TRAVEL

Stretching for over 12 km, the sand ribbon by the Black Sea between Shkorpilovtsi to the south and Kamchiya to the north is a quiet spot blessed with clean sand, pristine sea and a thick longoz forest abuzz with wildlife, including the region's notorious mosquitoes. Many Bulgarians go to Kamchiya beach in summer, as it never gets crowded and accommodation is cheap. You can choose between rundown bungalows built under Communism or free camping. Construction in the area is prohibited, as a significant part of it belongs to a nature reserve.

А wise ruler who made Bulgaria a regional and international political and technological leader, and who tirelessly worked for the prosperity of the entire nation. A stupid person who caused the Bulgarian economy to collapse at least twice. A sly politician who played Soviet Union leaders like a fiddle, securing much-needed resources for the Bulgarian economy in the midst of a global oil crisis. A national traitor who was ready to make Bulgaria just another republic of the USSR. A patriot dedicated to protecting this nation's sovereignty from a possible attack by Turkey.

The throngs of tourists jostling for a better view of the Mona Lisa have become so overwhelming that the Louvre is already planning to exhibit it in a separate space. Such obstacles are not encountered when viewing Ahinora, a painting of a woman with eyes as enigmatic as Mona Lisa's smile, created by one of Bulgaria's most prominent painters.

Painted in 1925 by Ivan Milev (1897-1927), Ahinora mesmerises with her oversized, green eyes: feverish and fixed with fear, amazement or curiosity about something or someone beyond the frame.

Increasingly, many Bulgarians towns and even villages these days host jazz festivals of various standing and quality. Visitors will be bemused to hear Dixie being played in some remote corner of northern Bulgaria or fusion blasting out by the Black Sea coast. Yet there is only one place that attempts not just to offer a few jams and plenty of drinks, but also to visualise, literally, the music and the performers.

With established resorts, new resorts and resorts under construction, the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast sometimes appears to be one big development site. In summertime, when the crowds flock to the bustling compounds of Sunny Beach, blue-collar paradise Primorsko and nouveau riche-attracting Lozenets and St Vlas, it can become overwhelming. Nevertheless, there are some places between Burgas in the north and Rezovo in the south that have miraculously resisted concrete development. What about the strip of coast between Cape Emine and Burgas?

Аt first glance Dobrich might disappoint. The town is in the heart of Dobrudzha, in a region that's one of the first where the Proto-Bulgars settled at the end of the 7th century. Nothing of note has remained from these early times; after the Pecheneg inroads in the 11th century, this part of Dobrudzha remained depopulated for centuries. The precursor of Dobrich appeared in the 16th century, in Ottoman times. Its name was Hadjioglu Pazardzhik.

Summer is here, so going to the seaside for some fun, sun, sand and a swim is no longer a whim – it is a necessity! But where should you go? If you do not want to join the thousands of Bulgarians and Romanians heading to the border crossings with Greece, then Bulgaria is the obvious answer. Although the hectic overdevelopment that has plagued the Bulgarian Black Sea coast since the 2000s continues, there are a handful of beaches that still offer a sense of freedom, clean sand and an alluring sea.

Devoted freedom fighters, manly Red Army soldiers and workers, visionary or thoughtful Communist leaders: this is what comes to mind when we think of Communist-era public art statues and monuments. Indeed, these archetypes of exemplary regime citizens were produced en masse between 1944 and 1989 and can still be found all over Bulgaria.

Authenticity, genuine patterns and natural materials are all the rage in interior design today. Current trends are all about handcrafted products that are beautiful to look at, do not pollute the environment and are not harmful to your health with microplastics and dust-generating synthetic materials. Finding such interior products is not easy. But in a small town in Bulgaria you can find a surviving tradition that for centuries has produced amazing hand-woven carpets in stunning designs, using real wool and natural dyes.

Let's try a thought experiment. You are in a closed room, without windows, with only a smartphone connected to the Bulgarian Facebook, to get information about what is going on in the country and the world. Soon you will discover that thanks to the content uploaded by social media users, you will be able to keep track of the change of seasons. Everyone complaining about the mile-long traffic jam on the motorway to Greece and/or boasting about their homemade kozunak sweetbreads? Ah, Easter is coming. Your feed is full of little children with heavy rucksacks and gigantic bouquets?