Castelo de Sao Jorge (Castle of St. George) in Lisbon, Portugal

On March 26, 2024March 26, 2024 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Portugal5 Comments

The Castelo de Sao Jorge is clearly visible from almost every location in the old town section of Lisbon, which is called Alfama. Visiting the castle is certainly a highlight of any visit to Lisbon, whether to walk along the castle walls or to see the amazing views of the city. There have been different fortresses on the hilltop throughout the centuries, but the current castle is built in the gothic style and is probably over 700 years old. As with all locations in Lisbon, it was damaged in the great earthquake of 1755, but has been completely rebuilt.

Portugal Flag on one of the Castle Towers

It is obviously a popular location for tourists to visit and adult tickets cost 15 euros per person. You can get a guided tour of the castle, but we chose to tour the castle on our own. We spent about an hour and a half walking the castle walls, the grounds, and looking at the view of the city below. Lisbon is a city built on several steep hills and is known as the city of seven hills, although it certainly feels like more than seven. We recommend starting your day by taking a car to the castle and touring its grounds and then walking down the narrow streets to the enjoy the shops and restaurants located in the old town area. If you prefer to walk up the streets to the castle, be aware that it can be somewhat strenuous.

We visited the neighborhood of Alfama several times during our week-long visit to Lisbon and ate at several wonderful restaurants located there. One of the places that we enjoyed the most was a small cafe that is nestled next to the castle walls and reminded us very much of when we visited The Alhambra in Granada, Spain. It was also the first place where we enjoyed a glass of Ginjinha, which is a liqueur made by infusing ginja berries (sour cherries) in alcohol. It is quite delicious, but be careful as you don’t taste the alcohol and it can sneak up on you.

In addition to all of the tourists, you will also find many peacocks wondering around the grounds, but be careful as they are known to bite if they feel threatened. They were also at the restaurant, Mercearia Castelo, where we drank Ginjinha and ate a snack. Our waiter actually fed one of the peacocks who seemed quite pleased to get a snack as well. Visiting Castelo de Sao Jorge was one of the first sites that we visited while we were in Lisbon, and it was certainly a great start to our trip.

Walking Tour of Sofia’s Old City Center in Bulgaria

On February 9, 2024February 9, 2024 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Bulgaria4 Comments

One of the things that we did during our visit to Sofia in Bulgaria was to take a walking tour of the old city center, which included a traditional breakfast. We truly enjoy walking through the old city centers of historic towns and often do a self-guided tour, but in this particular case we chose to use a local guide to ensure that we learned as much of the history as we could. The history of Sofia stretches back thousands of years and like many Eastern European cities it has been transformed and conquered many times throughout the centuries. From the Trojans, Romans, Ottoman Empire, and Communist regime, it has seen a wide variety of cultural and architectural influences.

Inside of the Serdica Ancient Cultural and Communicative Complex

There are many fascinating sites all throughout the old city center, starting with the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. In addition to the cathedral, the walking tour will also take you to the Saint Sofia Basilica, Banya Bashi Mosque, Church of St Petka of the Saddlers, and Saint Nedelya Church. You will also enjoy seeing many historical and cultural buildings such as the Ivan Vazov National Theater, Regional History Museum of Sofia, Sofia City Court, and the National Palace of Culture. As with any city center, you will also see many statues and monuments including several interesting ones such as the Tsar Samvel Monument, Monument to Tsar Liberator, and the Monument to Stefan Stambolov.

Inside of the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

One of the most interesting sites along the tour is the archeological excavations at the Serdica Ancient Cultural and Communicative Complex. It will provide some insight into the period when the Romans controlled the city and used it as a stronghold in the region. Walking through the various zones, both inside and outside, at the complex is quite fascinating and was definitely one of the highlights of the walking tour. In the middle of the tour, we stopped for a quick breakfast that included Baklava, Banitsa, and Ayran, which is yogurt mixed with water and salt. The Banitsa is another layered pastry made with filo dough and cheese.

We were fortunate to have wonderful weather on the day that we did our walking tour, which certainly added to our enjoyment. We walked through several parks with beautiful greenery in the heart of the city. Another interesting thing were the cobblestone, brick roads that were painted yellow to resemble gold in an attempt to demonstrate the wealth of the city and its leaders. The entire tour took a little less than three hours and if you decide to do the tour on your own and go inside more of the museums than we did, you can make it a full-day activity. It is certainly a must-do when visiting Sofia in Bulgaria.

More from the Saint Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Medieval Orthodox Temple of Petka Samardjiyska

Another Statue Celebrating a Political Figure

The Unique Architecture in the Historic District of Plovdiv in Bulgaria

On January 26, 2023January 26, 2023 By Isobar ExpeditionsIn Turkey3 Comments

It is a full-day trip to visit the historic town of Plovdiv in Bulgaria from the capital city of Sofia, but it is definitely worth the time that it takes. The town, like so much of the region, has a history that goes back to the Trojans, then the Greeks, followed by the Romans, and eventually the Turks, not taking into account the modern occupations including the Soviet Union. That history and amalgamation of cultures is part of what makes a tour of Plovdiv fascinating, but today it is also a vibrant shopping area with lots of shops and restaurants literally built on top of the ruins of an enormous, ancient sports arena. Bring comfortable shoes with you as you will be doing a fair amount of walking up and down the hills on which the city center is built.

Ornate Window on a Historic House in the Old Town

The first thing that you will notice is the striking architecture of the local homes that line the cobblestone streets. They have a definitive style based on the Bulgarian Renaissance architectural style and often feature vibrant colors and details around the windows that overlook the street. After walking through the ancient streets of the city’s old town, you will reach the large Roman amphitheater, which is remarkably well preserved. It is still used for concerts and events today and the college for the arts is located next to the entrance to the amphitheater.

As you continue to the main street that runs the length of the old town, you will be walking above the ruins of a huge stadium where chariot races were once held. There are various points along the street where you can see and even walk down into the ruins in order to get a closer look. The original stadium actually stretched the entire length of the street with the shops above, which gives you an idea of just how large the stadium was back when it was in use. We stopped at a local restaurant for lunch and enjoyed watching all of the tourists that were walking the street on a very busy day in Plovdiv.

Walking Up the Hill Towards the Heart of Old Town

It takes 8 to 10 hours roundtrip to get to Plovdiv from Sofia since Plovdiv is located in central Bulgaria while Sofia is located in western Bulgaria. As with many places in Europe, Plovdiv is a combination of historic sites and a modern city. If it were possible, we would recommend planning your trip at a time when a concert was taking place in the amphitheater as it would make for a really unique experience. We certainly enjoyed our time walking the streets of the historic old town and seeing all of the interesting sites and buildings that are located there.