The second video from our Bulgaria trip is out and ready to view here. We watched this one last night, and we wanted to point out a few things before we dive into the trip. First, you can see so many wild driving choices in this video (including one mistake by yours truly–let us know if you spot it!). Second, in our experience, Google maps did not work great all the time in Bulgaria. The roads were outdated in places, it would often tell us to drive out across a field or body of water, and it gave us clearly wrong instructions as demonstrated in this video. Finally…parking. Parking was a challenge for us on this day. Again, I would not recommend visiting Sofia on your first day when you’re still struggling with jet lag and the language.
So, we left Lidl Supermarket full of caffeine and croissant wrapped sausages and decided to head back into the city center. I was determined to see the Cathedral St. Alexander Nevsky this day. We did see it, but only from the car. We were tired, traffic was bad (don’t worry, we fast forward through most of the traffic lights), and I was really ready to just get out of the car someplace quiet. The Boyana Church was the perfect stop for us.
This church was built in three stages, with the earliest part being from the 10th century. While you cannot take photos inside, you can see on the website just how beautiful the paintings are. Indeed, once I walked through the entrance gate, a calm came over me. Meditative. At peace. The Boyana Church was one of my favorite places we visited. With areas to sit in the lush gardens outside, a giant redwood planted by King Ferdinand, and the burial site of Eleonora, Queen of Bulgaria, the grounds of this church are quiet and peaceful. I could have stayed here all day, if we’d had time.
Next, we decided to drive to our hotel for the night, The Atlantic. We happened upon this hotel due to the bad weather and a cancellation. I am so glad, though, because we loved this hotel. From the interesting architecture, to the view from our balcony, to the incredible dinner we had at the hotel restaurant, our stay was absolutely perfect. If you’re ever there, do yourself a favor and order the fizzy, minty house made lemonade.
Finally, we hit the streets on foot to walk to the Snail House. While this stop was not on my original itinerary, we needed to get out and stretch our legs. It just so happened that this landmark was close to our hotel. It appeared to be a house shaped like a snail, but that can’t be right…can it?
The walk was up a pretty long hill from the hotel, but it was worth the effort to see this unique home. And, yes, it is a home! The home is made from eco-friendly materials, and it is designed for living. Outside, you can see additional snail themed decorations. What a unique place to visit!
And with the Snail House, we conclude our first full day in Bulgaria. Next time, we will head towards the oldest inhabited city in Europe, Plovdiv. We see a fortress, go through some more wild traffic, see Old Town Plovdiv, and finish the day by eating burgers with a cat. Happy adventuring!