Sofia’s Second Chance

I was not in a good mood when my aunt and I landed in Sofia, and the rain didn’t help. We had just said goodbye to vibrant Istanbul, a place that had completely enveloped me, and leaving after just two and a half days felt too soon. Istanbul was sunny; Sofia was dreary. Istanbul was crammed with ancient architecture; Sofia greeted us with blocks of communists apartments. In Istanbul the people were friendly and charismatic (even if they were just trying to sell you something); in Sofia they barely looked at us (or, oddly enough, we found that they were staring at our feet).

Since we had arrived hours before the rest of our tour group, we went for a walk down the main pedestrian area near our hotel. It was early still, the sidewalk cafes were all closed in the morning rain, and the place was eerily quiet. I tried not to be upset. We still had a week and a half of our trip left. I wondered if it had been a bad thing to put guaranteed-smash-hit Istanbul in the beginning, setting such high expectations. The sky started to cloud over even more and we headed back to the hotel, just missing a second bout of rain.

After a nap, we got up and decided to try Sofia again. It seemed like the sun was driving off the last of the rain. I strapped on my shoes and my optimism.

And Sofia was a different place.

Sofia, I found, was just waiting to come out until after the rain. I knew my experience was about to turn around the moment I saw the old police crow’s nest, repainted white and outfitted with flower boxes to transform it into an elevated gazebo. A pair of young women were up there, eating lunch and chatting. If a city could take something so utilitarian and transform it into something whimsical, Sofia must have more to show me.

Sofia soon charmed me with a quirkiness hidden in all the most unexpected nooks and crannies. When we left, just a day and a half later, I was disappointed. Sofia is a city that needed to be unearthed, and I just hadn’t had enough time. I wish I could go back — so many people have said they really discovered the city’s charm on their second visit to Sofia.

Like any good city, Sofia has its share of street art, often hidden in unusual places (and oddly placed AC units).

In the park around the National Palace of Culture, you can find several art installations, including this piece of the Berlin Wall.

I don’t really know why these sunken and tiny cigarette shops delighted me to much, but it just added to the idea that Sofia is many-layered.

 There was gelato. It was delicious.

Any city where someone puts up a “pick a smile” sign is a place with a special sense of humor.

And if there’s only one thing you do, please, for the love of everything cheesy, find this pizza. Sold from a cart at the corner of the park and Vitosha Boulevard, this was some of the most delicious pizza I’ve ever had.

And I’m from New York.

Have you ever been some place that defied your first impressions?