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SUMMARY:Pre-Christmas trip to Sofia\, the capital of Bulgaria
DESCRIPTION:Bulgaria’s quirky capital combines Ottoman heritage with Euro
 pean influences. Sofia’s history is as long and colourful as you’d exp
 ect from a capital on the frontier between Europe and Asia. The city has s
 pent most of the past 2\,000 years under occupation by various empires: fi
 rst settled by Thracians in the eighth century BC\, the area has since see
 n Romans\, Byzantines\, Ottomans and Communists all leave their marks.In 2
 007 Bulgaria joined the EU and Sofia got a bit of a facelift. Not that thi
 s is immediately obvious. Like many former Soviet cities\, Sofia is a touc
 h unprepossessing when you first arrive\, its compact heart encircled by a
  busy ring road. However\, within that\, there is a silver lining.On its o
 utside\, neo-Byzantine gilt-and-green domes pile towards the heavens\; ins
 ide its cavernous core\, frescoes glare down from the walls. Christianity 
 may have left the most outwardly glitzy architectural legacy on Sofia\, bu
 t the city’s history as a melting pot of cultures and faiths has also le
 ft fascinating traces.Sofia is a very walkable capital\, and feels cosier 
 than its population of 1.25 million would suggest. On this tour we will di
 scover the heart of the city\, at Sveta Nedelya Church. Head north past th
 e gigantic golden statue of St Sofia to the Banya Bashi Mosque\, Sofia Syn
 agogue\, Market Hall and the Public Mineral Baths\, which are clustered to
 gether north of the Largo\, an elongated plaza flanked by domineering Comm
 unist-era buildings.
DTSTART:20181115T000000Z
DTEND:20181118T000000Z
DTSTAMP:20260509T061318Z
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