Sofia is a lot like Seattle, in terms of winter weather – just a little colder. Cloudy, steady drizzle, chilly. Ugh, but I’ve been told that summers are amazing.

Some things to get used to – trying to recognize Cyrillic (it’s not that easy!) and the fact that smoking is everywhere! … literally. Could not find a smoke-free environment except in certain parts of the hotel. Even if a restaurant has a non-smoking section, it’s usually next to the smoking section.

The Radisson where I stayed at has an Irish sports bar called Flanagan’s – watched the Super Bowl live here, which is a huge plus in my books, just take the elevator down and voila! Ate here a few times. Breakfast is served here every morning. Had the chicken wings and shepherd’s pie for dinner. It was alright, typical bar food, a little salty. Tried the Guinness beef stew for lunch as well, the mashed potatoes were too soft and watery.

Generally speaking, I found the dining experience to be decent for the price you pay. Even in a nice upscale place, entrees were anywhere from $10 – $25.

Aside from room service, other places I went to during this extended business trip:

Tambuktu Fish Restaurant – Surprised that there is a seafood restaurant in the city since Sofia is quite a distance from the sea. Food was average and forgettable, I think my opinion is tempered by being extremely irritated and congested by the smoking around me. In any case, I wouldn’t go back again … ever.

Maraia Fusion Bar – Was walking around the city center and stumbled upon this place, right next to Tambuktu. Modern decor always catches my eye and they advertised sushi. Not bad, I thought, had a spicy tuna roll and regretted it. The spicy tuna was not stuffed into the roll, it was lathered over the top of the sliced roll pieces. Ok, maybe it’s a little unique, fine. Ate a bite and wondered what I was eating. It sure as hell was not spicy tuna. Ah well, next was the duck breast entree. It came sliced up in a blueberry sauce. Quite good actually, sweet sauce goes well with the grilled breast. The duck could have been a bit more tender. That’s 2 out of 2 for me, won’t order duck again in this town.

Krim – recommended by the hotel concierge, I found this place in the daytime and went back for dinner. The atmosphere and decor is well suited. An upscale restaurant with European cuisine. The nice thing about ordering from menus here is that every dish is shown the measurement of the portion (in grams). Gives you a good idea of how large the serving is. I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that a 200g entree is enough for anyone, if you are going for the full multi-course meal. Started off with a seafood fish and tomato based soup. Quite tasty, if a little salty. Had the whole range of sea critters – prawn, fish, mussels, clams and more. I picked a lamb and pork skillet type traditional Bulgarian entree. It was quite good but I could only put half the plate away. The dessert sealed the deal. Recommended by the waiter, it was authentic Italian tiramisu. Extremely good, you can’t taste the alcohol. Came in large dollops on the plate instead of the usual slice.

I took the opportunity to grab a city tour over Super Bowl weekend. Interesting to have a middle-aged guide show me the area – I guess he’s about mid 50s, gave me a lot of background and perspective on the transition from communism to democracy (Bulgaria changed in 1989, joined the EU in 2006, Euro adoption to follow soon). Interesting architecture, a few buildings were rebuilt over the years. My hotel room has a fantastic view of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral (the domes are gold-plated) and legislative assembly building. For a former communist country, there’s a fair number of churches (and synagogues and mosques) in the city – people seem to be quite devout and pray often. One thing I noticed in all the churches was that the interior walls were covered in paintings from floor to ceiling.

Having spent over a week here, I’ve come to the conclusion that the constant smoking is a huge negative. Especially in the evenings (after work hours) in almost every establishment (restaurants, shops, offices, outside). After a fresh shower, head out for a bite to eat, come back smelling like an ashtray. The stink permeates every pore of your skin and every inch of clothing. My hotel room has a lingering odor due to what I’ve picked up by going out. For someone who doesn’t smoke, I don’t see how I can survive in this city for long. As it is, I prefer to get room service instead of heading out to eat, simply because I don’t want to ooze tobacco when I get back.