I know places: Sofia

In planning this trip to Europe it was very important for me to go to places I had never been and knew very little about. That has been the case with the exception of Amsterdam--the place I flew into.

Even within that there are some places I pretty much knew nothing about. That would be the case in my trip to Sofia, Bulgaria.  As I prepared to travel to Europe and listed off the places that I was going to my friends. I saw a lot of smiling and head nodding until I mentioned Sofia.  Facial expressions sometimes went blank and sometimes full of wonder.  Some did not even know where Sofia or Bulgaria was, not unlike me a couple years ago.  Some wondered why? Others gave me suggestions on where I could go instead.  Some had heard it was dangerous and had a lot of poverty. I'm not going to lie. I did my own internet research (almost never a good idea) and sometimes wondered if I should go somewhere else.

Well guess what? All that was stupid.  Sofia is a beautiful amazing city.  It's a hidden gem I'm Europe.

I told my friend Boris when I arrived in Sofia that it was much different than I had expected.  There is a way Americans and perhaps other parts of the world often view Eastern Europe.  And it is often not pretty.  It's usually a gray view, a lot of concrete and a lot of disgruntled chubby people in a bread line.

Sofia, obviously, is none of those things.  It's vibrant, youthful and energetic.  It's perhaps one of the most colorful places I've ever been.  One of my favorite visual memories from my trip so far is a small place of worship in Sofia. Believe me cathedrals and temples in Europe are a dime a dozen.. But this one had the most amazing kelly green roof tiles that set it apart from other places.  It gave the building a magical enchanted look that I hadn't see in my viewings  of nearly 100 (I kid) cathedrals throughout Europe.  I should also tell you that Sofia has much grander and beautiful buildings to look at in the city. That  one is just special to me.

Every week night during the summer Sofia is busy with its residence and tourists having a beer, experiencing fine dining and then many walk into after hours entertainment.

My point is this: some people like to travel to the places they know.  And I guess that's fine.  I like to leave my comfort zone and be a little uncomfortable. But  for some reason Sofia was a little far outside my comfort zone even for me.  It shouldn't have been.  Go somewhere you know nothing about! Have an adventure! If you're afraid about safety issues, the federal government has a website that tells you where to be careful or not go.

Sofia was not on that website.  I owe the beautiful city of Sofia an apology for my preconceived notions.

Travel as in life  inherently has risk but those risks almost always pay off!