Postcard to Bulgaria

Dear BG,

I will admit, your charms have left a lasting impression on me.

Stara Planina Mountains, Bulgaria

Your natural beauty is stunning, with a towering Stara Planina mountain plateau to the north, and the even more beautiful Rhodope mountains in your south. Nestled between these giants is your fertile valley, home to fields of the queen of flowers, Rosa x damascena, and fragrant lavender plants. Even without visiting your famous Black Sea coast, Pirin and Rila Mountains, I like what I have seen.

Rhodope Mountain cliff, BG

Your natural areas are vast and not industrialized. The amount of medicinal plants species growing in your climate is astonishing.

Country house with grape arbor

Your country dwellers tend to small gardens filled with glorious peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and other vegetables. Few houses are without grape arbors, which bear the fruit to produce your famous cure-all brandy called Rakia.

Your decaying old buildings are strangely appealing to me, as long as I don’t have to spend a brutal Bulgarian winter in one of them.

St. Alexander Nevksi Church, Sofia

Your magical churches, dark and golden inside,  are filled with spirit, and I yearn to visit. Countless amounts of  precious frankincense offerings over the course of many centuries have permeated every nano particle of these holy buildings, and the aroma of Boswellia sacra is always in the air.  The mysterious Icons shine straight into my soul.

Bulgarian bagpipe player statue in Shiroka Luka, Rhodope Mountains

The asymmetrical rhythms of Turkish, Greek, Macedonian, Serbian and Roma influences in your music weave irresistible tunes to my ears.

Elvira in an ancient Thracian tomb entrance

Your ancient history speaks volumes to me.

Banya Bashi Mosque ,Sofia

 Your  role as  a cultural and commercial crossroad between East and West is significant.

Bulgarian country side in September

If only it were easier for us foreigners to come and hang out with you! You have so much to offer, but unfortunately most of us cannot easily pick up your language. We can’t drive on your pot-holed roads, nor use public transportation, because we cannot read Cyrillic alphabet signs. We’d love to visit and spend our tourist money, but our beloved plastic cash is often not accepted.

Country homestead fencing with Rosa canina, bullet shells and skull

We want to fill your huge, new, empty, Aspen and St. Moritz style mountain lodge hotels, and gorgeous restaurants build to entertain, with our friends and family, to enjoy good times  and laughter together.  We want to see the wine and Rakia flow, and watch your delicious Mediterranean cuisine disappear from our plates. But how do we get there?

Gracious host Krastyo

Here is my opportunity to extent a million thanks to my Bulgarian host and his family, who took almost a full week out of his busy life in order to show me his country.  I estimate that he drove more than 2000 miles during my visit; always in good humor and spirits, no matter how long the day, or how bad the road. Without his help I would have not been able to discover beautiful BG. For this I am most grateful.

Yours truly,

Elvira

Pastoral Bulgaria