Bulgaria may not be the first place you think of when planning your vacation, but many Europeans have already discovered that the eastern destination located on the coast of the Black Sea has a lot to offer 15 years after emerging from the communist rule.

Known as the land of roses, Bulgaria is small with landmass, but large with ancient culture, scenic beauty and friendly people. Nestled along the Black Sea between Romania and Greece, Bulgaria provides tourists with a variety of activities and points of interest most anytime of the year. However, if you are not a skier or a lover of colder weather, you may want to plan your travel between May and October. The summers are hot and dry, spring is mild and pleasant and the ski season begins in December and can continue into April.

Bulgaria has changed swiftly over the last decade, though in the villages you can still find folk, who ride a horse and carriage to work, eat homegrown potatoes and make their own cheese. The difference now is that they wash it all down in front of a satellite TV. It is also not a surprise to see a horse and carriage traveling through the streets of Sofia (Bulgaria’s capitol), as well.

There is so much to see along the countryside that it is almost hard to tell about everything. But the concatenation of Sofia and the Black Sea will give enough to tempt your palette and even just traveling from the city to the sea, the countryside will be diverse and beautiful. One well-known site is the endless fields of sunflowers.

The mountains play a large part in the country’s landscape, and Sofia is located near one of the largest, Mt Vitosha. Mt Vitosha is a popular ski resort in winter and in summer a chairlift operates giving sightseers a great way to ogle at the mountains amazing views. Vitosha is accessible by local bus, making it an extremely popular Sunday outing for the locals; so take the trip on another day if you can.

One hotel worth a stay or at least a drink in the bar is Kopitoto. The hotel is a bit pricey, estimated cost is about 120 Euros for a double, so if you are on a budget, you may want to just pop in for a drink or dinner. The hotel’s restaurant sits on the side of the mountain and hosts a view of the city below that is breathtaking.

Like any capital city, Sofia is rich in museums. The National History Museum has a fine collection, assembled in 1981 to celebrate 1300 years of Bulgarian statehood. Thracian gold treasures are spaciously displayed, often singly, so they can be fully appreciated.

Sofia offers a mix of culture in both architecture and in cuisine. A walk around the city will show you a variety of churches and other architectural treasures. The Nevski (Alexander Nevski Memorial Church) is the largest of such sites and sits in the city center.

The Nevski was built in honor of the Russian casualties of Bulgaria's War of Liberation of 1877-78. It took 30 years to complete with artists and craftsmen from 6 countries. The interior has Italian marble, Egyptian alabaster, Brazilian onyx, gold, and mosaics depicting the sprit of the Eastern Orthodox traditions.

The prettiest church in Sofia is the so-called Russian Church, St. Nicholas. Its bright yellow tiled exterior, gilded domes and emerald green spire contrast its dark interior.

Sofia has a slue of restaurants with a wide variety of cuisines to choose from. If you are traveling during the summer you will find many of the restaurants and cafes have outdoor seating and since the days are quite long during the summer and the nights are warm, you’ll probably fine the outdoor patios to be of preferred choice.

Be prepared that the head movements for yes and no of Bulgarians are opposite to that of the US and other parts of the world. For instances, the motion for yes is a shake from side to side and the motion for no is a head nod. There is a slightly more confusing motion, which consist of a sort of mixture between the two. I call the motion the bobble, which I am still not a hundred percent sure, but I think it means maybe. So don’t be surprised when you order your first meal and the server shakes their head in the “traditional” no motion and walks away. You will soon learn that they meant yes and will return with your order shortly.

The Black Sea is beautiful calm water. A great place for windsurfing and other water sports. There are a number of places to visit along the coast that offer complete a contrast in environments. Sunny Beach is a popular spot and many tourists choose it for their beach vacation. The beach is filled in the summer creating a sea of umbrellas along the white sand. There many restaurants, discos and other attractions to keep the visitors entertained.

Just a short trip away from Sunny Beach is the amazing Nesebâr. Even though it is only a ten minute car ride it is completely different in feel, still popular with tourist but the town, which sits on a small rocky peninsula connected to the mainland by a narrow isthmus, still has remnants of the second-century city walls, and stone and timber houses that line cobbled stone streets.

It was once of great importance to Byzantium as a trading town, although many of the 40 churches built in Nesebâr during the 5th and 6th centuries are now in ruin.

If you are looking for places that are less visited you can drive along the coast and find a variety of small villages to choose from, all with their own charm.

You’ll most likely find that souvenirs, admission prices, food and drink, and all forms of transport (including taxis) are fairly inexpensive. Although, Sunny Beach and Nesebâr consistently have higher prices, about double the prices of that in sofia or the countryside. Anything you can get for the same price as a Bulgarian will be cheaper than the higher “tourist” price. When taking a taxi you should be selective on the ones you choose, sometimes the drivers will want to charge you more, if they think you don’t know your way around. 2 to 3 Lev should be enough to get around to most parts of the Sofia. Bulgarian money is in the form of Lev. 1 Lev (Lv) is equivalent to 100 stotinki.

Cash is easily changed at numerous small exchange offices, usually for no commission. Travelers' checks are more of a hassle, as many banks do not accept them, and those that do will charge a commission of around 5%. ATMs are a common sight in Sofia and at Black Sea resorts, and cash advances on credit cards are also available in these areas.

Still, it's best to bring plenty of cash to Bulgaria, because most businesses do not accept credit cards.

The following is a general range of prices for meals and lodging:

Meals
Budget: Lv2-8
Mid-range: Lv8-10
High: Lv10-20
Deluxe: Lv20+

Lodging
Budget: Lv10-40
Mid-range: Lv40-70
High: Lv70-100
Deluxe: Lv100+

Like the Greeks the Bulgarian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet (now I understand what the saying “it is Greek to me” truly means..). It is hard to get used to, because what looks like the letter “P”, for example is pronounced like the letter “R”, not to mention all the added letters that look more like symbols than letters. However, once you start to grasp the alphabet, you’ll find speaking the language to be quite fun and if you are not able to learn much Bulgarian, there are many Bulgarians that speak English, especially in the tourist areas, restaurants and hotels.

As summer approaches and you are looking for a new place for adventure, consider Bulgaria, you may find it is a place you want to go more than once.


 


 
© Melt Magazine 2005