🇧🇬 Sofia & Rila: Where History Meets the Heavens ✨
🏔️ DAY 1: Rila Lakes & Monastery 🚐 Tour Essential (€45) "No Rila = No Bulgaria!" Seven Rila Lakes Hike 🥾: ☑️ Cable car up (card accepted) ☑️ 5-6hr loop trail past all 7 lakes ☑️ Cloud-level summit = literal walking-on-clouds moment ☁️ Rila Monastery ⛪: ☑️ 10th-century UNESCO gem ☑️ Striped arches hide secret schoolrooms (Ottoman resistance!) ⛪ DAY 2: Sofia Old Town 📍 All Walkable! 1️⃣ Alexander Nevsky Cathedral 💒 Balkan’s largest – gold domes shine like liquid sun ☀️ 2️⃣ St. Sophia Church 🕰️ *6th-century elder* (city’s namesake!) 3️⃣ St. Nedelya Church ⚔️ Serbian saint’s tomb + 1925 communist bomb scars 💣 4️⃣ NDK Palace 🏛️ Brutalist beast hosting raves/conventions 5️⃣ St. George Rotunda 🎨 *4th-century time capsule* (oldest frescoes!) 6️⃣ Serdika Ruins 🏺 Roman metro station?! Emperor Constantine’s "My Rome" 7️⃣ St. Petka Church ⚜️ Tiny but mighty martyr shrine 🚂 Bonus: Pernik Fortress (30min train) – Game of Thrones vibes 🏰 💡 PRO TIPS ✔ Rila wear: Hiking boots + windbreaker ✔ Sofia soundtrack: Church bells at golden hour 🔔 ✔ Rose oil alert: Buy at "Bulgarian Rose" shops 🌹 Verdict: *"Two days = Roman ruins, communist bunkers, and mountain gods. Not bad for €50!"* #BulgarianAdventure #RilaMagic #SofiaOldTown #BudgetUNESCO #BalkanHeritage