My cousin who lives in Moscow is coming to visit me! She wrote to me this week about a visit and I am meeting her at the airport tomorrow night.  She says that she never does impulsive things like this and I believe her.  The thing is making the choice to come to Sofia is an awesome decision.  And here's a top eleven list why Sofia, Bulgaria is totally worth a visit.  (I've been influenced to write a top eleven list after reading this <a href="http://www.11points.com/" target="_blank">blog</a> apparently 10 item lists are for cowards.  Go figure.)
<ol>
	<li>Everything is free in Sofia! Well aside from most museums, toilets (and toilet paper), public transportation, restaurants, rent, and alcohol.  So actually, nothing is free but with the great exchange rate things seem oh so inexpensive.  And frankly, you can't beat that.</li>
	<li>The money comes in all sorts of pretty colors.  None of this monotone green business like in the States.  This may be the reasons that people in the States use debit cards--they are so much more colorful than the currency is.  Be prepared to use cash.  All of the time--restaurants, bars, cafes, bookstores.  I haven't paid for anything with my debit or credit card ever here in Bulgaria but I also haven't stayed in a hotel.  Places like this will clearly take a card.</li>
	<li>When you get a bill at a restaurant it's like winning a lottery.  This is especially true if you've been living in a big city like Washington DC, New York City or any other major capitol in Western Europe.  Almost without a doubt you'll look at the bill to see what's accidentally been left off and then realize nothing.  It's just not that expensive to eat out in this country.  For example, my friend Matt and I went to a neighborhood restaurant the last week he was in Sofia and the bill was 28 leva total.  We each had salad, dinner, a drink and we shared a large bottle of water.  A bill in dollars (28) for this much food would be nearly unimaginable in the States and this bill was in leva!  (Oh and most places you can get a 500ml beer for 2 leva or about $1.50.)<!--more--></li>
	<li>The coffee is cheaper and better in most cafes than it is in Starbucks! Take that Starbucks.  But for those of you who may think that Sofia isn't a very developed city we currently have not one but two Starbucks.  Yes, two!!) How many does Budapest have? (Answer: as of January when I was visiting none.)</li>
	<li>This is the land of the banitsa. The Banitsa.  This is an amazing snack (or meal) any time of the day and they are sold almost everywhere.  You can't come to Sofia and not eat one.  I think they ask you at passport control about whether or not you ate one.... Okay, I made that up but there's really no reason to come to Bulgaria and not try the banitsa.  The same goes for the shopksa salad.</li>
	<li>The nightlife.  In Sofia, the people never stop dancing and partying.  I know that this is a stereotype for residents of the Balkans but there's something to it.  It's almost like the Sofians are super human.  It would be easy to dance on a weekend well past 5 am.  If you come to visit me, don't expect that I can stay up much past 3am.  Apparently, I've been too well trained after living in Washington DC for five years where all of the bars close at 3am.</li>
	<li>By day you can explore the vestiges of life under communism.  There are lots of crumbling monuments to check out, the sidewalks don't seem to have been repaired since the fall of 1989 and there are a number outdoor stalls selling communist inspired trinkets.</li>
	<li>The best place to look for these trinkets is out side of the Alexander Nevski Cathedral.  The Cathedral is impressive and I think it's a must for anyone visiting Sofia even for a day.  Also in the basement is the Crypt which houses a bunch of great icons.  I know, I know--lots of people say once you've seen one icon you've seen them all but I have to tell you that's not true.  The crypt has a wide range of icons from all over Bulgaria and their collection gives you a sense of the different styles and development of the art over the centuries.</li>
	<li>If you're staying in the city center (hint, hint with me), then most everything you'd want to see is incredibly walkable.  Oh and your tour guide (again, that's me) knows enough Bulgarian to ask for directions and order in restaurants!</li>
	<li>Bulgaria is the only country in the EU that shakes their heads "no"  (American style) to say yes and "yes" to say no.  Think about that.</li>
	<li>Buying Bulgarian pottery at the Women's Market.  The pottery is beautiful and comes in a range of different shapes and sizes.  There's something for everyone.  And if pottery isn't your thing there are also plenty of fresh fruits and vegetable to pick from.  Oh and shoes, nuts, jeans, wine, underwear and more....</li>
</ol>
Here in ends my top 11 awesome things about Sofia, Bulgaria.  Please feel free to add other things you like to do in Sofia in the comment section.