The art of two eras

Chris had been rather taken with the area near the Metro where we had got lost on arriving a couple of days ago, so at his suggestion we decided to go back to explore properly, without suitcases in tow!

But on the way we were distracted first by the sight of the cathedral with its domes wreathed in mist, and the nearby Monument to the Tsar Liberator.

Monument to the Soviet Army

We were distracted further, and for much longer, by the Monument to the Soviet Army in the park next to the Metro station. It reminded us forcefully of so many we had seen in North Korea!

Once in the maze of streets on the far side of the road we had a nice wander, taking photos and stopping for a late breakfast in one of the cafes.

The Socialist Art Museum

Then we returned to the Metro station to travel the three stops to our next sightseeing target, the Socialist Art Museum. Here many monuments from the Communist era are on display in a small park attached to the museum itself. It seemed to me a good solution to the current debates about what to do with monuments that are 'of their time' and no longer relevant or appropriate to our modern understandings.

We also had a look at the drawings and paintings on display in the museum and again I was reminded of North Korea and the Dear Leaders, especially by the first image below. Luckily photography (without flash) was permitted.

On our way back to the Metro we stopped at a great coffee shop, part of the modern office and business centre next to the museum. Sofia truly is a city of contrasts!

RC Cathedral of St Joseph

We returned to the city centre, exiting the Metro at Serdica right opposite the Catholic Cathedral, dedicated to St Joseph. This is a modern replacement of a building bombed during WW2 and has some striking stained glass. It was another contrast to the communist-era art we had just been viewing.

Street art galore!

We had lunch in the corner café I'd breakfasted in three years earlier with VT friends and then walked along to where we hoped to find the much-vaunted Women's Market. This proved to be a rather dull strip of booths / small shops with little of interest, so we retraced our steps and turned into the grid of small streets north of the mosque. I'd come across some good street art here on that previous visit and hoped to find more - which we did, in abundance!

Some of the buildings in this area are in a semi-derelict condition, either in need of restoration or currently undergoing it. Others show quite how grand Sofia's architecture can look once it has been restored.

We found a lovely pavement café where we shared a delicious slab of banana bread. After that break we walked slowly in the direction of the apartment, still taking lots of photos. I had a lot to sort through when we got back so spent some time doing that, writing up these notes and making a few plans for tomorrow.

Evening in Sofia

In the evening we walked through to Vitosha Boulvard, following behind a small demonstration with flags and lively music. They halted outside what we later discovered was the Ministry of Defence on City Garden, so we continued on our way. The restaurant I'd hoped to eat in was full, but we got a good table in a nearby one where we shared some tarama to start with followed by grilled meats - sausage for Chris and 'meatballs' for me, which turned out to be more like burgers. The service was very friendly and we enjoyed our meal.

Walking back we stopped to photograph the fountain in front of the National Theatre and watched a mime act at an outdoor cafe. It was a pleasantly mild evening and we enjoyed soaking up the atmosphere of Sofia at play, the locals making the most of the weather before it turns too cold for outside gatherings.