Exploring Sofia, Bulgaria: 10 Surprising Observations!

Join me as I journey through Sofia, Bulgaria, revealing its unexpected facets. From the amusing sight of cats lounging on cars to the bustling markets that offer a cornucopia of local produce, this video presents 10 surprising observations. Dive deep into Sofia's unique culture, its lively streets, and the hidden nooks and crannies that tourists often overlook. Perfect for those eager to discover a different side of Europe. Subscribe for more travel tales and share your Sofia experiences below!
0:00 - Intro
0:37 - Mountain next to the city
1:47 - No skyline
3:03 - Places don't open early
4:05 - Beer EVERYWHERE
4:39 - Lots of stray cats
5:00 - Convenience store windows
5:32 - Tipping is customary, but not prompted
6:27 - Grocery stores
8:51 - Building codes
10:05 - Street full of barbershops
11:02 - Subscribe!

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Check out our first journey in Bulgaria outside the city! In this video, we went to Rila Monastery. kzbin.info/www/bejne/pJLMgIqalqeHfMU

[@stoyanlds]

Yogurt originates from Bulgaria!! there is nothing to do with greek yogurt!same goes for the cheese (it is a Bulgarian cheese, NOT feta..)

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Yep, I learned this while I was there. I probably should have clarified some of this in the video. The reason for my comments comparing Bulgarian food to Greek food is that I was unfamiliar with Bulgarian cuisine before coming to Bulgaria, but Greek yogurt and Greek feta is something readily available in every supermarket where I'm from. So I was just trying to describe the food to someone like myself, who is much more familiar with Greek food. Thanks for the clarification!

[@theonestoridis4642]

Yeah whatever,what about shopska,it's a copy of Greek salad or village salad as we call it.

[@evinaemilova2319]

@@theonestoridis4642😂All over the Balkan countries you find salad like that and the name is always connected with village.

[@yovkoyovkov9005]

@@theonestoridis4642there is absolutely nothing unique about Greek salad! We have it all over the Balkans. The difference will come from the quality and taste of the veggies and the cheese. Bulgarian cheese and tomatoes are superior compared to Greek.

[@nikolayvasilev9498]

I mean, none of that is true, but yeah we take our yogurt very seriously. :D

[@basketwarrior]

As a Bulgarian living in Sofia, I must say you got lots of stuff right, but I want to point out some stuff for the people reading the comments for additional info. The stray cats are stray dogs in the neighbourhoods that are far from the city center. The "barber" street is actually like this because most of the people working there are from the middle east, and I don't why but they like to open barber shops in this area. Also there 24h cafes found in the city and a lot of places that are opening in 6 in the morning offering traditional "take away" breakfast, where you can also have coffee. The touristic cafes and the fancy bakeries and coffee shops are those that are opening for brunch time on the weekends.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thanks for the insights! I didn't notice any 24h cafes, so I guess I was just looking in the wrong areas. If I'm ever back in Sofia, I'll have to make more of an effort to venture farther from where I'm staying.

[@akafrankabagnale]

The barber shops are actually launderettes, only they don't wash fabric.

[@Jenaldin]

@@SeanGranseeTravel Hi :) also a small note for the groceries (as I live in the part of the city you showed), the ones you visited are rather small representations of those chain stores, because they are in the city center. They do not have space for a bigger one like those in the malls or in the other parts of the city :) And we label stuff as "American style" as it is - for us for example pancakes are made with a different recipe, more close to the French crepe :) there are other stuff that we label as German style, etc. just depends if the way we make it here differs to the "style" mentioned :) If you come back to Bulgaria some day, I wish to you to make some local friends who could be your guides/translators to some of the things and show you maybe some things tourists don't get to see, so you have even a greater time :)

[@Georgi_Slavov79]

Да де,ама 90% живеят точно' far from the сity center'( вкл.моя немилост),така че хич не ми дреме на банана ако ще и златен да е тоя софииски център...

[@basketwarrior]

@@Georgi_Slavov79 Какво общо има твоя коментар с клипчето и коментарите, които сме оставили ние. Ако се чувстваш гадно, че един американец си е изкарал добре, по-добре напусни това място. Трол.

[@Beazoner]

About the skyline, Sofia is built above natural water rivers running below it, so it is very dangerous to bulid above 100m, since water goes through anything even concrete. Also the city suffered a bad earthquake in the 19th century, so building regulations are very strict. And also I love my Sofia, we don't need tall buildings when we have Vitosha and Stara Planina overlooking the city from both sides :) Great video, enjoy your stay!

[@gordonpi8674]

You forgot to say that unlike USA where sugar dominates in the yogurt, the yogurt in Bulgaria and all the Balkans is healthy, with no sugar in it!

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Yep, you're right! I don't really eat most yogurt in the US (Yoplait, Dannon, etc) because of how sweet it is. But the stuff in Bulgaria is delicious and I don't feel bad about eating it.

[@ivankehayov]

@@SeanGranseeTravel keep in mind our yogurt is not creamy. This consistency you've stumbled upon is probably from a container that's been shaken too much, at some point. It happens for us too, to get a yogurt like this, every once in a while, but it's really funny you happened to pick one like that the first time you got yogurt. 😃

[@willwill5884]

29 comments and not one explaining the coffee situation - I am disappointed. So unlike other places all of these alcohol selling stores sell coffee - good strong Italian brand coffee, also we have street vending machines for coffee on stations, government office buildings and hospitals inside and outside. We also have many bakeries but most jobs in Bulgaria start at 9 am excluding said bakeries, and larger stores (there you might also get coffee).

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thanks for the clarification! I didn't realize the alcohol stores also sell coffee. That makes a lot of sense!

[@cherniqhs]

​@@SeanGranseeTravelit literally states it on the signs mate 24h alcohol, tobacco and coffee:)

[@annkk5037]

As a Sofia citizen it was interesting to see what impressed a foreigner in my city. There are more beautiful towns in Bulgaria than Sofia, still there are lots of nice places to visit in the capital. Beer here is one of the best and still very cheap compared to German or Belgian.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thanks! I also visited Plovdiv and Varna, and I thought both were beautiful in different ways. Stay tuned for more videos from other parts of Bulgaria!

[@ketigeorgieva622]

Yeah. That's right. And the quality of beer is very cheap either. That's why people that know and cherish beer buy German, Belgian and Czech. 😉

[@mihaildosev6811]

Best bulgarian beers are Boliarka and Britos. Everything else is acceptable at best.

[@alexyordanov6250]

​@@SeanGranseeTravel I am from Varna . How do find my city ? Have you seen the ruins of the ancient city. Or the 19th century houses , or the city's sea garden (sea gardens are big parks which all big cities by the shoar have ). Have you seen the Ecsinographic Palace ?

[@SeeYouEnTee666]

I am going for a week in two weeks time and wish I had someone to just walk round with me..i am getting my second lot of dental work there, i am staying the Mladost area

[@trevorvardy9224]

I love how drinks are in a fridge on the street. Such honesty in Bulgaria

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Yeah, I love how they get right to the point.

[@JimboLP]

I live in Sofia for about 19 years now, and this was the case back then. The fridges were almost always unlocked and you just took what you needed and waited in line to pay (we never thought of stealing it)... But a lot changed since then I guess :( . Now almost everything you see on the streets is locked. When it's your turn on the line, the person on the "counter" unlocks the fridge with a button and there are cameras almost everywhere.

[@banicite]

@@JimboLP i mean isn't that a good thing

[@JimboLP]

@@banicite If you mean it's a good thing that the fridges are locked... I agree. But the problem is that there is a reason for that, and it's not a good reason. There is definitely more crime now than when I was a kid.

[@banicite]

@@JimboLP Yeah and we all know where the crime comes from and plot twist..its a certain ethnicity

[@pakoti96]

This is my absolute favorite video a foreigner has done on Sofia or Bulgaria as a whole. It is obvious that you have taken your time to experience real life and have noticed many everyday/lifestyle things that tourists often miss. Also, it is obvious that your observations are truly your own! Most foreigners are either parroting ill-informed reviews or they are under the wing of native Bulgarians - this often means that they experience deeper parts of Bulgarian culture, that are harder to reach, but also (1) they often mistake the idiosyncrasies of the family/their region for idiosyncrasies of Bulgaria as a whole and (2) they lack the context to understand their experiences better. Fun facts: 1. The convenience stores with windows where you have to squat down are so common that we have a name for them - "клек шоп" (klek shop) meaning literally "squat shop". 2. There are also a lot of stray dogs, mostly in the far off neighbourhoods. 3. The area north of the city centre is full of Arab immigrants which is the reason that the street is full of barber shops. There is also a street filled to the brim with hookah shops. This area used to be known as the jewish neighbourhood although I'm not sure only jews lived there. The older buildings there have taller stories than normal. 4. Speaking of jews and Arabs, in Sofia there are an Orthodox church, a Catholic church, a Synagogue and a Mosque all within 5 minutes of each other. Famously our Tzar managed to spare the lives of the Bulgarian jews in WWII despite Germany forcing him to join the war on their side.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thank you so much for the kind words! I'm usually a bit afraid to look at the comments on this video because it's full of people being very critical of the things I talked about, or things I left out. Or mean comments (that I've deleted) like "stay in your country and never come back to Bulgaria". So reading your comment was very heartwarming, and gives me the confidence to continue making videos like this. Your comment made my day ☺️

[@pakoti96]

@@SeanGranseeTravel I'm glad that is the case. It is very easy to express your frustration at others online and many people resort to this when they have their own problems. Remember that your biggest supporters are always silent :)

[@boriskolarov7251]

As a Sofia native, it is now that I learn the name "klek shops", nor did I know about the barbershop street. Funny how there are things about the city that elude even natives. I would add that the klek shops basically boil down to the center, outside of which you have the run-of-the-mill store location. Occasionally, however, one finds in the neighbourhoods a shop sequestered into a Socialist-style apartment block.

[@evgenihristov4664]

​@@SeanGranseeTravel Man you are more than welcome back in Bulgaria. Look for other countries like Plovdiv or some around black sea. I'm from Bulgaria and i enjoyed your video!

[@cowboybeboop9420]

As a Bulgarian and a guy who basically goes through the places you visit I can add a few things: (Part 1) 1. It`s not Greek yoghurt. It`s Bulgarian yoghurt. We invented it. It`s actually called "sour milk" here. There is a special bacteria that goes into sour milk called Lacticus Bulgaricus that is found only here. Best way to consume it is to drink it. Just add two and a half times the water and use a spoon to mix it very fast in a jug or something. You`ll get a drink called Airian. 2. We Bulgarians love our alcohol. Bulgarians have figured out a way to make alcohol from every fruit and vegetable (accept pumpkin which we inject with alcohol). We`ve even found ways to make alcohol from stuff like honey. The most common alcohol people outside of Sofia drink is called rakia and the vast majority of people do it homemade. Often in industrial qualities to last a year. 3. That thing you pointed out about the gym and the elevator and the door etc have very little to do with safety codes or anything like that. It actually says more about the fact that you are from America. For some reason Americans are obsessed with avoiding harm at all costs and you just don`t have that here in Bulgaria.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thanks for all the insights! This comment is awesome. Here are some of my thoughts... 1. Yep, I learned that while I was there but not until after I had filmed this video. I wish I had done a little more research about the yogurt before making this video. At the time, I was mostly familiar with Greek yogurt (which is sold at most American supermarkets), so I was just trying to compare Bulgarian yogurt to something I'm used to eating. We've also had plenty of Airian! Never made it ourselves, but my favorite Banitsa place sold it in bottles. 2. I love rakia! I had never heard of it before coming to Bulgaria, but once I tried it, I started ordering it almost every time I went out to dinner. I haven't had any of the homemade stuff though... I've just had what you can get at restaurants in Sofia. 3. I'm starting to realize this the more I travel. Americans have a culture of suing each other for every little thing, so I think the obsession with avoiding harm at all costs comes from not wanting to get sued. If that elevator in the video existed in America and someone got injured, there would absolutely be a lawsuit against the elevator manufacturer and/or the building management.

[@genderlessyoutubefanperson]

@@SeanGranseeTravel Hi buddy, excellent video. As a Bulgarian/American living in Missouri for the last 15 years this clip brings back memories and tears to my eyes.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

@@genderlessyoutubefanperson Aww that makes me so happy to hear. Thanks for the comment!

[@morpheusvipbg]

He should add salt too for Airian

[@gabrielametodieva8360]

As a Bulgarian who lives in Australia now your point in 3 definitely stands out a lot more every time I come back to Bulgaria. Obsessing over safety is not necessarily a bad thing as I’ve come to learn with time. Years ago when i got my first job in a cafe during my uni time everyone was freaking out about putting a sign “slippery when wet” because if someone slips here the company will be in huge trouble. I used to find it funny and over the top. Well last year my mum slipped in Billa and broke her shoulder and 9 months later she’s still not 100% and was out of work for months. The lack of attention to these things + no culture of lawsuits means that accidents like hers happen quite often. I’m sad to say but Bulgaria can do a lot better in terms of ensuring better safety codes are applied

[@britethorn]

Peggy loved the stuff about the stray cats. Real eye opening video! I would never have guessed Bulgaria was so beautiful.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

It’s gorgeous! Wait till you see my later videos where we got out of the city.

[@britethorn]

Sure glad I hot that subscribe button!@@SeanGranseeTravel

[@NapaValleyVegan]

I plan to visit Sofia next year. Thanks for this video. The city is gorgeous!

[@vaniad555]

@@SeanGranseeTravel go to Plovdiv😁

[@viktoriodenkov2046]

I assume that in the US it is normal the day to start at 7 but here in Europe it is common the day to start at 9. Also there is coffee literally everywhere. There is no need for tall buildings when you can expand the city, we are not limited in space. One last thing, you saw around 20% of the city. Hope you enjoyed the trip.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Yeah, I definitely need to get out and see more of the city next time I'm there.

[@T-Boned]

These videos are very underrated

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thank you! ❤️🙂

[@Sparisland]

Hahahahaha! The elevator is hilarious. Definitely not a Nanny state. Great vid. Thanks

[@razielgw]

About the cats, you have to check Burgas, the main shopping street is full of them. In Sofia, the cats are a little bit more hesitant to approach people, they prefer to go out during the evening hours. Nice vid btw.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thanks!

[@todorsamardzhiev144]

I mean... people are also more hesitant to approach people in Sofia.

[@papajam4143]

Was waiting for this! Thank you my guy💪 keep up the great content!!!

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Glad you like it 😃

[@diminajoint976]

As a bulgarian im most suprised that you have to sign forms to go to a gym in usa im assuming or canada . Here poeple just expect you to not harm yourself while training and if you do the ambulance is free and so is your treatment if you have health insurance which is 20 euros per month

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

I love comments like this, hearing what surprises people from the other perspective. In the US, there are forms to sign for basically anything that involves physical activity. Businesses all feel the need to protect themselves from getting sued by their customers. And an ambulance ride can easily cost hundreds (or thousands) of dollars, even with health insurance. People sometimes take taxis/Ubers to the hospital to avoid the cost, when they really should be in an ambulance. The US healthcare system is awful unless you have a lot of money.

[@thegingerrunner9448]

Well not exactly "free" since substantial amount is deducted from your salary each month, unless you are in the "gray" industry of course. My father was hospitalized and had to bring a blanket with him as they didn't provide. Anyway, I am not about the money as long as the heathcare system was actually of use to people. They even go as far as to write down you had operations you never did to take money.

[@christochristov297]

Thank you for the great video about my native city Sofia! Heartfelt greetings! 🤗

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Awww thank you for the comment. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

[@a.n.6374]

3:39 - this is not where the offices are. That's why nothing is open. It's not even a major passtrough area to get anywhere. If you go in the underground you'd see it's packed at that time. Same goes for the major boulevards packed with traffic. The major office areas are concentrated in the outskirts - mostly along the southern part of the ringroad. The reason is the same why the city doesn't have a skyline. There are no old office skyscrapers in the center, as almost nobody worked an office cubicle type of job until about the mid 2000s.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

This is something I'm slowly getting used to as I travel around Europe. In most American cities, the area that someone might refer to as the "city center" is where all the office buildings are, and those areas are bustling with activity on weekday mornings. As you get to the outskirts, things get more quiet and residential. When I made this video, I hadn't yet adjusted my thinking to the way European cities are laid out.

[@ShanoMoments]

Very first foreigner who pronounce Sofia the right way! Good job!

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thank you!

[@YordanStoyanovBG]

Yep, and the right stress on Vitosha, is on the "I". Other pronunciations are wrong.

[@MusicManiak123]

Loved your video man! Much love from Bulgaria!

[@geoetheridge3981]

Thank you! Great Video!❤

[@chainedaddiction]

Great vid. Will be in Sofia on Friday, 6 October.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Enjoy! It’s a great city. 😃

[@jiroscop]

Correction about the open elevators. They are as safe as the modern ones. They have a ton of safety features and it's really cool to see the wall go past you :)

[@sadakamber5843]

Great informative content. 👌

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thank you! 😃

[@user-zo4uc2kl4h]

great video! you are a great guy as well! thanks for showing the nice part of the country and being fresh and positive 😊 keep it up ❤

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thank you so much for the kind words! I really loved my time in Bulgaria, and now I'm enjoying making videos about my time there.

[@dwartbg1]

The area with the barbershops is something like the Arab quarter of the city. They are all owned by arabs , most came in the country as refugees. It's like a niche to have an arabic barber and it became something trendy for many guys. I believe this is probably the main job they can take up, without knowing the language or having other skills. As for the video, it's pretty cool. Your editing is on point and I think you definitely deserve way more subscribers, this feels professionally done and doesn't bore you out like some other amateur travel videos. As for skyline, the tallest buildings are near the airport - you can look up Sky Fort, it's currently in it's last stages of construction, it's been topped out and it's the tallest building on the Balkans (apart from Istanbul, if you count that as Balkan). This is where they are planning to build a city, with a higher concentration of talller office buildings.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Ohh, I didn't know about the Arab quarter. Very interesting. Thanks for the kind words! I put a lot of effort into these videos and it's good to know that someone outside of my friend group is actually watching them ☺ Just looked at pictures of Sky Fort. It'll be interesting to see how many other skyscrapers pop up around there.

[@aleksandarivanov8824]

Americans in Europe: "There are no skylines ...". Well yes, you are in Europe. We don't do that here.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

And I love it! It’s a refreshing change of scenery, coming from a place where most cities have a skyline.

[@agatopol]

🤣😍

[@HarrysHappenings]

Why compare Sofia to the USA? If you travel like me you will appreciate the differences of European culture. Sad you keep mentioning McDonalds. ...

[@Ne0LiT]

The thing about the tipping culture in Bulgaria kinda confused me... see... bartenders, waiters, delivery drivers, etc. are being paid a living wage most of the time, but it is just kind of a custom here to tip for the good service. You are not obligated, nobody would make you tip, but it's just how we're raised, as those aren't amazingly paid jobs most of the time, so giving a tip can help out the people working those jobs.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

I guess it kinda confused me too because it's in between the tipping cultures I'm used to. Where I'm from (the US), tipping is essentially mandatory, at least at restaurants. The servers are paid almost nothing, so the vast majority of their income comes from tips. You can't pay for anything at restaurants without choosing how much of a tip of leave. Then in places like Italy, as far as I can tell, people don't really tip much except for exceptional service. Bulgaria seems to be in between. It sounds like I may have gotten the details a little wrong in my video. Thanks for the clarification!

[@DMazga]

Ha! I’ve never thought of Bulgarian tipping culture as an “in-between” one, but your observation is spot on. It is indeed customary to leave a 10% tip in restaurants, except when you’ve had terrible service. BUT asking for a tip or including a service charge in the bill will absolutely backfire in this country lol.

[@user-ci9gy2do1z]

Asking for a tip is seen as impertinent. If your service is good, a proper person should notice and show appreciation with a tip. If appreciation for a good service is not shown, then the customer is not proper. And maybe the next time they visit, they will be served all right, but they will not benefit from good service. And not tipping is often seen as cheapskate in a restaurant. The least you can do is leave the change.

[@RositsaPetrovarjp7]

In Europe it is not customary to nag customers about tips. It is very rude and sth that annoys Europeans a lot when in the US.

[@lunadrurie6686]

Yeah in Scotland that would be considered very rude, if someone asked me if I was going to leave a tip I'd probably say no! But I'd tip otherwise (in a restaurant, maybe in a taxi). But I wouldn't want to feel pressured/obligated.

[@martincoxon1329]

Just been. Good video and I agree with most of what you say. Didn't notice the cats though.

[@GraveyardRUS]

about the sour milk - кисело мляко which has nothing to do with traditional yogurt as yogurt is sweet in taste. It contains Bacillus Bulgaricus which can be found the cows here as well as some other Balkan countries. Note that there are two types of milk depending on the milk that they produce hence the difference in dairy products. Since you mentioned that live in Chicago, I think that you know that there is a big bulgarian community (similar to china town) there and I am sure that they will have bulgarian products like sour milk and liutenitsa.

[@ampotant]

A side note about the barber shops. I've seen the same thing in Germany. Streets with a lot of barbershops which are held by foreign people from the middle east. And about the yogurt, next time pick one that is not above 3,6%, because you've picked 4,5% and that's a bit too heavy. If you have the chance to try homemade yogurt, do it, you cannot get any closer to the real thing than that. The commercially made often have additives and are far from the homemade quality.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Omg homemade yogurt sounds delightful 😋

[@BranimirovlYl]

This video is hilarious. Bravo, good job.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thanks 😃😃😃

[@groovytau]

again, I'm not from Bugaria, but in your example where the door can only be locked in order to close it, I believe once you lock it (on the inside) you leave the keys in the door lock (that's what makes sense for me)

[@escound]

that barbershop edit with the music was soo good wow

[@nitroboibg]

Great video Sean, keep it up!

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thank you!

[@MykolaPetrovych]

Nice video, tnx man)

[@JojoJojo-qr5ye]

Good luck with your travels Sean ! Greetings from BG

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thank you! I had such a wonderful time in Bulgaria and hope to return again someday.

[@zaharilyubenov7382]

great video

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@Vessynikol]

Yogurt was invented in Bulgaria. The original yogurt comes from here. And yes it's unique. :). We love our yogurt.

[@Smokereca]

Great video buddy, good luck

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thank you!

[@DepecheMode5]

The squat shops are called "klek shops", they are great! Thank you for the amazing review of my city!

[@kalinkalin2394]

Awesome video! Sofia my hometown is GOATed.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Glad you liked it! 😀

[@simeonovs4443]

Welcome to my country and good luck with the channel !

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thank you!

[@cookinglsl]

It is fun to hear how foreigners feel about Bulgaria. I used to live in Chicago for 15 years, but I’m in Sofia now. Your observations are pretty similar to mine.

[@westsidermetalhead4997]

Yogurt is sweet, sometimes with fruits in it. Our "yogurt" is called sour milk (kiselo mlyako) and it's sour, salty.

[@dimitarmargaritov]

The only thing we have close to being a skyline is on Tsarigradski Boulevard around the industrial area. Also there is somewhat of a skyline around Paradise Mall(which is my favorite) and also Boulevard Bulgaria. Glad you enjoyed the city though. Also, Chicago is probably the most popular city for Bulgarians coming to live and work in the US and as far as I know there is a Bulgarian store somewhere.

[@jimholmes2730]

Nice video. I'm an American and I've been to Sofia several times and I speak Bulgarian. A big thank you for pronouncing the name of the capital correctly: accent on the first syllable.

[@krasimirpetkov6256]

Great video, always nice to compare an outside perspective to one's own. The reason for the door not latching and yet not being fixed (apart from the lazy owner) probably is because everybody locks from the inside upon entering - and leaves the key in the lock, so no worries on that count. Unfortunately unlike in the USA, not everybody here is armed and burglars might be more of a risk.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thanks for the comment! Glad you enjoyed the video 🙂 And just to clarify, people in the US generally lock their doors upon entering as well. But I’ve never seen a door in the US where locking it from the inside requires a key. There’s always a little mechanism that allows you to lock the door from the inside with just your hand.

[@silviyaivanova610]

Those window shops you are describing are called “Klek shops” - it comes from the verb “klyakam” which means to squat. It was quite more common 10-15 years ago to have all of the shops that are now on the street in the basement so people had to squat and get a coffee or a snack.

[@Yoanatsenova89]

It's so cool to see the point of view of a foreign person who enjoys our city so much. Funny fact: -In our yogurt there is Lactobacillus bulgaricus and for this reason our yogurt is different from all over the world.

[@dfrank2044]

Great tour, Sofía is beautiful, have you ever consider living in Europe. I’m living in California I went to Europe in August every city I visited was clean and beautiful yogurts are delicious, my dream is to live in Europe. Thanks for sharing your trip.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Yeah, I’d definitely consider it. I think in general, the quality of life in Europe is better than most places in the US, and people on average are happier and healthier. I don’t know if I’ll ever realistically do that, given that my partner and I both have our entire families in the US. Especially once we start raising kids, it’s hard to justify moving too far away from family.

[@stanstankov9153]

More and more people are leaving California

[@bistrastoimenovaphotography]

As a Bulgarian living in Sofia, I love watching clips of foreigners visiting. They are hillarious, BUT as pointed out below, you got quite a few things right. Vitosha (stress on the first syllable) and it is one of the smaller mountains in Bulgaria. What's so surprising about beer and cats? Asking for a tip (if you are a waiter-ress) is considered extremely rude and you're guaranteed NOT to get one. Bulgaria is the land that INVENTED yogurt (no joke, Google it), so most Bulgarians swear by it. It is not sweet, always white AND tasty (anything sweet is not yogurt to us, but cream/dessert of some sort). On the 'American' style - that is there since a local (Balkan/Bulgarian) variety exists that is completely different. Especially for pancakes. Bulgarians and locking - key is usually stored ON the door (like in the lock) if the door can't close/open without it, so no way to miss it. Plus, no sane Bulgarian would leave any front door unlocked when out of it.

[@IvanSimeonovsimba3]

Need to visit Plovdiv in Bulgaria is very butifull town with many places to see and explore

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thanks for the tip! I'm actually currently working on a video about my time in Plovdiv 😀

[@MaDFroG88]

Cool video 😅

[@ves14]

One of the reasons we don't have a skyline might be because we're located in an earthquake zone, so the building codes are accounting for that. Also, we can't really have a skyline in the city centre without destroying all of the old buildings lol

[@gesh92]

We are as puzzled as you are about the barber shops! They are owned by immigrants from the Middle East :D I've tried them a few times, the biggest issue is they don't speak Bulgarian and not only some of them speak English. Same applies for other shops and restaurants in the area.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Hmm interesting. I didn’t realize they don’t speak Bulgarian. I actually ended up getting a haircut on this street a few weeks after filming this video. The barber looked like he was middle eastern. He didn’t speak English, and I’m not sure if he spoke Bulgarian. This was the first time I’ve ever gotten a haircut outside of the US, so it was a fun experience communicating what I wanted basically just using body language. The haircut turned out great!

[@jillybe1873]

We have these in the UK too. Great for man-grooming ❤

[@doublehelix7880]

The local Arab community have a lot of businesses located on and around this street and as per their religious rules, a man should have a beard. So it is not surprising that you have such amount of barber shops there.

[@YavorM-Yash]

The biggest irony about that area is that it was an old Jewish neighborhood. I have used to live there 25 years ago. On a street between the Synagogue and the market place. And now it's turned into an Arabic neighborhood.

[@FaithTWolf]

I just want to add that the yogurt you got was creamier because you got one with a high fat content of 4.5. Usually people go for 3.6

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

I'll have to try the 3.6% next time! I really enjoyed the 4.5. Maybe I just really like fatty food 😂

[@ivogalabov1973]

Welcome to Bulgaria!

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Thank you!

[@promaster424]

As a Bulgarian that has never been to Sofia because a lot of people here hate this city for some reason I thank you for saying such nice things about it.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

I think it’s worth a visit! I guess I don’t have many other Bulgarian cities to compare it to, though. The only other ones I’ve been to are Plovdiv and Varna. I really liked Plovdiv and would love to go back someday.

[@alehandroivanov154]

like you sayd we hate that sity because original population is 80.000 the rest to 1.2 milion are red nekcks

[@douglasthompson8927]

I`ve been there..I hated it..definitly seemed friendlier in the country

[@Forestmtb]

They hate it because it everyone from Bulgaria goes to live there, its over populated by 100%, you cant drive a car without being in a trafic jam, you cant park it anywhere, its super dirty. Its easy to see why everyone hates it. I have been living in Sofia all my life and I want to leave this city forever.

[@davidalexandercollins4292]

You only really get those big glass skyscrapers in modern citys in America, Australia and certain parts of asia.

[@MaoThe1st]

I'm sure somebody already pointed it out, but if you really liked Bulgarian yoghurt, you can probably get some relatively easily in Chicago. Illinois is the state with most Bulgarians in the US, so there are bound to be Bulgarian product stores in Chicago.

[@RosskoCholakov]

Gave a like not because i'm Bulgarian, but because Swan Lake rocks

[@BoyWithBike]

About your favorite convenience store, we call them клекшоп (klekshop) or translated in English squatshop. Up until ~15 years ago they were everywhere. They are just repurposed basements. After the fall of communism in the early 90s people needed additional income so they decided to open small shops in their basements. Unfortunately after big the huge inflow of big supermarket chains in the late 2000s early 2010s, most went under. According to a news article from 5 years, less than 30 klekshop remained and I woundn't be amazed if this number is in the low 10s or a single digit now.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Ohh, very interesting! Thanks for teaching me something new today 😃

[@adriankabianka]

Interesting video 😊 i am from Sofia and i wanted to see your point of view as a foreign 😊

[@YoanArnaudov]

About the grocery shooping - your observations are based on grocery shops in the city center which are usually limited by space. Also billa is one of the worst grocery shops. If you go to Metro or Fantastiko you’ll see quite a lot differences.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Yeah, I’ll have to check out other grocery stores next time. I didn’t have a car, so I mostly went to the ones close by that I could easily walk to, which were Lidl and Billa. I realize neither of these are actually Bulgarian stores.

[@stef4oben88]

@@SeanGranseeTravel Yess, also, don't forget that public transport exists here. I usually just use google maps, to get to anywhere :D

[@heikowohr951]

Nice video. My 5 cents. I am living in Sofia as a german. Regarding the supermarket. Things not nicely presented and limited choices is a concept called _discounter_. They turn over their goods very frequently. Lidl is the biggest player. You'll find such kind of stores on the whole continent.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

I'm realizing that now as I'm traveling around Europe more. I'm currently in Prague, a 5 minute walk from another Lidl. Where I stayed in Sofia, the only somewhat large grocery stores near me were Lidl and Billa. Based on the comments on this video, it looks like I would have found nicer stores if I ventured out farther.

[@heikowohr951]

Not a surprise )) The really cool thing about this concept for consumers is: prices are low! And like a miracle the chain is earning money like hell. But this is another story ))

[@TsvetomirIvanov]

Chicago has one of the biggest Bulgarian communities in the US (between 100K-150K). If you look around you are bound to find a Bulgarian shop where they sell most of the groceries imported. Such as yogurt, cheeses and various cold cuts.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Yeah, I'm definitely going to try to find some Bulgarian cheese and yogurt once I get back to Chicago. I'm actually surprised I haven't had it before. Every big supermarket in Chicago sells Greek cheese and yogurt, but I haven't seen Bulgarian cheese or yogurt in Chicago. Or maybe I have, and just haven't noticed it. When I get back, I'm going to actively search for Bulgarian cheese and yogurt.

[@just4ivaylo92]

​@@SeanGranseeTravelcheck out Malincho when you get back. They have a bunch of options. By the way, you got a good yoghurt. 😄

[@nikolaipaunov9669]

The abundance of cats may be great but also the temperatures vary like crazy from super cold winters to super hot summers and it's not easy for them...normally what they do in many countries is that they trap-neuter-release which is considered humane by many but in bulgaria only several organizations do it, I personally just give them food whenever I see one.

[@rado_grami]

Cats FTW

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Yep! Love seeing them everywhere.

[@Dzenkys]

Hi Sean, I'm happy to see you in my city. So: 1. The second pronounce of Vitosha is kinda OK :) 2. Skyline will come in the near future. 3. In the morning we drink coffee and eat banichka/boza. 4. We are alcoholics.

[@evgenitantikov5865]

The explanation for the lack of typical skyline is simple - buying larger land piece is cheaper than building taller building here, plus many old buildings in the city center are protected and you have to build around them and can't concentrate. We are not overcrowded and we can afford side expansion. You can find coffee vending machines everywhere, same with the bakeries for breakfast. Since most morning people use them, the rest of the cafeterias and breakfast shops open late, because they won't profit enough early on the morning. The service personal in the establishments of any type recives a monthly payment for the basic job and we tip for good service. We don't tip 10%, we leave the change for small purchases or more than 10% on a big night in the clubs or restaurants. You didn't visit any of the big supermarkets or the malls, where you can find the diversity you needed. They are a lot, just not in immediate proximity to you. Bulgarian yogurt is extremely healthy product due to unique bacteria in it, but has to be the original one (most commercial ones are not good). Buy from a local farmers market and you'll notice the difference. One advice - find a Bulgarian friend to walk you around, and you can see the city in a very different light and you can learn and see far more interesting things, than coffee, supermarket food and cats.🙂 You can easily find a friend, many will just help you, if you ask and do some small talk. As for the gym papers - here you can't sue a business for your own recklessness or stupidity. Many years ago, when the first products from USA got introduced into our market, we were shocked to find warnings like "do not eat" on a plastic containers or "don't drink the brake fluid" 🤣 etc We didn't believe, that people doing this can exist. Now we are close to it with the new imported education system. Soon we have to sign such papers for everything 😅

[@radevgg]

Sofia

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Wonderful city ❤️

[@NazarovVv]

By the way the shop with the low window is actually called "Squatshop" there used to be a lot more squatshops around Sofia but recently they've all but disappeared

[@thefart]

The second pronunciation of Vitosha was correct. Things not being open in shops kinda bugs me too but sometimes the items are stacked on another shelf and you have these random unopened stuff laying around. Its Bulgarian way

[@vmbo]

Tipping is the same in Germany, France, Holland etc. It's polite to tip 10-15% when dining(not necessarily for drinks only). Nobody will ask for it though and if you leave without tipping, you won't hear a thing.

[@MonoBrawI]

It looks like you spent a lot of your time around the city center which is not always representative. For one thing the supermarkets there suck. Land is at a premium and many buildings are protected so they have to make do with what is available. There are much bigger and better ones further away. I would recommend spending some time in Borissova Garden (garden is a bit of a misnomer as most of it is actually deep woods), Loven Park and South Park. As for Nevski Cathedral - it's actually visible from the higher floors of many buildings in the city. I would say some the best views of it from the ground are from Ivan Assen street near the embassy of Romania or the hill above the lilly pond in Borisova garden before sunset.

[@Hri100_5rov]

What can I say we love our cats! XD

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Me too! I'm allergic to cats and would never get one as a pet, but I love seeing all of them on the street 😻

[@user-bn1lb8ey9v]

the reason some of these street shops are so low that you have to squat down is because they are in the basement. they started out by people turning their basements into little shops.

[@danieladalbokova9699]

I love cats of Sofia. But I think in Instanbul they are more! Yogurt is the national typical product!

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Oh yeah, Istanbul has way more stray cats.

[@gerginborisov]

Building codes are enforced - it's just that our building codes allow for elevators from the old models where there is no internal door.

[@Teddy-X2]

Hi I am from Bulgaria

[@KokiCholakov]

You googled stuff about tips in a restaurant, but you didn't google that yoghurt is actually created in Bulgaria?! :D Anyway, hope you had a good time. This was fun to watch :)) P.S. just saw you learned that info (plus the "Greek Feta") the hard way :D Very sensitive topics for natives... hahaha

[@Ivelina_spend_her_time]

I'm happy that you like Sofia and I'm from Bulgaria so if I have mistakes my English is not so good Чао:)

[@emoharalampiev1590]

Haha I've lived in Sofia since I was born (that'd be 24 years ago) and just a few months ago I was going for a walk and randomly discovered the barber street, which I also didn't know was a thing. And it's not like I live far off, it's like 10-15 minutes, I just haven't been on this exact street and I didn't really know it was there.

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Oh wow, that must have been quite the discovery after 24 years. I guess I’m lucky I happened to find it during my month there.

[@emoharalampiev1590]

@@SeanGranseeTravel XD yeah it was weird. But in all fairness in half of those 24 years I'd have been too young to really go for such walks on my own, and even after i didn't really go for random walks, like I'd either be going from point A to point B or if not just hanging with friends or whatever. It's around last year that I'd just impulsivity decide to go for a walk and explore. And yeah this street like I've been on the street next to this one a thousand times, I've been to two streets away from it in the other direction a thousand times, I've probably crossed that street dozens upon dozens of times, I've just never had a reason to be on this street specifically.

[@lidmon]

Which street is that?

[@emoharalampiev1590]

@@lidmon I think it's stretch of Tzar Simeon around Hristo Botev

[@Alex-ch7cd]

Huh the tipping thing surprised me. I'm Bulgarian but grew up in Greece, moved to live in sofia 6 years ago and I never knew I had to tip until older people told me to like my uncle for example. I'm 25 and I usually don't tip unless there's change. I've never received a complaint and I don't think people mind as much from my experience. But I have noticed that people who want to show face give big tips lol

[@nora4981]

I’m embarrassed I didn’t leave a cash tip at the restaurants! I assumed they don’t accept tips. Thanks for the info!

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

You're welcome!

[@youtubearmy_bg8265]

Tips are still not that common unless you're a kid working

[@sordmasta6646]

it's not like you don't tip anywhere outside the US. you do tip in Europe as well. But it is a small bonus if the staff was nice/good. or if someone delivered something in harsh conditions. like, at a cafe or food delivery, you'll tip 2 or 3 euros. regardless of the order, while in a fancy restaurant a bit more. if a delivery guy was late or a waiter was rude, then no tip. overall, nice city, and nice people

[@mariocortez8853]

Ay im from chicago, and just moved to sofia not long ago for university. Interesting video, but many of these points (imo) arent specific to sofia, but the balkans/europe in general. Check out Belgrade or Athens and see how they compare! Good luck to ya

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Yep! I never claimed that anything is specific to Sofia. These are just things I happened to notice during my time in Sofia. I haven’t been to the rest of the Balkans and it’s been a while since I’ve been to Europe, so I honestly have no idea which points are specific to Bulgaria and while apply more broadly. I’d love to visit Athens and Belgrade someday! Are there any points in here that you think apply to the Balkans and don’t apply to the rest of Europe?

[@k0pera]

the story of the last thing you shown is very interesting. It was the one of the oldest part of the city, the Jew town during the Ottomans. It was used latter as soon as Sofia became new country for marke "women's market" the goasl was to become something like "Vitoshka". Now is full with east refuses from Assia barbers and for this reason it is called by uoung Bulgagians "the little Kabul".

[@groovytau]

dunno if they do the same in Bulgaria but in Romania you have the bottles packaged the same way. If you want 1 you pierce the plastic or get 1 from an already pierced plastic packaging, otherwise you can buy an entire 6 pack without the hustle of carrying 6 individual bottles.

[@byMarto_com]

It is really a ghost town during that time of the summer 🏝️🌞

[@ohnoitsalex4223]

Hey Sean, I'm a 16-year-old British/Bulgarian girl and every summer I spend 6 weeks in Sofia and a larger town off the side of Varna to see my grandparents, at the end of this month I'm going to Bulgaria for 5 days (aeroplane travel for two days out of this 5) Im actually going with one of my friends, what would you recommend that is age appropriate of how to spend 3 days, like a good itinerary as I'm not sure how to plan what things to do and a lot of things such as being out late at night wouldn't be suitable. I've never really explored Sofia despite being here every summer. How would you recommend for my friend and I to spend three days and any recommendations of places to eat or to see. I love your channel despite only finding it, you've inspired me to look into staying longer in countries in the future!

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

@ohnoitsalex4223 Hi! Thank you so much for the kind words. Here are some things I'd recommend doing in Sofia. - See the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Since it's so iconic, your friend would probably regret not going there. - Hang out on Vitosha Boulevard. It's beautiful! - Other pretty areas to hang out at are the parks surrounding National Palace of Culture and the National Theater. I haven't been inside either of those buildings, but I enjoyed roaming around the outside. - Hike up Vitosha Mountain. I did the hike up to Boyana Waterfall, but I've heard there are some other great hiking trails as well. Bring lots of water. - Visit Boyana Church. It's so old and really cool to see. - Eat at Hadjidraganov's Cellars. Since I'm not Bulgarian I'm not going to comment on how authentic the food is, but I'll tell you that I really enjoyed it. It's also set up visually to cater to tourists looking for a "traditional Bulgarian" look. - Check out the ancient ruins near the Serdika metro stop. There are even some inside the station itself! And lots just outside the station. - Eat lots of mekitsas and banitsas. I had a bunch of mekitsas at a place called Мекица и Кафе.

[@georgegeorgiev3946]

I am amazed that you find Sofia beautiful because we Bulgarians hate it 😂 You should visit Plovdiv

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

I did visit Plovdiv! I actually just started working on a video about my time there. Stay tuned! 😀

[@ReDrive89]

about the yogurt - you could have taken one with you and make your own at home. It's fairly easy if you have access to good milk we can provide you with the recipe ;)

[@rumikarapetrova5540]

Well done! Positive and well meaning. I was in turn surprised about the number of papers you need to sign in a US fitness center. Bulgaria is much less legalistic society, if at all. You are considered an adult who takes care of oneself. Someone already explained about the number of barber shops. That area is jokingly called "Bagdad city" where immigrants from the middle east have their shops and barber shops. Looks like all the male barbers from the middle east came to Sofia 😊

[@kalebind1]

Its all about family pistons all day everyday

[@kalebind1]

Beroe 🙏👊 goliamo

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

You’d be surprised by how many other things in the US require waivers. Basically anything that requires any sort of physical movement, including basically all sports and outdoor activities. Essentially, most businesses are terrified of getting sued by their customers.

[@kalebind1]

@@SeanGranseeTravel I do not consider violence a justified or appropriately option not altogether even though I'm definitely able at fistfight... it's always more clever to undertake an attempt of performing negotiations considering respective circumstances ( I am fluent at five foreign languages hence such knowledge provides certain additional advantages)

[@AngelIliikov]

Hry, really nice video, had fun watching it and will watch more about our home city! I don’t really understand how, but all foreigners get our accents wrong and it’s funny! You got our city name wrong, our mountain name wrong and our precious banitsa wrong :D And it’s simply “sour milk”, yoghurt is not a word we use here :)

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Oops! 🙊 Thanks for calling that out. Next time I come to Bulgaria, I’ll put more effort into the pronunciations.

[@redhat4668]

*It appears that you have only visited Billa Supermarket, which may explain why you perceive a limited selection of items. Billa typically offers a limited range.* _The unpacked bottles you identified appear to have been found once again at Billa. Other locations offer organized displays with a wide range of unpacked options.Expand your shopping horizons!_ Don't limit yourself to just Billa. Try something new and exciting. *Enjoy the diverse nature and culture of the country!*

[@SeanGranseeTravel]

Aside from Billa, I also did some grocery shopping at Lidl and observed the same thing. While I realize neither of these are Bulgarian companies, Billa and Lidl seemed to be the only big grocery stores near where I was staying. But maybe I didn't look hard enough. Are there any other grocery stores you recommend checking out next time I'm in Sofia?

[@aleksandarivanov8824]

@@SeanGranseeTravelYou should try Kaufland or Fantastiko the next time. They offer a lot of products and everything is organized.

[@KavkhanIsbul]

Perhaps I misunderstood but you sound a bit offended that Sean showed Lidl / Billa - as if he embarrassed us Bulgarians. : ) I for one that products are packaged/displayed as they are at Lidl. I lived in the UK for a few years and I remember how at Tesco there were at least a few people working on restocking the shelves (at the regular small supermarkets) - and I'm sitting there thinking.. I'm the one who pays for this person to just sit here and play with ordering these shelves all day. On the selection of items available: I'm not sure but perhaps American cities are more spread out, and cars are the main mode of transport - hence, supermarkets more often have a larger area to start with? And therefore they don't have to worry about wasting space in their stores with some extra products/brands for the consumer to choose from?

[@danielec4856]

All of the supermarkets mentioned above are not Bulgarian companies, except for Fantastiko. I would suggest visiting small mini markets found through the neighborhoods.

[@tangoangel2782]

The second pronunciation of Vitosha is correct. The first one is not anything that locals would ever say. Perhaps you’ve heard it pronounced by foreigners.

[@MegasXLR]

Tbh I like that our city isn't filled with skyscrapers and we can see the sky above lol