Issue 121

If Jung and Freud were to meet in Bulgaria and hold one of their notorious disputes, Jung would probably win: mythology would get the upper hand over analysis.

Notwithstanding the sometimes very complicated details of the daily twists and turns of Bulgarian politics under GERB, they can be summed up with what some Western commentators describe as Post-Truth Politics: a strongman leader at the top tells myths to his audiences and is then able to get away with it for a long, long time because voters are led by emotions rather than facts.

The trouble is that most of it is obviously ugly, kitschy, smelly, or all of the above. There are the crude fridge magnets and the decorative plates and coffee mugs with amazingly incompetent representations of local and national tourist sites. There are the decorative glass bottles filled with a concoction you are told is Rakiya (well, it might be, but just don't drink it).

This time, the hidden gem of Bulgaria is modern art.

The signs for the Originals Art Gallery lead you to a larger-than-life, white shepherd with a bright yellow cloak, leading his flock to the still waters of a small creek. The Vodna pasha, or Water Grazing, installation by Bulgarian sculptor Pavel Koychev is a mesmerising reflection on contentment and the connection with nature and appeared here first for a short time in 2009.

Springing from the most prominent Bulgarian mountain ranges, they carve, wind and splash their way though ravines and canyons and across plains, passing by cities ancient and new, before they finally join together just after the border with Turkey and flow south until they reach the Aegean.

Each of these rivers has its own route and landmarks.

It starts in Byala Slatina and seems no different to any other road through the Bulgarian countryside. It meanders between fields and from time to time cows wander across it. Byala Slatina itself is not much more exciting. It is one of a series of dull towns north of the Stara Planina whose chief claim to fame is the extreme climate: sweltering hot in summer and freezing in winter. Year-round, you will likely perish of hunger, since only the locals seem to be able to find the restaurants.

Sounds like a nightmare? The truth is even scarier: all those monstrously unpronounceable words refer to your friend's relatives. The above is, in fact, only a small sample of all the baffling kinship terms that exist in Bulgarian. You can probably describe your relationship to extended family members with a modest vocabulary consisting of grandfather, grandmother, father-in-law, mother-in-law, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law, daughter-in-law, uncle, aunt, nephew, niece and cousin.

No, this encounter of past and present is not taking place in faraway Cappadocia of worldwide renown for its odd rock chapels, but here in Bulgaria. About 20 kms from Ruse, the bends of the Rusenski Lom River embrace about a dozen churches and monastic cells hewn into the rock. In the 12th-14th centuries they composed one monastic complex. Today, they are a UNESCO World Heritage site.

Because of its proximity to Turkey, this major archaeological site has been closed off to the public for decades and has only recently begun to attract a trickle of visitors. It sits deep in the forest, and was probably an elaborate tomb complex dating back to Thracian or Roman times.

In later years parts of it were lifted by locals and used for the construction of houses as well as in Christian churches, a fine example of the amalgamation of religions typical for this part of the country.

Where in Bulgaria are you?

In July 251, the swamps at an all but forgotten corner in the Balkan realms of the Roman Empire were about to become the witness of a devastating event. Two armies stood against one another, in the summer heat. The legions of Emperor Decius (249-251) and his son and co-ruler, Herennius Etruscus, stood against the army of the Goth leader, Cniva, in the final meeting of a long cat-and-mouse game.

1. Sofia is located near which mountain?
A. The Rila
B. The Vitosha
C. The Pirin

2. What is not a traditional autumn food in Bulgaria?
A. Baked pumpkin
B. Baked chestnuts
C. Roasted lamb

3. Which writer is considered "The Patriarch" of Bulgarian literature?
A. Ivan Vazov
B. Hristo Botev
C. Elin Pelin

The weather can – and does – get pretty extreme, with temperatures plummeting, snowstorms creating whiteout conditions even in the middle of Manhattan, and airplanes getting landed for hours at the city's airports. However, with a bit of planning and some luck you will actually enjoy NYC in wintertime – that is, if you know where to go and what to expect. Following is a brief, tried-and-tested guide to the main attractions.

Battery Park

Before 1989, everyone was BKP.

Tsvetan Tsvetanov, GERB, on the Communist past of Tsetska Tsacheva

As a girl I was very much into reincarnation. Then a friend of mine computed that in one of my past lives I had been an Irish leader riding along the ocean coast.

Tsetska Tsacheva, speaker of Parliament, GERB presidential nominee

National interests stand above human rights.

Tsetska Tsacheva

This being a crucial period of my life, a period of serious decision making, just as I sit there, all of a sudden – bang! Here it comes! Another decision! So I decide to put an end to the tormenting cycle (no more isolation, no more cheese sandwiches, no more insomnia and gossip magazines).

How the times change! About a dozen of years ago, the word "spa" was still new in the Bulgarian language and the holiday at a spa hotel was mostly thought of as a lavish luxury for the chosen ones. For most of the people, spa procedures were a thing that requires a mineral water source. The professionals were few and far between.

It doesn't matter whether you are pregnant for the first or the third time: the joy of caring inside yourself a new life is the same, and so are the dreams about the future. The fears about the health of your unborn child are the same, as well as is your desire to give him or her the best long before he or she is introduced to the world.

In the autumn of 2016, the real estate market continues the upward trend of the past few years, particularly in Sofia were are concentrated more people, industries and companies. The statistics agrees. According to the state Registry Agency property deals in the Bulgarian capital in the third trimester of the year have increased with 9.5 percent in comparison with the same period of 2015.

Recently I witnessed something that until not that long ago would seem strange, but nowadays is completely normal: in a bar, after midnight, two ladies were deep in conversation about the strong points not of a man, car, school, fashion brand or even a summer holiday destination. They were talking about a particular brand of craft beer with enthusiasm, understanding and pleasure.

Maxim Behar is a globally recognised Public Relations and media expert, diplomat and entrepreneur. He is a founder, the CEO and the chairman of the board of M3 Communications Group Inc., the leading Bulgarian PR company and a part of the largest public communications corporation in the world, Hill+Knowlton Strategies. Maxim is also the president of the International Communications Consultancy Organisation.