1936 On the Continent

travelling to Bulgaria is by sea via Greece, landing at Lagos and continuing by train through the magnificent mountain country of Southern Bulgaria to Sofia.
    Naturally, it is also possible to reach Bulgaria through the Black Sea from Turkey, landing at Varna or Burgas, though this would be a somewhat adventurous, though intensely interesting, undertaking.
    The least romantic, yet not unpleasant, and certainly the quickest method of travelling to Bulgaria is by the overland railway route to Sofia.
Sofia
    Now if for some reason you think, or have been led to believe, that Sofia is a modern city in the western sense, the Bulgarian capital will have a pleasant surprise for you. For although Sofia has many imposing modern buildings—some of which will be referred to later—the general atmosphere, as well as the general aspect of the city, retains the picturesqueness that you are entitled to expect in the metropolis of a country one of whose principal products is attar of roses. Firstly, Sofia is comparatively small. With its 300,000 inhabitants it would go into London’s waistcoat pocket, so to speak. Secondly, its air is not poisoned by the smell of motor-car exhausts.
    There is a nice, leisurely tram to take you from the railway station along the Maria Louisa Avenue anywhere you wish to go—provided you do not wish to go very far, or in any other direction than the tram lines. Of course, there are also a number of modern taxicabs on a cab rank outside the station which will really take you wherever you like. But you ought to be warned that if you tip the driver at the end he will do something that will amazeyou—he will thank you! He may not express his thanks in words you understand, but his attitude and his gestures will convey his gratitude quite clearly.
    Another means of locomotion that you will encounter everywhere in the Bulgarian capital is the horse cab or horse carriage. An equipage drawn by four splendid horses is no rarity in Sofia, nor are covered or uncovered wagons by which the peasant farmers of the surrounding country transport their corn to the capital or supplies from the capital to their farms.
    Assuming that you have settled down at one of the few good hotels, you may take a stroll across the Bridge of Lions—still on Maria Louisa Avenue—and have a good look at the town. The crowds that throng the street will be rather interesting to the English visitor. Men and women wearing ordinary European dress mingle with peasants clad in picturesque embroidered costumes. The embroidery, which is always bright and strikingly beautiful, varies according to the district where the wearer comes from. Army officers in smart uniforms are also a feature of the street scene. The policemen, whom you will see everywhere, are not quite so wonderful as London policemen are reputed to be, but you will nevertheless find them very kind and helpful, though not
all
Sofia policemen are able to understand or speak English.
The Language Problem
    Talking about the language difficulty, I may say that as far as Sofia and the principal provincial cities and resorts are concerned, the English visitor will suffer no inconvenience through his ignorance of Bulgarian.
    At the hotels French and English—or at least sufficient of these languages for all essential purposes—are spoken by most members of the staff with whom the visitor is likely to come in contact. In the shopping centres, the principal one of which is the Maria Louisa Avenue, “English spoken” is a notice that you will frequently see displayed in the shop-windows, and you will also be able to make yourself understood by hairdressers, café waiters, and certainly by most members of the intelligentsia you may meet.
    To return to the Maria Louisa Avenue, it is here that you will do most of your shopping. It is here, too, that my lady will find modern hairdressing establishments where a permanent wave is permanently on tap. It is still here that you will find the cinemas and the cafés. The cafés are run on the same lines as in most other countries on the Continent, and in the evenings you can sit on the terrace of a café and listen to music without spending more than the price of a glass of coffee or an iced drink.
    Off the Maria Louisa Avenue—which you will gather is the principal thoroughfare—you will see a modern covered market hall. But please do not condemn Sofia on that account. If you wander about in other parts of the town you will find, without