Check out our first journey in Bulgaria outside the city! In this video, we went to Rila Monastery. kzread.info/dash/bejne/oJWdsbmdkaW6dsY.html

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

8 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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

@evinaemilova2319

7 ай бұрын

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

@yovkoyovkov9005

7 ай бұрын

@@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

7 ай бұрын

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

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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

@Jenaldin

7 ай бұрын

@@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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

@@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.

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!

@Alexandar358

3 күн бұрын

Yep, who needs a building skyline when you have Vitosha forming a natural skyline

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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

@alexyordanov6250

7 ай бұрын

​@@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

3 ай бұрын

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

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

7 ай бұрын

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

@cherniqhs

7 ай бұрын

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

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

@SeanGranseeTravel

8 ай бұрын

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

@JimboLP

8 ай бұрын

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

8 ай бұрын

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

@JimboLP

8 ай бұрын

@@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

8 ай бұрын

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

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

@@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

7 ай бұрын

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

2 ай бұрын

​@@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!

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

@@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. 😃

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

7 ай бұрын

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

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

@SeanGranseeTravel

8 ай бұрын

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

@britethorn

8 ай бұрын

Sure glad I hot that subscribe button!@@SeanGranseeTravel

@NapaValleyVegan

8 ай бұрын

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

@vaniad555

7 ай бұрын

@@SeanGranseeTravel go to Plovdiv😁

These videos are very underrated

@SeanGranseeTravel

8 ай бұрын

Thank you! ❤️🙂

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

7 ай бұрын

Thanks!

@todorsamardzhiev144

7 ай бұрын

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

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

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

Thank you!

@YordanStoyanovBG

7 ай бұрын

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

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

8 ай бұрын

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

8 ай бұрын

@@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

7 ай бұрын

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

@morpheusvipbg

7 ай бұрын

He should add salt too for Airian

@gabrielametodieva8360

7 ай бұрын

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

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

@Alexandar358

3 күн бұрын

Yeah, we just learn to not touch the moving walls you know

@alexanderdoychinov61

2 күн бұрын

not all elevators are open, just like not all real estate in the US is as expensive as in Manhattan:))

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 :)

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

7 ай бұрын

Omg homemade yogurt sounds delightful 😋

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

7 ай бұрын

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.

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

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

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

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)

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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.

@alexanderdoychinov61

2 күн бұрын

ВСИЧКО в САЩ опира до застраховки, а в този аспект и до съдене за всичко, така че, формалностите са задължителни:))...като Българо - Американец, ще спомена един истински случай: преди години, мисля, че беше през '80-те, един човек си пикаел в тоалетна на един от близнаците в Манхатън, а мъжът до него го погледнал...понеже писоарите по това време не бяха преградени с писоари, първият мъж спечели дело за милиони, на базата на това, че е бил стресиран от погледите на другия мъж и вече не може да задоволява жена си:))...още нещо: летял съм с хенг-глайдер в САЩ и други страни -- в САЩ преди да летиш не само подписваш документи, но и задължително трениращ; докато например в Рио де Жанейро, Бразилия, отиваш в планината и летиш след 1-минутнта репетиция със собственика на "бизнеса":))

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

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

Enjoy! It’s a great city. 😃

Loved your video man! Much love from Bulgaria!

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

There's a big Bulgarian diaspora in Chicago if I'm not mistaken, and even a few Bulgarian shops there selling our products, yogurt included from the looks of their online stores Strongly recommend diluting the yogurt with a bit of water( I think 1/4 to 1- water to yogurt), but not too much so it doesn't get too watery, and then adding some finely cut cucumber/or grated + salt. It's a cold soup we make here called tarator, very nice for hot summers and goes amazing with french fries. Some people add crushed wallnuts to it as well for a chunkier texture

@SeanGranseeTravel

Күн бұрын

I love tarator! Never made it myself, but I ate a lot of it at restaurants.

@-nok

Күн бұрын

@@SeanGranseeTravel It's great for a lazy weekend lunch meal. Favorite of mine is dunking the hot fries in the tarator to "quench" them and eat them even if they are hot out of the fryer.

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

@SeanGranseeTravel

8 ай бұрын

Glad you like it 😃

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

8 ай бұрын

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.

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.

Thank you! Great Video!❤

This video is hilarious. Bravo, good job.

@SeanGranseeTravel

8 ай бұрын

Thanks 😃😃😃

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

7 ай бұрын

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.

that barbershop edit with the music was soo good wow

Nice video, tnx man)

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.

Great video Sean, keep it up!

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

Thank you!

Great informative content. 👌

@SeanGranseeTravel

8 ай бұрын

Thank you! 😃

Great video buddy, good luck

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

Thank you!

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

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

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

Welcome to Bulgaria!

@SeanGranseeTravel

8 ай бұрын

Thank you!

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

Good luck with your travels Sean ! Greetings from BG

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

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

great video

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

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.

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

Awesome video! Sofia my hometown is GOATed.

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it! 😀

Cool video 😅

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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

@doublehelix7880

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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.

Great video, with only 3 debatable things: the cats, the door, and the coffee:))...opening business are culturally explainable:))

@SeanGranseeTravel

Күн бұрын

Just curious... what's debatable about the cats?

@alexanderdoychinov61

Күн бұрын

@@SeanGranseeTravel I see out of the three things we gotta talk about the cats:))...ok, first, the cats are not all over the city -- one can walk for days without running into a single cat...second, in some countries like Russia, China, Japan, etc, the cats are considered good luck, and in Egypt they're even sacred, so, one might say that cats are good:))...thirdly, the government has been taking measures to restrict the strey dogs and cats, but there are plenty of animal lovers who keep feeding the animals and treating them as home pets. There was an unbelievably smart dog living in the street of Tzar Simeon that was famous not only in the neighborhood, but in many other countries due to the videos posted by Bulgarians living abroad -- before passing the dog was treated as royalty by everyone.

@SeanGranseeTravel

14 сағат бұрын

Ah, thanks for the context! I guess I'm coming into it from a different perspective, since I'm from a place that doesn't really have stray cats. In my 30 years in the US, I don't think I've ever seen a stray cat. So they really stood out in Sofia, where I saw one almost every day. I went to Istanbul after making this video, and there were a looooooot more of them there.

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

7 ай бұрын

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

Welcome to my country and good luck with the channel !

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

Thank you!

We have a looot of yogurt brands, yes, even local ones in some part of the country. :D But glad you liked it! We actually use yogurt in a lot of meals, many home made recipes include it as ingredient, not just for breakfast. It's also common knowledge for Bulgarians (who had grandmothers or grandfathers to show them) how to make your own homemade yogurt and cheese, if you have good fresh milk of course. :) If you go to some mountain village you could taste in a local restaurant or a guest house, nothing better then homemade yogurt from a Bulgarian granny. :)

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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

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

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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

@douglasthompson8927

7 ай бұрын

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

@Forestmtb

7 ай бұрын

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.

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.

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

7 ай бұрын

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.

Cats FTW

@SeanGranseeTravel

8 ай бұрын

Yep! Love seeing them everywhere.

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

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.

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

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

7 ай бұрын

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

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

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.

5:16 I'm from Sofia. Those are literally called Klek shops, that translates to Squat shops. Kids sometimes go to the Klek shops during the big recess to get a snack Also, yes we do take our Dairy and Meat products very seriously. I knew a guy who when studying abroad took some Yogurt and white cheese with him. At some point his roommate ate some of it and he went ballistic. Also the alcohol thing is very true. It's a stereotype that Balkan people in general really love drinking especially social drinking. With the beer everywhere and people making their own alcohol. There's a lot of jokes about it as well. My favourite one is "Do you know why there's no AA in Bulgaria? Because all of them already know each other." Also who needs a skyline when you have Vitosha right there. And as for pronouncing Vitosha. The stress is on the "i".

What can I say we love our cats! XD

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

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 😻

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

8 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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

Ай бұрын

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.

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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 ))

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

More and more people are leaving California

The gym that you went to was a really good shisha bar a few years ago... I miss it.

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.

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.

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.

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

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

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

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

@SeanGranseeTravel

Ай бұрын

Oh yeah, Istanbul has way more stray cats.

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.

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

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

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

@agatopol

7 ай бұрын

🤣😍

@HarrysHappenings

Ай бұрын

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

Bulgaria crafted yogurt. True Fakt. I em from Bulgaria.

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

Hi I am from Bulgaria

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.

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

7 ай бұрын

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

7 ай бұрын

@@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

5 ай бұрын

Which street is that?

@emoharalampiev1590

5 ай бұрын

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

The exposed walls on the elevator thing is normal in Eastern Europe. It's a Soviet design. It's not as dangerous as it looks because these elevators have a safety system that stops the elevator if it meets resistance or if the door is pushed at from the inside. Sure you might still get injured but it won't be fatal.

To explain the so much yoghurt basically Bulgarians invented the yoghurt so we have so much of it that is basically why

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the explanation! It’s clear from the comments that I should have explained more about the history of yogurt in the video. I’m sorry about that! If I could re-create this video, I’d definitely include that.

Sofia

@SeanGranseeTravel

7 ай бұрын

Wonderful city ❤️

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

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

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

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

2 ай бұрын

@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.

Hy im from sofia,, the reason we have so much yogurt we call it sour milk is that people use it for cooking a lot, theres flavoured sour milk which is not sour, not really and theres izvara which is not yogurt but it can be confused for it and its there for putting in banizi some times; Banizi the breakfast of choise for a heavy portion of the population. Also we technically have some stuff called yogurt but its relatively new and basicly yogurt but branded as having special stomach aiding bacteria.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

While this is just an American going "Wow! Isn't it crazy that the old countries* don't do stuff like we do." you actually do a great job of showcasing what a place is like. * You Americans came from Africa, Europe and Asia. We are the old world.

How many types of jardinera do you buy per month in your hometown Chicago?

@SeanGranseeTravel

4 күн бұрын

Usually around 3. I’m a huge giardiniera addict.

To što si jeo je pavlaka, nije jogurt, ali je još bolje :)