All posts by Rosemary Kneipp

Our Free Sofia Tour

September 29, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 5 Comments

Having walked our feet off exploring Sofia in the morning, we’ve come home to recuperate. After a couple of hours, I notice a leaflet on the dining table of our home exchange hosts advertising free English-speaking tours of Sofia every day starting at 11 am and 6 pm and lasting around 2 hours. It’s 5 pm, so I suggest we join a tour since we don’t have to reserve in advance. I can translate for Jean Michel if necessary.

Martin at the start of the tour, greeting each person as they arrive

When we arrive at 5.50 pm there are three other people waiting. Martin Zachev, a gregarious and larger-than-life Bulgarian from Free Sophia Tour, arrives and introduces himself. By the time he has finished his little speech, there are over 40 of us from an impressive number of countries, including Latvia, the Netherlands and Spain, each of whom he has greeted personally.

The lion with the wrong legs — The lion with the non-physiological legs

The first point of interest is a statue of a lion just above our meeting place at the corner of the Law Courts. Offering a traditional Bulgarian sweet as an incentive, Martin asks what’s wrong with the lion. It turns out that its legs, which should be diagonally in sync, are not, and he demonstrates what would happen if it tried to walk! He also reminds us that the lion is the symbol of Bulgaria.

Even the bikes stop for pedestrians in Sofia

When we cross the road, we learn that drivers can lose their licence for six months if they hit a pedestrian. We have noticed how Bulgarian drivers stop for us even when we aren’t on a pedestrian crossing. Now we know why!

We stop in front of the coat of arms of Sofia in front of the Sheraton Hotel, a shield divided into four. On the upper right quarter is the church of St Sofia which gave its name to the city (sofia in Greek means wisdom), on upper left is a humanised picture of the ancient town of Serdica (Sofia’s Roman name), on the lower right is a golden canopy and a statue of Apollo Medicus representing the mineral springs found around the city while Vitosha, the mountain just behind Sofia, is on the bottom left. In the middle is a smaller shield with a rampant lion. The motto is “Расте, но не старее” – “Ever Growing, Never Aging”, though I’m not sure how appropriate that is!

Martin then points out the recent statue of Sofia we have already seen before and explains that the people who erected the statue actually made a mistake. They didn’t realise that the town is called after the church of Hagia Sofia (Holy Wisdom) and not the saint called Sophia. Many churches in Eastern Europe are called St Sofia, but in fact, they are all Holy Wisdom.

The Roman ruins and Via Romana — The Eastern Gate of the city of Serdica and old Via Romana

He then takes us down a staircase and we find ourselves on the old Via Romana with its large flat stones that have come through the ages much better than the modern footpaths. We’re at the former eastern gate of the city of Serdica.

The budding tree with its martensiti (the photo was taken next day when there was more light)

A little late, bending down under a tree, he shows us that it is covered with red and white braided bracelets. On 1st March, it is the tradition to give people martensita, in honour of the end of winter and coming spring. You wear the bracelet until you see the first budding tree and hang it there to bring luck and a productive spring and summer. There are several regional variations that you can read more about on the Study English Today website.

Demonstrating the rise and fall of modern Bulgaria in front of the former Tzar's Palace — Demonstrating the changing face of modern Bulgaria in front of the former Tzar’s Palace

We all sit down on the grass opposite the Tzar’s Palace and Martin asks for six volunteers – an Austrian prince, a German prince, an Italian princess, a Bulgarian, a communist and another Bulgarian. He then very cleverly demonstrates the recent history of Bulgaria showing how various people have been thrown out and reinstated up until the present day.

The tree bell — The church bell in the tree opposite Hagia Sofia

Our last stop is the church of St Sofia which stands on a mound that people could see from afar. As they approached the city of Serdica, they would say There’s Sofia, which is how the name of Sofia came to be used instead of Serdica. In those days there were no bell-towers so the bell was erected in a tree opposite the church. Well, that’s what I understood anyway.

The soldier's flame — The eternal flame at the Monument to the Unknown Soldier

We finish the tour in front of the Monument of the Unknown Soldier to commemorate the hundreds of thousands of Bulgarian soldiers who died in wars defending their homeland, and more lions symbolising Sofia. We feel that Martin’s tour has rounded off our visit of the city well and are ready for Rila Monastery next day.

N.B. These are not all the places that Martin took us to, but I have already described the others in previous posts.

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French language

Friday’s French – un truc de ouf!

September 26, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 8 Comments

I’m walking along the street near the Louis Philippe Café behind a young man of about 30, talking loudly on his iPhone and madly gesticulating. “600 euros“, he says, “Un truc de ouf!” and I immediately think of my daughter in New York because it’s one of her expressions.

Truc, truc muche, machin truc, have all been around for a while, but truc de ouf is more recent. So what, exactly, is a truc?

First, it’s a substitute word, like our thingumajig, thingummy, whatsis or even just thing or contraption. Machin is a less trendy synonym. Je trouve pas le truc = I can’t find the whatis. T’as vu le truc de la télé? Have you seen the remote control? Il portait un truc moche. He was wearing something really ugly.

Machin and its feminine, machine, are also used as name substitutes. Le père Machin = Mr what’s-his-name. Machine était là aussi = What’s-her-name was there too.

You can combine it with chouette too, as in machin chouette or go the whole way and say machin truc chouette. You may remember about chouette from my previous post on Spanish cows.

However, truc is also used more specifically, in contexts such as les trucs du métier, meaning the tricks of the trade, or on le connaît, leur truc = we know what they’re up to. Il n’a pas compris le truc means he hasn’t got it. Here, it’s no longer a substitute but an actual expression. Il y a un truc! there’s a trick to it! or something’s gone wrong (depending on the context).

Why trucmuche? Muche, it seems, is a (little used) suffix added to any word to make it more incomprehensible. I don’t know what its origin is though.

Truc de ouf is actually verlan, which is a particular kind of French backslang. You invert the syllables and then cut off anything you don’t like to make it sound like a word. Meuf = femme, keuf = flic (slang for police), keum = mec, beur = Arabe.

The word verlan itself comes from à l’envers meaning back-to-front. So truc de ouf = truc de fou = crazy thing.

I may use truc (not often, though, and only when it’s not a substitute, because I’m a maddening purist most of the time), but I would never use truc de ouf or I’d sound like mutton dressed up as lamb, for which I have never found an equivalent in French, by the way, probably because it doesn’t seem to be a concept here. My grey hair makes me stand out in the crowd!

Architecture, Bulgaria, Food, Sightseeing

Feeling more at home in Sofia

September 25, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 13 Comments

The sky is a stunning blue although the temperatures have dropped a little. We go directly to the imposing church of St Nedelya, just across from the statue of Sofia and the little church of St Petka, with the School of Theology in the background. As we approach it, we see a lot of activity under white tents. It turns out to be a book fair. We notice there are very few book stores but lots of book markets.

St Nedelya, or Holy Sunday, is a mediaeval Eastern Orthodox Church that has been destroyed and reconstructed many times throughout the ages. It was razed in an assault in 1925 that claimed over 150 victims. The tzar, Boris III, who should have been the main victim, escaped because he turned up late, a typical Bulgarian trait so I am told later by a Bulgarian. It was restored between 1927 and its inauguration in 1933. What a chequered existence!

Vitosha Boulevard with Vitosha Mountain in the background

If you look straight ahead as you come out the church, you will see Vitosha mountain in the distance. Vitosha Boulevard is Sofia’s most expensive shopping street. The population is dressed very differently and there are lots of French and other foreign stores but they are hardly big names: Adidas, Promod, Le Coq Sportif, etc.

Newspaper report on the Sofia Day celebrations

What we like are all the sidewalk cafés with the mountain as a backdrop, though they are twice the price of the others we’ve been to, but still much cheaper than Paris. We pay 4 lev for 2 espressos at Vitosha Street Café. We take a look at the local paper and I see a report on yesterday’s festivities but unfortunately I can’t read it.

We then head in the direction of Eagles’ Bridge, wandering through a much more upmarket area than our own neighbourhood. Ultra-modern buildings juxtapose renovated 19th century mansions.

Yet another church, Sveti Sedmochislenitsi, and another market appear as we get closer to the university where we intend to find a sunny bench in a nearby park to have lunch (it’s an intermittent fast day for us) because the weather has become surprisingly chilly.

Ladies' market where two vendors shall a stall, each selling two types of vegetables. — Ladies’ market where two vendors shall a stall, each selling two types of vegetables.

We’ve been back to the Ladies’ market to buy the day’s vegetables – 4 tomatoes, 1 eggplant, 1 zucchini, 1 capsicum, 1 cucumber and a couple of handfuls of green beans, all for an amazing 2 lev. White and black grapes are 1.20 lev a kilo. That’s about 60 euro cents.

Overhead wiring that doesn't seem to obey any safety rules — Overhead wiring that doesn’t seem to obey any safety rules

Jean Michel stops to admire the external wiring on some of the houses.

Vegetation-covered wiring in our neighbourhood

Not nearly as good as the ivy-covered cables I saw last night on our way to dinner though!

We sit next to the Soviet Army monument and are surprised to see several army vehicles on one side and canons on the other. I learn afterwards that the monument is used as a place of artistic expression e.g. in 2011, it was painted overnight by unknown artists who dressed the soldiers as American comic heros such as Superman, Joker, Santa Claus and Wonder Woman with the caption (in Bulgarian) Abreast of the Times.

After lunch we go to Eagles’ Bridge (Orlov Most), spanning another tiny sliver of water – the Perlovska River. The bridge was built in 1891 by the same Czech architect as Lions’ Bridge. The four bronze eagles symbolise the citizens of Sofia returning from exile and being welcomed by their families. The bridge itself stands at an important crossroads in Sofia.

Street leading to Nevski Cathedral cordoned off by police

Our route then takes us past Nevski Cathedral which is completely cordoned off by police. Good thing we visited it yesterday. We have no idea what’s going on of course. Then we see a cavalcade of motorbikes approaching from the other direction. They don’t even take the street that’s been blocked off. Ah, if only we could communicate.

National Art Gallery (former Tzar's Palace) — National Art Gallery (former Tzar’s Palace) with grass cutters busy on the right

We reach the National Art Gallery, which also contains the Ethnographic museum that I’m very keen to visit. The lady at the ticket office asks if we’re seniors and gives us cheap tickets (3 lev each). This is the first time I’ve been given a reduction for being a senior. Not sure how I feel …

Ballroom in the National Art Gallery with the musician's gallery at the far end — Ballroom in the National Art Gallery with the musician’s gallery at the far end

I’m disappointed to discover the Ethnographic Museum is closed for renovation but some of the rooms, particularly the ballroom, are well worth the visit.

Painting by Zlatyu Boyadzhiev (1902 - 1976) — Shepherds in Brezovo by Zlatyu Boyadzhiev (1902 – 1976)

I also enjoy some of the more traditional 19th and 20th century Bulgarian artists, especially Vladimir Rilski, Vassil Stoilov and Zlatyu Boyadzhiev with their wonderful depiction of Hungarian rural life.

Old Woman with Apples (1933) by Vassil Stoilov (1904-1990)

We walk back to our home exchange apartment and don’t seem to notice the poverty as much. I guess we’re getting used to it! Sofia seems to be one of those places that grows on you.

Food, France, French language, Sightseeing, Wednesday's Blogger Round-up

Plant your Language Garden with Memrise – Wonderous mountain train – a day trip from Nice –

September 24, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

Since I have been writing quite a bit about Sofia in Bulgaria recently, I thought you might like a more French focus for this Wednesday’s Bloggers’ Round-up. Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles reviews the phone app Memrise for learning and improving your French vocabulary; Phoebe from Lou Messugo takes us on a day trip by train from Nice to the Valley of Marvels; while Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris explains all about Dijon mustard. Enjoy!

Plant your Language Garden with Memrise

by Kathy Stanford from Femmes Francophiles, an Australian who has an ongoing passion for France and the French language currently on holiday in Europe

During the more than 10 years that I have been learning French I have tried many online applications in my quest to improve my French vocabulary. I have found Memrise particularly effective with its scientific basis and combination of learning with fun. The competitive aspects as you climb leader boards can become addictive. I have even lost track of time sometimes when learning vocabulary (playing). If you love using mnemonics and find them helpful you will love Memrise.

Memrise has been designed to help you connect with the new words that you choose to add to your sets. It does this with mems. Read more

Wonderous mountain train – a day trip from Nice

by Phoebe from Lou Messugo, a traveller, francophile, expat, mum and foodie now living in Roquefort les Pins where she runs a gîte after many years of travelling and living in Asia, Eastern Europe and Australia.

Train journeys are my kind of thing; trains and I, we go way back. Apparently, or so the family folklore says, I was on a miniature train in Delhi when the then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi turned up for a bit of political campaigning and I was chosen to sit next to her for the film shoot. I must have been about 7 years old. Now whether this was the beginning of my love of train travel I can’t say but since then I have taken some pretty interesting and scenic train journeys in Asia, Europe and Australia. So it was with great excitement that we recently took the grandly name “Train des Merveilles” from Nice to Tende and back. Read more

Searching for mustard in Dijon, France

by Mary Kay from Out and About in Paris, an American by birth, Swiss by marriage, resident of Paris with a Navigo Pass for the metro that she feels compelled to use

Mustard, Crème de cassis and wine – that’s what popped into my mind when we finally decided that Dijon would be a good place to spend the night on our way home from Switzerland last weekend. Given my mother’s penchant for all kinds of mustard and the fact that an entire shelf of her refrigerator was formerly reserved for the exclusive storage of this yellow condiment, visiting a mustard factory was at the top of my “to do” list. The only problem, as a search of the internet quickly revealed, is that Dijon’s oldest mustard factory was forced to close its doors in 2009 after demand for mustard declined in France. Read more

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Architecture, Art, Bulgaria, Restaurants, Sightseeing

Sofia – Alexander Nevski Cathedral and Saint Sofia

September 23, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 2 Comments

We wake up very late and I am relieved that my toe is no longer swollen and painful. I can now move it which is reassuring. The Nurofen, the three ice-cold foot baths and not going out for dinner and walking on it again yesterday seem to have worked. Alexander Nevski Cathedral and Saint Sofia are on the programme today.

People filling bottles with spa water near the old baths — People filling bottles with spa water near the old Baths

The first thing we do is to go back to the Baths to find the warm mineral water springs where the locals apparently form long queues. There are no queues today but quite a lot of people are filling up water bottles of all shapes and sizes. We test the temperature and it does indeed seem to be 37°C. Maybe I should get some for my toe!

The honey market in front of the old Baths

Just next to the springs is a honey market. Yes, just honey – about 25 to 30 stalls. It turns out that honey is very popular in Bulgaria and this is honey week.

Sculptures in the National Art Gallery grounds

This time, we walk behind the former Tsar’s palace, now the National Art Gallery, towards Alexander Nevski’s Cathedral. The park behind the gallery has a lot of outdoor sculptures, some very modern.

Viennese-style houses behind the National Art Gallery

The Viennese-style houses lining the street are in much better repair than the ones in our neighbourhood.

Celebrates in front of Nevski Church on St Sofia's feast day — Celebrations in front of Alexander Nevski Church on St Sofia’s feast day

As we near the Cathedral, which is just next to the church of Saint Sofia, we see that something is going on and we can’t access the church. There are rows of soldiers in different uniforms and people are crowding towards a podium. Soon, someone starts speaking over the PA system and an official-looking man starts walking past the soldiers. I am later informed by an American tourist who’s part of a group that it’s the feast day of Saint Sofia and the man is the Mayor but it turns out this is incorrect because the current mayor is a woman: Yordanka Fundakova.

Alexander Nevski Church — Alexander Nevski Cathedral – this photo was taken about 15 minutes after the previous one – the change in the sky is quite astonishing

We head off down the road behind Saint Sofia to Alexander Nevski Cathedral. Built between 1882 and 1912 in the neo-Byzantine style typical of 19th century Russian churches, it is quite spectacular with its green and gold domes. Seventy-six metres long and 53 metres wide, it is said to up between 5,000 and 7,000 people.

Close-up of the tympan on Alexander Nevski Church — Close-up of the tympanum on Alexander Nevski Cathedral

It takes a while for our eyes to adjust to the light inside. We can finally see the beautiful murals. The ones closest to the cupola are being renovated and the colours are quite striking. Photographs of the inside are not allowed unfortunately so I can’t show you. There are three altars and people are standing in line with a candle in their hands to touch the icons.

After leaving the cathedral, we walk towards the Opera house on the corner of Rakovski and Vrabcha Streets, a perfect example of Stalinian architecture with its enormous columns and friezes built in 1950.

The restaurant near the Opera House — The AHTPE restaurant near the Opera House in Vrabcha Street

We find a restaurant called AHTPE (well, in Cyrillic anyway) close by, with a terrace next to a construction lot. Fortunately the pneumatic drill stops while we’re eating. A much better choice than yesterday with fresh grilled trout and salad with an 18 cl bottle of wine each for 30 leva. As an added bonus, while we’re eating, the chorus in the Opera House next door is practising.

St Sofia, largely camouflaged by trees – the sky has become cloudy again

By the time we have finished, the festivities at Saint Sofia are over and we’re able to visit. The simple red brick church is the oldest Eastern Orthodox church in the capital and dates back to the 5th and 6th centuries. During Ottoman rule, it was turned into a mosque but after the minaret was toppled in 1818 during an earthquake and the Imam’s two sons were killed in a second earthquake 40 years later, it was abandoned and restored as a church after liberation.

The crypt below is far more interesting and a real labyrinth, explained by the fact that the current church is the fifth to be built over the ancient necropolis of the Roman town of Serdica. There are several murals and mosaics. We go through the whole crypt twice because Jean Michel says we’ve missed some mosaics but we still can’t find them.

Fresco in the crypt underneath St Sofia — Mural in the crypt underneath St Sofia

When we come out, we walk through yet another market, this time a local flea market.

Dalek Christmas trees which are actually planters

We go home via the Theatre and what should I see near the fountains by another of Susan’s Daleks which is, in fact, a tiered planter with little white flowers up the sides!

Bulgaria, Restaurants, Sightseeing

Sofia – Third impressions

September 22, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 6 Comments

The starting point for our third walking tour of Sofia is the Archeology Museum opposite the Presidential Palace and the changing of the guard which I described in my Second Impressions of Sofia. The oldest museum in Bulgaria (formerly the Big Mosque) has been in its present location since 1899. The building itself dates back to the 15th century and has been recently restored and the museum has an excellent reputation. We will no doubt go back another day.

Next on the list is Alexander Battenberg Square, once the site of the mausoleum of Georgi Dimitrov, Bulgaria’s first Communist leader, now completely reduced to rubble. The former Tzar’s Palace, built in 1873, stands on the other side and is now an art gallery and ethnographic museum that we’ll visit another day when my foot is not as painful.

The former tzar's palace, now the National Art Gallery — The former tzar’s palace, now the National Art Gallery

Just next door we see a beautiful building with five gold bulbs, the very ornate Russian Church built from 1912 to 1914 apparently to appease a Russian diplomat who was afraid to worship in Bulgarian churches! But maybe that is just heresay. The bulbs were recently re-guilded with gold leaf donated by the Patriarchate of Moscow.

A beautiful Renaissance-style building on the other side of Rakovski Street turns out to be the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

Parliament on the right and the Military Club on the left — Parliament on the right and the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences on the left with some sort of sit-in in the middle of the square

As it’s starting to spit, we head for the area in which the Routard gives the most addresses. On the way, we go past a statue of a dancer in front of a series of fountains with the Ivan Vasov National Theatre in the background. We’re definitely in a different neighbourhood. The footpaths are still full of holes, but most of the buildings are new and the people are dressed differently.

We see a couple of tables set up for chess and two men are playing behind a large statue with two figures. There is a lot of modern sculpture in Sofia.

Statues in the park with chess players in the background

Our restaurant is the Warsteiner, which is described as having a pork knuckle, stuffed capsicum and sausage ambiance with an eclectic clientele. It has a covered veranda which sounds like a good idea.

At another table, the locals are eating a copious vegetable dish served on a hot grill so I ask for one of those. We choose pork spare ribs, which turn out to be cold and lamb shank, which is luke warm. We have a local red. I have to go closer to the main dining room to get the wifi to work. Overall, not a very good address although cheap at 40 leva (about 20 euro). We later learn that it is part of a chain. We much preferred our meal last night at the local Dom Doman recommended by our hosts even though half the dishes were off the menu.

I get up and my foot screams out in pain. We head for the tourist office at Sofia University underground station to get some brochures for our travel diary and ask for a pharmacy. We follow instructions but have trouble finding it. I whip out my Bulgarian app for help. I find “Where is a pharmacy” with a recording in Bulgarian. I stop a lady in the street but she shakes her head and looks afraid.

I stop another woman and she says, “Oh, a pharmacy. You speak English?” and directs us to one near the Radisson Hotel. I can’t see any sign of an apoteka so ask reception. She sends us back in the other direction and we find one with Pharmacie on the window in addition to apoteka. I ask the lady behind the counter if she speaks English or French. “Ne”, she says. So I ask if anyone else does. She calls over a colleague who admits to speaking a little bit of English.

Radisson Hotel, one of Sofia's landmarks opposite the Parliament building — Radisson Hotel, one of Sofia’s landmarks opposite the Parliament building

She gives me some Nurofen, but no instructions on how to take it. It turns out that the leaflet is written in Bulgarian. Thank god for the Internet! At the end of the conversation, she asks where we come from. I indicate Jean Michel – French – and say I’m Australian. A large smile lights up her face. “Ah”, she says, “You’re not French. French people don’t speak English. Why don’t French people speak English?” “Bad teachers”, I answer. “Yes”, she agrees. “French people are lovely people. France is a lovely place. But no English!” Which is exactly what we were told in Ljubliana in Slovenia.

French language

Friday’s French – au revoir and salut

September 19, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 6 Comments

When I first moved to France in 1975, I don’t remember hearing people saying anything other than au revoir and adieu for goodbye. I had learnt that you only said adieu if you weren’t ever going to see the person again or at least for a long time. I was a bit surprised to hear it used as a greeting as well Adieu ! Comment vas-tu ? But it turns out that it is only in use in the south of France and I was in Béarn, near the Pyrenees. (Dieu = god, by the way).

In any case, just having au revoir made things easier (I didn’t ever use adieu). Since then, I’ve come to hear and use other expressions, such as ciao and salut. Ciao is practically universal of course and is very useful in countries such as Bulgaria where everything else is unpronounceable. It’s sometimes doubled here as well: ciao, ciao.

Salut is a different kettle of fish. It used to think it was the beginning of the prayer, Hail Mary: Salut Marie, but it is actually Je vous salue Marie; the verb saluer is used to mean salute, greet, take one’s leave, wave to, pay tribute to, etc. depending the context.

Saluez-le de ma part = give him my regards.

Il salua (le public) = he bowed (to the audience).

Salut has been reintroduced into everyday language with a much less formal register. Kids will say salut to each other both as a greeting and goodbye. Salut les mecs ! (mec is slang for man). Adults use it among friends or at informal gatherings. Salut tout le monde ! You would never use it with a shopkeeper or your doctor or someone you’ve just met. Some people never use it and consider it to be slang.

Given that you can never go wrong with bonjour and au revoir it’s probably best to avoid salut unless the other person has used it first.

Accommodation, France, Travelling

Discovering the real south of France

September 18, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 8 Comments

Regular readers of my Wednesday’s Blogger Round-Up will already know Carolyn Schonafinger from Holidays to Europe, an Australian based business passionate about sharing their European travel expertise and helping travellers to experience the holiday in Europe they have always dreamed of. I recently quoted from her post on cycling on the Austrian lakes. Carolyn has kindly agreed to write a guest post about an area she knows well in the south of France – Languedoc – which I have also visited (and enjoyed) on several occasions. Enjoy!

Discovering the real south of France

Languedoc-Roussillon (source: living-in-languedoc.om)

Aah, the south of France. Over 300 days of sunshine per year, endless stretches of Mediterranean coastline, unspoilt countryside, bustling markets and untouched medieval villages. I’m talking about Provence, right? Wrong! This is Languedoc, the real south of France.

Less well known than its famous neighbour, particularly by Australians, Languedoc offers the visitor the quintessential rural French experience. Its strong history of wine making (it’s the largest wine producing region in the world) is reason enough to visit but there are plenty of other reasons, too. Our focus below is on the Aude and Herault departments of Languedoc.

Carcassonne and its famous medieval castle is a ‘must-visit’ site in the region. The UNESCO World Heritage listed fortified city sits above the ‘new’ town and you can easily spend a few hours wandering the cobbled pathways inside the medieval walls and exploring the castle itself. Numerous shops, restaurants and cafes are now housed inside the walls and there are fantastic views towards the Pyrenees from the castle walls.

Another UNESCO World Heritage site in Languedoc is the Canal du Midi. Stretching for 240km, the Canal was built in the 17th Century as a means of transporting goods between the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts. These days, the only boats you’ll find on the Canal are pleasure craft. An afternoon boat ride on the Canal du Midi is a wonderful way to while away a couple of hours, taking in the stunning scenery and marvelling at the workings of the locks which raise and lower the water level as required. Canal-side villages like Homps and Trebes offer the perfect location to dine alfresco alongside this unique waterway.

The village of Minerve was a strategic base for the Cathars during the crusade against them in the early 13th Century. It was also an important stopover for the pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostelle in Spain during the medieval times. The small Musee Hurepel is well worth a visit. Sixteen scenes, complete with intricately made clay figurines, depict the story of the Cathars’ struggle against the Crusaders. As a member of France’s ‘Most Beautiful Villages’ alliance, Minerve is definitely worth a visit.

Lagrasse with the abbey in the background

The Fontfroide Abbey, along with the abbeys of Fontcaude and Lagrasse, can all be found in this region, too. The ruined, but still spectacular, fortresses of Peyrepertuse, Montsegur and Queribus are the scenes of the last desperate struggles of the Cathar rebels. A visit to the ruins of Lastours is also worthwhile, with its four small castles (now in ruins) keeping watch over the valley below.

The Mediterranean coastline in Languedoc stretches from Collioure, not far from the Spanish border, to Espiguette near Provence. Languedoc’s beaches tend to be wider and sandier than those in Provence and they vary from busy tourist sites to intimate coves. Some of the more popular beaches include Sete, Gruissan, Canet and Narbonne Plage. Europe’s largest nudist colony can also be found in Languedoc at Cap d’Agde.

Cap d'Agde nudist beach (source: Wikipedia) — Cap d’Agde nudist beach (source: Wikipedia)

Narbonne dates back to pre-Roman times and was once the capital of the Languedoc. A visit to the beautiful covered market, Les Halles, will have your mouth watering. The quality of food, from butchers through fishmongers and everything in between, is excellent. The Narbonne market operates from Monday to Saturday, and on Thursday and Sunday you’ll also find a huge market on both sides of the Robine Canal, a tributary of the Canal du Midi. Whilst in Narbonne, make sure you visit the magnificent cathedral, see the Archbishop’s Palace (now the Town Hall) and enjoy a stroll along the Canal du Robine.

To make the most of your holiday in Languedoc, why not stay in your own home-away-from-home in a holiday house like Castel Grand Rue? The three-storey, three-bedroom, traditional French house is right in the heart of Olonzac, a market town in the Minervois region. The sunny rooftop terrace makes the ideal place to dine on fresh local produce and sip the local wines after a busy day of exploring in Languedoc. Furnished to a high standard with everything you could possibly need to feel at home, the Australian-owned holiday house fits the bill for location and comfort.

Carolyn Schonafinger is the editor of www.HolidaysToEurope.com.au where she blogs about her travels around Europe

Architecture, Sightseeing

Second Impressions of Sofia – Tour n° 2

September 17, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 7 Comments

The first thing I do when I wake up is to slip on the tiled threshold of the bathroom and seriously bruise and sprain my big toe as I grip the edge of the tiles with it in a fortunately successful attempt not to fall over completely. How stupid can you get! We set out nevertheless on tour n°2 of the 2008 Insiders’ Guide to Sofia published by the Tourist Office and provided by our lovely home exchange hosts whom we met briefly in Paris.

It’s unexpectedly overcast and cool. The poverty is even more obvious on the main street. We are the only tourists around. I stop to take a photo of a bakery and the young man coming out offers to pose but I’m not quick enough. The owner quickly disappears inside.

We come to the famous Lion Bridge, with its four lions symbolising Bulgaria, and are surprised at the meagre stream below, Vladarska Reka.

Berries at the Ladies' market — Berries at the Ladies’ market

After taking a sharp turn left, we wander through the back streets to Zhenski Pazar, the Ladies’ Market, Sofia’s biggest and cheapest market, where the women used to sell any extra fruit and vegetables of their own production during the Communist era. Today, it is a normal market selling mainly local produce, all at the same price. We buy some grapes at 1.20 leva a kilo (about 60 Euro cents).

The church of Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius comes unexpectedly into view. It was built at the turn of the 20th century in honour of the two Greek brothers and monks who created the glagolithic alphabet later reworked by Saint Clement of Ohrid to form the Cyrillic alphabet with its 30 letters used in Bulgarian that I really need to learn ASAP.

We take Ekzarch Josif Street, past the synagogue we saw yesterday, then onto Maria Luisa Boulevard with its restored market or Halite, not nearly as interesting as the one we’ve just been to. We pass the mosque and central baths from yesterday.

I look up and see a large winged statue. across from TZUM which contains a department store and the Sheraton Hotel. The 24-metre high bronze and copper sculpture erected in 2001, weighs four tons. Sofia holds the symbols of fame and wisdom in her hands and wears the crown of Tjuhe, the goddess of fate.

“Are there any old buildings left in Sofia”, I ask. “We’re just coming to one”, replies Jean Michel. We use the underpass to go to the other side and come to the tiny church of Sveta Petka built in the 14th century. It’s hardly visible from the street because under Turkish rule, churches were only allowed if they didn’t rise higher than ground level.

Saint George's rotunda — Saint George’s rotunda

Just round the other side of the Sheraton, we come upon the St George Rotunda, set among the excavations of ancient Roman ruins. It was built in the 4th century and consecrated a century later. Three layers of 10th century frescoes are still visible but like churches everywhere in Bulgaria, photographs are not allowed inside. However, you can see some on the church’s official website.

We have a cappuccino in a tiny little café opposite, aptly called the Rotunda, that has no fewer than four Orthodox priests. There seem to be very few bars and cafes that are not Italian or American and I’m delighted to discover this one. We learn from the Routard that the owner is French-speaking … My toe is beginning to get very painful so it’s a welcome break.

Changing of the guard in front of the Presidential Palace

Just through a passageway on the opposite end of the square under the Presidential Palace, we come upon the changing of the guards, which takes place every hour. It is exactly midday so we’re very happy with our accidental timing.

Demonstration in front of the presidential palace

A peaceful demonstration of some kind is taking place at the same time. We can’t, of course, find out what it’s all about. That brought us to the end of Tour n°2. Stay tuned for n° 3.

Sightseeing

Monday’s Travel Photos – First impressions of Sofia, Bulgaria

September 16, 2013 Rosemary Kneipp 12 Comments

When we were first offered a home exchange in Bulgaria, we said, “Why not?” But as the time got closer and I had time to take a closer look at what was awaiting us, I began to have doubts particularly after visiting Slovakia and Hungary during the summer. My first impressions of Sofia confirmed my reticence. The poverty and standard of living are devastating. The newly restored religious buildings seem to accentuate them even further. These photos were taken during our first walk around the neighbourhood where we are staying in a comfortable recently decorated flat.