Our bus to Sofia departed at 6am. A fantastic sunset made the early morning nicer. The drive passed many farms and small towns. Everything went smooth and we arrived a short walk away from our hostel for the night. As it was too early for check in we walked instead to a boujee cafe and had a fabulous brunch. Nick got a much needed haircut at a Turkish barber and I am disappointed to let you know it was a typical haircut. So far each country has had elements of the haircutting experience that were hilarious and unique, but this one was pretty standard. Our day ended by getting some groceries for our breakfasts for the upcoming days and some cheap kebabs for dinner.

It seemed like the most popular thing to do in Sofia was a free walking tour of the city. We met with our large group and walked to many notable historical locations. Our guide was great and told us many stories about each place. Sofia has some beautiful churches, theaters, and baths, and the main underpass in the historical center goes right through some Roman ruins. I noticed Nick had to stop to scratch his legs pretty often, which is not usual, but didn’t think much of it. Maybe there were mosquitos that weren’t biting me but found him, who knows?

After the tour we walked to the BEST PIZZA PLACE ever, Franco’s Pizza. I loved it so much I made Nick go back there 3 times while we were in Sofia. It was sourdough crust, wood fired, and simple toppings. In the end Nick opted to get lunch at a different spot on our last day to try something new, but still went with me for me to get another pizza. We tried 3 different kinds and loved each one.

The amazing food didn’t end at the pizza place, though. We met up with an old classmate of mine, Petko, later that evening for a reunion dinner. He brought his girlfriend, Anna, and their one year old son, Brando. Their family was adorable and I loved getting to play with Brando; what a happy baby. Petko ordered for the table to ensure we got to try lots of things. He ordered tomato dishes, dips, soft cheeses, breads, and grilled meats. My favorite wine was the house white. Afterwards we had dessert at their lovely apartment. Nick enjoyed the European hospitality of a few cigarettes on the balcony and I enjoyed the glasses of wine.

Nick and I must of made a good impression on Anna because she offered to cook dinner for us the next night so we could try more traditional food. We gladly accepted and her dinner ended up being our highlight meal of Bulgaria. She made a fresh salad with cucumbers and tomatoes for a starter. They gave us some fresh Bulgarian herb mixes to try with the vegetables as well. The main course was a Bulgarian moussaka—not to be confused with the Greek version. It had beef, pork, potatoes, carrots, and more delicious ingredients baked like a casserole and served with yogurt. I ate way too much and asked for the recipe.

Dessert was kozunak, a special sweet bread they typically make at Easter time. It was covered in sugar, had some surprise goodies inside, and was served with butter, nutella, and jam. They even packed us a small container with their honey, some slices of the cake to go, and a few cans of the drink Petko makes at his manufacturing facility. We had plenty of food for our upcoming hike. They put on Bulgarian music and she showed us some traditional dances. It was such a great reunion and there would’ve been no better way to learn more about Bulgarian culture.

At noon we made it to the top of the mountain where we would begin our hike. As the name implies, the hike passes seven lakes. There were so many people; it was maybe one of the busiest trails we’ve been on during the world tour. It was still a nice hike, though, with many beautiful views. In total our hike was 8km and took less than 2.5 hours to complete. There was little elevation gain, which helped. There are many ways to do the hike, but we opted for a loop. The way out to the main viewpoint was higher up, with views of the first lakes from above.

At the fifth lake we were at the same level as the shore. This was Kidney Lake, and it was reflecting the surrounding mountains and fluffy white clouds in an amazing way. I could not stop taking photos of it. The final stretch to the view point was up to the top of a cliff where many people took photos and a break. We found a slightly more secluded spot to the side and enjoyed our lunch with a view. Straight ahead we could see 4 lakes, and with a panorama photo we could capture 6 of them. The seventh lake was behind us so that one could only be captured together if we had continued on higher up. Due to time constraints we did not do that, however.

The way back was down lower, where we got to see the first 4 lakes again but this time at the same level instead of from above. We liked both views and were glad to have done the loop. It did start raining by the end of the hike so our chairlift back to the parking lot was a little wet and cold. We were just thankful that we got clear skies for the main lake viewing time.

Our last few days in Sofia were a bit stressful, to say the least. Remember the itchy legs from Nick I mentioned? As the days continued he got more clusters of bug bites and then I started to get them, too. Then one morning, we saw it: a bed bug. God damn it. We booked a different accommodation and started googling what to do. There was not a single laundromat in Sofia; everything was full service. So we separated all of our belongings and sealed them in garbage bags. Contaminated things were kept in our contaminated accommodation.

Our last days weren’t all bad, though, and we managed to explore the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral one afternoon. The church was massive, with amazing decor inside. Nick observed that the church used every possible medium imaginable, including brick, metal, wood, and more for the structure itself and even the art inside had a wide variety. A loaded hotdog was Nick’s final lunch while I had the amazing pizza again. Instead of sharing we also splurged and got our own gourmet cinnamon buns, mine was salted caramel and Nick’s was pistachio and nutella. Dinner was the most delicious carbonara ever. The food was our way to try and still enjoy our last day in Sofia, even with the looming bed bug stress.