Bulgaria. I had heard of it several times before finding out I was coming here on the race. But other than hearing its name and knowing its relative position in the world, I really knew nothing about it – and I feel that I am not alone on this one. So I want to take some time to write about Bulgaria, which, currently, may be my favorite country that I’ve been to on the Race (rivaling with Thailand).
First, some basic information:
Capital – Sofia
Population – 7,500,000
Size – 42,800 sqaure miles, approximately the size of Tennessee
Language – Bulgarian
Currency – Lev (1 USD = 1.4 Lev)
Government – Parliamentary Republic since 1989 (Communist from 1946-1989)
Mean Individual Income – 768 Lev/Month
Since my team has been Unsung Heroes this month, we have been able to travel the country more often than usual. We began in the capital, Sofia, and have been to Plovdiv, Varna, Veliko Tarnovo, Kazanlak, and now, Razgrad. The first thing I noticed when crossing the Macedonia-Bulgaria border by van is the natural beauty. The mountains. The familiar flora of coniferous trees and shrubs reminded me of home (besides the fact that Wisconsin is flat). Most of the mountains here aren’t too tall, but there are a few snowcapped ones around. There are valleys, beautiful flowers all over, and farmland built into rolling hills everywhere you go. The Black Sea is gorgeous and perfectly clear and the weather is spectacular.
A hill where a battle took place against the Turks.
The people here know English. Honestly, I believe I’ve learned one word in Bulgarian – duner. Duner (pronounced dooooooner) is a basically a Bulgarian gyro, just with a different type of bread and some interesting seasoning. I don’t think they are as good as suflaqe, but they definitely have a special place in my heart. Anyways, as it sounds, while people may be hesitant to admit they know english here, apparently they do. Certainly enough people know it as to where I really didn’t have to learn any words other than dooner.
Bulgaria is the world’s leading producer of lavender and rose oil.
Bulgaria’s flag isn’t anything too exciting – especially compared to Albania’s flag, which is awesome.
American’s idea of democracy and Bulgarian’s idea of democracy are different. When communism fell in 1989 and democracy was rushed in, the economy completely collapsed. And it still hasn’t really recovered. According to a conversation I had with a man, under communism, everyone had a job. Everyone had money. Everyone was given time off, was able to choose their education and occupation, and their education and health care was free. Almost immediately after communism fell, the economy crashed – jobs were lost, and no one could afford education, health care, to travel, or keep their homes or buy food as outside interests flooded into the country with inflated costs. The newfound freedoms meant nothing to the people because they had no money to exercise them. Who cares that you can travel outside the country now when you don’t have the money to feed yourself? Thousands of houses, factories, and hotels sit abandoned in ruin all over the country. The man said that if the people of Bulgaria knew then what they know now, they never would have let go of communism. Therefore, democracy, for the elders of this country, is a bad word.
They have some wicked cool art that they put on their pots, bowls, plates, ladles, basically anything kitchen related. They come in all sorts of colors and designs. If they wouldn’t be so fragile I would have picked up a pot for my mom. I myself was tempted to buy a set of tight salt and pepper shakers.
Sugar Bowl
Bulgaria is rich in history. The name Bulgaria dates back about 1400 years. There are monuments, statues, and commemorative items all over the country. They’ve built empires, been conquered by the Ottoman and Byzantine Empires, and have fought a lot of battles within its borders. We went to the sight of a battle atop a mountain in the Balkans were 3,000 Bulgarians and Russians held off 45,000 Turks for three days until reinforcements arrived – pretty BA if you ask me.
Bulgarian Freedom Fighters!
Basically, what I’m trying to say is Bulgaria is awesome. I don’t hear too much of people vacationing here, but there are definitely plenty of cool places that would be great for one. In a few days my team and I will be shipping up to Bucharest to start month 8 of the race. It’s been a good one, Bulgaria. Hopefully I’ll see you again.
