I laughed at the expense of those poor geographically challenged souls knowing all too well that my own knowledge of Bulgaria was sketchy. That’s why, when I learned that Bulgaria was hosting the 38th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting (ATCM), and that I would be attending, I went immediately in search of a map.
I arrived in Sofia in late May, just in time for warm spring days and Bulgarian prom (Google it). Much of the next two and half weeks were spent in my office, on the eighth floor of the National Palace of Culture. Built in 1981, during Bulgaria’s Socialist era, the Palace (or NDK) is a mass of concrete & glass, housing 15 halls, 55 conference rooms and what seemed like a million flights of stairs. This still left ample time on the weekends for exploring Sofia, and Bulgaria’s second largest city, Plovdiv.
I’ll let the photos tell the rest of the story of a city that impressed me at every turn. A special thanks goes out to the rapporteur team (especially our Bulgarians - Albena, Kami, Nasko, Evgeny and Mitko) for being such wonderful company.
 |
| On our first weekend in Sofia, our Bulgarian colleague, Evgeny, took us on a walking tour of Sofia. The first stop was the Statue of Sophia in the city's commercial centre. |
 |
| Sofia is a green city filled with public squares and parks. This one sits between the city's public baths and the Banya Bashi Mosque. |
 |
| Mount Vitosha, rising to 2,292 metres, is Sofia's imposing and beautiful backdrop. |
 |
| One of the biggest Eastern Orthodox churches in the world, Alexander Nevsky Cathedral was built in 1904-12. Its domes are covered in gold leaf, donated by Russia in 1960. |
 |
| Changing of the Guard: The office of the Bulgarian President is guarded by these soldiers, dressed in 19th century red and white parade uniforms. The changing of the guard takes place every hour on the hour. |
 |
| After a long work day, we indulged in a tasting of delicious Bulgarian wines and great conversation. |
 |
| Martenitsas are worn as bracelets from Baba Marta Day (March 1) until the wearer first sees a stork, swallow or budding tree. Then they're tied to the branch of a tree! |
 |
| Sofia street performers. |
 |
| On June 1, the ATCM sprang to life. The Bulgarian President swung by to make a speech and then everyone got down to business, including Kazakhstan, which signed the Antarctic Treaty last year. |
 |
| The 38th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting Rapporteur Team. |
 |
| Locals stop to look at a display about Antarctica posted outside the meeting venue - Sofia's National Palace of Culture. |
 |
| Celebrating the end of a long week: Drinks, pizza delivery and sunset from our office terrace. |
 |
| On our second weekend, we ventured to Plovdiv. It's Bulgaria's second largest city and, at around 6,000 years old, one of the oldest cities in the world. This is Dzhumaya Mosque, built in 1363. |
 |
| Inside the Church of the Holy Mother of God. It's situated in Plovdiv's old town on one of the city's seven hills, Nebet Tepe. |
 |
| Plovdiv is full of antique stores selling everything from fragile ornaments and traditional Bulgarian costume to quirky fridge magnets. |
 |
| Graffiti art on a Plovdiv underpass: The lion is one of Bulgaria's national symbols. Its currency, lev, means lion in old Bulgarian. |
 |
| Plovdiv's ancient Roman theatre. Andrew and Joaquin relive the magic on stage. |
 |
| One of the best parts of exploring Plovdiv turned out to be perving on all the weddings to which we weren't invited. |
 |
| This was the other best part. Благодаря и довиждане България! |
