Sunday, October 13, Bucharest to Sofia, Bulgaria

Awoke before dawn for a 5:30 drive to the airport, arriving at 6:00 as instructed for an 8:00 flight.  The check-in windows didn't open until nearly 7:00!  Maybe it's just an American thing, being on time.  As it turned out there weren't very many of us on the small plane for a one hour hop.  We were met by a kid from the hotel in a clean, new, van.  What a concept!  Checked in and hit the ground running for a walking tour of central Sofia.  

We went to all the major sights in the central city, but didn't go into any. Of course we'll go back to many to explore in a little more depth.

The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, only 101 yrs. old

And nearby, the only mosque remaining in the city after the expulsion of the Ottomans

Formerly beautiful, the central baths are now under reconstruction as the city museum, though one wing will still have a spa.  The building was scheduled to be completed by 2012 and then 2013 but it doesn't look like they'll meet the revised 2014 date either.  The guide joked that procrastination is the national pastime.  

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On the road to Constantinople.  Really.  Excavation for the Metro station revealed archeological strata.  You can see the oldest on the ground and it is heading toward ancient Constantinople. The two different kinds of stonework low on the walls show how the city was built on the ruins of earlier settlements.  The lit sign on the ceiling shows they went ahead and built the metro around it.

My first thought was outdoor urinals, but these are public fountains of natural spring water to which folks bring their jugs to refill.

After 2 1/2 hours of walking my short night was starting to catch up with me and we returned to the hotel for a nap.  It began raining so we just took it easy for the rest of the day.  This was the first down time in quite a while and it was nice.  Had a great dinner in the hotel -  Italian again.

13,770 steps (5.9 miles)