I arrive in Sofia dressed for winter, and step off the plane into 25 degrees of unseasonable Balkan heat. As I emerge from the arrivals lounge alone, bewildered and ludicrously over-insulated, I’m immediately set upon by a pair of taxi drivers offering a ride to my hotel for ‘best prices on the meter’.
I’ve been warned that under no circumstances should I get into a cab here without agreeing the price in advance, and desperately gesticulate towards the licensed taxi stand I’ve been instructed to use. “No problem buddy, we work for her” the first driver insists, while placing a hand on the small of my back to gently but firmly usher me away from any chance of confirming this.
“But…but…how much?” I stammer, as panicked images of my entire holiday budget being extorted before I’ve even seen my hotel flash through my mind. “On the meter! On the meter!” the driver forcefully replies.
Sofia Airport: Perilous for the confrontation-averse English traveller.
Suddenly, I remember my trump card. I printed out full travel instructions before I left, courtesy of my hotel. “Look, look!” I cry triumphantly, pulling the crumpled piece of paper from my pocket. “Taxis to Magic Castle Hotel from airport should cost no more than 12-14BGN (Bulgarian Lev, approximately 1.9BGN to the Euro)”.
The guiding hand leaves my back. “Talk to woman” the driver grunts, gesturing towards the licensed stand and sloping off in search of his next victim. “He doesn’t work for us” the operator deadpans, unnecessarily, as she calls round an official car.
Notwithstanding a couple of hours in Bratislava earlier this year, Sofia is my first real experience of Eastern Europe. Many of the things I’ve heard turn out to be accurate. The buildings have a uniquely post-Soviet severity, the streets are wide and chaotic and people drive like absolute maniacs. As my taxi swings into the drive of the hotel, I resist the urge to kiss the ground and offer up a prayer of thanks for the precious and fragile gift of life, and stagger glassy-eyed to the reception.
The Magic Castle is a charming little building nestled unobtrusively between an old restaurant and a smattering of apartment blocks in downtown Sofia. A relatively new addition to the city’s tourist landscape, it’s built on the former home of “Senko, Bulgaria’s most beloved magician of the seventies”. After seven hours of travel, I’m far too tired to find out more about this for the time being, and after checking in I collapse instantly onto my bed for a much-needed power nap.
The Magic Castle Hotel – Home away from home for the next week.
Several hours of sleep, a shower and another heart-in-mouth taxi ride later, I join the rest of the ESC Insight team at the official JESC opening gala and red carpet event at the Bulgarian Palace of Culture. As Terry Vision’s designated cameraman for the evening, I spend the first hour of the event breathlessly chasing him around the venue as he unleashes his unique brand of barely comprehensible chaos on the bemused, bewildered, and in some cases downright terrified competitors.
As this is my first time attending a Junior Eurovision, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from the gala. As it turns out, the atmosphere is somewhere between a school variety show and attending the wedding of a distant family member. We’re treated to a range of dance performances, from traditional Bulgarian folk to LED-clad street dancing, while incongruously smartly-dressed pre-teens weave between wine-quaffing adults. A silent army of waiters serve up a seemingly endless supply of Bulgarian hors d’oeuvres. A modest-looking pasty wrap that shoots an unexpected burst of cheese onto the roof of my mouth when I bite into it causes me to reflect on whether the famous Swedish aversion to lactose might have contributed to their decision to stay away this year.
Bulgaria’s National Palace of Culture: Host venue of the delayed JESC opening gala.
Over on the red carpet, which is broadcast into the main party room and links up with the various stage performances for the Bulgarian television broadcast, hostess Poli Genova welcomes this year’s competitors, plus special guests Vincenzo Cantiello and Krisia Todorova – who receives a predictably rapturous reception. More performances follow, including a medley of Eurovision winners, a pee-wee performance of Bulgaria’s sole adult Eurovision triumph ‘Voda’, and a rousing rendition of this year’s official theme song ‘Discover’ from Krisia.
One of my main reasons for coming to Junior this year was a curiosity about how a country with a less than illustrious Eurovision history – not to mention far less ready cash than the likes of Stockholm and Vienna – would approach a hosting job of this magnitude. In that respect, it’s heartening to see Bulgaria really throw themselves into the event. There’s a real sense of occasion tonight, and the Bulgarians are clearly proud to have an opportunity to showcase both their broadcaster and their capital city. The evening ends in a burst of fireworks above the palace, and I head back to the hotel (walking this time) with a good feeling about Saturday’s event. Tomorrow, the press centre…