Sofia

December 6th was Finland's Independence Day (102 years), and since this year it was Friday, I took it off to have a long weekend. Haven't had that day off in few years... A long weekend of course means travelling! Wizzair flies from Bratislava to a few destinations, and I chose Sofia, Bulgaria. A friend of mine (a former colleague from Brasov) lives there, so once again I invited myself over. The return flight was just about 43 euros! My flight was in late evening, and it was delayed a bit so it was way after midnight when I finally arrived there. Didn't really see anything on our way to his place, but Saturday and Sunday we just walked around the city a lot doing sightseeing.

The first pic I took in Sofia was a this pic of my idol :)

Some other art

There was snow!!! Wanna go for a ride?

Saturday was a bit foggy and grey, but we still did the free walking tour. It took about 2 hours and I highly recommend that! All the main sights are basically in the city centre, so it is very walkable. We were planning on going to a blues bar in the evening but after dinner we were so exhausted that we just went to sleep early (pathetic middle aged people...). Sofia doesn't have an old town, it is built in layers, old and new mixing together.

This used to be a bath, but now it is museum. According to our guide many people wish it would still be a bath.

Sunday was a sunny day, so we wanted to go up to a nearby mountain. We took a taxi there, but the lift was closed! It should've been running, but for some reason it wasn't. There was a taxi driver who offered to take us up, but the price he was asking was really high, so we just took the bus back to city. Since it was sunny, I took more pics because everything just looks so much better in sunshine!

Just random pics...

Aleksander Nevsky cathedral, the symbol of Sofia and probably the main tourist attraction. Until 2000 it was the largest orthodox cathedral. Alexander Nevsky was actually Russian, and the cathedral was named after him to honor the Russian soldiers who gave their lives to liberate Bulgaria from Ottoman rule.

Did not know that Finnish soldiers were also involved!

Beautiful mosque and chcurches in the city, also a synagogue

Quiz: what does Finland and Bulgaria (and Netherlands) have in common? Lion or lions in coat of arms, and sports team is called the Lions! But there are lion statues really all over Sofia.

Saint Sofia statue, this statue is actually quite new, from 2000 (there used to be a statue of Lenin), and the city was NOT named after her.

The city was named after Saint Sofia's church, in front there's eternal flame

My flight was again in the evening, and I was back at home around 22. Nice to visit, not the best time of the year of course but very nice, and of course it was nice to see a friend after 2 years. Sofia has lots of history, there has been human habitation at least from 7000 bc. I would like to visit again for a few more days to see more of Bulgaria than just Sofia. Since the flights are very affordable, I just might do that :).

This weekend I am planning on visiting Vienna Christmas Market, but it depends on the weather. Then finally in 2 weeks it is time for Malta! Hope I will get some sunshine, but I know it won't be beach weather, and it's ok. Otherwise life is just normal... get up in the morning, go to work, go home, maybe supermarket first, cook, eat, take a shower, watch some tv, go to sleep... repeat Monday to Friday. Doesn't matter where you live, this is how it goes. I don't have anything booked for next year and it is freaking me out! But first I need to know when I will have some visitors here before I can plan on my travels. I will do weekend trips and day trips of course and those don't really need that much planning. Anyway, hopefully I get some nice pics from Vienna to make a little post!

Poprad, The High Tatras

2 weeks ago I took a couple of days off to have a long weekend, and I wanted to go to the mountains. Luckily the weather forecast was ok, so I chose Poprad and The High Tatras as my destination. I booked accommodation in Poprad, and did a day trip up to the mountains. I stayed in Penzion Slavia, good location near the train station, very basic but everything you need and the price was good. The train from Bratislava takes about 3,5 hours and costs 20-25 €. On Sunday the 17th it was important day here, Velvet revolution started 30 years ago! It ended the communist era, and a few years later it ended Czechoslovakia. The day is a public holiday both in Slovakia and Czech Republic.

That day I took the train up to the mountains, to Strbske Pselo (seriously Slovaks, vowels are good letters too). The train (Tatra Electric Railway) takes over an hour from Poprad and the return ticket is just 4 €. It was a bit cloudy up there, but still gorgeous views and there's a lovely mountain lake that I walked around. The High Tatras are both in Slovakia and Poland, but the major part and the highest peaks are in Slovakia. 29 peaks are over 2500 m.

On my way back I stopped at Stary Smokovec, that I actually liked more than Strbske Pselo. On my next visit I think I should stay there instead of Poprad. It was not the high season so it was very nice and peaceful, just as I like it :). First I took some pics from the train.

Then some pics of Stary Smokovec

I took a few more pics from the train, and the Poprad train station.

The High Tatras are just gorgeous, I also took some pics from the train, so the quality is not the best.

On Monday I stayed in Poprad to check what that town has to offer. It is not a big city, according to Wikipedia the population is about 50 000, so it is very easy to just walk around it. The city definitely has its charm!

Tuesday it was time to head back home, the day was gorgeous, so I took some pics from the train.

My next trip will be to Sofia, Bulgaria, on this Friday, just for the weekend, but that will be my next post, hopefully it won't take 2 weeks...  Wizzair flies there from Bratislava, and the return ticket was just about 43 €. And since I can crash on my friend's couch, that will be a very affordable weekend getaway!