bul·GER·ee·uh - /bʌlgɛˈɹiʌ/
Named for the Bulgars who established a large empire in the Balkans in the 7-11c AD. The name is difficult to trace earlier than the 4c AD but may be from the Proto-Turkic bulģha = to mix/ shake/stir and its derivative bulgak = revolt/ disorder/ rebel or incite + Greek suffix ia = land of 🔍, meaning Bulgaria could translate to something like land of the rebels or disturbers.
Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe† and the only one that still goes by it's original name as first founded.
† Plovdiv is the oldest continually inhabited city in Europe, with people living there for over 8,000 years.
With grand Eastern architecture in the cities, Roman ruins and small, colorful stone towns in the hills & on the banks of the Black Sea, Bulgaria is a surprisingly beautiful budget destination.
@ a glance essentials:
.
Language:
Bulgarian
-
Bulgarian Lev
Water safety
Generally Safe to Drink in tourist areas, (tastes chlorinated.) Go Bottled when Remote.
+ Turkish, Romanian & Greek. Most in larger cities can speak some English
Currency:
BGN
Local Transport
There is a bus network in large cities, but its not especially clean or comfortable. Smaller towns will require a car.
Don't be confused by local gestures - Bulgarian heads nods are reversed! They nod up and down while saying 'NO' and shake their heads back & forth when saying 'YES'
Hot Tip:
Humans have been in the region tucked between Europe, the Mediterranean & Turkey, as early as 100,000 BC, with future Bulgaria, being continuously occupied since at least the 7c BC (by the Neolithic Karanovo.)
On the land bridge between Europe & the 🔎Caucasus', the major trade route west🔍 of the Black Sea, it's was the site of constant conflict between Persians, Celts & Macedonia until the Roman Empire conquered the region in 45 AD (and when Roman splintered tribal invasions resumed.)
a bit of background...
........................ Bulgaria is the birth place of the Cyrillic alphabet and may have also invented yogurt when the nomadic Bulgar tribes settling the region carried their milk to the land in animal skin pouches, which encouraged bacterial growth (ergo creating yogurt,) on the journey.
FUN FACT:
By the 6c the whole of the Balkan territory had been settled by Slavs. And to the east, in the 630's Turkish nomadic & equestrian tribes united into a powerful confederation🔍; the Patria Onoguria, (including the country's namesake people; the Onogur Bulgars.) These Bulgars invaded the eastern portion of the region and established the 1st Bulgarian Empire, (Onogundur-Bulgar Empire, or Old Great Bulgaria) which lasted until the early 11c when it was conquered by the Byzantine Empire.
After a successful revolt in 1185 the 2nd Bulgarian Empire was established but it fell under Ottoman Empire rule, in 1396. The modern Bulgarian state🔍 was finally formed as a 🔎principality after the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–78 and it declared independence from the Ottomans in 1908.
Allied with the Central Powers in WWI, Bulgaria lost a significant amount of territory and became a dictatorship for a time. In WWII, after the death of it's Tsar† it joined the Axis Powers, but refused to participate in the Nazi invasion of the USSR, and even managed to save most of it's Jewish population from the holocaust. Bulgaria was then invaded by the USSR in 1944, and was incorporated in the Soviet Eastern Bloc, until the revolutions of 1989 when it transitioned into a democracy, becoming the 🔎Republic of Bulgaria in 1991.
† The Tsar was replaced with a Prime Minister who, interestingly, wasn't a politician or statesman, but an archeologist & art historian
Must Try Local Cuisine:
Bulgarian Sirene Cheese† ∞ Patatnik - crisp grated potatoes, cheese & egg w/ spices & Gyosum mint on a flat pie
Kiselo Mlyako - thick yogurt desert ∞ Kebapche - (sort of a Slavic Hot Dog🔍) grilled mince meat w/ cumin
Tarator - a cold yogurt & cucumber soup ∞ Tulumba†† - deep-fried unleavened dough w/ a sugar syrup
Banitsa or Gibanica traditional pastries filled yogurt and or soft cheeses
Shkembe Chorba - tripe soup ∞ Cheverme - a spit grilled whole lamb
➿➰➿
† A white cheese in brine (or Sirene) similar to Feta †† Also known as Pomba, Bamiyeh or Balaḥ ash-Shām
I haven't yet had the opportunity to visit
Bulgaria
(but it's on the list!) - So I don't have any personal
(If you get there first send me your best finds !)
recommendations yet, but you can start with the most popular spots
below, and I'll update with my favorites, hopefully soon!
Most Known For:
♦️ Black Sea🔍 Coast - the most affordable seaside resorts in Europe in cities like Varna,
🔸 Sofia - w/ the ancient Roman Serdica Amphitheatre, the Rotunda of St. George, (a 4c
brick Roman Bath later converted to early Christian Byzantine church, the 6c
Sveta Sofia Church🔍, medieval Boyana Church & domed Aleksander Nevski Cathedral†
♦️ The 12c Hermit caves of Ivanovo carved in Muraled Rock Churches
🔸 Belogradchik Rocks - natural formations up to 650+ feet high, resembling people & animals
♦️ The Rhodope & Pirin mountains & Musala Peak (the highest peak in the Balkans)
🔸 The Valley of Roses 🌹 - were Rose Damascena is cultivated (the Rose oil is as pricey as gold)
† Not to be confused with the equally impressive cathedral of the same name in Tallin | Estonia
👀 NOTABLE BULGARIANS:
📜 Saint Cyril | of Cyrillic ABC's 👑 Aurelian & Decius | Roman Emperors 💮 Baba Vanga | Blind Mystic
⚔️ Belisarius | Byzantine Military Commander 🎭 Stanislav Ianevski | Actor [Viktor Krum | Harry Potter]
👣
🌀 Nestinarstvo Fire 🔥 Dancing Festival (June 3rd) - one of the oldest Bulgarian traditions, preserved only in 3
Strandzha Mountain villages (Bulgari, Brodilovo, & Kosti.) It includes dancing across burning embers
barefoot to ensure health & fertility (It's roots may lay in the cult of the Sun of the Thracians)
🌀 Surva (last weekend of January) - festival of Masquerade Games in Pernik (biggest one in the Balkans.)
Mummers in scary masks with bells & cowbells brandish swords/ sticks to scare away the barren winter spirits
🌀 Kaba Gaida / Rhodope Mountains Bagpipe Festival (August) - a clan music culture & folklore festival in Gela
🌀 Carnival of Humour (mid May) - People dress as characters, (wizards, gypsies, musketeers toreadors etc.) &
parade through Gabrovo.
Site Key:
Five Star Recommend
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