Sofia Street Survival

Before hitting the Sofia streets these days make sure you pack your watertight boots and a big dose of patience. I was really excited to see so much snow, especially after last year’s snowless winter. I still am, but there is no doubt that the snow makes getting around Sofia (whether by car or on foot) all that more difficult. Given that I walk almost everywhere in the city center these days, I will speak from the pedestrian’s perspective.

Sidewalks are hardly ever cleared (as most Bulgarians already know) so you have to constantly watch your step. You also have to watch out for the occasional slippery surface that catches you off-guard—жълтите павета (the yellow pavement in parts of the city center), fancy marble tiles in front of fancy locales that are as smooth as ice and just as slippery, pothole-“traps” disguised in snow that your feet sink into, and so forth. Add to that the mush you have to trod through or watch out not to get thrown on you from passing cars and you get the picture. Luckily I am not in a hurry these days, so I make small steps, waddling slowly all bundled up (and feeling like a giant snowman in the process), and take everything from the humorous angle. But if I had to go through this all winter, it probably wouldn’t be quite so amusing.

We came to the conclusion with friends today that the only sidewalk that is constantly and meticulously cleared is the one in front of the U.S. Embassy…no big surprise. I think I am also beginning to appreciate the Wellingtons I made fun of a while back. They would be perfect for the current sidewalk conditions.