We spent our last full day in Sofia wandering around town catching up on things we might have missed. We returned to the impressive Athena-esque Sofia Monument. It was erected in 2000 and stands in a spot where there was once a statue of Lenin.
Sofia’s crown is a symbol of power, the laurel wreath she is holding symbolizes fame, and the owl symbolizes wisdom. The statue has been controversial as some think that it’s too risqué, but it’s quite an impressive image!
Last night we went to the Sofia Opera House to see a performance of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly.
The set was colorful and the theater nearly full. Sofia has a long history of opera performance, though the National Opera House is a fairly modern addition, built in 1947. For this performance, the role of Madame Butterfly was performed by Italian Donata D’Annunzio Lombardi and most of the rest of the cast members were Bulgarian. We enjoyed the experience!
We’ve had a good stay in Sofia – it’s an up and coming city! There is quite a bit of construction around town and we think in another year or two, it will be even better. There is a great outdoor cafe scene but its still early spring here so it was too chilly for us to enjoy it. We had some difficulty with the language and noticed that there are many smokers. In fact, Bulgaria has the highest smoking rate among European countries. All in all, we’re glad we came!
We’ve packed up and will soon take a taxi to the bus station for our next stop – Plovdiv. The trip by bus takes about 2 hours. We’re looking forward to exploring a new destination in Bulgaria!