The next day, the two sides held friendly talks and signed an alliance!
Well, that was all wishful thinking!
Diplomatic negotiations were never settled in a single leap. Negotiations over national strategies for the future were even more troublesome.
In fact, the next day, Ferdinand and Nicholas were sightseeing in Sofia.
The "Garden of God" was no empty boast. Even nineteenth-century Sofia had the beginnings of a garden city. Flowers were in full bloom, trees cast deep shade, and birdsong mingled with fragrant blossoms.
For some reason, Nicholas had recently become fascinated with history and culture. Though Bulgaria wasn't one of the four great ancient civilizations, it still had some historical depth, stretching back a thousand years.
The Thracians had settled here as early as 2000 BC. The Bulgarians' ancestors were ancient Bulgarians who had migrated from Central Asia, and in 395 AD, the region was incorporated into the Byzantine Empire.
In 681 AD, the Slavs who had moved south from the northern banks of the Danube, the ancient Bulgarians who had migrated west from the northern Caucasus, and the Thracians, under the leadership of Asparuh, defeated the Byzantine army and established the Slavic Bulgarian Kingdom in the Danube basin, later known as the First Bulgarian Empire.
Sofia had been built and settled by the Serdi tribe of the Thracians between the eighth and seventh centuries BC. It had a history of more than 2,800 years, making it one of Europe's ancient cities. In ancient times, it was known as "Serdica."
Only broken walls and remnants remained. Their exact age was now difficult to determine, but they bore witness to the vicissitudes Bulgaria had endured.
In 809 AD, Sofia became part of the Slavic Bulgarian state. From then on, it remained a gathering place for Slavs on the Balkan Peninsula.