Issue 166

where in bulgaria are you 166.jpg

WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?

But behind the trinket souvenir stands and the overpriced tavernas it holds many centuries of history, a charming old town and perhaps the biggest concentration of medieval churches in Bulgaria. All are situated on an erstwhile island, which is now connected to the mainland by a causeway, and have rightfully gained the location an UNESCO World Heritage Site status.

Where in Bulgaria are you? 

Wed, 08/05/2020 - 11:57
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Madara Horseman

MADARA HORSEMAN

Bulgaria as a country, if not a state, has been around for a while. Established in 681, it was an offshoot of the few viable Barbarian lands and federations that popped up in Europe, wreaked havoc and disintegrated in the tumultuous times between the end of Antiquity and the start of the Middle Ages. In the centuries that followed, Bulgaria experienced both periods of triumph and moments of despair, and it ceased to exist as a political entity for 700 years under Byzantine and Ottoman domination.

Wed, 08/05/2020 - 11:51
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wondrous bridges.jpg

RHODOPE: WONDROUS BRIDGES

Dragons are imaginary creatures and geological processes are real, but the Wondrous Bridges in the Rhodope make believing in imaginary creatures easier.

The nature phenomenon is at the end of a potholed road that twists and turns for 16 kms west of Road 86, the main route that connects Smolyan in the Rhodope with the wider world. The area's peaks are dark green with firs and the deep valleys are white with streams, a picturesque cover of karst core, the result of millions of years of volcanic and tectonic activity.

Wed, 08/05/2020 - 10:53
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THE SHAPES WE TWIST INTO

I've been to Bulgaria twice, separated by a gap of three years, though it feels like I've actually been to two different Bulgarias. This difference is on my mind as I think of how my home country, America, has changed in about the same timeframe. I feel like I've lived in two different Americas lately, and think back to Bulgaria looking for words to pinpoint this sensation.

Wed, 08/05/2020 - 10:14
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QUOTE-UNQUOTE

We do not cling to power like monkeys to a palm.

Valeri Simeonov, Chairman of junior government partner National Front for the Salvation of Bulgaria

Now we have days without a single stolen car reported to the police.

Chief Prosecutor Ivan Geshev

Without contacts in high offices in Bulgaria you are doomed.

Entrepreneur Plamen Bobokov

Tue, 08/04/2020 - 11:55
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Donkey Bulgaria

BULGARIA'S DONKEYS

When was the last time you saw a donkey when travelling in rural Bulgaria? For many, Bulgarians included, this is a pointless question. The sight of a grey or brown donkey quietly grazing or pulling a cart is taken for granted in this nation's countryside, both as a charming relic of the past and as a sign that many people in EU-member Bulgaria are still too poor and/or too old to afford farm machinery or cars.

Sun, 08/02/2020 - 11:18
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MISSION QUALITY HEALTHCARE

Just like happy families from the famous Tolstoy definition, well managed medical facilities are alike. In them, organisation of each process is optimised to perfection. The medical staff is calm and enjoys management's support and opportunities to grow professionally. The ambiance is pleasant. The healthcare and its results are the best possible, irregardless of whether a state, a municipality or a privately-owned medical facility is concerned.

Sun, 08/02/2020 - 10:43
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