Bulgaria

I had intended to leave the cold behind in Russia (and therefore ditched my boots and coat there in hopeful anticipation that the Balkan peninsula would be warmer), but alas I was greeted in Bulgaria with snow and slush. My first stop in Bulgaria was the capital city of Sofia. Sofia, formerly the ancient city of Serdika, was first inhabited by Thracians and was conquered by the Romans in 29 B.C. Remnants of Serdika can be found all around the city as parts of the old city walls and theater remain, although more excavation work needs to be done in the next few years. Here is the oldest building in Serdika still standing, the church of St. George built during Constantine’s reign.

Fun fact: Constantine is credited with saying “Serdika-this is my Rome!”

It was almost impossible to find because it is surrounded on all four sides by Soviet government block buildings built to hide the church from public view without destroying it.

Sofia used to have many public baths due to the mineral hot springs. They are all closed now, but small fountains can be found around the city, and we walked by many filling up large jugs of water.

The next day I rode out to Rila to visit the St. John of Rila Monastery, one of Bulgaria’s UNESCO sites. Although the monastery is buzzing with tourists all summer, this March day was quiet and serene, and the monastery buildings and surrounding mountains were covered in a beautiful light blanket of snow.

Although it snowed my entire visit, Bulgaria was preparing for and anticipating spring. In March the Martenitsa tradition begins. Starting March 1 on “Baba Marta Day” (or Grandma March), people wear red and white bracelets, scarves, pins (men, too!) as a sign of health and happiness. They are to be warn every day of March until the first sign of spring arrives (which my guide told me is the first fruit tree blooming, a swallow, or a stork). Then the red and white ornaments are pinned onto the tree. Here are a few Martenitsa bracelets being sold in a shop window.

As I ventured to Plovdiv with two girls from my hostel, I sat next to an elderly woman who spoke no words to me but halfway through our bus ride she took out an extra m-bracelet with a mini red egg on it and slid it on my wrist with a smile and a wish for good health. And immediately went back to staring out the window with a tiny but discernible smile on her face.

Although I knew no Bulgarian, I was able to ask for directions in Russian every time we got lost in Plovdiv (which happened an embarrassing amount of times). I would always receive an answer in Bulgarian that was close enough for me to distinguish which direction to head in next as we “danced” through the snowy streets to avoid the slush. Of course, my favorite part of Plovdiv was the ancient theater of Philippopolis. 

A much warmer destination coming soon!