Characato, rincón del alma,
donde el sol besa la tierra dorada,
donde el agua canta en acequias antiguas
y el viento murmura historias calladas.
Bajo tu cielo de azul infinito,
los sauces bailan con brisas traviesas,
y en cada piedra se guarda un suspiro
de aquellos que dejan su amor en tus huellas.
Tus campos verdes, tu gente noble,
tu rÃo que abraza la historia y el tiempo,
Characato querido, tierra de gloria,
refugio eterno de sueños y aliento.
Oh, tierra hermosa, fértil y pura,
donde la vida se siembra con fe,
donde el corazón late con ternura,
y el alma encuentra su dulce Edén.
We wandered the site with other tourists
Yet strangely the place did not seem crowded. I’m not sure if it was the sheer size of the place, or whether the masses congregated in one area and didn’t venture far from the main church, but I didn’t feel overwhelmed by tourists in the monastery.
Headed over Lions Bridge and made our way to the Sofia Synagogue, then sheltered in the Central Market Hall until the recurrent (but short-lived) mid-afternoon rain passed.
Feeling refreshed after an espresso, we walked a short distance to the small but welcoming Banya Bashi Mosque, then descended into the ancient Serdica complex.
We were exhausted after a long day of travel, so we headed back to the hotel and crashed.
I had low expectations about Sofia as a city, but after the walking tour I absolutely loved the place. This was an easy city to navigate, and it was a beautiful city – despite its ugly, staunch and stolid communist-built surrounds. Sofia has a very average facade as you enter the city, but once you lose yourself in the old town area, everything changes.
Clothes can transform your mood and confidence. Fashion moves so quickly that, unless you have a strong point of view, you can lose integrity. I like to be real. I don’t like things to be staged or fussy. I think I’d go mad if I didn’t have a place to escape to. You have to stay true to your heritage, that’s what your brand is about.
