Ultimate Balkans and Transylvania Travel Talk Tour: Sofia, Day 8
Day 8: Saturday 15th October 2022
Start: Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Finish: Sofia, Bulgaria
Currency: Bulgarian Lev
Temperature: 9-19 Overcast and rainy looking until lunch time.
This morning we had the most phenomenal breakfast spread, and sadly I’d left my phone in the room to charge so I didn’t get any photos of it! There was everything under the sun! Chia pudding, roasted peaches with nut crumble, bacon burgers (I had one and it was amazing!) all the usual hot breakfast items as well as crepes, fresh fruit, a smorgasbord of sweets and pastries, smoked salmon. You name it, they had it essentially! The hotel itself was modern and the rooms were clean, tidy and recently fitted out. Bathrooms were great with excellent water pressure.
We dropped our bags and the bus departed at 8am before taking us into town for a walking tour of Plovdiv and free time. Kaan walked us around and showed us several churches and ancient roman architecture that had been excavated including an amphitheatre and arena. After a brief orientation, we were left to our own devices and given an hour and 45 minutes to take in the city. We sat at a café embedded in the base of the Mosque, called Dzhumaya – the ‘Turkish Coffee and Pastry Shop’ where we had a cup of coffee, ate baklava and some of the best tiramisu I’ve eaten. Afterward we walked around the city and took in the street art, spotting little café’s and eateries in the back streets. At 11.45am we met back at the fountains near the Roman ruins and returned to the bus for the 1.5-2 hour drive across to Sofia. In Sofia we will apparently be meeting the new guide, driver and other tour members who are starting their ‘Balkans’ adventure. We will also be saying goodbye to anyone who was only joining the Romania and Transylvania tour. On the drive to Sofia, Kaan gave us the feedback forms for this ‘leg’ of the tour. All in all, I’ve been pretty happy with the tour so far, my main gripe being the disorganisation.
The afternoon drive to Sofia was quiet, mostly people slept or listened to music. The drive into the city was interesting, yet another example of buildings from the Communist era standing out against the modern installations across the skyline. It breaks my heart to see the decaying concrete towers throughout these cities. Grey and brown rectangles tower across the skylines, with rusting and crumbling facades in places. Kaan then introduced us to Sofia on a walking tour, starting at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. We then walked past the Church of St Nicholas and the Presidential building before walking through and out the other side. We had a funny moment at the Presential building where the security guard came to talk to us, telling us to move along (from standing outside) by getting us to walk through the gate into the central square inside the building. It sounds funny to write about it but at the time we couldn’t help but laugh!
At 5pm when we boarded the bus to make our way to the hotel, I caught up with a few people who also hadn’t had lunch during our break. I asked them if they’d mind letting me know where they’re going for dinner if they make a plan as I hadn’t eaten yet either. One of the lovely couples then promptly made a call and added me to their dinner reservation which was a mini-event that a few people had decided to attend. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The very brief explanation I received was that it was called ‘Secrets by Chef Petrov’ and it was a mystery degustation dinner, one of the beautiful gentlemen who invited me to their table showed me the ‘hints’ card which was a series of emoji’s which were designed to help the diner guess the dish. Almost immediately after the reservation was confirmed, Kaan advised us that tonight we have a ‘welcome meeting’ for the Balkans leg of the tour and optional group dinner which starts at 7pm. Our dinner reservation was from 7.15pm. We just advised the TravelTalk guide Bojan (Bo-yahn) who we were and that we were going to miss the dinner. He gave us the official TravelTalk registration forms (which we’d not seen with Kaan!) and picked up our room keys to head upstairs.
So, armed with the knowledge that I was going to a mystery dinner, I hurriedly showered, changed and threw on some makeup before our night on the town! We met in the lobby ay 6.30pm and by 7pm we were standing on the doorstep, with nothing but a sign to indicate we were in the right place. Down a corridor and up a flight of stairs, the first feeling is ‘what have we gotten ourselves into?’ Stepping through the door, we walked into a beautifully lit room full of luxurious couches, pillows and comfort furnishings. Art hung on every wall and the tables were decorated to perfection. Something I’d missed was that our Chef, Petrov was going to walk us through the tasting, and for this reason, the dining setting was tiny! Our group had six diners, there was a trio of ladies from Italy and one lady who sat with us, from Belgium. I think in total, the setting might have sat 12 but the other two seats would not have been optimal viewing seats. Upon arrival our coats were collected and we were handed a refreshing lilac and lemon drink which was dish #1 on the mystery menu. Chef asked who was taking the paired wines with an option of 4 or 7 paired wines, but sadly due to my inability to process sulphates, I opted along with several others, for the non-alcoholic option.
The evening unfolded with 22 dishes served including 7 dessert dishes. It was an evening of entertainment, amazing food and great company. If you are in the area, I highly recommend signing up for Chef Petrov’s Secret menu. The non-alcoholic drinks and full menu cost approximately $60USD.
Tips:
· If you want to book for Secrets, Book ahead. The restaurant has limited seating. The guests who opted for the 7 wine pairing very much enjoyed the wines! I believe the cost for the paired option came to approximately $100-120USD.
Accommodation: Hotel Vega, Sofia, Bulgaria.