Day 3 Sofia

We woke up at 4am due to jet lag but managed to sleep till 7.30am. Breakfast was homemade muesli from Perth with local Bulgarian yoghurt. First stop was Sophia Jewish Synagogue. It forms the Square of (Religious) Tolerance, a near-rectangular area hosting four major religious houses of worship within a few hundred meters, symbolizing peace and coexistence; the Orthodox St. Nedelya Cathedral, Sofia Synagogue, Banya Bashi Mosque, and St. Joseph’s Catholic Cathedral. 

Bulgaria did not send jews to the concentration camps in World War 2 . The local government used diplomacy and procrastination, the locals and orthodox church protected the Jews. When Bulgaria could no longer put off the delay of sending it's Jews and thousands were rounded up onto the trains, there was huge protests by local Bulgarians around the station and train. The orthodox bishop actually laid down in front of the train and said that the train would only depart over his dead body. The Jews were unloaded from the trains. Before another roundup of jews could be organised, the war ended.
After the synagogue, we wandered through the women's market and the first stall that caught our eye was the mekitsa (like langos) stall. Mekitsa is a light deep fried dough, sometimes known as Bulgarian donut. We shared a cheesy one to start and after walking through the market returned for the one filled with custard.
The market mainly sold fresh fruits, vegetables and clothes for women and was set up in the Ottoman period so that women could do their shopping as they weren't allowed in places where men went. The fruits and vegetables had such beautiful bouquet (an apt description of one of our good friends back home). We bought blueberries, an apple, some dried figs and cinnamon crystallized ginger. Lunch was had at a local Bulgarian restaurant. We have noticed that food is served piping hot, but on cold plates, coupled with the 2⁰C, our food is cold when we eat it. Still yummy though.
In the middle of the market was a huge Church of St Cyril and Methodis. We had to check it out. Looks unloved from the outside but the inside frescos and marble flooring and gilded crosses and chandeliers were stunning.
Next stop was Banya Bashi ( Bathhouse ) Mosque. Ruby had to cover her head and go to the women's section upstairs while I remained downstairs with the men. I didn't want to use the scarves provided incase of nits and I also could get away with it.
Now we come to the highlight of our day. We had to take a tram and a bus for 45 mins, to get to but it was so worthwhile. We visited the UNESCO World heritage site, Boyana Church. Again nothing much to look at from the outside but the frescos dates back to 1246.
There was a lovely old historian giving us information about the paintings and the implications and the evidence of 3 painters that did the work. He spoke about the paints used in the day and how advanced the technique was. He highlighted the realism and psychological insights of the murals.
He said that no naughty child had ever cried in this church no matter what the nationality since he started, as the energy in the church calmed children down, he added even children with autism.
We were fortunate that we could stay longer than the 10 mins allowed as we were the only ones there after 3 Italian visitors left shortly after we arrived. We must have spent at least ½ hour in the church.
What an amazing place good energy, the skill, talent and superb techniques. Reminded us of Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, Italy. The guide told us that it was rumoured that Giotto was inspired by Boyana Church. Given that Sofia was a stop along the Silk Route, that is very plausible. We sat outside the church for a while to contemplate.
We forgot that the door of the buses open on the right hand side. We were approaching the bus stop when the bus arrived, we ran for the bus but there was no door to enter. Luckily the bus driver was kind and waited for us to work it out. I think we weren't even at the correct stop.

We ended the day with a fine meal of veal head (boneless) and tripe stew at Moma Restaurant.
Total distance walked 9.5kmRead more