Hey, hey, it's summertime in Sofia. Go figure. This past week it's been well over 30 c. most days but I haven't had to work.

At all.

I'm on vacation. Over the last few days, that's meant a lot of coffee drinking, book reading and generally being lazy. Oh and cocktail hour. Because really, all semi-girly, verging on cheesy, page turning, New York Times best sellers are better with a glass of white wine or a dry rose.
<a title="Drinks at Colibri by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7655069264/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8026/7655069264_fe0fc7d554_z.jpg" alt="Drinks at Colibri" width="640" height="427" /></a>
A part of me feels like I should be out exploring Sofia. Walking around. Seeing what's new. Drinking coffee in a cafe in the city center. While another part of me is happy to laze around my house and while the laze around part has been winning out, it's not as if I've become a hermit. Not anyway, yet.

Instead I've been taking things easy. I've been<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/07/22/summer-in-bulgaria-a-cantaloupe/" target="_blank"> loving all of the fresh melon</a> and then A. showed up recently with a bag of tomatoes. This lead me to renew my love affair with tomatoes. There was a little bit of an apology for them, A. explained: they're homegrown so they aren't perfectly shaped. Um, I don't care. <a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/08/24/because-tomatoes-cant-speak-for-themselves/" target="_blank">I love, love tomatoes</a>. Heck, I even<a href="http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/08/26/an-american-in-bulgarias-take-on-heavenly-tomato-pie/" target="_blank"> made a tomato pie last year</a>. Maybe I'll do that again.

<em>But</em>, it's a lot easier to slice them up and eat them. Or to throw together my new favorite salad: cube a tomato, nectarine and fresh mozzarella, put these in a bowl, add a little olive oil and balsamic vinegar and ta-da you're done. It's the perfect mix of sweet, savory and summer time fresh.
<a title="Outdoor umbrella at Colibri by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7655070008/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8016/7655070008_e01a5d6c58_z.jpg" alt="Outdoor umbrella at Colibri" width="640" height="427" /></a>
This said, my friend and Bulgarian tutor I. found a discovered<a href="http://sofialive.bg/place/1151-colibri.html" target="_blank"> a new bar--Colibri--recently on SofiaLive</a>. She suggested that we go and check it out. <em>Um, yes</em>. I'd looked at the pictures and thought: cute. But it wasn't until I was at the bar that I realized this a sea side bar in the middle of downtown Sofia. I didn't even know that I wanted such a thing to exist until I arrived at Colibri and sat down.

<!--more--> <a title="At Colibri by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7655070254/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7124/7655070254_0367aae30a_z.jpg" alt="At Colibri" width="640" height="427" /></a><a title="Colibri by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7655070930/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8143/7655070930_da48bc070e_z.jpg" alt="Colibri" width="640" height="427" /></a>
It's pretty magical. The main color is white. I am talking: white walls, white chairs and cushions, white umbrellas, white bar. The accent colors are blue and yellow. The seats are pretty low to the ground. They've been made out of a couple of moving pallets surprise, surprise painted white and the the tables all seem to the be the standard issue square white ikea coffee table. It's simple but it works.
<a title="Drinks at Colibri by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7655069720/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7109/7655069720_3acefd2677_z.jpg" alt="Drinks at Colibri" width="640" height="427" /></a>
The feel is summer. It's light and airy and the cocktails pull the whole place together. I had a Caipirinha (rum, lime and sugar muddled together). I. went with the classic mojito and J. the strawberry mojito.<a title="Yellow planter at Colibri by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7655068122/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8282/7655068122_e7361dd3e9_z.jpg" alt="Yellow planter at Colibri" width="640" height="427" /></a>
<a title="Seating at Colibri by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7655068866/"><img src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8011/7655068866_3f3aee4406_z.jpg" alt="Seating at Colibri" width="640" height="427" /></a>
So while it looks I am not making it to the Bulgarian Black Sea this summer and that's okay. Between this sea-inspired bar in Sofia, a trip through Scandinavia at the beginning of the summer and Thassos in early September right before school starts, I'll live.

Oh and I am going back to the States in a few days. My bother is getting married, I've got some friends to catch up with and there's a swimming pool in my parent's backyard calling my name. Then I'll be back in Sofia at the end of August. You know to start year five in Bulgaria. <em>Yes, year five.</em>
<a title="The bill in a watering can at Colibri by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7655068504/"><img src="http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7117/7655068504_49a1b524ef_z.jpg" alt="The bill in a watering can at Colibri" width="640" height="427" /></a>
Anyhow, because you should go and check out Colibri here's the information you need. The address on Sofia Live is: ул. Узунджовска 2 (вход откъм ул. Княз Борис). The important part of this is to know that the entrance is on Knyaz Boris. For a point of reference, it's about a block away from the vegetarian restaurant Sun/Moon also on Knyaz Boris. But really, once you turn the corner from Uzundzhovska, it's hard to miss. Oh and if you make all the way down the block to William Galdstone you've gone too far.

Enjoy.