Sofia is a party town that's open 24 hours, but
watch out for wicked witches. Adrian Mourby
discovers the good, the BIAD and the ugly
Outside the imposing Law Courts
on Vitosha Boulevard there's a
sight that pretty much sums
up modern Sofia. A huge lion,
the ancient symbol of Bulgaria,
stands on his plinth next to a street sign
for Natasha's Sex Shop.
Sofia started life as a Roman spa town.
For hundreds of years afterwards it was a
Turkish garrison and most recently, when the
Balkan lion was still Russia's best friend, it was
Bulgaria's mini-Moscow. But, in the past 15
years, the city of Sofia has transformed itself
yet again. Walking down Vitosha, I could be in
London's Oxford Street or New York's Lower
Broadway; every major Western outlet seems
to have piled into Sofia in recent years. But
the city is very much its own place. It took
me a while to get used to seeing 'No Firearms'
signs in restaurants alongside the more
traditional 'No Smoking', but don't let that
put you off . People in Sofia just want to have
fun. They're enjoying their new freedoms,
but the government has had to draw the line
somewhere. Topless bars are one thing, but
it's probably best if you hand in your gun at
the door.
KEY LARGO
This is a youthful city. At times it seems
like one big university campus. By day it
reminded me of Moscow with its two
Russian churches, the apparatchiks' own
hotel (now owned by Sheraton) and the
former Communist HQ, which looms over
Independence Square like a concrete
wedding cake. By night, however, Sofia
lives to party. There's a saying in Bulgaria:
'The party is everywhere' - and they're not
talking about politics!
When I asked the doorman at my hotel
where to go for a good night out, he rattled
off a list of names - it all depends on what
kind of music you like and how much
noise you can take - but he thought it odd
that I was heading off before midnight.
Most clubs don't get going until the early
hours and don't close until five in the
morning (and even then, only if no one's
still dancing). Bulgarians love music. As long
as the band is playing, they don't go home.
The really amazing thing is that everyone's
at work again the next day.
I ended up at a club called BIAD because
my taxi driver said it was 'cool'. We plunged
noisily down the 'Yellow Brick Road', which
is what everyone calls The Largo, a wide imperial boulevard that the Emperor of
Austria had paved in ochre tiles as a wedding
present for King Ferdinand. BIAD turned out
to be tucked away in a side street with three
huge bouncers on the door. They checked
me thoroughly for non-existent firearms
and then charged me 3 lev (just over £1) to
go down to a big, tarty red room that was
throbbing to the sound of tschalga. This music
is all the rage in Bulgaria at the moment.
It mixes mournful traditional sounds with
Western beats. I'd call the result disco-Turk.
People are fiercely divided about tschalga,
either hating it or loving it, but one thing's
for sure: the girls in BIAD really can dance to
it. The bar is famous for its girls, who dress
in belly-dancer chic and run their hands
seductively over male customers in an
attempt to elicit tips. It was a bit of a shock,
as I sat at the bar, to realise that a scantily clad
blonde was caressing my shoulders. I shook
my head politely. That was a mistake. Bulgaria
is one of those countries where shaking your
head means 'yes'!
KEEP IT SWINGING
For those who like their music more
traditional - and the locals to keep their
hands to themselves - there are plenty of
jazz venues in Sofia. Swinging Hall on Dragan
Tzankov Boulevard closes early by Bulgarian
standards (4am) but it has live music every
night and jam sessions every Sunday.
For something quieter, Apartment on Neofit
Rilski is a new club that's been done out to
look like you're visiting someone's flat. It's an
odd idea, but it's proved very popular with
students and young office workers.
But there's more to Sofia than nightlife.
No visit would be complete without a visit
to the flea market outside the Alexander
Nevsky Cathedral, for instance. Here a whole
pavement in front of the Bulgarian patriarch's
house has been taken over by men and
women, wrapped up in shawls and eighties
puff a jackets, selling old Communist and Nazi
memorabilia. I was off ered a German Navy
compass for 45 lev and a dagger, complete
with swastika, for 120 lev.
There were some racy postcards from the
1890s (10 lev), should you be into ancient
plump Bulgarians, but I chose instead to buy
a party member's Lenin hip flask. At 20 lev, it
was a bargain - and ideal for transporting my
rakia. Should you want to taste this 'Bulgarian
Viagra' before you buy, head for the Halite,
Sofia's food market, opposite the old Banya Bashi Mosque. Here there's a bar selling
croissants, pizza and drinks all day.
Just opposite the Halite I spotted a sight
unique to Sofia: Bulgarians filling plastic
bottles from water that gushes out of hot
springs. It's said to be restorative, particularly
for people who've drunk too much rakia
the night before. I was invited to try it, and
you should too. Tasty. But that's true of Sofia
generally - lively, diff erent and worth trying.
Just watch out for the BIAD girls.
THE BEST
FREE SHOW
See the changing of the guard every hour
on the hour, Alexander Batenberg Square.
HOTEL
The Stalinesque Sheraton Sofia is where
party members were housed until the fall of
Communism. Live like an apparatchik with
Bulgarian champagne for breakfast.
St Nedelya Square, Tel: 02 981 6541,
www.luxurycollection.com/Sofi a
MUSEUM
The crypt below the Alexander Nevsky
Cathedral houses the most colourful
collection of icons in Bulgaria.
Alexander Nevsky Square, Tel: 02 981 5775,
open 10am-5.30pm, closed on Monday
MARKET
The Halite has an expansive ground floor
food court and the best public lavatories in
Sofia (there aren’t many, so check it out).
Pirotska Street, Tel: 02 917 6106, open
8am-8pm
SHOP
Tzum was originally Sofia’s main store
under Communism. Now refurbished, the
Tzentralen Universalen Magazin is a stylish
shopping mall with café.
Pirotska Street, Tel: 02 926 0511, open
10am-9pm (Sundays 11am-8pm)
PUB
Halbite has nine beers on draft and serves
excellent Bulgarian pub grub. Try the
Kanibal (1.5kg of grilled steak) with friends.
Neofit Rilski Street, Tel: 02 980 4147,
open 10am-midnight
CLUB (naughty)
Taboo off ers a mirror room, Jacuzzi and
striptease room. Visit www.sofi.anights.com
for free online tickets.
Narodno Sabranie Square, Tel: 02 987
0870, open 10pm till morning
CLUB (music)
Piano Bar Jack is situated just next to the
Army Theatre.
Rakovski Street, Tel: 02 987 9198
SZÓFIA - ISMERKEDJ
MEG A BIAD LÁNYOKKAL!
A bíróság épülete mellett, a Vitosh
Boulvardon olyan látvány fogad, ami
többé-kevésbé összefoglalja, mit jelent
ma Szófia. Egy talapzaton Bulgária ősi jelképe,
egy hatalmas oroszlán áll, közvetlenül egy tábla
mellett, ami Natasha Szexshopját hirdeti.
Ez egy fiatalos város. Néha úgy tűnik, mintha
az egész egyetlen hatalmas egyetem területe
lenne. Nappal Moszkvára emlékeztet két
orosz temploma, az aparatcsikok hotelje
(ma Sheraton) és az egykori kommunista
főhadiszállás miatt. Ám éjszaka Szófia a
partiknak él. Azért kötöttem ki a BIADban,
mert a taxisofőr szerint ez egy
„cool” hely. A zene a tradicionálisabb
dallamok és nyugati ritmusok keveréke,
amely miatt komolyan megoszlanak a
vélemények. Egy dolog biztos: a BIAD-beli
lányok tudnak rá táncolni. A hely hírnevét
ezeknek a lányoknak köszönheti, akik
szexi hastáncos szerelésükben csábítóan
simogatják a férfivendégeket - a borravaló
reményében. Engem meglepetésként ért,
amikor egy hiányosan öltözött szőke az én
vállamat kezdte cirógatni, ezért udvariasan
megráztam a fejem. Hiba volt. Bulgária azok
közé az országok közé tartozik, ahol a fejrázás
jelenti az igent!
SOFIA.
DZIEWCZYNY Z BIAD’U
Widok sprzed budynku sądu na
bulwarze Vitosh doskonale
podsumowuje współczesną Sofię.
Z ustawionym na cokole ogromnym lwem,
starożytnym symbolem Bułgarii, sąsiaduje
szyld „Natasha’s Sex Shop”.
To miasto młodych ludzi. Czasami masz
wrażenie, że znalazłeś się w środku wielkiego
uniwersyteckiego campusu. Za dnia Sofia
przypomina mi trochę Moskwę. Z jej dwiema
cerkwiami, hotelem posiadanym przez
aparatczyków (należącym obecnie do sieci
Sheraton) i dawną siedzibą komunistów. Ale
noc to już czas na zabawę.
Ostatecznie wylądowałem w BIAD’zie.
Taksówkarz powiedział mi, że to miejsce jest
naprawdę „cool”. Muzyka, którą tu grają, to
mieszanka zachodnich i lokalnych rytmów.
Opinie na jej temat bywają bardzo skrajne.
Ale jedno jest pewne – dziewczyny z BIAD’u
naprawdę ją czują. Ubrane odpowiednio do
wykonywania tańca brzucha, uwodzicielskimi
gestami zachęcają męską klientelę do
dawania napiwków. Nie kryłem zaskoczenia,
kiedy skąpo odziana blondynka zaczęła
gładzić mnie po ramionach. Przecząco
pokręciłem głową. To był błąd. Czyżby
Bułgaria była jednym z krajów, w których taki
gest oznacza ‘tak’?!
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