BULGARIA

If you go to Bulgaria to enjoy the sun and sand, life is inexpensive, and there are miles of Black Sea coast ready to welcome you. However, if you have time for sightseeing be prepared to go back in time, to a way of life that reminds one of past ages. Sitting on a hotel terrace at sunset, looking across the gorge at the old capital city of Veliko Turnovo lit by the sun’s rays, must be one of the tourist sights of the world. Across a deep valley an incredible vista shows houses piled one on top of the other to the top of the hill. After toasting the sunset, make your way to the Sound and Light spectacle, which tells the story of this site and its buildings.

When Bulgaria was a communist state, the repressive regime stamped out all things to do with its ancient history; no one was taught that once the traders were so rich they were important financiers for projects like the Suez Canal, or that the monasteries contained such superb buildings that some are now UNESCO Heritage sights. But today, around every corner, there is something to remind you of Bulgaria’s past. The Bulgarians haven’t had much luck – in fact they thought the Russians were saviours because they were taught that they helped rid the country of the Turks who had captured them in the 14th century. Who actually saved them, and the Christian Bulgarians that the Turks were killing, was Benjamin Disraeli, and today you find old streets named after the Prime Minister. He was a superb politician, and when the European powers met in Berlin to discuss ‘the Balkan question’, Disraeli’s diplomacy triumphed, and Bulgaria became free. During Turkish occupation, Bulgaria was a prosperous country. Sitting on the crossroads between Europe and the Turkish Ottoman Empire, provided merchants paid their taxes to the Ottoman Sultan’s representative, they were able to carry on trading and live extremely comfortable lives. In the process they made so much money that many old houses contain a strong room, hidden in the centre of the house. Designed to be difficult to reach, when robbers tried to steal the merchants’ gold or kidnap his family, they would have to go through several strong doors and defences to reach this inner hiding place. Whilst Queen Elizabeth I and her court marvelled at an indoor loo, these houses boasted sewage systems that seem modern today. Hygiene was important, and women who had just given birth were isolated for 40 days, with their newborn baby, to ensure no infection harmed mother or child.

Today, many of these old houses are being restored, and it is possible to stay in them if you want to experience Bulgarian life. However, do book through a reputable agent; we were proudly shown a village home and asked if we would like to stay – but I had just seen the bathroom, with a shower head poised over a dangling electric switch – no thanks! Instead, we paid a bit more to an agent, and ended up spending three nights in a delightful old wooden house in Plovdiv, whose previous occupant had been the Secretary General of the United Nations. There was no airconditioning; instead a tall ceiling spiralled up to a hole in the roof, where hot air was sucked up to cool the rooms. From our bedroom window we looked down over the magnificent Roman amphitheatre, beautifully restored and the scene today of classical dramas and opera. One modern touch was a tall fridge in a bedroom corner. Thinking this was the usual mini-bar, I went to get a cold drink and out fell a frozen lobster – I did wonder what the UN’s representative had been up to the previous night.

One of the most popular excursions is a visit to Rila Monastery, south of the modern capital Sofia. Built in 927, Rila is four stories of wooden balconies overhanging the courtyard. Wandering around, you realise some of the planks may well have been laid over a thousand years ago. It is possible to stay in the monastery, but plumbing is in keeping with the age of the buildings! If you are lucky you might hear a choir – or even take part in a church ceremony. About 50% of the population are Orthodox Christians, the other half are Moslem, particularly in the south near the Turkish border. All over Bulgaria you see Orthodox priests in their elegant black hats and long robes, and many are happy to show off their church treasures, particularly the Icons.

And enjoy Bulgaria! Very easy to do when some of the local wines are superb. Generally we don’t know much about these, or dismiss them as plonk, because quality control is taking time to develop; you have to know your individual vineyards. So take the advice of a good wine waiter, and drink what they recommend – it can be surprisingly cheap and incredibly good.

For more details about booking flights or a packagae holiday for Bulgaria, email us below.

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