Marie Antoinette in Sofia


 One of the many highlights of Sofia was the local history museum, starting from the dawn of civilization in Europe to Marie Antoinette's gift to the first  Bulgarian king.

Outside there were fountains pouring spring fed  mineral water, hot and cold for anyone that wanted to fill a bottle







(And a place to pee if you drank too much!)






Inside and out,  this building was stunning. 








Bulgaria claims that this part of the world  was the center of the earliest European civilization. Early signs of farming, animal husbandry and my favorite, POTTERY, were found in the in the Sofia area dating back to the end of the 7th century BC. (There is an amazing archeological museum here if old stuff is your thing.)








7th Century BC




These bowls were discovered in 1969 near Sofia. The golden browl was placed inside the ceramic vessel and the two were covered by the bronze cauldron..They think it is a symbolic grave with the golden bowl dating back to the 8th or 9th century BC.


early glasswork 5th/4th century BC




Fast forward a few thousand years.....

In 1878 the Russians helped the Bulgarians to break free of the Ottoman Empire. In 1879, Bulgaria became a hereditary monarchy of the great European powers. The royals got together, picked a prince and when he got married, some royal cousin gave (or loaned)  him Maria Antoinette's  fancy, schmancy  carriage. How sweet!




But that royal didn't last too long and had to abdicate for unknown reasons. But the long history of the Ottomans and the more recent history as part of the Royals, helps to understand the comparative wealth of Sofia vs. other Balkan cities who were more in the backwaters of the empire, like Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia, and Albania.



Next door to the museum was another mosque, this one brighter and happier than most, I think.









Randomly, walking down the street we bumped into this large bust of Woodrow Wilson. 
I figured it must date back to the early 1900s, but it was put up in 2021. Better late than never?

"The monument is a sign of gratitude for the role of the statesman in preserving Bulgarian sovereignty after the end of World War I during the Versailles Conference in 1919."






































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