Travel with Mia!

Towards the beginning of November, we were granted the opportunity to attend a conference in Sofia, Bulgaria. Bulgaria wasn’t initially on my list of must-visit places, but I welcomed the opportunity to visit somewhere new, even if just for a long weekend.

The conference was hosted by Fulbright Bulgaria, and it dealt with how to teach students Media Literacy skills. I found the conference to be fascinating and important, as many of our students access the internet and social media sites regularly without any awareness of what media they are taking in. We spent two days learning and workshopping different teaching methods. I feel very grateful to have had the opportunity to learn from other teaching assistants, as well as the team from MediaWise, who educated us on these teaching methods as well as how media literacy impacts different students. Here are a couple of pictures from the conference.

Outside of being at the conference, we got to do a lot of cool sightseeing. One of the most beautiful places we got to see was the Patriarchal Cathedral St. Alexander Nevsky, a stunning Orthodox church in the center of Sofia. The church had gold-plated domes and, when lit up at night, looked absolutely unreal. The inside of the church featured vibrant, old paintings and relics, as well as high ceilings and sparkling lights. We couldn’t take any photos inside, but the outside photographed magnificently.

On Sunday, we had a free day before the flight. I decided to take a solo journey to the southwestern suburbs of Sofia, to the neighborhood of Boyana. Boyana rests on the outskirts of Vitosha Nature Park, home to seemingly endless trails for hiking. This came as a shock to me– I had never heard of Bulgaria as being a popular hiking destination. But, after my experience, I would recommend it to anyone!

Accompanied by two nice germans I met on the bus to Boyana, we set off on a trail in this nature park, hoping to reach the Boyana Waterfall. However, unbeknownst to anyone on the trail, the forest had accumulated piles of snow the night before, in what was seemingly the first snowfall of the year. It made for a gorgeous hike, but as we gained elevation, the trails became slippery and nearly impassable for someone wearing traction-less Adidas sneakers (oops). I had to turn around before reaching the waterfall, but I enjoyed the journey nonetheless.

Before returning to Sofia, I visited the Boyana Church, a UNESCO World Heritage Site close to the trail. The church was small and unassuming on the outside, so much so that I almost walked past it. However, the inside was magnificent. The entire building was painted, floor to ceiling, with frescoes depicting stories from the Bible, important to the Eastern Orthodox religion. Though the church was built during the 10th-11th centuries, these paintings are very well maintained. This was definitely my favorite stop in Sofia.

Another highlight of the trip was the Sofia Christmas Market, which launched the weekend we were visiting! The market was festive, filled with great food, drinks, ornaments, and a mix of classic Christmas and alternative rock music, making for an interesting vibe. I had hot chocolate, fries (of course) and an apple/raisin pastry.

Lastly, I want to give a shout out to the food scene in Sofia. I was told that the food would not be good here, but I was pleasantly surprised. I didn’t take many pictures of the food, but some of these meals I am still dreaming about. They had great vegetarian and vegan food, ranging from the avocado toast at Lavele Garden to the black bean burger and cauliflower steak from Thirsty Kitchen and Bar. The various cafes around the city featured delicious coffee and fresh, sweet pastries. I have to mention the Banitsa: a cheesy, flaky, buttery pastry special to Bulgaria, which we got from Sofiyska Banitsa, per our tour guide’s reccomendation.

Sofia impressed me. I might not have gone if it weren’t for this conference, so I feel incredibly grateful for the opportunity. It is an underrated destination for sure, and I would love to go back on a hiking trip at some point (without my Adidas sneakers). My goal for a trip back would be to actually make it to the Boyana Waterfall…