The Statue of Sveta Sofia (Saint Sofia) has stood over the city of Sofia, Bulgaria since 2000. (A statue of Lenin had been erected there in 1966 but was pulled down in 1991.) Her crown symbolizes power and in her hands are a wreath for glory and an owl for wisdom.
There were lots of statues dotted around the city, but unfortunately I don't know the history of most of them.
This one outside the Ethnographic Museum is of renowned Bulgarian writer and playwright Yordan Radichkov (1929-2004).
And these two are father and son, the Slaveikovs, both poets
I also really loved seeing such beautiful sculptural architecture as we walked the city.
Another sculpture we passed many times was of men and animals but I can't seem to find any information on it.
I left a heart and the next time we passed by it was gone.
On our second day, we were sitting outside having lunch on Vitosha Boulevard, the main commercial street in Sofia.
A statue of Bulgarian writer Aleko Konstantinov is at one end and from the other direction you can see Vitosha Mountain in the background.
I noticed a guy walking by with a carton of stuffed animals that he was trying to sell. You could tell he had some challenges but he just slowly walked along and didn't bother anyone. We had already experienced many beggars in Sofia, old and young, but this guy was different and something about him just stuck with me.
The next day was super hot and while wandering the streets, we came across him again. He was waiting in line for a drink of water and my heart really went out to him. At first my husband wanted to give him money but then wasn't sure if it was the right thing to do. I watched the guy's face as he very lovingly and carefully held his carton of stuffed animals while he took a long drink of water. My husband had continued walking so I ran after him and said that if he didn't feel right just giving him money, then we needed to buy a stuffed animal.
I honestly don't even remember what other stuffed animals he had. There may have been one or two other choices, but I went for this cute little guy.
Isn't he the sweetest?
I swear, the guy was over the moon that we wanted to buy one of his stuffed animals. It cost the equivalent of about $12 and was totally worth it because the smile on his face was priceless.
Wishing you a sweet September!
15 comments:
What a lovely thing to do and the hedgehog is really cute.Hope he makes you smile like the man.
Your heart for people never ceases to astound me Tammy. How wonderful of you to buy the sweet little hedgehog from him. Now everytime you see it, you will think of that man and maybe say a prayer for him. You're one of my heros!
The statues around town are amazing and I also love the architecture. I would spend hours wandering around to see it all.
Wishing you a lovely day my friend.
Blessings,
Betsy
I love that you bought a stuffed animal from this old man you told us about! I bet it made his whole day. Who knows what his circumstances were...he could've used the money to buy food; maybe he was hungry. And the stuffed animal is so cute, too! What were you doing in Bulgaria - was your husband on business? Interesting how many statues there are.
Dearest Tammy,
Yes, Bulgaria being the poorest country of the European Union no doubt has lots of people struggling for life.
You did the very best, purchasing that stuffed animal!
WISH I could help you with the animal statue... searched in Dutch but nothing found.
So happy you got to visit this special country with its lovely architecture.
If ONLY tourists would start flocking to this desperate country...
Hugs,
Mariette
Oh you made me feel so good by doing this! And you'll remember him everytime you see the hedgehog. Loved the photos also. 😊 Kit
Thanks for showing us all those cool statues. I liked the one on the bench with the shiny knee.. I bet it took a lot of ladies sitting on his lap for a photo to shine it up like that. Good for you to buy the cute hedgehog and help someone in need. But I'm not surprised at all.. you're a darling. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)
Hi Tammy, Bulgaria is a place that I wonder about but I haven't seen it yet. From his paintings I understand that there are many artistic, rich statues, and those hedgehogs are definitely worth taking, very sweet, and there has been a different encounter and interaction, who took his heart :)Have a pleasant trip...
Great architecture and statues.
I love all the wonderful things you showed us Tammy, such a gorgeous place to visit. But your story of the young man selling stuffed animals just warmed my heart. Thank you for sharing.
You are very generous. Sofia looks like such a historical city. I wonder whether the sculptures of animals and people are depictions of folk tales or other traditional fables with which Bulgarian people identify similar to statues in Rome of Romulus and Remus with the wolf-mother.
A fluffy hedgehog, offering a heart - what a perfect choice :)
I love sculpture, especially the representational kind that seems to be out of favor in recent years. I respond to some abstract sculpture, but realistic sculpture fascinates me; I have spent ages looking from every angle at the life-size equestrian statues in town squares and courtyards in France and Portugal. And of course I love statues of animals, like the Irish Wolfhound at Gettysburg. I especially enjoyed the goat and bear on your "mystery" sculpture.
What beautiful buildings and fascinating statues! I especially like the father and son poets on the bench. They look so genial.
What a sweet little hedgehog and touching story. I hope he can sell all his stuffed animals.
Tammy - you have a heart the size of Texas! There are so many people in the world that need a smile, a kind word, the purchase of a stuffed animal ...
What a lovely story, Tammy, and your heart is so tender for others. Kindness makes a world of difference. The hedgehog is pretty cute, too!
Beautiful sculptures! A pity they don't put a plaque beside them to give a bit of history and meaning.
How lovely that you and hubby bought a stuffed animal. The man's smile would have been priceless indeed. It makes me think of a time when I was browsing the city markets with my adult kids and I noticed that a young man selling books of poems from his small stand. I felt for him because everyone seemed to pass him by and I commented about it to the kids. My son went over and bought a book from him and even had the guy sign the book for me. I was very touched and I'm sure the young man appreciated the business too.
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