Day 59 – “Sofia, inspiration and the mystery of the early-setting sun”, in Sofia (Bulgaria), 0km cycled, (but many walked!)

I wake up to the traditional Bulgarian breakfast that I already told you about in yesterday’s post, plus a bit of my own Muesli and fruits. One coffee, two coffees and I continue the usual writing, blogging, tweeting and researching iPhone frenzy I have grown so used to over the course of this ride. Inside Pavlina’s apartment I am alone, it is quiet (except for the yelping of a little puppy outside); everything is familiar and safe.

The same cannot be said for the unfamiliarity of downtown Sofia. I’m not one to get scared off by a new place or city, and in fact Sofia intrigues me with this energy of change and activism, with its many cafes, its neat and artsy shops. But it is a tough city to navigate for newbies and foreigners, a shortcoming readily acknowledged by the locals themselves. Firstly, as everything in Bulgaria, cyrilic reigns over all, and although I can now read this alphabet somewhat accurately it takes me a long time to do so. The brain, from lack of practice, feels like it’s peddling through molasses. Not that there is much to read of the kind of signs that are important to a new-comer: street names. These are very few and very far between even though the locals know all the street names by heart (do they study these in school??). There is tons of construction going on, mostly due to a new tram line project, forcing you to cross and re-cross the streets to avoid the mess. When asking for help, some locals are very friendly and warm while others immediately shut down and refuse to talk with you when approached in English. Not for any political or xenophobic reason – they’re simply uncomfortable and embarassed that their English is poor. I quickly switch to Polish to lessen their terror, and with most, this allows me to awkwardly continue our dialogue of streets, directions and destinations.

It is arduous, yet I set out in the persuit of sport clothing, hoping to find those dreamed-of longer shorts or one more T-shirt to add to my minimalist travel wardrobe. No luck! Furthermore, I’m left to fend for myself since the shopkeepers at one sport store claim to “not know of any other similar shops” when in fact there is another place just 100m down the same street…

I find some pants which could work but they are too expensive. Time to abandon this idea – too bad, I’ll make do with what I have and dedicate the rest of my time to more important tasks. Not to mention my dislike for shopping in general…

By 15:00 I am meandering down to the park near the radio station where Yanina from the “Ideas factory” (www.ideasfactorybg.org) has suggested we do a spot on today’s radio podcast about the Ride to Read. She tells me to come around the studio at 15:30 or 16:00 at the latest. Only a few moments go by – I had purposely come to this neighbourhood early to people-watch, sit and relax a bit- when I see a missed phone call from Yanina. I call her back and am surprised to hear her slightly anxious voice “Where are you? Are you coming?”. It seems a bit odd that she wants me at the studio so early, but don’t say anything about it. I run to meet her at the correct spot, quick. The park I was at wasn’t the right one (go figure!).

It’s fun doing the radio interview (and I’ll make it available here on the blog as soon as I receive the link for it myself). Everything is translated live into Bulgarian, and they seem very happy with the whole story. Their appreciation for the project is very visible, as they say “and maybe your story will inspire some Bulgarians to cycle for beautiful cause!”

I hope so!

Only once I get back home to Pavlina’s does reality hit. She is there waiting for me (since I have the keys), and I’m pleasently surprised to see her home an hour early. “It’s only 5pm”, I say, “that’s pretty sweet you got off work early!”. She looks at me perplexed and answers, “No, I didn’t, it’s 6pm!”

Ooohhh! Silly goose…I’ve changed time zones and didn’t even realize it!

Bulgaria is one hour ahead from Barcelona time… and it only took me 5 days in this new country to figure it out. I was wondering why Pavlina left for work at 8:00 when she said she would go at 9:00, why Yanina was rushing me when I thought I was early but was in fact I was late…and why, for goodness sakes, the sun has been setting so early!

Finally, as I reset my clocks, everything makes just a little more sense

Kasia – your time-zone crossing cyclist

Day 58 – “a head shaking day”, Godech to Sofia (Bulgaria), 45km

Can’t say that it was a grueling ride today! Rather, I savoured my ride into the capital which, as if to make up for yesterday’s climb, was almost all downhill. But today, and tomorrow, are less about Riding and more about Reading. This is a connection stop in Sofia – this ride has miraculously inspired more than one Bulgarian, and several people here have contacted me about spreading the word, meeting up and talking about the Ride.

They offer to write articles, conduct radio interviews, house, feed and culture me – how can I refuse such enthusiasm?

It takes me a while to find my host’s place, a young and energetic local who is in fact editor in chief of the most popular reading website in Bulgaria and, thus, a big fan of this ride for literacy. It is an ordeal. There are few cars relative to what you’d expect from a 1,5-million strong capital, so traffic is not so bad…but there are no signs with street names on them! I’ve input Pavlina’s address into google maps and so armed with my technology I successfully navigate to…completely the wrong address. I try again and finally find the right place.

Pavlina is talkative and excited about life. She works in a PR firm by day and spreads the joy of reading by night. In her spare time she travels, learns foreign languages (like Polish!) and entertains strange guests, such as myself.

Her energy is contagious and where I should be fading into the sleepy lull of a hot and noisy city, I question her instead on Bulgarian history, and the quirks and stories of Sofia. Her “crash course” is excellent, although I’m realizing quickly that I know next to nothing about the Byzantine and Ottoman empires! She speaks of famous Polish writers, politicians and generals like they’re the guys next door… while I make a mental note to learn more about her people!

It’s fascinating, and I’m absorbing everything like a culture sponge. Everything except the the Bo’za she will serve me the following morning for breakfast…the sour drink that looks like chocolate milk is actually fermented malt…it’s drinkable but otherwise definitely falls under the category of “acquired taste”. I’ll adore the Banitsa that goes with it though; what’s not to love about warm, flaky pastry stuffed with cottage cheese?

Sofia feels very normal, tangible and unpretentious. We run into a few of Pavlina’s journalist friends and I am again struck by how cultured, approachable and energetic they are. One guy, for ten years now, has been fighting a losing battle with the municipal government to input a city-wide recycling program. His friend is a political activist and just took part in the largest demonstration that Sofia has ever seen. It seems like everyone is involved in everything, from environmental activism to political betterment. With the bitter resolve that comes with the realization that your work and efforts may never amount to much, they plow on with determination. I sense a feeling of duty and mission in my Bulgarian peers, and as one guy puts it, “if we don’t do the work then who will?”

Amen, brother!!

We have a delicious and cheap dinner in a gorgeous restaurant packed with locals. I try a few of the vegetarian specialties like Szopska salad and Tarator soup before realizing that I’ve heard about and eaten this salad my entire life! My parents, like many Poles during the communist times, used to go to the Bulgarian Black Sea on holidays… my dad loved and still frequently makes Szopska salad. I was glad for the opportunity to try the original!

(just for the record, I prefer my dad’s version!)

By the end of the evening I realize that I have made two big cultural mix-ups between Bulgarians and Greeks. The first concerns yoghurt; what we refer to as “Greek” or “Balkan style” yoghurt is in fact a Bulgarian innovation, and the name of the bacterial culture proves it: Lactobacillus Bulgaricus. The second: the infamous shaking, instead of nodding, of the head to say “yes”. Again, I thought this was a Greek thing, but it turns out the Bulgarians are fierce head shakers too. It really confuses me! Every time I feel like I’ve said something coherent, smart or maybe even funny…my listener is there with a huge smile, shaking their head vigorously. Have I said something inappropriate, or did I miss a joke?
Body language is so firmly ingrained in our psyche; it takes fierce concentration to realize people are agreeing, not disagreeing with you!

All in all a very interesting first day in Sofia,

Kasia – your head-nodding cyclist

Photos

- a guided tour with Pavlina (yellow skirt)
- Szopska salad