On Friday, I woke up much too early for a four day weekend.

I guess that's what happens when you're a teacher and your alarm clock goes off regularly at 5:45am.

The good news?

It meant that I had plenty of time to drink a pot of coffee before going on a walking tour of Sofia.
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[caption id="attachment_4771" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Sofia Tour"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-4771" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=4771"><img class="size-large wp-image-4771 " title="Sofia Tour" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IMG_8189-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

Walking tour you might ask? <em>Yes.</em></p>
After living in the city for nearly three years, I went on a walking tour of Sofia with a nonprofit group called <a title="Free Sofia Tour" href="https://www.facebook.com/#!/freesofiatour" target="_blank">Free Sofia Tour</a>. I went mostly because I could and because I've long thought that this was a major missing element of tourism in the city. Until earlier this year there have been no regular walking tours offered in the city for tourists and now we have one!!<!--more-->

[caption id="attachment_4772" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Sofia Baths"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-4772" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=4772"><img class="size-large wp-image-4772 " title="Sofia Baths" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IMG_8222-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

And they're great. Really great I might add. They were organized. Thoughtful. Knowledgeable. Well-spoken. Good looking. And they made sure that no one got lost and no one got hit by a car. That last one is pretty important considering the nightmare that is traffic in Sofia and the huge amount of construction happening downtown these days.
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[caption id="attachment_4776" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Spring has come! "]<a rel="attachment wp-att-4776" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=4776"><img class="size-large wp-image-4776 " title="Spring has come! " src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IMG_8241-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

<p style="text-align: left;">Sure I've seen all of the sites we walked past but for better or worse, I don't really know all of the history of the city. The tour did a great job balancing history, culture and place. My guide was very fluent in English and knowledgeable about the city. He did a really great job navigating the various interests of our diverse group.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Mostly, I went along to take pictures and to check out the quality of the tour. The quality you might ask? Top-notch and I've been on my fair share of tours in Eastern Europe. The only thing that might make it better would be a stop for some rakiya. Maybe next time.</p>


[caption id="attachment_4774" align="aligncenter" width="614" caption="Old Man in the Park"]<a rel="attachment wp-att-4774" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=4774"><img class="size-large wp-image-4774 " title="Old Man in the Park" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IMG_8234-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a>[/caption]

I was really happy with the 2 hour (more like 2 and 1/2 hour tour by the time we got started). Moreover, the tour seemed to hit the right note for older tourists in their 50 and 60's as well as twenty-something backpackers. That's not an easy balance to strike.

All in all, I had a great time. Yesterday was really the perfect time to see the city (or re-see the city in my case). It doesn't really get much better than sunny weather, blue skies, a light breeze and the buzz of a long weekend.
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<div class="mceTemp mceIEcenter" style="text-align: left;"><dl id="attachment_4775" class="wp-caption aligncenter" style="width: 624px;"><dt class="wp-caption-dt"><a rel="attachment wp-att-4775" href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?attachment_id=4775"><img class="size-large wp-image-4775 " title="Nevski, Looking Good!" src="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/IMG_8247-1024x682.jpg" alt="" width="614" height="409" /></a></dt><dd class="wp-caption-dd">Nevski, Looking Good!</dd></dl></div>
So, if you're new to the city, visiting the city for the first time or looking to brush up on Sofia's main attractions, I'd recommend checking out Free Sofia Tour. They were great. Professional. Funny. And they gave pretty good advice on restaurants to check out and places to grab a beer outside.

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