Sofia “grows, but doesn’t age”, is the motto of the city, and in many corners of Sofia this is really true: The city keeps reinventing itself, shaking off the shadows of the past. Here a new club, there a new pub, and in front of it all sorts of small shops where you find creative fashion and accessories.
It is said that the people of Sofia don’t like staying at home – they rather meet friends in one of the many cafés and restaurants, instead of inviting them to their homes. No wonder, since the socialist concrete blocks are by no means a pretty sight. Here the façade of the forever young city is crumbling – instead of by princely palaces, the ordinary citizens’ life is shaped by crime and corruption; because of rising prices, many of those have to augment their meagre income or missing pension by selling cheap clothes or burning anything in the winter to keep them warm. Meanwhile, Mercedes drive by fancy boutiques in the city, and the nouveaux riches happily build beautiful houses and chic shopping malls. The city looks back on 5000 years of history, and currently it’s growing at a frenzied pace. Its inhabitants’ joy of life seems to grow with it – against all odds and stumbling blocks of life.