Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-07
MODERN SOFIA.
A Bright and Busting Town That Sug
gests Paris.

From the Pail Mall Gazette.
A wide, smiling valley, and, far beyond,
the steep incline of an endless mountain
range, the Vitosch chain, still snow-capped
when we saw it, against bright blue sky,
while nearer the earth was clad with a
cloak of the softest verdure, a lush green
seeming to round the contours of outline
here and there. Such was the first impress
sion of the panoramic setting within which
we found enshrined Sofia, the Bulgarian
capital, as bright and modern looking
little town as, say, Baden-Baden and, In
deed more reminiscent of some small Ger
man 'Residenz stadt' in style and struc-
ture than anything one generally associates
mentally with the near east. Two days are,
of course, not much in which to judge of
any place. 1t is merely the obvious then
that strikes the visitors eye and Is re-
tanned upon his mental fetfna, and there
fore to our mind the name of Sofia Is last
ingly associated with sundry broad and
shady streets; boulevards, beneath which
we watched with untiring interest the con-
slant flow Of traffic, the coming and going
of soldiers, mondaines, peasantry and Curl
Gus .semi-oriental figures, very evidently
jewellers beyond that towering mountain
range, whom a desire to barter, or-who
knows?-possibly even the ever present
miasma of intrigue in these Balkan princi-
palities, had brought hither.
1t was late spring and the suns heat had
something Of the coming summer In il, yet
these stolid slowly moving figures wore
their fur caps and long skin coats. of which
the Sleeps wool turned inward forms the
lining, without apparently the least DIS
comfort. Most of them led their oxen. har-
messed to cumbrous carts while again
these the smart electric trans whiZZed by
a strange and homogeneous mixture of the
east and west. The most picturesque eie-
ment in the street traffic was the peasant
women, many of the girls being quite beau
tiful, their garments gay with red and blue
ed Itif
notwithstanding silver ornaments, silver
coins even glinting here and there amid
their long, thick raven plats. Another
touch of color given to this scene by
the numerous different uniforms which dis
tinguiSh lie militaire the general appear
ance of which reminds one of the Russian
military dress, although the men seemed of
better physique. generally speaking. To-
ward evening this picture became even
more animated. for the inhabitants of Sofia
love the open air; the cafes and restaurants
then assume the aspect of some lesser
Paris, pretty faces. elegant toilets, music
and laughter dominating the scene in the
smarteSt town quarter.
Beyond this actual center of life stretch
rows of villa residences, half buried at
that time of year, amid leafy trees, while
the ceaselesS song of birds here, there and
everywhere seemed to attest scarcity of
cats in Sofas suburban districts and GER
ta1nly stamped 1t veritable paradise
for the feathered creation. The royal
palace, now as correct a residence as any
prince could desire, was. we were told not
always so; In fact, at the time of Prince
Alexander's advent 1t was with some diff
Guilty that two water-tight rooms could be
found for the accommodation of his high
ness. while the unmade roads Were then
still dimly illumined with lanterns making
darkness visible. Since those days how
ever, the little Bulgarian capital has Ger
tainly gone ahead, and at all events
brushed itself up. externally.