asian", but then, of course, once you get down to it, there are so many different variations that it isn't really true any more. I guess you could say it's more of a hint than a direct match. Something almost subliminal. I didn't know that there was something I even considered an Asian (East Asian) body type, until I kept getting an odd feeling of something not quite matching when I saw people walking in the street.

[endlessrarities.livejournal.com]

If you like the Orthodox church music, then check out the Rachmaninov Vespers. They're fantastic - there's one with a tenor solo which is absolutely spine-tingling.

[khiemtran.livejournal.com]

Ah, yes. I've heard bits of it on the radio, but I've never had the chance to sit down and listen to the whole thing. Thanks for the recommendation!