I arrived very early in the morning to yet another new country and yet another different currency. So far I have gone from the Sing Dollar to Malaysian Ringgit, Thai Baht, Lao Kip, Viet Dong, Turkish Lira and now the Bulgarian Lev. Not only do I need to know what they are but how many you get to the dollar. In some currencies I become an instant millionaire.
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| A poser |
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| The main street |
Problems usually arise before you get used to the new currency. Being bleary eyed eccentuates any possible problem. And so it was... As soon as I got off the train a man grabbed my bag and started "helping" me - I didn't really need this help. He wouldn't let go of my bag and I had no local currency to pay him off. By the time I had taken charge of the situation I probably gave him a day's wage to regain my bag and my sanity. Oh the joys of being a woman traveller!
I am in an amazing little hotel. I picked a cherry! It has lime-washed floorboards and exposed brickwork. What is more, it is warm and quiet and only a short hop to the main drag.- Vitosha. This is the Oxford Street of Sofia with well=dressed, classy people strolling, eating and posing more than shopping. At the far end of the street is the mountain that looms over the small city. The sun shone and the air was crisp with a ski type feel. It had holiday written all over the day. It was as cold as Istanbul but it didn't get my bones rattling quite so much.
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| Justinian's favourite place |
I did a Sofia Walking Tour in the afternoon with a really enthusiastic guide and about 30 other people. It was brilliant and FREE.. Sofia wasn't always Sofia. It was Serdica - a Roman City that is still very evident and the favourite place of Emperor Justinian. For most of the history, Bulgaria was ruled by someone else and even when they had their own ruler things weren't the best. For example, their King Boris lll was the subject of many failed assassination attempts. What is it about people called Boris being unpopular?
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| Guards dressed for action. Feathers at the ready |
On top of that layer came the Byzantines and then the Ottomans making for a very interesting mix of culture, architecture and religion. So today, I am off to explore some of the places I saw the outside of yeasterday. It is a small city so the chances of getting lost are far smaller than those of getting frozen!
More news later, Marms... be good..
Love You
XXX
All that beautiful architecture would be knocked down and rebuilt here! Don't do old here in Singapore! Shock of the old?
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