Until this year there were two trains Bucharest-Sofia and backwards. CFR (The Romanian Railway company) has introduced Budapest-Arad-Timisoara-Craiova-Vidin-Sofia and removed one of them. Of course, it was the most useful one… meaning the night train is gone!
The train from Craiova to Sofia leaves at 8, 20... with just 21 minutes before the first train, of the day, arrives in Bucharest. So, you can’t catch it! This means that from Bucharest you can get to Sofia only with the night train at 22, 24... enough time to get a nap!
Only if you had with who! :-)
Because CFR used their legs to think this “achievement", the result had a "bonus": towards Salonic the only train leaves at 15, 15 with a long time before any train arrives from Romania!

I followed the route through Banie, where I slept one night.
The following nice route resulted, Bucharest-Craiova-Vidin-Sofia and back I returned Sofia-Ruse-Bucharest.

On the road, starting from Craiova, I started talking with a Bulgarian. Radoslav told me about a few touristic attractions, of which I will write down here. At Vidin, where the train stays about 35 minutes, I went in about 3 minutes... to the port! I have been twice in Vidin, but I went left towards the center- where you can get in five minutes-not right, like now. :-) At Vratza, he showed me a cross on a mountain peak, just like ours from Busteni, only a little smaller. He told me that Hristo Botev was killed there by the Turks in 1876 and in his memory that cross was made. Around that area there is a beautiful zone with waterfalls, gorges and a canyon where climbing can be done. The train goes along the mountains for a lot of kilometers at Vratza, kinda like Brasov-Sibiu, but their mountains are smaller in that area, around 1000 meters high. At Mezdra there is a little stronghold, probably illuminated from the outside (I figured as much from the floodlight around her), and then the trains enter into the mountains, a river flow on the right or on the left side along the railway. You can see white or red rocks, forests, tunnels it’s an extremely beautiful landscape. The road Vidin-Sofia resembles with Jiu Valley and is something no one can forget easily.

The Bulgarian likes polenta, Romanian soup, holopchi (stuffed cabbage) but doesn’t know what rummy is. :-) He tells me how he saw in parks "old people playing that". :-) I asked him about chess and backgammon but they have this in Bulgaria. :-)
He has the map of Romania and I of Bulgaria. :-) I found out that their currency is the same as ours, Leu, Lef means Leu and Leva means Lei! We make a tax-free word exchange Romanian words versus Bulgarian :-) then comes next Sofia Sever meaning Sofia North and then the main railway station. I ask him if he wishes to take a picture with me and told him to ask someone to take the picture. He complies and ask someone... first in English, then he realized he is home and turns to Bulgarian. :-) We laugh about it, took the photo and break up. I am going to eat something. I found a... spinach soup! I order and as I wait for the order to arrive, at the radio I hear an animated melody. First I didn’t notice and then I figure I should: the melody is in Romanian! At a local radio with a predestinated name: Radio Veselina Sofia. :-)

I was waiting from September for "Aida" (the spectacle was in May) when I looked on the website of the Sofia Opera.It just happened that in the same period a “rain" of “Aida" was in Romania and Bulgaria. I tried my best to see as much as I could, making “Aida" at Sofia from something special by its rarity, to just one of the route Bucharest, Ruse, Timisoara, Iasi, Sofia, Varna missing Cluj-Napoca (where I have seen it in 2010).
Inexcusable! :-)

The set-up was the most interesting amongst all, even though it wasn’t all to my taste. The scene was inclined with about 15-20 degrees and on the grey floor were Egyptian drawings. This beautiful set-up is completed by, in fact, it’s improved by the sides and background. There are huge mirrors, mirror walls, and the one in the back is inclined as well amplifying the scene image and the ensemble.

The voices where not as good as the scene set-up or pretentions, keeping in mind that we are talking about the biggest Opera in Sofia. They were good, but could’ve been better and on top of that there were plenty of moments of discordance with the orchestra or “entering" the aria before the right moment or sometimes over another soloist. I don’t like to criticize but at the same time I want to give the real image, as objective as possible, from the spectators view. The explication-apology would be that the spectacle was performed only 3 times this season and in three consecutive days. I don’t know why this decision was made but anyway this explication does not totally justify the noticed errors, even by an outsider like me.

The costumes were... strange, but in a positive way. They are modern and the majority fit for the created atmosphere. The high priest, painted with a pale red on his bald head has a white-grey stripe on his crest and another two on the sides. On his shoulders there is some sort of net cream-brown up and turquoise down. Radames is wearing blue-turquoise clothes, brown sandals and a long bushy tail over the shoulder. His slightly lisp and won’t get away so easily even in Bulgarian: "Celeßte Aida" contains a "s" and in translation: "Nebeßna Aida", and “Forma divina" is "Bojeßtveno tvorenie". :-) Still "nebesna" and "bojestveno", just like Ruse. ;-) (the translation screen is huge, the biggest one I have seen, wherever I went, has 3 rows in Bulgarian, one blank, then 3 in English! )
When singing "forma divina", Radames sits in one knee and touches the landform down on the scene!
Amneris has a grey, shiny, modern, half without a back, dress and at the "heads" are black: brunette and black sandals. :-)
"Smuti se! " - "El si turba! "
Aida, who appears from a small lateral trap on the floor, has a long, bright red towards orange dress and at the "heads" she’s black. :-)

The whole ensemble looks beautiful reflected in the back mirror. But the mirror... is a semi-mirror, when the lights are lighted behind it the Pharaoh can be seen in the center and on the sides in a fix position a person be it a man or a woman, at the same distance from one another. Their costumes are new (in a modern way), but keeps all the traditional Egyptians notes.

The soldiers are naked half way up; they have grey pants, some sort of turban on the head and have spears that look like giant straws! They make warlike gestures with the spears when the priests incite to war. They leave the scene through all the side exits, traps creating the impression that they are going to war. Some of them reappear at the investment of Radames, but the spears are switched with a long cloth-scarf that looks like a huge bandage! They are dancing fetish with the bandages, covering their bodies or head with it. In the middle of the scene a huge trap is opened, another one unlike the two small one used until now and from there the High Priest and Radames appear. A soldier gives the end of a bandage to Radames, as a sign of sovereignty over the Egyptian army.
"O, boje pazitel, tebpri zovavame ne! " - "O, savior God, we invoke you! "

In partial darkness the scene is emptied, the trap is lowered and behind it lays Amneris. Her servants, in black and red dresess, enter divided in two halfs; each is waving a giant, transparent, red- orange scarf, like Aida’s dress. The scarfs are spread on the floor, covering it. Amneris is in the middle of the scene and is holding with each hand, the ends of each scarf creating the impression that the scarfs are here long dress. It’s a clever presentation to outline her dominant hierarchical position "potomkata na faraoni! - “Pharaohs daughter" but less clever maybe quite blamable is the lack of the small black people dance, including musical!

The light behind the mirrors is turned on. The Pharaoh is sitting in the center, on the sides there are men and women, like earlier and they have battle marks. The spears have a semicircle symbol on their tip.
“Slva na faraona! "
The scene is quickly filled by priests, soldiers and people. At the “Triumphal march" the soldiers mimic fights amongst them. At the next instrumental eight girls enter and at first they dance alone and after with the soldiers, which earlier temporarily “surrendered" their spears to the priests.
The Pharaoh reappears in the back, climbed on a log. Four carpets are laid down and on each 2 girls sit. Amneris, Aida, the High Priest enter, after them Radames. They are saluting the Pharaoh with the right arm, with the back towards the public. "Entrate i prigionieri! "
The big trap in the middle, on which Radames, Amneris and the Priest are sitting is lifted a meter and underneath it the heads of the prisoners appear. They are frightened children with afro haircuts. (I do not know why, in other people vision, Radames is victorious because he defeated some snotty...). Aida goes to each one to strengthen them up, until she finds... "O, cel! Mio paaadre! ". Amonasro is dressed in brown, has chain mails, two tails and a bunch of frippery on him, including a tribal necklace. He comes out under the trap, meanwhile the prisoners are set free, I mean they disappear where they can and the trap is closed.
"Slava na Egipet i Izida! "

The Nile bank. Amneris is in the middle of the scene, standing with her arms in the famous Egyptian position, amphora. Girls dressed in brown-grey enter the scene; they are spreading white seeds, probably rice. After Amneris leaves to pray, Aida shows up in a blue-grey dress with a white mantle. From what she is wearing she appears to go to the ball, not that she is a slave!
"Qui Radames vera! " - "Radames she doide tuk! "
"O, patria mia! " - "O, rodina dalechna! "
"Non ti vedra mai piu! " - "Nicoga ne shte te vidia! "

"Ah, mio padre! " - "Ah, basha mi! "

"I shte vidia pac rozite ni! " - "You will see our roses again! "

"Non malediiirmi! " - "Ne me proklinai! "

Then tatko leaves, Radames comes, "Odi mi, Aida! " - "Ceiui me, Aida! "

"Si, fugiaamo! "
"Da, izbiaga me! "
Aida puts around Radames neck a scarf resembling the earlier bandages.Radames "Da izostavia rodinata?" - "Abandonar mia patria?"and takes it off. Then "Da, izbiaga me! " and unveils the secret: "V Napatskata Tesnina! "
"Ti si Amonasro?" "Ti si tzariat?"

"Az sîm opozoren! " "Az sîm opozoren! "
"Io son` disonorato! " "Io son` disonorato! "

Unlike many other productions in which the king of Ethiopia already has a knife-while being a prisoner is less likely - Amonasro takes the weapon (sword) from Radames which he uses it to suppress Amneris. Radames blocks him, the Egyptians soldiers arrive, Amonasro runs and exit through the side of the scene and Aida on the opposite side.
"Preeeedateeel! "

"Strají! Da doide Radames! "
Radames is brought by two soldiers, he is being held from a distance of 2 meters with long bandages that make and X on Radames chest! Amneris commands (by gesture) the soldiers to let go of the bandages, she takes them off Radames one at a time.
"Rodino, i tron, i jivoti! " - "La patria, il trono, la vita! (Tutto darei per te)! "
She puts the bandages at his throat. He takes an end and Amneris pulls by the other towards her while she is asking him to give up on Aida.
"Ne moga! " - "Non pooosso! "
Finnaly, Radames takes the bandages, flops them in his arms, turns his back and leaves escorted by the guards.

Behind the mirror situated in the back of the stage, slowly a row of priests are making their appearance. They are dressed predominantly in orange, turquoise around the legs; each is holding in his hand a long cane and a round orange cap. Radames is trialed and condemned. The orange turquoise priests are aligning in front of the scene. "Shte umre! " - "he will die! " and the big trap is rising. Amneris is standing on it, the priests leave and darkness falls.Amneris lies down behind the trap, which is slightly inclined, and is invisible to the public. In the tomb there are: a sarcophagus resembling Tutankhamun’s and four battle marks used by the commander in battlefield. Radames isn’t visible, but can be heard. He rises, can be seen and from a corner Aida appears.
"Tuuu... in questaaa tooombaa?"
"Ti... v tazi grobnitza?"
"You... in this tomb?"

"Sbogom, zemia ot sîlzi! "
"Adio, vale di pianti! "
"Adio, worth of tears! "

"Miiir! Miiir! Miiiiir! "
"Peaaace! Peaaace! Peaaaaace! "

For me “Aida" at Serdica has a double numerical semnification: the 50th Aida seen and the 80th spectacle seen in a foreign country! The second at Sofia and 13th in Bulgaria! :-)

Serdica is the old name of Sofia, given by the Romans. Aida is the new and old name of Aida :-) but still Latin. Story by Adrian, Roman name of a Romanian, so Geto-Latin. :-)

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