Especially after a hectic day like yesterday, it felt good to be escaping the bustling metropolis that is Istanbul and return to Sofia, which comes across as cosy by comparison. This time I knew the drill, and was able to get a bit of sleep both before and after the border formalities, which in this direction take place at an even more punishing 2-3am. In Sofia it is warm, and the trees are starting to blossom.
In the afternoon, inspired by my failure to go to the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, B. took me to see Sofia’s own Saint Sophia Church. It’s not a hulking monstrosity like its Istanbul counterpart, but a modest, cool brick building that has weathered many changes over the centuries since a church was first constructed here in the fourth century.
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| No, not this one! This is the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral |
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| Nave of Saint Sophia church |
Under the church is an ancient crypt containing several layers of tombs and mosaic floors.
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| 4th-century tomb with early Christian floral design |
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| Reconstructed mosaic floor |
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