Tag: Sofia

The Seven Saints (Sveti Sedmochislenitzi)

~ Veselin ~ 1 Comment

I used to have lunch in this garden – a pizza slice, doner kebab, or a sandwich. The pigeons would circle around, trying to grab a potato in a tight competition with the smart sparrows. There used to be a farmer’s market nearby where you could buy some fresh veggies on the way back home. We lost some of that with the tourists – markets generate trash and crowds of locals so we got rid of them. No farmer’s market nearby, no stray dogs, or sparrows. Maybe a pigeon or two left from the olden days.

On the other hand, what used to be a street with no restaurants is now full of choices. I had pizza that says it’s like in Rome (no), and a Japanese Crepe. If you’re in the area, try the Japanese Crepe. Nobody knows if people in Japan eat crepes filled with creme brûlée but it’s worth trying.

Slaveykov Square, Sofia

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

We went to Slaveykov this Sunday because of @knotty‘s comment about their visit to Sofia in the 90s. Back in the day, the square was a book market. My high school was 15 minutes walking from it so I visited it almost daily for many years. It had crowds of readers and piles of trash. The municipality reformed the area a few times, slowly pushing the booksellers out and to the surrounding buildings.

The building in the back of the first photo is the Sofia Library. The first floor is a ДКЦ – 2nd Diagnostic Center. Go there in case you have non-urgent health issues.

The fountain on the second photo has a sad story. Same spot had another fountain that electrocuted a person and was named “The Killer Fountain”. It was demolished and rebuilt after that.

The McDonalds in the back is the first one opened in Sofia in 1995. The queue was hundreds of people long. I liked it very much, it was a favorite spot in the center before Covid. It has a secret second floor where you can chill over your large Coke and nobody will bother you. One of the few McDonalds that operate somewhat normally, most of them are a shadow of their former glory.

The third photo is the Slaveykov monument. The father, the poet Petko Slaveykov, lived around that place, and the monument is with his son Pencho Slaveykov, also a poet. The heavy use of the bench for photos damaged the shadow, which is now replaced with a more durable but much uglier copy.

How often do you walk or run?

~ Veselin ~ 7 Comments
Daily writing prompt
How often do you walk or run?
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The daily writing prompt is poking me at my weak spot. I walk every day I can and my goal is to walk roughly 2h per day or 10K steps. I believe that walking makes life better, and cars make it worse. Walking also gives material for blog posts.

Here are photos from my two daily walks today. The first one was part of my trip back home.

A thousand tourists staring at a marvelous tourist creation, like flies attracted by sugary water. Tourists can make the prettiest thing on the planet look undesirable.

Stray white panther from Sofia. Well fed and bored, refused to look at me for the photo. Wouldn’t have seen her without my evening walk to buy food. No tourists around.

Out of flowers

~ Veselin ~ 6 Comments

The fall is coming. The flowers are being replaced by falling fruit. It’s less blog-worthy. The previous generations didn’t imagine a situation in which fruits will rot on the ground.