Bulgaria is located in southeastern Europe, at the crossroads of Central Asia and the West. It borders Romania, Serbia, Macedonia, Greece and Turkey, all of which I have visited except for Greece. This  Balkan nation has a diverse terrain encompassing Black Sea coastline, rivers, including the Danube, and a mountainous interior. Bulgaria has a rich heritage through many great ancient civilisations, including the Tharcian, Greek, Roman and Ottoman periods. Today, it is a member of the European Union and has a population of around 7 million people.

this reminds me of Hagia Sofia in Istanbul

Before embarking on this trip to the Balkans, I knew little about this region. It was only after a road trip with my friends to Croatia and Bosnia that I was inspired to see more of this region. It was a pity that I only had time to visit the capital Sofia. Named after its patron Saint Sophia, the bringer of divine wisdom, the city has a beautiful backdrop of the Vitosha mountains. One of the most impressive buildings in the city is the golden-domed St Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, which is one of the largest eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world.

St Alexander Nevsky cathedral

The Largo, a complex of enormous buildings, was built in the 1950s and is regarded as one of the prime examples of Socialist Classiscism architecture in southeastern Europe. It is now home to the Sheraton Sofia Hotel Balkan, a shopping centre and various government bodies. Take a walk within the hotel grounds to visit a charming church built by the Romans, now converted into a museum.

After a long day, relax at a public bathhouse, just like the ones found in Hungary. Bulgaria is famous for its spring baths and the capital is dotted with bathhouses that are fed by mineral-rich water. If baring too much skin during winter is not your thing, you can also follow the locals to a public tap which dispenses warm natural spring water. Locals come to these public taps with huge bottles to fill them up as the water supposedly has many health benefits.

public taps to collect free spring water

I like Sofia because it has a mix of religions, from Christianity to Orthodox to Muslims, co-existing alongside one another without any conflict. The city is also very scenic as the mountains are not too far away. Getting around Sofia is also convenient, with trains, buses and trams to many places. I arrived in Sofia via an overnight train from Belgrade, Serbia. Do take note that eastern European trains are not as modern nor comfortable as those in France, Spain, UK, Germany. However, they are much more affordable and I would recommend that you get a sleeper carriage based on my personal experience.

One thing that is challenging in Bulgaria is that their language uses the Cyrillic alphabet, the same one used in Russian. Thus I found it difficult to navigate the streets and asking around for directions was hard because not many people can speak English. Luckily I managed to find my way to the post office to send out my postcards after much difficulty.