Bulgaria's Days of Wine & Roses
By Robert Haru Fisher
The very name of Bulgaria to most Americans conveys an air of romance and mystery, occasioned perhaps by its relative remoteness in the days before air travel and email, when getting there from here was a chore, and communication always slow and doubtful. With the nation's emergence as a vital new democracy, however, observers have seen over the past 15 years the growth of a new spirit of unity with the rest of Europe and new expressions of hope in all cultural endeavors. Now is a good time to visit, when the tourism infrastructure has greatly improved, making it much easier to get around the country as rapidly as necessary, and in comfort. (But I would add, take your time and, of course, smell the roses.)
Whatever may happen, Bulgaria always has its permanent charms, from the glorious Valley of the Roses to its sunny Black Sea Coast, and much inland to attract thoughtful visitors as well. A sense of new beginnings is very much in evidence throughout the country, all the more so in the center of Sofia itself. And on a national scale, Bulgaria is a candidate for full membership in the European Union in the near future, authorities say.
Cultural Highlights
Bulgaria has seven cultural sites and two nature reserves on the UNESCO World Register of Historical Sites, a lot for a small country. Included are two Thracian tombs (3rd century BC), the Boyana Church in Sofia, the Ivanovo Rock Monasteries, the famous Rila Monastery, and the old town of Nissebar, on a peninsula in the Black Sea.
There are many other monasteries worth seeing, of course, including those of Bachkovo, Zograph (St. George), Preobazhenie, Troyan, Dryanovo, Sokolovo and Saints Kyrik & Yulita.
At the National Opera House, you can take in musical productions or the ballet (website
http://geobiz.iserver.net/sfopera/index_en.html) and at Bulgaria Hall other musical events as well.
Perhaps you might hear a group such as Le Mystere des Voix Bulgares, which has toured the USA recently, relying on "centuries-old vocal techniques" and described by the St. Louis Post-Dispatch as presenting "the most beautiful music on the planet."
Events
Among stellar events you should try to see are the various Rose Festivals held in the Valley of Roses in May or June. In 2005, the dates ranged from May 29 through June 12, in the towns and villages of Kanchevo, Karlovo, Kazanluk and Pavel Banya. Check
www.bulgariatravel.org for exact dates for 2006.
The International Folklore Festival is held simultaneously with the Festival of Roses, the latter in the town of Kazanluk, at the eastern end of the Valley (June).
Outdoors
Two areas, the Pirin National Park and the Sreburna Natural reserve, are UNESCO Heritage Sites, well worth visiting. The park contains 176 lakes and many glacial massifs, while Sreburna is a biosphere nature reserve. Hiking and biking are popular in both sites.
Health
With over 600 hot springs in the country, it's natural that some 300 have been turned into spas, many at the modern resorts along the Black Sea Coast, some in the mountains.
Among the seaside resorts with full spa facilities are the Iberostar Obzor Beach-Izgrev, the LTI Berlin Golden Beach Hotel, and the Hotel Ambassador, all at Golden Sands; the Dobrudja at the Albena Resort; and the Grand Hotel Varna and the Hotel Sirius at St. Constantine Resort. Rates for the preceding range on package tours from as low as Euros 32 (about $39) per person per night, breakfast and dinner included. Children are invited free or at a discount, depending on age and resort.
In the mountains, spa facilities can be had at such hotels as the Murgavets at the Pamporovo Resort in the Rhodopi Mountains; the August Hotel at the Hisarya Spa Resort in the Sredna Gora Mountains; and the Inter Hotel Sandanski at the Sandanski Spa Resort in the Pirin Mountains. At these mountain spas, package tour prices range from as low as Euros 45 (about $54) per person per night.
Cuisine
Somewhat similar in many ways to more familiar Greek cooking, Bulgarian cuisine also has strong Slavic overtones, so that some restaurants will have both
shopska salata (feta cheese, cucumbers, peppers and onions in salad form) and borscht, for instance. Lamb and stuffed peppers are also popular items on the menu. Bulgarian wines, especially the red ones, are hearty and relatively inexpensive, while the ever-present
rakia brandy is pretty strong stuff. Cognoscenti say they can tell the difference between the grape and plum versions, equally fragrant.
Shopping
If you are looking for things to buy in Sofia, head for the city's main shopping street, Vitosha Boulevard, where you will find everything you want, from handcrafted items to local fashions, as well as wines and
rakia (brandy) to pottery and linens.
Accommodations
Sofia abounds in good hotels (at least 45 of them), including several in the 5-star category (Anel, Grand, Hilton, Kempinski, Radisson SAS and Sheraton), more in the 4-star grouping (Ambassador, Atlantic, Art, Best Western (2), Crystal Palace, Downtown, Expo, Europe, Festa Barcelo, Geneva, Gloria Palace, Greenville, Light, Maria Louisa, Odajiski, Olymp Park, Princess, Rodina, Sofia, Traiada, Tasarko Selo and Vitosha), and quite a few in the 3-star listings (Brod, Bulgaria Grand, Harmony, Hemus, Lozenetz, Meg, Niky, Serdika, Scotty's and Zenith). There are also many one-and two-star establishments.
Along the Black Sea Coast, dozens of fine hotels can attend to your creature comforts, and small villages throughout the country have cozy accommodations that can transport you back in time.
Major Destinations
Sofia
Among the leading museums are the following: The National History Museum, covering prehistoric times to the present, with some nice gold and silver pieces (the Panagyurishte Treasure) and works of the 19th-century Bulgarian National Revival movement, including folk costumes and rooms from that era. You may find the Archeological Museum as interesting for its building, a 15th-century former mosque, as for its exhibits. The National Art Gallery should be visited by anyone interested in Bulgarian art, as its collection is outstanding.
Important highlights are many, but the list leads off with the gigantic church of St. Alexander Nevsky, with icons galore in its Crypt Museum, the religious votives dating as far back as the end of the 9th century, with more than 1500 pieces. Nevsky, of course, was the remarkable prince who stopped invasions of Russia from both Swedes and Germans back in the 13th century, and who was made a saint for the effort. The Bulgarians, who suffered under Turkish rule for nearly five centuries, built the church to honor the 200,000 Russians who died in the Russo-Turkish Liberation War (1877-78), which broke Ottoman rule. Construction on the church began with the cornerstone laying in 1882, the work being finished in 1912. (The saint's silver tomb is in the Hermitage Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, by the way.)
Another cultural highlight is the Rotunda of St. George, a brick church behind the Sheraton Hotel. Its origins date back to the 4th century when it was a Roman temple, with great 10th-century frescoes of the prophets in the dome. This is now a museum. St. Sophia Church is the oldest Orthodox house of worship in Sofia, dating back, however, to 527. During Turkish rule, it functioned as a mosque, but it was abandoned, restoration work beginning finally about 1900.
If you haven't been to Russia, you can still see a Russian church, the St. Nikolai, built in 1912 by Russian workmen, and boasting five gold-plated domes and plenty of icons and frescoes inside. A rather typical Turkish mosque still exists in the middle of Sofia, too, the Banya Bashi (1576), on Maria Luisa Boulevard. The city's main synagogue, opened in 1909, is said to resemble a famous Sephardic house of worship in Vienna, the latter destroyed by World War II bombing. This synagogue has what is claimed to be the biggest chandelier in the Balkans.
Perhaps you may find it fun to stroll through the Central Market Hall, filled now with restaurants instead of food stalls, but also boasting Roman ruins in the basement. You can find more information about the capital at
www.sofia.com.
Valley of the Roses
Sheltered by two mountains ranges (Balkan and Sredna Gora), the valley is an especially lovely place to visit in the months of May and June, though rose oil, which has provided the world's perfume industry with essence since the 17th century at least, is available year round. The most important town is Kazanluk, followed closely by Karlovo, then by several pretty villages.
Black Sea Coast
Wide, sandy beaches, sky blue water and modern hotels are the trademarks of all the Black Sea resorts, starting with Varna, of course, the unofficial capital of the shore. Of some 30 resorts, here are a few that stand out, either for their location, their history, their accommodations, or their cuisine, to name just a few of the factors that make it difficult to choose where to go:
- Balchik is small, but attractive, with a history 2,600 years old, the town arranged on a cliffside leading down to a pleasant beach.
- Golden Sands, just ten miles from Varna, is one of the largest resorts on the Northern Black Sea Coast, with wide beaches.
- Nessebar, one of the oldest towns in Europe, is on the UNESCO World Heritage List for its unique architecture, the 20 or so places of interest in town exemplifying Bulgarian building traditions over the years.
- Ravda, a cozy village just one mile from Nessebar, is a special favorite of children and young people.
- St. Constantine is the oldest resort on the coast, and is just 6 miles northeast of Varna. It's been around since ancient times, thanks partly to its famous mineral springs.
- Sunny Beach is the coast's biggest resort, with the longest and widest strip of beach, hotels being spread out along the beach and among the dunes behind it.
- Sunny Day is the name of a luxury resort in a quiet bay in St. Constantine.
- Sveti Vlas makes its unique combination of sea, mountains and climate seem as natural as the sun. It lies just 6 miles from Nessebur (which see) and 25 miles from the town of Bourgas.
Getting There
You can get to Sofia by air on Balkan Bulgarian Airlines from any of several European capitals, including London, Paris or Frankfurt.
Much more information on Bulgaria is available through the Bulgarian National Tourist Office, website
www.bulgariatravel.org.
|
|
|
|
|
