Last weekend we made a quick trip to the capital of Bulgaria, Sofia. We had a great time and enjoyed seeing a new part of Eastern Europe, but this trip wasn't exactly in the plans. In an effort to make an incredibly long story short, our Polish residence cards expired before our new ones were renewed. So, in order to stay in the country legally we had to leave Poland and have our passports stamped coming back in...allowing us to stay in the country for 90 days (plenty of time to get the new residence card). Sounds pretty easy at first, right? Just leave Poland....no problem. But, the existence of the European Union makes this a tad more difficult since you do not get a passport stamp when travelling between EU countries. So, our travel destination list was shortened quite quickly which is how we settled on our weekend in Bulgaria. (And for those who are well versed in EU knowledge, yes, Bulgaria is in the EU but is not yet part of the Schengen Zone which made it work for our situation)
The pre-Poland Sarah would have been highly stressed and annoyed that this whole situation came about and that we had to actually, physically leave the country in order to be "legal". But, as I've said in other blog posts...living abroad has definitely made me more easy going and I have come to expect that simple tasks usually wind up being much more complicated. So, amazingly enough....this one didn't really surprise me. I chalked it up to another crazy, but yes, this is really happening expat experience! And, it allowed us to spend a nice quick weekend in Bulgaria.
Sofia is a beautiful, old city that, to me, was a cross between Greece and Poland (aka Eastern Europe with a Mediterranean flair). We spent our day and a half walking around the city, exploring the sites (including a ton of Eastern Orthodox churches), and indulging in the local cuisine..which Tom and I loved. We are now on the hunt for a Bulgarian restaurant in Poland. I do have to say that I now understand why the Poles consider themselves the creme de la creme of Eastern Europe. Sofia is beautiful but a large portion of the city definitely resembles a very stereotypical communist feel to it -- Poland has worked hard to modernize.
Sofia was a great taste of Bulgaria and left us wanting more. We have heard great things about the coast of the country on the Black Sea. So, we have added that to our never ending travel list!
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| Remains of a 600 year old church near our hotel |
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| We loved the Bulgarian food....a deer stew here! |
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| One of many Eastern Orthodox churches |
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| Lots of stray dogs roaming the streets...just like Athens |
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| More deliciousness....a vegetarian dish the even Tom liked! |
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| Traditional Bulgarian bread dipped in spices |
