Ice skating is without a doubt one of our most favorite things to do during winter. It’s fun, it’s a great exercise for the hips, it warms you up, and you usually end up laughing a lot. So, without any further ado, let us introduce to you the open ice skating rinks in Sofia for…
Category: Sofia
Lately I have developed a serious addiction for Starbucks’ White Mocca – I ❤ this coffee with a passion and I can have it as many times per day as I pass near a Starbucks (I must be turning into a hipster). As a person who’s lived abroad it has always been bugging me, however, that they don’t offer any…
Love winter? Yeah, so do we. Quite frankly though I love it the most through the window, while I’m sitting next to a chimney, well-tucked with a warm blanket, steamy hot chocolate in my hand, and a book I can’t put aside. Dreamy, right? Well, unfortunately, we don’t have a chimney and we actually use…
I should start this article by telling you that this is a good “How to spend an incredible weekend nearby Sofia” guide. Nonetheless, the overwhelming love I feel for Dupnitsa and its people didn’t allow me to title this post in such a dull way. Yet, this is exactly what you’ll find here. So read on! Have you ever…
You know this church – you’ve seen it on so many pictures. It is a gorgeous building in the very heart of Sofia, standing there to remind us (and our guests) that Bulgaria and Russia have a common past. But this isn’t what makes the church so special. Nor are the tulips, nor its golden…
As many people who live in Sofia, I always neglected the closest mountain – Vitosha. You know this feeling of taking things for granted, right? This summer, however, Ellie and I decided we should tick Cherni Vrah off the list. And so we did. It turned out to be the most boring peak we’ve ever…
You can’t sleep on the Eiffel tower, nor on Tower Bridge. Actually, most famous spots limit your experience to simply watching. But! We got some good news for you – this isn’t the case in Bulgaria. The most popular site in our gorgeous country allows you far more than merely seeing it. We’re talking about…
We took a few steps into the deciduous forest. Walking in absolute silence, we were headed to one of the most sacred places in Bulgaria – the cave of St. Ivan Rilski. Where is Ivan Rilski’s cave? The cave in which St. Ivan Rilski spent more than 7 years of his life is located only…
Musala peak is the highest peak in Rila Mountain and on the Balkans peninsula. For the experienced hikers, climbing this 2925 meters tall giant in a single day wouldn’t be a problem. But what about all the rest of us who are simply hiker-enthusiasts? Can we also conquer Musala in a day? The answer is yes. With the help of…
Dancing bears. Bulgaria’s shameful past. Something as historically embarrassing as Hitler is for Germany, and as Brexit will probably be for the UK one day. Dancing bears were a “thing” in Bulgaria back in the late 90’s. Mostly trained by gypsies (99.99%), bears were taken away from their mothers as cubs and trained to dance.…
Image courtesy Sean Elliott Photography
Well, maybe we didn’t exactly visit her summer residence but we saw her carpet. The carpet isn’t yet in her residence, but it will be soon. And it’s absolutely amazing! How did it all start? When someone suggested we visit the carpet factory in Kostandovo, I couldn’t help but wonder why the heck would we…
You think you know it all until one day you go for a SPA retreat in the healing mineral waters of Velingrad and decide to visit the Pliocene park in Dorkovo to see a real-size mammoth! Although the experience sounds quite touristy, to me this appeared to be more than that. Here are the lessons that…
We can’t deny the benefits of living in Sofia – with mount Vitosha in the backyard, amazing places such as the Golden Bridges, a gazillion restaurants and coffee shops that can satisfy absolutely any taste and preferences, there is so much you can do around here. The lush greenery of South park offers relief to the…
A day trip from Sofia that we strongly recommend is a visit to the Stob Pyramids. A gorgeous destination just an hour, hour and something from Sofia, you can combine this with a visit to the Rila Monastery. The Stob Pyramids are a natural formation, caused by the heavy rains and wind in the area…
The first time we saw pictures from the Eyes of God cave (Prohodna cave) we didn’t even realize it’s located in Bulgaria. Luckily, it is. And the best part: it’s only about an hour drive from Sofia (112km)! How to get to the “Eyes of God” (Prohodna) Cave? To our knowledge there is no bus, nor any…
Live in Sofia and eat out? Then you must be as tired as I am from largely advertised new steakhouses that offer medium quality meat, and Italian restaurants which claim to have it all figured out but serve the same old as everyone else. If this sounds familiar, say no more – I completely understand…
Do you believe that monasteries are not built on random locations (especially the old ones)? I certainly do. We, human beings, are definitely way more logical and hence perhaps more intelligent nowadays (if this is really what intelligence is about). However, in the 21st century, I honestly believe we’re way too far from our roots,…
One of our most favorite destinations, the 7 Rila Lakes, is without a doubt also one of the most beautiful places to visit in Bulgaria. Spending several days in the Sapareva Banya and dedicating one of those days to the lakes is an amazing idea, but did you know you can also add them to your list of day trips…
If you thought time travelling is impossible, I got interesting news for you: it actually isn’t. Especially if you’ve lived in Bulgaria in the 90’s and take a trip to Nis in modern days. I have always loved Serbia and Serbian people which is why I was really excited to go there and visit Ellie…
When you’re born to a Bulgarian family (not the modern ones though), you grow up knowing that you have got to be tough. Even though Bulgarians are known for complaining a lot (from the government, from their salaries, from their neighbors), whining in front of your family members when you’re sick isn’t a welcomed behavior.…