BULGARIA
Bulgaria is in the southeast part of Europe. The coast of Black Sea is a natural magnet for tourists with its mountain ranges and the sparkling Danube river, firmly stepped on Balkan peninsula. Besides its magnificent nature, the country can offer both a wonderful climate and interesting culture.
Bulgaria is a very friendly and opened to foreigners country, especially popular with its hospitality. It can offer a combination from well preserved old villages with their unique atmosphere and modern greater cities with abundance of opportunities for business. It only depends on your interest to find what can impress you in Bulgaria. This country has western orientation and has also kept Christian values.
To cross Bulgaria up and down - this means to receive many impressions. This country is one of the pearls of Black Sea and eventually it was included into hearts of many people - i.e. a country where many of them wish to return.
Fakta
Population: 7 450 000 inhabitants
Area: 111 000 km2
Borders with: Turkey, Greece, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro and Macedonia
The coastline at Black sea: 378 km
Capital: Sofia 1,3 mio inhabitants
Official language: Bulgarian. In hotels, at restaurants and in cafes in greater cities as well as in resorts you will be attended also in English, German and Russian.
Religion: Orthodox
Currency: 1 lev = 100 stotinki, 1,95 leva = 1 Euro. The bulgarian lev is pegged to Euro
Form of government: Parliamentary republic
Nato: Full-fledged member
The Europeean Union: Expected to join by 01.01.2007
Climate
2000 - 2400 sun hours in a year and a nice summer 5 - 6 months without a burning heat, which is typical for the countries to the south of Bulgaria. The hottest months are June, July and August with average day time temperatures of the air 26 - 30 degrees, and of the water by 5 degrees lower. In coastal areas always blows a light refreshing breeze. The Bulgarian winter offers something absolutely different: a lot of snow, beautiful views to the mountains and adventures on skis and skates.
Food and drinks
The Bulgarian cuisine is exclusively tasty and various. It is easy to notice the influence of the Greek and turkish cuisines. Most used foodstuff are lamb, pork, tomatoes, cucumbers, eggplants, pepper, string beans, garlic and seasonings. You can try shopska salad, tasty dishes, prepared in a clay pot called "Gyuveche" and the famous Bulgarian yogurt, which contains Lactobacterium Bulgaricum. It is a bacterium which can be found only in Bulgaria.
Climatic conditions bring along the cultivation of the best vegetables and fruit. All bulgarians, living or having a house in the country suit themselves with foodstuff. In the market you can buy fresh and ecologically clean products for a low price from the old woman, siting on a stool in the end of the market.
If you ask senior persons of the age of over 90 years how they have reached this great age the answer always will be: "All my life I ate yogurt and drank 50 grams of rakia (the Bulgarian spirit) per day.
Bulgaria is one of the leading wine-producing countries in the world. There are produced red and white wines, both from famous and from local wine-making grapes. You can order to the waiter Gymza, Melnik, Mavrud and Pamid if you like red wine, or Misket and Dimiat if you like white wine.
The number of cafes and restaurants per capita is rather big. If you feel like trying any other kind of meal differing from the Bulgarian cuisine, it is possible to find all from American up to Japanese cuisine. Tips are not obligatory, but if you leave 10 % more than your bill, it will mean that you are very happy with the meal and the service.
Transport
Public transport in greater cities and in the resorts is regular, and the prices are low - 0,2 to 0,4 Euro. When changing to other type of transport you have to buy a new ticket.
Long-distance buses and trains connect all cities in the country. By bus it is also possible to get to Istanbul. The ticket from Varna to Istanbul costs 20 Euro. There are also standard offers from most foreign and local travel agencies which promote one overnight in a three-star hotel, breakfast, lunch and a city tour for 55 - 70 Euro.
Rent-a-car is a good way to familiarize with the country. Europcar, Sixt, Hertz, Avis and Budget have their representatives in Bulgaria.
Contact us for information about cheap flights to Bulgaria.
History
The history of Bulgarian lands is very ancient - artifacts about it date back more than 2 500 years. The most ancient gold treasure in the world, which is from the copper age, was found near Varna.
In the 7th century protobulgarians have settled in the north-east areas of Bulgaria, having mixed up with local Slavs established with them the Bulgarian state - one of the oldest states in Europe. In the second half of the 10th century the brothers Cyril and Methodius have created and overspread slavic script – an event of a great value which consolidated for ever the place of bulgarians in other Slavs’ minds and which builds a bridge between the orthodox East and the latin West. In this period Bulgaria is a strong state and also has achieved a historical recognition of a Keeper of European Christian values in Eastern Europe. Ottoman empire has occupied the torn from the inside Bulgaria in 1396 and was dominating over the following 500 years.
In the beginning of 40-s of ХХth century the Bulgarian kingdom pursued a policy in interest of the countries of the Axis, and despite of it 50 000 Bulgarian Jews have been saved from deportation owing to Bulgarian people and tsar Boris. After World War II the communists have seized the power and ruled for 45 years. In the end of 1989 a process of democratic changes has begun and now Bulgaria is a full-fledged member of NATO and its joining to the European Union in 2007 is expected.
Culture
The bulgarians have kept their national and religious traditions. The fire walking dance - the most ancient and mystical ritual, during which barefooted dancers hold an icon and go on live coals. Festival of roses - a splendid holiday which is carried out in the first week of June. The carnival of ”kukers” is a holiday which marks the beginning of spring. Participants of the carnival carry multi-coloured masks and suits from fur with a bunch of ringing bells and drive away malicious spirits. Craft products - the embroidery with complex geometrical figures, hand weaved multi-colour carpets, exceptionally beautiful woodcarvings and ceramics - they can be recited without an end.
Helpful information:
For EU citizens an entry visa to Bulgaria is not required. It is possible to use credit cards in Bulgaria, but not in all shops and restaurants there are devices for reading credit cards. In most greater cities, as well as in smaller towns there are automatic banking machines which accept cards of the following types: Visa, Mastercard, American Express, Diners.
Curious:
When bulgarians swing the head up and down in the answer it means "NO", and on the contrary when thet swing the head to the left and to the right is means "YES". But now more and more young people swing their heads the same way as in other countries in Europe.
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