Sofia’s ‘snow mountain’ microadventure

I’m conscious that I've not written for a while. Many trips have happened in the interim that might well go undocumented. But the new year has inevitably got the creative juices flowing once again..

As has become a form of tradition, in the run-up to #Christmas I seek out #alternative, #budget conscious locations where my son and I can experience real “proper” #snow. Snow like we enjoyed as kids in the 1980s in England, snow drifts, snow that lasts, snow that you can leap into and it's not brown and slushy or pee coloured.

This all started with a recommendation from my friend of visiting #Zakopane in Poland as a budget friendly #Lapland alternative. We loved it! The following year we took ourselves south of the #Tatra mountain range to #Slovakia, Tatranska Lomnica and. The third year, we went to #Klagenfurt in Austria.

The shopping list was fairly simple, there had to be a decent promise of snow. it needed to be ultra budget friendly. The third criterion was a little more challenging and one I guess I didn't have to rise to but, loving a challenge, I thought I would make this a key decision making factor. The clamp down on taking kids out of school and prospect of being fined. Even though I am pretty certain I can present a robust case for the value of the trip vs pre Christmas run up ‘bring a toy’ sessions, I didn't really want to foot the bill when the objective was to do so at a very low cost. So the parameters time frame wise were set. Where could we get to between 3.30pm on  Friday afternoon and a sunday night. Parameters then drove further parameters I guess in that wherever this snow was to be found needed to be easily #accessible from the airport that we landed in, i.e. the airport needed to be near the #mountain so that we didn't add on unnecessary travel time on top of what was quite a limited time frame already. 

I guess I also unconsciously added some other requirements in that I wanted it to be somewhere that I was interested to go to and hadn't visited before. Although the guarantee of snow might be greater in the likes of France, Italy, Switzerland, unfortunately there's a preconception of higher price and some element of ski wankerism. And so the usual determinants of somewhere a bit alternative and gritty ensued.  Nonetheless with a bit more research time at my disposal I'm pretty sure there are some other sterling candidates for example Grenoble which seems to be a super prospect for a #snowy #microadventure as well.

The two main contenders were Sibiu in Romania and #Sofia in #Bulgaria. Ultimately it was the flight price that determined our fate, having secured both flights from Stansted to Sofia for 38 pounds in total. I can't emphasize enough what a super prospect Sofia and Bulgaria more generally are for #budget conscious travellers to engage in a wide variety of different activities, not only snow sports, but city break and beach breaks as well. My blessed Monzo card which is one of the best travel companions you can have proudly declared that I had only spent £80 on food, drink and taking cash out (!!!!!) over the whole weekend. So add the 38 pounds for flights and 72 pounds for two nights accommodation, made it a truly #affordable getaway. But here's where the problem lies, yet again the cost of airport parking far out strips the cost of flights or even #accommodation, and with the necessity of being exceptionally time lean, we were forced to book into the blue short stay at Stansted which hiked the price by around 60 pounds.

Sofia was chosen not only on the basis of the exceptionally reasonable flights with #Ryanair, the fact that they fit the time parameters, but that located just outside of the city of Sofia was the Vitosha mountain. There seemed no certainty whether or not there would be snow at the beginning of December, but I took a leap of faith and we were rewarded greatly. So to save us time, rather than transfer out to Borovets or Bansko we could make #Vitosha mountain and National Park the focus of our attention and #conveniently stay in the city of Sofia.

Accommodation options were plentiful and extremely affordable. Therefore I didn't need to be led too much by price on this one although that is always a subconscious consideration. If I had all the money in the world I don't think I would splurge because sometimes some of the authentic and traditional character can be missed out on. so accommodation was selected on what ended up being slightly misguided judgements, choosing somewhere that was located within the city transportation network but also the National Park boundaries. Again my pre-trip planning was rather limited but I had read somewhere a fleeting reference to a cable car and that would be the way I intended we would get up the mountain. I had omitted to notice that the cable car was closed at that time.

The hotel that i chose was the Park Hotel Amfora, Moderately priced, traditional architectural style and seemingly in what I thought was in good location for the National Park or maybe it would have been had we been able to make use of the cable car. The hotel, I imagine, in its heyday was stunning but was starting to look a little tired and with location not particularly being a redeeming feature, in fact we were located at the opposite end of the city to where we ended up needing to be, it really wasn't the best choice for us. But at £30 a night for the two of us and public transportation being so incredibly efficient and cheap in Sofia it only served to encourage us to explore more of the city that we wouldn't have ordinarily seen.

I had banked on taking a Bolt taxi from the airport to the hotel upon our arrivel, as I find travelling in Eastern Europe is a safe and budget friendly way of getting around but I soon discovered that Bolt and Uber were not in operation in Sofia. It was late at night and I really didn't feel in the mood for any form of battle or negotiations surrounding fares, fearing an impending rip off, but I was wrong. An alternative, Yellow Taxi seemed to have the monopoly and ensured that a fair deal was had by customers although I couldn't download the app and therefore card payment that was advertised was not in fact possible. Word to the wise; even though card payment is reasonably widely available in Sofia, it cannot be relied upon definitively and there are a few moments where we had to make alternative decisions that weren't our first choice because we did not have the cash available. For example the Guesthouse Moten at the top of the mountain, which was the most beautiful fairytale log cabin cum restaurant cum guesthouse you could possibly imagine, that we desperately wanted to eat in on day two, only took cash. 

We arrived at the hotel very late at night in fact early hours the next morning and slept well. Until the point of waking I hadn't really figured on an itinerary, but August expressed a desire to get straight to the snow. Had snow not prevailed, another amazing option for those travelling with kids or indeed anyone that enjoys a bit of physical activity, Sofia features Europe's largest indoor climbing area. This would have been an absolute winner with August.  Other options of course were to head into the city and explore the stunning architecture and #Christmasmarkets at this time of year. I had every intention of making those a feature of the weekend, but August's priority was to get to the snow as quickly as possible. Upon Googling that morning and discovering that the cable car was not in fact an option, I had a momentary meltdown feeling like a total failure as a travel planner /  parent, and then pulled myself together to discover bus 66 “The mountain bus” as it was described, could take us where we needed to get to. I tried to dispel the impending sense of panic of taking a bus up a winding mountain track in the ice and snow and figured it would be a means to achieve the ends we desired. Be brave Faye I murmered internally.

Google Maps were our friend that day and uncharacteristically I had the foresight to top up my data to ensure that we were well stocked for our navigation needs. A short walk to the tram stop, picking up a well-needed coffee and croissant for breakfast en route took us to an intersection where we then needed to catch a bus to the Paradise mall which was the main embarkation point for bus 66. As we exited the tram what had been slushy rain progressed into huge big beautiful flakes of snow. Big fat snow. I smiled, We tilted our heads up to the sky stuck out our tongues and caught the snowflakes. It's all starting to come together I thought. I kicked myself that we had jumped in for the croissants. At the bus stop was the most lovely juice bar with handmade bakery you could ever possibly wish for. The #food options in #Sofia and #Vitosha really were great!

A word on #transportation.  The transportation network in Sofia was truly superb and integrated. It's always a bit of a mystery when you visit somewhere unfamiliar, how exactly things work and on our first leg up to the mountain which was the tram ride we observed the other passengers tapping their credit card onto the machine so I followed suit. 68 pence. Questioning that I had in some way underpaid I became extra vigilant in tapping on and tapping off every bus, tram, subway we happened to take that day - and we took them all. But it seemed that the sum total, despite a slightly higher price being cited for the bus 66, of our collective public transport endeavors for the entire day, totalled no more than 68 pence. For us both. Unbelievable. All was surprisingly smooth and straightforward and we didn't have to wait too long for the 66 which shuttles in tandem with another bus up and down the Vitosha Mountain every 30 minutes at weekends and during peak winter season. 

Again I admit to being totally unprepared and in the dark for how far precisely the bus would take us, what we would find when we got there cand whether indeed there would be any snow and so just sat back and had faith in the process that what would be would be and we would arrive somewhere, hopefully safely, with our pre-purchased snow tube in hand. I had taken this measure because on previous trips it proven difficult to find appropriate equipment for sliding down ones arse on a snowy mountain and again in another misguided purchased decision had somehow secured from eBay a giant inflatable snow tube, that consumed near the entirety of my small carry on backpack and at some point would require inflation. But we would be good just in case. The bus climbed and climbed, and then there was snow and then there was mountain, and then there was ice, and then there were windy, hair-raising roads, but surprisingly the confidence that I had in this exceptionally skillful bus driver did not allow me to panic to the extent I thought I might. Again you've heard it before. I am not a fan of mountain driving. The advertised last stop for the number 66 was The Moreni hotel and using the wonders of Google Maps I was able to track our journey progress.  The fact that at the initial stop people had boarded the bus with sledges, snowboards and skis filled us full of confidence that there would be some snow at least waiting at the top for us. The bus disgorged it's load into a snow drift. 

Where to now? Most people seem to be heading upwards although we would have been quite happy to play in the snow drifts around the bus stop area and August subsequently jumped right in. That sort of stuff really does make my heart sing, seeing him just being a child, enjoying being a child and enjoying the pleasures that I had the privilege to enjoy as a child. A ‘no entry’ sign at the side of the Moreni hotel guided us uphill where we met some people who looked like they were in the know; geared up in their ski attire. I made the reasonable assumption that they had in fact been skiing. 300 meters further up the road and we would be at the slopes. 

Immediately we were greeted by a hire shop where we could hire toboggans, sledges of all shapes and sizes, low and behold snow rings and skis and snowboards. Seven pounds fifty for the whole day to hire a sledge and so we did and there was a thickly covered ski slope there right in front of our eyes. A few what appeared to be eateries, some were closed, some not a lovely alpine feel. There was even the anticipated postal box (it was actually a book lending library - shhhhhh!)  in which August’s leter to Santa could be deposited (as had become the custom). 

For people who just basically want to piss about in the snow, this had absolutely everything we could have wanted and more. I inflated the snow tube. No doubt I could do this. I'm full of hot air anyway and we had hours of fun although visibility was not great. Check me out, I sound like a pro (snow wanker) there. There appeared to be only one place open for lunch which also seemed to be attached to a lodging (The Aleko Hut). Buffet Style food was served and our two dinner choices that comprised a hearty chicken and bean style dish for me and cutlet and chips for August came to £13 for the two meals. Cracking! 

The last bus down to the city was four o'clock and so we really did have to keep an eye on the time, it went too quickly because we were simply enjoying ourselves so much. We also took a walk further on as there appeared to be lots of amazing walking tracks and further slopes as part of a network. I also clocked that there was a beautiful cozy wooden Chalet style guest house with accompanying eatery that I wish we had gone into (Guesthouse Moten). Exhausted yet satisfied we made our way back down to the mountain and into the city center via the tube to experience the Christmas markets. 

Our primary focus this weekend was for the snowy adventure, and this did not allow us sufficient time, well I don't think August had the desire necessarily, to explore the city of Sofia but it is definitely somewhere I want to return to. He did however ask if we could go ice skating, fancying himself as a bit of a Christopher Dean, although resembling something more like bambi on ice. But at least he's confident and markedly better than me. Turns out Sofia is an amazing place for ice skating offering a number of public rinks and so I conceded and after a day on the slopes added to the bumps and bruises at the Sofia Ice Park which August adored but I hated. I mean why would anyone pay to fall over and risk getting their fingers sliced off (my abiding fear)? With architecture similar in style to the likes of Budapest, Sofia is a truly awe inspiring City. The German festive market was a wonder and really helped promote that festive feel. 

A bit of a trek inevitably back to our hotel and we arrived there exhausted. We had enjoyed the day so much that August’s request was to return there on the Sunday. With a nighttime flight back home this was possible but we would need to make an early start. We knew the route now and this therefore was a much smoother affair. We knew that it wasn't necessary to inflate the humongous snow tube and we hired a sledge and played in the snow till our hearts delight. We explored further afield which offered more slopes and opportunities to panic as August confidently flew down some of the trickiest slopes but just didn't seem to have a visible way of stopping. That's where the trees came in handy. A few bumps and scrapes but a very happy boy indeed. 

Getting back down the mountain, we had opted for an earlier bus that would give us ample time to get back to the airport. It turned out this was necessary because as one would imagine the hazards associated with Sunday on a snowy mountain is that every man, his dog and his snow tube tried to get up that mountain, which, depending upon the skill of the driver and the amount of traffic, can cause problems. Protective momma bear kicked in. After waiting for 45 minutes we were damned well gonna get on this bus no matter what. We did. I can still make myself well understood  despite language barriers and no one dared barge in front of us. It turned out we were back at the airport in ample time because we were then delayed which unfortunately made it a very late arrival back home. But kids will sleep wherever they need to sleep and so he did. It was only me that was tired but totally worth it.

#Sofia surpassed our expectations in every possible way, as a snowy mountain adventure, as something suitable for solo parent travelers and budget conscious travellers, but I can see the appeal so incredibly broadly. The young man is itching to get back there specifically and ranked it first in our list of #snowy #mountain #adventures. I'm going to try and make it happen again this season, the only adjustment I would make would be to seek out a hotel that is close to the Paradise mall for the Friday night so we can get the first bus up the mountain on the Saturday and then stay in one of the accommodations; Moreni, Aleko Hut or Guesthouse Moten on the Saturday night for maximum time saving, #convenience and fun in the snow. Thumbs up from us for Sofia!.