My hotel was easy to find close to the bus station. My worries about them trying to double charge me for the room which they already billed to my credit card were fine as they knew it was already paid for.

They had a pictorial map and there was a nice church nearby that we had passed from the bus. Walking from the train station two people had already tried coming up to me so I was just ignoring everyone . The time is one hour ahead same as when I was in Romania



Out walking the place seemed to continue to get strange. There were many odd looking characters and I was avoiding responding to anyone.

I made it to the church which was quite nice from the outside but a large group of strange people were hanging out on the benches outside. I didn't want them to see my camera and just wanted to walk away very quickly



















To the side was an entrance so I went in to take a look. It was nice like the Serbian churches but not as bright with more wear and tear



Then I had to follow the tram tracks to the central part of town. It became a pedestrian street and was still filled with many odd characters. People were sitting at outdoor tables enjoying their meals while a homeless person wandered thru picking up leftovers from other tables which no-one seemed bothered by



















I made it to the Synagogue which had closed to visitors at 5pm. The sign said it was the largest Sephardic Synagogue in Europe. Next was an indoor market I didn't go inside, but opposite was a big mosque.



















I went in and it wasn't in as good repair as the ones I had been visiting previously. The main dome had scaffolding to support it and there was restoration work going on outside too. There were lots of Africans hanging around outside and not sure what they are all doing in Sofia




















At the next intersection were some archeological excavations below ground. In the distance was another grand church so I went there. Inside it was very dark artwork again and they didnt want pics



On the way was a massive double police line and I was noticing more police and riot police everywhere. I guess some VIP was arriving at the hotel but it was strange seeing this level of police presence



The whole area was swarming with police and it seems practically everyone works for the police. There were truckloads of police on every corner. There were much more than what I could photograph. I asked a policeman why they were all here and another who spoke english said the President was visiting.




Then I saw Turkish baths housing a museum so went in there to get away as they would probably fuss about my camera and taking pics. This area was certainly a lot safer than before but it was an extreme of such a heavy police presence

I know Bulgaria is known for police corruption, a reason their EU membership was delayed a year from 2006 to 2007. Even at the border were posters to report police corruption




After coming out the museum (see next entry) I tried going to the big cathedral passing by museums which are probably closed so I can see them tomorrow.

There seemed to still be police everywhere and armoured trucks so I tried avoiding them. I saw the big church but at first it seemed closed off so I tried going round to get back to my hotel



Then I saw there were no police on the other side and you could go inside. No pics were allowed and it was so dark by candlelight only.

At this point I think I've done all of Sofia's sights. I've booked three nights here as I thought I could do with a rest but in hindsight I shought have given myself more time in Kosovo or Macedonia as there was more to see and it was much more relaxed and safer



This place is scary and I wanted to get back to my hotel before dark. If they dont have all the strange characters from Michael Jacksons Thriller video then they have heavy armed policemen standing shoulder to shoulder ready to bundle you into a van and for 15 policemen beat the crap out of you

Finally I stopped by a Turkish restaurant as I hadnt eaten since the hotel breakfast and some snacks on the bus. I had a chicken leg with rice and naan bread for 5B ($3.75).



The naan was nice so I ordered two more for take out as there is no breakfast in the hotel. They were .75B each ($.50 cents)

I stopped by a supermarket and got a 2 litre bottle of no name coke for .50B (.35 cents). Finally I was reading wiki travel to see what to do tomorrow. It said I was in the worst part of town and not to go outside after dark

http://wikitravel.org/en/Sofia#Stay_safe








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