The guard outside the Presidential Palace in Sofia
Day 87. Sheila and I are back in Sofia en-route to Skopje in North Macedonia, where we go by bus morning.
Wherever you get coffee in Bulgaria, be it from a machine or any type of establishment, it is always very good. I am not a connoisseur but it is the best coffee I have ever had the pleasure to taste.
At first I was surprised to witness pedestrians obediently waiting on the kerb-side for traffic signals to change to allow them to cross the road even when there are no vehicles in the vicinity. I get the feeling that Bulgarians are in general law-abiding. They do not appear to be as loud and excitable as their southern European and latin neighbours.
I like Sofia. By capital city proportions, it is a small city with a pop of 1.25M. It is uncrowded and there is a feeling of space.
Yesterday we stumbled across the only second-hand English bookshop in the city and possibly the country. Sheila was especially pleased as she had run out of reading material. I had my Kindle stolen when we were in Athens and so, getting books has now become an issue.
We have developed the habit of taking walking tours when we arrive in new cities. The tours in Varna and Sofia rate amongst the best I have been on. My favourite walking tour, however, was a 3.5 hour Communist Tour yesterday afternoon where I learned about the 45 year communist period in Bulgaria. Our guide Vasco, outlined the benefits provided by communism. Access to education for all for the first time. Full employment and a universal health care system. On the downside, communism was a brutal regime. They ruthlessly eliminated all political opposition, executing tens of thousands of their political opponents. It is estimated that one in four Bulgarians were recruited to spy and inform on their families and neighbours by the secret service. Nowadays, Bulgarians have polarised views about communism. Some, those who perhaps have not done as well, miss the obvious benefits it provided while others despise communist ideology and the brutal regime. I found the Tour fascinating.
On a different note, I have been surprised by the amount of pizza Bulgarians eat. Pizza is on sale on virtually every street. It must be their favourite takeaway food. It’s very tasty.
Wandering Boomers 
You must be like a sponge Kevin, soaking up all the local information. You are going to have sooo many stories to tell. Glad Sheila was able to get a book or two. Enjoy Macedonia xxx
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