Luckily, Bulgaria is already known to many Monty Python aficionados. It has, hoewever, much more to offer.

I must say, I am pleasantly surprised by Sofia. It reminds me of Belgrade, that is to say, it has a certain Central European look. It's difficult to describe, but it's not European as we know it, nor is it Soviet as I have come to loathe. It has a certain charm of itself, a mix of European-Mediterranean with a certain Balkan-Turkish atmosphere. In a way, it mostly fits my preconceptions of the Austrian-Habsburg "K&K" empire. It has a lot of classical 19th C buildings as you would expect of any self-respecting European town, then you throw in a certain Balkan laissez-faire sort of attitude, a certain post-Soviet dilapidation, a little macho attitude to driving, a newish Western influence (McDonalds, disco, lap-dancing), and still it doesn't quite capture it. It's half-way between Europe and Turkey, if you will. Plus, of course, Byzantine churches, or remnants thereof, sprouting everywhere. They have a devil of a time to build a metro, since anywhere they dig they keep finding antiquities. How did they ever manage to build a subway in Rome???

I'm staying at the Sheraton, which, as it turns out, occupies a part of the old Central Committee building (think Stalinist monumentalism). It also, as it happens, has a girlie bar downstairs, lap-dancing and all. I gave it a miss. Even the porter said it's far overpriced...

Luckily, there is a coffee culture which means that the good stuff can be had at every corner. Ideal when sleep is lacking, and meetings tiring.

Sofia airport is quite alright. A newish building, neat and not too large, check-in went smoothly, as did customs and passport control. None of this visa business here, or silly questions by customs officers. They even have a Sofia Lounge, which is spacious if maybe a little sparsely furnished (not quite the same league as the one in Rome FCO!).

Breakfast is a coffee at one of the many streetside cafes (bit like Italian espresso bars). Lunch was a buffet with lots of salads, incl. Greek salad which they call Bulgarian salad, dolmades, various dips and plenty of grilled meats - think Lebanese mese.

Evening: a Pub “Schweijk” for a few beers and some chips (fries) with Chilli sauce. I can now vouch that the Bulgarians, quite unlike the Russians, do go for spicy, nay fiery stuff. That mini-cup full of sauce would have been enough to poison the Sofia water supply.

Some more snaps of Sofia:

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