Unusual Sofia!

As one of the hottest new travel destinations for 2019, Sofia the capital of Bulgaria is a fascinating city with a lot to offer. Raul Dias shows you four of the most unusual and interesting things to do and see in this Eastern European city.  

By Raul Dias

Visiting a city like Sofia feels like being on the brink of a serendipitous adventure with something new in store for you at every turn. Not least of all for the reason, that both it, and the Eastern European country of Bulgaria that Sofia is the capital of, are places of great mystery to the average traveller.
But suddenly there seems to be a new-found interest in this modest-sized Balkan country and its dynamic capital. At least from the western traveller brigade who have taken to this post-communist nation with a vengeance. In fact, Bulgaria’s second largest city Plovdiv has even won the title of European Capital of Culture for 2019!
And while Bollywood might have warmed up the charms of Bulgaria—with films like the Ajay Devgn-starrer Shivaay (2016) and the in-production Brahmastra headlined by Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt that have been filmed there—for most of us Indians the word ‘Bulgaria’ draws a big fat blank. Me included.
That was until a few weeks ago, when I accepted an offer to come explore a few places in Bulgaria. I started off with Sofia. And boy, did it charm me with its wacky, alternative side with plenty lurking beneath the surface (pun so intended!), or what?
Here are four of the most unusual and interesting things that I’d recommend doing in Sofia:

Descend into the Catacombs of St. Sofia Church
Here, you not just visit the St. Sofia Church (and namesake of the city!)—that’s located next to the magnificent Eastern Orthodox-style St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral—but also get your spook on and climb into its very bowels. All this, to wander among the ancient tombs and graves that are now part of the onsite subterranean museum. These graves are said to date back to the 6th-7th century when the simple red brick church was the site of the Roman city of Serdica’s necropolis. 

Sign-up for the Free Food Tour
Yes, you read right, a completely free food tour! Organised by a company called Balkan Bites (www.balkanbites.bg), the free food tour is a great way to get acquainted with the flavours of Sofia and is the first of its kind in Europe. This two-hour long guided walking tour takes place daily (excluding national holidays) and starts at 2pm outside the Russian Church in the city’s historic and cultural center. The guided walk takes you to around six places where you can sample everything from the typically Bulgarian fried dough snack called mekitsi to an introduction to the coiled, flaky pastry stuffed with cheese and spinach breakfast staple of banitsa. 

Get your Mineral Fix at the Free Public Hot Spring Taps
It is a well-publicised fact by its proud citizens that Sofia is a treasure trove of natural hot springs. With the city and its surroundings boasting more than 30 mineral springs. And there are three interesting facts related to this. For one, the city’s ancient coat of arms shows a man bathing in one such hot spring. Speaking of bathing, the city’s Regional History Museum was once the old Turkish public mineral bath house that was functioning till 1986. Adjacent to the museum, one can still see people partaking in the city’s mineral water bounty by filling huge water bottles with the free, (slightly salty tasting) warm water that flows from several taps that don’t even freeze in Sofia’s sub-zero winters!

Ring in Peace at Kambanite Park
One of the most perfect ways to end your unusual adventures around Sofia, is by taking the super-efficient metro to the Business Park station in the suburbs for some peace. A short walk from the station and you will find yourself at Kambanite Park that is known for its tall, concrete main bell monument that’s surrounded by a semi-circle of smaller concrete structures laden with bells from every country on earth. As one of the hidden gems of Sofia, the monument was built in 1979 as a global children’s monument to commemorate the International Year of the Child. The idea here was to include a bell dedicated to every country in the world and to have children ring these as a gesture of peace. So, head there and ring your country’s (or any) bell as an evocation of the universal wish—Peace on Earth. I sure did!

(An edited version of this column first appeared in the 31st March 2019 issue of The Free Press Journal newspaper's Weekend section on page 3 https://www.freepressjournal.in/travel/what-unusual-sofia-has-to-offer/1493451)

Heaven on Earth!

In the run up the International Day of Happiness on 20th March, Raul Dias tells you why Engelberg, Switzerland is one of the happiest, most fun places on earth thanks to some divine, angelic intervention and Mother Nature at her most beautiful best. 

By Raul Dias

I’m not a huge fan of train travel. But whenever I find myself in Switzerland, I always have a change of heart. Bucolic little towns with steepled churches and a countryside dotted with perfect little farm houses and barns whiz past you, leaving a blur of green with specks of yellow from the wild daisies popping up every now and then. However, my recent late winter trip to Switzerland showed me a totally different side to the country. 
The train ride from Lucerne to Engelberg is all of the above save for the last 10 minutes. Just after you pass the station of Grafenort, a dark, depressing tunnel suddenly seems to swallow up the entire train for around seven minutes, leaving you wondering if there is any light at the end of the tunnel. Quite literally! And then, all of a sudden, your eyes try their best to adjust to the blinding beauty they are forced to witness. A veritable mountainous winter wonderland awaits you, just as the train pulls up at Engelberg’s tiny train station all sheathed in a fuzzy snow blanket. “This is divinity at its best”, you hear yourself say. Without realising that in the case of Engelberg this is very much the case.

The angel angle
Legend has it that it was the voice of an angel that ordered the founding of the medieval Benedictine monastery in the town and thus its name became Engelberg or “Angel’s Town”. A huge, imposing structure the monastery is the all-important axis around which the entire town pivots. It finds itself represented in some of the most interesting ways. Take for example, my very first stop, the Show Cheese Factory at the monastery.
Dating back to the 17th century, the most important source of income for the monastery and the people of the valley of Engelberg was cattle and cheese trade. Cheese was carried on mules over passes in the Swiss Alps. Traders from Engelberg would journey over the Jochpass to the Grimsel hospice, where they would meet up with their Italian counterparts, in order to trade cheese for wine and silk.
Today, the happy, ever-smiling staff at the well-appointed Cheese Factory take pride in demonstrating to visitors from around the world the ancient art of cheese making. It is here where fresh milk, coming from cows which feed in the lush Engelberg pastures and surrounding Alps, is used to produce the delicious Swiss Monastery Cheese, particularly the very popular Engelberger Klosterglocke soft cream cheese that takes its bell shape from the monastery’s bell that tolls promptly on the hour to this very day.

Soaring high!
Another great calling card that Engelberg hold close to its heart is the ultra-popular winter haven of Mt. Titlis. A short 10-minute walk or a 3-minute bus ride from Engelberg’s train station and you find yourself at the base of the cable car valley station to go up Mt. Titlis. The new 8-seater cable cars whisk you comfortably from Engelberg directly to Stand station. You then take the world’s first revolving cable car, the Titlis Rotair, to the summit station at 3,020 metres above sea level.
Once at the top Titlis keeps up to its promise of being the ultimate in winter fun. Boasting more than 80 km of slopes, most of which are snow-sure, the ski area offers plenty of variety from off piste to the more controlled free style skiing. What’s more, you are guaranteed of enjoying all the snow action from October through until May.
And if skiing isn’t your thing then you can let off some steam in the snow park at Trübsee Alpine Lodge. Just grab a snowtube, minibob or balancer and whiz down the piste, whipping up a mini blizzard as you go. At 3,041 metres above sea level, the Titlis Cliff Walk is not just one of the newest attractions up the mountain, but also Europe’s highest suspension bridge. Once you ford the bridge you can take a walk to the vantage point at Stotzig Egg and admire the view of Engelberg below.   

(An edited version of this column first appeared in the 17th March 2019 issue of The Free Press Journal newspaper's Weekend section on page 3 https://www.freepressjournal.in/featured-blog/why-engelberg-in-switzerland-is-truly-heaven-on-earth/1483218)

Celebrating Her!

In the run up to next week’s International Women’s Day on 8th March, this Sunday Raul Dias takes you to four museums around the world that are dedicated to the indomitable spirit of the woman in all her strength and glory.  

By Raul Dias

Having my birthday fall exactly a day after 8th March’s International Women’s Day, the day has always been a significant one in my life. Coming from a family dominated by extremely strong, successful ladies, I’ve always held women in the highest esteem. So much so, that, whenever I travel, I try and fit in at least one activity that celebrates a woman the way she should be—with respect and admiration. Be it learning the finer nuances of batik painting in Indonesia from a very patient lady or partaking in a voodoo ritual conducted by a high priestess in New Orleans!
And so, the following article is a collation of my various visits over the years to museums around the world that are significantly different from the scores of others I have visited. Welcome to some of the best ‘Women’s Museums’—from America to Africa and from the UAE to the UK. Places that focus on everything from the history of women’s political, social and cultural equality to some stunning works of art for and by women…

Women’s Museum
Dubai, UAE
Located in Dubai’s historic quarter of Deira, the Women’s Museum is housed in a building called Bait al Banat, which translates to “The Girls House”. Built in the 1950s, this former residential home was said to be the place where three unmarried Emirati sisters once lived. Today, besides being a museum, the space is a national archive and documentation center. It is dedicated to exploring the different facets of the lives of Emirati women—professional and personal, past and present. It includes artwork by various female Emirati artists and photographs showing the contributions of Emirati women. Examples of their Emirati jewellery and dresses and an exploration of how past and current rulers have affected the role of women in the UAE can also be found in this fascinating one-of-a-kind museum.

National Cowgirl Museum 
Fort Worth, USA
This museum dedicated to women’s empowerment in a very interesting and unique way, was first started in 1975 in the basement of the Deaf Smith County Library in Hereford, Texas. It was removed to Fort Worth, also in Texas in 1994 and is today dedicated to honouring women of the American West who have displayed extraordinary courage and pioneering fortitude. The museum is an educational resource with exhibits, a research library, and rare photography collections. Among its many permanent exhibits, “Into the Arena,” is one of the most fascinating ones. This one covers women in the fields of rodeo and trick riding, as well as modern horsewomen of note such as Belmont Stakes winning jockey Julie Krone. It has interactive computer displays, rodeo memorabilia, clothing, and other rodeo artifacts. However, I personally enjoyed the “Claiming the Spotlight” exbibit that shows the cowgirl as represented in media, and the varying roles the archetypical cowgirl has played in film, television, advertising and music.

Karen Blixen Museum
Nairobi, Kenya 
Just as one would expect a museum dedicated to an author who was so in love with the wilds of Africa, the Karen Blixen Museum is housed at the foot of the Ngong Hills, around 10 km outside of the Kenyan capital of Nairobi. The life of the Danish writer who was famous for her book Out of Africa is celebrated so wondrously in this well-appointed museum housed in a colonial-style bungalow. The house and its attached property were bought in 1917 by Blixen and her husband, Baron Bror von Blixen-Finecke with the intention of operating a coffee plantation. After the Blixens separated in 1921, Karen Blixen continued to live at the house and run the plantation until she returned to Denmark 1931. Her life here is chronicled both in her most famous aforementioned book, as well as in her other book Shadows of the Grass. At the museum, one can join the guided tours of the house, which features rooms designed in both the original decor and with props from the 1985 film that was based on Out of Africa and know more about Blixen’s fascinating life.

Florence Nightingale Museum
London, UK
Another great woman whose life and work is celebrated in a specially dedicated museum is the world’s most famous nurse Florence Nightingale. Located on the banks of the river Thames opposite the Houses of Parliament in London, the museum attracts visitors from all over the world who want to learn more about the ‘Lady with the Lamp’ and her Victorian world. Here you can also examine Florence’s legacy, her influence on nursing today and the continuing relevance of her work. The Florence Nightingale Museum even runs a busy learning programme for schools and families activities, as well as a lively events programme with regular afternoon and event talks. Make sure to check the museum’s schedule to see what’s on before you visit!

(An edited version of this column first appeard in the 3rd March 2019 issue of The Free Press Journal newspaper's Weekend section on page 3 https://www.freepressjournal.in/travel/international-womens-day-2019-4-museums-around-the-world-dedicated-to-the-indomitable-spirit-of-woman/1472637)