Plovdiv to Sofia

We left Plovdiv and headed to Sofia by train, only about 2 1/2 hours away.  I wish we could have taken better pictures while on the train because the snowy countryside was beautiful.  It was kind of an odd experience not knowing exactly when to get off the train but people were really kind and helpful, as they've been throughout our time in Bulgaria.  We walked to our hostel in about 20 minutes from the train station through a very quiet big city, and checked in.  The main hostel itself only had dorms so we were sent across the street to an apartment building that was partially owned by the hostel as well.  We entered the first floor apartment (where our double room was) to be greeted by about 20 French guys on holiday from their college in Romania who we'd be sharing the apartment with.  Kind of amazing how many of them fit in the two other rooms besides ours in the apartment (!).  

Our 1 1/2 days in Sofia was not enough time but to stay on some sort of timetable to get through eastern Europe that's all we had.  We walked much of that time and saw most of the main city center.  Sofia is really beautiful, with the intricate tram system and all the really stunning old churches.  We also spent some time in the produce and clothes markets that felt a little closer to what we saw in Asia, though much less chaotic, and the arts and antiques markets. which were really interesting.

Sofia Ladies Market

Our first and last full day ended  playing cards with new friends from the hostel in the neighboring bar.  Great night spent getting to know other travelers and hearing their stories-- one of the great advantages of staying in a busy hostel.  The following day we spent much of the morning doing some planning and then booked a bus to leave around 4pm.  Up next, Serbia!