Ancient Subway Tour of Sofia

Many of Sofia's Metro lines date back to the 3rd Century B.C.  Justinian The Great would use it to voyage through his northern territories.  It is said that even Jesus found some of his earliest converts during his morning daily commute on the Blue Line...

Seriously the Metro is recent, but while it was being constructed many ancient ruins were discovered underneath the city grounds.  Rather than cover the ruins, the designers decided to incorporate the ancient walls and buildings into the metro construction.  We saw parts of the old underground during the free Hostel Mostel city tour we took of Sofia the day after the pub crawl.

Justinian the Great frequently commuted on the Red Line

I had arrived alone, but was now touring the city with my Brazilian lady, a friend of hers and another American nicked-named 'Thor' due to his resemblance to the character from the movie which was currently out in theaters.  I cannot for the life of me remember his real name, but this is one of the sad things about backpacking.  Like Maria from the Lviv train, I meet a million people in my travels, and its impossible to hold on to all of them.  Names fade while memories remain.

Here again is a point where if my notebook hadn't been stolen, I could've given you many minute, interesting details of the tour.  For now I can simply recommend this Hostel Mostel tour and tell you that our wonderful tour guide (whose name I also don't remember) was spectacular and full of humor and information about a city which is not frequently touristed.

We began on the stairs of the central Court House and headed to Sveta Nedalia Square.  Here you can find Sveta Nedalia Church, one of the largest Orthodox Churches I have seen so far.  It dates back to the 10th century and has been frequently reconstructed due to many attacks.  It was wood for a large part of its history until people realized that wood burns very easily.

Speaking of burning... 

The sun was brutal that day and our tour guide noticed.  She diverted our group underground to the caverns to explain the subway history and keep us from burning up.  When we emerged from the underground we were in front of a Muslim mosque.  The Banya Bashi Mosque is Sofia's only functioning mosque.  It's located over thermal springs and there is a charming story about it regarding the Muslim population and the Orthodox folks.  Additionally, it contrasts pleasantly with the McDonald's located across the street.

We were in the heart of Sofia, and it seemed every street was lined with verdant trees and large historic buildings.  We wound our way through one of the large parks until we were in front of the Ivan Vazov National Theater.  Our tour guide went on a long explanation of the importance of Ivan Vazov, Bulgaria's 'national poet' and one of the countries most important literary figures.  In addition to literature, he also was a political figure and played an important role in the revolt against the Ottoman Empire.  She finished his story by stating with a giggle that his death was probably not due to natural causes...  Indeed, as a great poet he was popular with the ladies and at the ripe age of 71 was reported dead by his 20-something mistress, most likely due to an exhausting night with her.  We should all be so lucky.

We were near the end of the tour.  We walked up the wide Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard to Sofia's crown jewel, the Alexander Nevski Cathedral, our final stop on the trip.  The massive cathedral glistened in the bright sun and I pulled out my camera in anticipation of the event.  When I turned it on, it flashed a low battery sign then instantly went dead.

I am no professional travel writer.  If you really want pictures, they're all over Google Images. 

I'm quite used to anticlimaxes and never expect the best moments to happen during guided tours anyway.  My travels are marked by wild, unforgettable stories and not by historically significant buildings and pretty scenery that's recommended in Lonely Planet.  The country of Serbia still awaits and based on my past experiences there, it will eclipse anything I've done so far in my travels.   I was ready to see if I could a set a new hitchhiking record: Nis, Serbia before sunset.

Hostel Mostel Bulgar Backpacker

Last minute plans gone to hell.

I arrived at Sofia early in the morning, completely clueless about where I would rest my head that night.  Fortunately the train station was filled with many Bulgarian touts who were more than happy to help me with my lodging problem.  They lay in wait at the station and attack upon sight of large backpacks, spoken English, wayward guitars and lost Western looks.  I mingled with several unseasoned, Lonely Planet-crutch wielding backpackers as we engaged in a song-and-dance with the touts.

I would feign interest in their shitty hotel/hostel and write down the name, the map location and the amenities.  Of course they never mentioned the price until I would ask them.  Even if it was a decent price, I would quickly walk away.  It pissed off the touts, but surprisingly it bothered the Lonely Planet backpacker noobs more.

"That's a good price...with a taxi.  Them seem like nice people, but its not in Lonely Planet."

"Shame. I'll keep looking. Nice to meet you. Bye."  

I didn't make any new friends at the station.

I walked out of the station with a long list of lodging...and a dazed look.  If nothing else surfaced, I would go with the least sketchy option.  I had searched Couchsurfing before for a place, but it hadn't yielded any success.  Appropriately the first people I meet when I left the Sofia train station were Couchsurfers.  I approached then because they looked 'Western' and sure enough they were from Brussels, Belgium.  They were already surfing with someone else, so they directed me to Hostel Mostel for the night.

Hostel Mostel is a highly recommended, well-known chain of Bulgarian hostels that organize several daytrips as well as nighttime pub crawls.  None of the touts had mentioned it and it wasn't on my list. It looked nice.  Twelve hours on an uncomfortable, dingy train had left me delirious (and possibly poisoned from the Chicken Cordon Very Blue) so I took the next bed available.

They handed me a key, a 'Hostel Mostel' Sofia Map and a token for a free drink at a bar they had a partnership with.  They informed me to be ready for free pasta dinner at 7pm, free breakfast in the morning, followed by a free tour at 11am and..."You look tired.  We can store your bags for free."

 Wow.  Serious shit.

Bulgarian Banitsa

I stored my bags, showered, then hit the town in search of a banista lunch.  My Bulgarian artist friend, Kosta Tonev, had told me to try it when I was in his country.  What he had described sounded like Bosnian/Serbian burek, one of my personal favorites.  Sure enough, when I said " banitsa" at nearby cafeteria, the server gave me a plate of phylo dough filled with cheese and spinach and a side of sour yoghourt. I happily devoured everything, bought some Burgasko beers for the evening, then returned to the hostel to go comatose for a few hours.


I woke up in time to watch the sun set, then joined the crowd of backpackers who were waiting for the first-come-first-serve free pasta.  I grabbed my portion then joined a table with a pair of Brazilian ladies to practice my bad Portuguese.  The Portuguese didn't get very far, but we continued chatting.  The good food (and several Burgasko beers) encouraged the social atmosphere.  I brought my guitar and played a few Brazilian tunes.  By the end of dinner we were winding up for a Sofia pub crawl.  It started at the Hostel Mostel bar with our free drink tokens.


Around 11pm our international group walked next door to the Hostel Mostel Bar.  The bar was on the second story and we were greeted with smiles by the bartenders who asked for our HM Tokens.  They knew we were going to have more than just one free shot.  In exchange for the token, we received some strange electric blue mixture which supposedly had rakia in it.  I don't question free booze, so I slammed the shot with the other backpackers, then quickly ordered beers for myself and the Brazilians.  Budget be damned.

A perfect example of "That Guy"

The night went as with many nights out I've had with hostel guests.  First establish where everyone is from and then find out where they've been.  After that it turns into a bragging rights contest to see who has been to the most places or who has the most outlandish, daring travel stories.  If there are Americans present, someone will usually introduce the other nationalities to our drinking games.  A round of Circle of Death was already in progress by the time I had my second beer.  I took it all in stride while chatting up the Brazilians. 

A Bulgarian guy who claimed to be a local said he would take us foreigners on an all-night pub crawl of the best bars of city.  After having our share at the HM Bar, a group of us spilled out onto Makedonia Boulvard in search of the next pub.  The 'local' walked us all around the city to various cool bars - none of which he could find.  We grew tired of wandering with our ignorant 'expert,' and stepped into the nearest place.  It was called Lipstick and it was way too posh for a group of backpackers.  It didn't matter much to me, since by that point one of the Brazilians and I were getting along very well.  We vanished to the second floor of the bar to find some place more private...

Somewhere close to morning we wandered back to the hostel.  Although I paid for my bed that night, I didn't sleep in it.  The 'hostel sex rules' state that you should never do it if you are on the top bunk, because you piss off other roommates from all the rocking noises.  Well, I was leaving the following morning, so I had no need to make any new friends.  The Portuguese lessons were well worth it.  Obrigado e boa noite, Sofia.

A Pub Crawl with no pubs