The sun came out as we pulled out of the valley and towards Sofia. Our moods were even sunnier; the efficient people at DHL had indeed beaten us to Bulgaria and our V5C was safely in the hands of Irena’s partner Svetoslav. We met up near his workplace and now we’re all set to face the officials at the Turkish Border. We think.

An enormous shout out to the Stockers, Irena and Svetoslav, and Elin for going way out of their way to rescue our sorry asses from our own incompetence. We owe you, big time! 

Whether it was the sun, the sheer relief, of having the V5C, or the city, we both fell in love with Sofia. It’s a vibrant, compact capital with beautiful old buildings, some attractive Soviet-era structures and lots of new landmark developments. It felt like a cosmopolitan city that’s really going somewhere.

Bulgaria is at the frontier of Europe and there was a definite East meets West vibe, in the buildings and in the food. We had a wonderful meal at Moma, a contemporary taverna serving a modern take on traditional Bulgarian dishes. The food moved away from the dumplings and heavy stews of Hungary and Romania, echoing Greek, Turkish and Middle-Eastern fayre. Absolutely delicious and the perfect way to finish a fabulous day.