We walked around the city the first afternoon, then left for the central part of the country the following morning. Reading the Cyrillic alphabet is a challenge, but most people speak very good English and some signs are transliterated into the Roman alphabet or translated. I felt like a three-year old who's trying to learn the sounds, figuring that after a few weeks I might have been at least able to read, though understand little.

Upon our return to Sofia, we toured the synagogue, of moorish design, completed in 1909 and the largest Sephardic synagogue in Europe. We walked past the mosque, where Friday prayers had spilled over onto the street, due to lack of space inside and construction to the building. Between the mosque and the synagogue is the central market--what else but food for both! Sofia has loads of churches, among them is the huge St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, built to honor the soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. The Doctors' Garden has a statue to commemorate the 531 doctors and other health workers who lost their lives in this war, which liberated the Bulgarians from Ottoman rule. Not far away there's an ornate Russian Church of St. Nicholas the Miracle-Maker, undergoing renovation. The central part of the city has large public buildings, among them, the presidential offices, parliament, an art gallery (formerly the palace), and the National Theater. We took a Free Sofia tour, given by a college graduate with a tourism major as well as a keen sense of humor.

Marcie, Dan, and I had a tour of the archaeological museum in central Sofia, where Thracian gold relics are the main attraction and are displayed beautifully. The guide was amazing in her wealth of information and ability to synthesize it.

A note about the food in Bulgaria: fresh produce abounds!