Journey Across Bulgaria

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Bulgaria Translates as Beauty in Bulgarian

Well, these are just rumors spread by numerous tourist and visitors to our country, but that still means that it takes a couple of lifetimes (no one was able to do the exact calculation) to enjoy all it has to offer.

And while there are real jewels of interest, taken the shape of ancient Roman digging sites, awesome mountain peaks or minuscule but tremendously charming villages, spread all over it, it is the few major cities that have it all :)

And that is what this map above is for.

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What is What on the Map of Bulgaria

Sofia, the red dot to the west of the map, is the capital of the country. Even according to people living in the countryside (who are raging against Sofian cultural and social hegemony) exciting stuff is everywhere in and around it.

Vitosha, to start with, is the nearby mountain that is used for light hiking, skiing or mountain cycling by Sofia residents and visitors. A trek there could end in 20 minute-picnic or stretch for a full 8 hour walk - depending on your fit and athletic hunger :)

The yearly calendar is stuffed with multiple dancing, design, sports and artistic festivals, many of which happen for the first time ever, not only in Bulgaria, but on global scale. And most of them are free to not only observe but also to actively join and add your share to everyone's fun.

Museums are omnipresent anywhere as if they have to show some different history, art or nature... Skip them in favor of the ample pack of monasteries around the capital (and a three digit number throughout Bulgaria). Some of them are simply amazing with their majestic architecture while others are built in series of jaw-dropping locations - like the Monastery of Razboishte, that is built to the side of a solid rock ridge and yet it has a full-sized operational bell!

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The Thirteenth Country with Two Capitals

Few people, except the locals are aware of the fact that Bulgaria actually has two capital cities - the capital of business - Sofia, and the vacation capital - Varna.

The criterion for calling Varna "a capital" is based solely on the absolute number of people populating it through the summer months. In fact, Varna, which is very charming, romantic and fun medium sized shore-city, gets up to twice as big, when invaded by beach combers from Germany, UK, Russia, Scandinavia and other parts of Bulgaria.

Varna is also a classic spot for Bulgarian students and youth to earn their pocket cash, working on the sea-side selling summer necessities like ice-cream, sunglasses, sea-shell necklaces and so on. Both Vide and Emo had their time in turns selling sweets, beverages and sunglasses :)

Other than that, all those who had a pair of working eyes, ears and a beating heart admit that Varna is unbeatable when it comes to midnight swims or walks with their sweethearts in the famous and loved Sea Garden (Морска Градина in Bulgarian), taking an open-air bus and touring around or simply claim a bench and contemplate the summer crowd fuss through its pedestrian-only parts.

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Veliko Tarnovo

It is not only great, because the history brought a ready-to-use "Great" prefix to its name (Veliko, the first name of the city translates as "Great") but because this place sports an outstanding vertical, house-on-top-of-another house-architecture.

Well, the term architecture always fails to convey the sense of charm and fascination, Veliko Tarnovo's architecture is known for - even many miles beyond the boundaries of Bulgaria.

The houses are its face. But the heart of it are its narrow streets, circling and winding, going up and down around completely conserved ages-old houses, cafes, craftsmen's workshops, bakeries and souvenir stores.

And while small in size, thus easily walkable in just half a day, it never fails in attracting you again and again, always going through the same captivating paths and happy, dreamy and playful feelings.

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The Line that Only the Toughest Reach

Everyone who has ever been a student knows that the last paragraph of the book for the upcoming exam is the hardest to read, be it "important" or "rewarding" as proff's claim.

That is why we held back the cities of Plovdiv, Silistra and Burgas for the keen adventurers that go beneath the surface in search of what is new and intriguing. And these three definitely are.

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Plovdiv

Starting with Plovdiv, we should first say that it is the definitive magical place, an ancient but refined Roman settlement - tourist-wise that means churches, Roman paveways and an authentic theater from the era of Caesar! It was almost untouched when dug out and is now used for the exact same purpose as it was thousands of years ago - concerts and spectacles are held there during the summer months.

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Silistra

Silistra's fame sits on top of three main (Doric-styled) columns:

one, like Plovdiv (hope it was not simply copying it), it was built over ancient Roman outpost, which means it is no big deal for anyone there to occasionally find coins that date back to our pre-pre-pre-pre-ancestors; every bigger soil excavation uncovers Roman ruins that were once baths, villas or paveways;

two, it is a medium-side riverside city that allows for taking a boat trip to and fro the Bulgarian and Romanian coasts of the Danube river; or simply chilling with some fried sprat and a beer while a powerful seagull choir orchestrates;

three, just steps away (well, at least figuratively speaking) from the city there is a UNESCO-protected wild-life reserve that goes under the name of Srebarna ("Made of Silver"). This lush nature is a home for tens of mammal, bird and fish species and has a dedicated museum open for all nature lovers - opened throughout the week and free in Thursday.

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Burgas Ends It

The last in our must-visit list is Burgas, a town that shares the fame of its world-class golden-sand beaches with Varna.

The truth is, Vide and Emo had never explored what it has to offer in depth, but that is soon to happen. And if you do that first, add a comment or two to let us know ;)