ISSUE 94/2014

5.95 leva

ZINE
NGLISH MAGA
BULGARIAS E

9 771312 859112

ISSN 1312-8590

06

Clar!s, image builder - Photo Nicolas Claris

BUZLUDZHA
FLYING SAUCER

I SSU E 9 4 / 2 0 1 4

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keynote

dear vagabond
If opinion polls in Bulgaria are anything to go by and they are not
necessarily, as various political parties employ various polling agencies
to report good news about them in order to convince the public they
are doing better than is actually the case Boyko Borisov's GERB looks
set to return to power at the 5 October snap election. Many people are
worried.
Many can well remember Borisov's utter disregard for the law and
in many cases for simple human decency. They can remember his
unsound economic policies that still keep Bulgaria in the throngs of an
economic crisis long forgotten in other parts of Europe, his contempt
for anything that even remotely smacks of democracy, and his uncouth
manners that make many Bulgarians feel ashamed they belong to the
same nation. Many also remember his odious interior minister, Tsvetan
Tsvetanov, who tried to turn the country into a post-Communist
police state.
But many others express support for the man who, if he were to be
described in three words, would at best be uneducated, garrulous and
burly. Why?
Borisov is very obviously not the sort of person you would like to
go to a classical music concert with, but to put the blame on him for
everything that's gone wrong in Bulgaria in the past five years would be
unfair. The former firefighter from Bankya is merely a representative of
a prevalent mindset and a kind of conduct that many (a majority?) in
Bulgaria find appealing and therefore support enthusiastically. What
in most of Western Europe would be looked down upon as vulgar
buffoonery if not worse, is actually seen in Bulgaria as being aesthetic.
For a refreshing comparison between Bulgaria's Borisov's and one of his
former pals, Italy's Silvio Berlusconi, please turn to p.16.
On less depressing topics, Bulgaria is in the midst of the summer
(provisionally of course, as the weather over here has been the worst
in living memory). Now is the time to embark on some travel through
the lesser known areas of the country. If you are used to cars and

keynote

where to
find us
coaches, change! Take the train! Going for a train ride in Bulgaria
is an experience in itself. Bulgarian trains are not like English trains,
or German trains, or any other trains in Europe with the possible
exception of Albanian trains. They may be slow and in many cases dirty
and dilapidated, but they offer a great opportunity to see the country
from a completely different perspective and as a bonus you will be
given the chance to chat with some Bulgarians you are unlikely to meet
anywhere else. Go for it! Turn to p.58 for the details.
One place that a train will not take you to, however, is the thing you see
on the cover of this issue of Vagabond. Well, it is on the top of a mountain
and it does look weird. Welcome to the murky world of Communist
thinking. The Buzludzha monument was designed as a convention
centre-cum-pilgrimage-site, but from the moment it was officially
inaugurated Bulgarians dubbed it the Flying Saucer. It was pretty bad
under Communism, and it got worse thereafter as the Buzludzha saucer
has been abandoned for over 25 years left to the mercy of the elements.
Interestingly, in recent times it has attained some cult following by both
Bulgarians and Westerners. If you go, you are likely to meet some bikers
from England and Austria (don't ask why Austria...) who stop by the
Flying Saucer regularly. P.70 for the details.
Time for the beach? Weather permitting, go to Sinemorets, on the
far south Black Sea Coast. OK, it's been heavily overbuilt recently,
but outside the "luxury" complexes it does retain some of its natural
charms. Don't miss the Veleka River estuary and the eco-path going all
the way to the Turkish border. Turn to p.50.
Don't feel like the beach this August? Turn to p.34 for a trip along
one of Europe's greatest rivers, the Danube. We bring you an extensive
travelogue from Vidin in the west to Silistra in the east. Several years
ago one of Vagabond's interviewees, Associate Professor Georgi
Lozanov, said whatever Western influence came to Bulgaria in history
usually came flowing down the Danube. Take the trip to discover why.
Last but not least, turn to p.24 for an enlightening interview about
the Bulgarian banking system and more specifically on whether it
is safe to keep your money in a Bulgarian bank. Prominent banker
Martin Zaimov explains.
Enjoy your Vagabond!

, Bulgaria's English Monthly, is distributed in

the airports in Soa, Varna, Burgas, Plovdiv.
has a large subscription base among expatriates
in Bulgaria as well as people interested in Bulgaria in the UK,
the United States, Germany, and Scandinavia.
You can buy single copies of
at good
newsstands throughout Bulgaria
and on board the planes of AIR LAZUR.
In Soa, you can also get
at the Red House
Culture and Debate Centre, at the Greenwich Book Center,
Soa, and at other good book and music stores,
or order it at www.store.bg
is at the Goethe Institute and the
Tourist Information Centre, Soa.
is being distributed at the
In addition,
following ne establishments
Arena di Serdica, Soa
Best Western Hotel EXPO, Soa
Bistro L'Etranger, Soa
Bistro Orisha, Soa
Boutique Hotel Crystal Palace, Soa
British-Bulgarian Information and Language Centre, Soa
Business Park Soa, Soa
Checkpoint Charlie Restaurant, Soa
Costa Coee, Soa, Varna, Plovdiv and Burgas
Downtown Hotel, Soa
First Investment Bank, Soa
Galateia Clinic, Soa
Gloria Mar Restaurant, Soa
Grand Hotel Soa, Soa
Interhotel Bulgaria, Burgas
International Women's Club-Soa
J.J. Murphy's, Soa
Kempinski Hotel Grand Arena, Bansko
Kempinski Hotel Zografski, Soa
Loran Gallery, Soa
Maxido Shop, hotel Hilton, Soa
Motto Bar & Club, Soa
Park Hotel Sankt Peterburg, Plovdiv
Platinum Health Club, Soa
Plaza Hotel, Varna
Princess Hotel, Soa
Radisson SAS Grand Hotel, Soa
Regus Business Center, Soa
Residence Exclusive Club, Soa
Sense Hotel, Soa
Sheraton Soa Hotel Balkan, Soa
Spaghetti Kitchen, Soa
Stilist Kapanov Hairdresser's, Soa
Toni Merdjanov Beauty Studio, Soa
UniCredit Bulbank, Soa
and many others throughout the country.
Can't find your
?
Drop us a line at distribution@vagabond.bg,
stating where in Bulgaria you are, and we will make
sure your local newsstands are properly supplied.

imprint
PUBLISHER
Vagabond MEDIA
23 Budapest Street 1000 Soa
phone: (+359 2) 983 3308
fax: (+359 2) 983 3358
editorial@vagabond.bg
www.vagabond.bg

contents
issue 94 / 2014

Tsvetelina Kovacheva
tsvetelina@vagabond.bg
Vanya Zlateva
vanya@vagabond.bg
CONTRIBUTORS

8. Joke of the month

Dimana Trankova

80. Balkans travel

Berat

Bozhidara Georgieva
MANAGING EDITOR

10. Quote-unquote

Dimitar Ivanov

Anthony Georgie
anthony@vagabond.bg

Irina Papancheva
Minka Vazkresenska

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR

Stamen Manolov

Elena Filipova
elena@vagabond.bg

Veselina Sedlarska

14. Bulgaria's monthly quiz

16. Politics
B. B. is back?

PAPER
ASSISTANT EDITOR

Cover: 2 g/m2
Inner page: g/m2

Jane Keating
GRAPHIC DESIGN

PRINTED IN BULGARIA

Gergana Shkodrova
shkodrova@vagabond.bg

Janet-45 Print & Publishing,

Plovdiv

DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS
GREECE

COPYRIGHT

Jeni Georgieva
jeni@gogreece.bg
MEDIA SALES
Alexandra Spiridonova
a.spiridonova@vagabond.bg
Kristina Panayotova
kristina@vagabond.bg

Vagabond Media. No part

of this publication may be reproduced in any form without
the express written consent of
the publisher

20. Forum
In the country of angry waiters

24. Interview
Martin Zaimov

32. Where in Bulgaria?

33. High beam

88. Fiction
Irina Papancheva

Going down the Danube

95. Highflights section

Produced on Apple Macintosh

computer equipment only

127. Inside track

Svetlana Doncheva
svetlana@vagabond.bg

Blue, bluest, Sinemorets

Pursuant to Article 7a, Paragraph 3 of the Bulgarian Compulsory Deposition of Printed and Other Works act
it is herewith declared that Anthony Georgieff is the sole proprietor of Vagabond Media Ltd.

ISSN 13128590
Unless explicitly stated, the views and opinions expressed or implied in

, Bulgaria's English

Monthly, are intended for entertainment only. The publisher assumes no responsibility, direct or implied,
for any advertising content. Products and services mentioned are subject to change without prior notice.
You are strongly advised to make proper research and seek professional advice before making any financial
commitment in response to advertising material

Bulgaria from the window of a train

Communism's flying saucer

cover by Anthony Georgieff

innovation
An innovative Bulgarian restaurant imported a new Japanese gimmick:
robotic waiters.
So, a new robot-waiter approaches a customer and instead of giving him
the menu asks what his IQ is.
"170," replies the customer.
The robot brings him a bottle of good champagne and starts up a chat
about classical music and abstract painting.
Then the robot moves to another customer: "What is your IQ?"
"80," the customer replies.
The robot brings a beer and inquires who's going to win at the football
tonight. Then he moves to a third customer: "What is your IQ?"
"30," replies the customer.
The robot brings a glass of cheap rakiya and says: "Will Boyko and Barekov
be friends again?"

state guarantees
A woman goes into a Bulgarian bank and says: "I have 1,000 leva with you.
Can I sleep well tonight?"
"Of course," the bank clerk says. "We have enough of cash to be able to
withstand an organised run on the bank."
"But what if your bank does go bust?" the woman continues.
"Don't worry," the clerk says. "Then there is the special state guarantee fund
which will cover any savings you have up to 100,000 euros."
"But what if that fund fails too?" the woman asks.
"Everything will be OK. Then the Bulgarian National Bank will intervene
and pay your money back," the clerk explains.
"But what if the Bulgarian National Bank also fails?" the woman insists.
"Then the government will fall. And isn't 1,000 leva a small enough price
for that?"

10

quote-unquote

"The true
'Behind-the-Scenes'
is hidden by my
"Peevski is not
corpulent figure." The Evil
but an unabashed,
DPS member DELYAN PEEVSKI

brutal economic interest."

Former Prime Minister IVAN KOSTOV

"This parliament was

smiling, open, besieged
and sometimes empty."
Former Speaker of the Parliament MIHAIL MIKOV

"Everything
blossomed when
I was in power."
GERB leader BOYKO BORISOV in response to a question
how come the failed Corporate Commercial Bank
actually did very well under GERB

"The Eurasian
project is the project
of the future."
Ataka leader VOLEN SIDEROV

"I will fight the

demographic crisis
with personal means."
Bulgaria Without Censorship's NIKOLAY BAREKOV

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13

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G A L L E R Y

G A L L E R Y

Art is the Best

Investment

Presenting
Timeless Art
Composition With Female Figures, Encho Pironkov, 1971,
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Situated in the centre of Sofia, Loran Art

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which discovers, brings up to the public
and presents to the connoisseurs the finest
pieces of Bulgarian art.

8 Years Loran Gallery

7 July 7 September 2014

Loran Art Gallery has the ambition to

create and build-up its own contribution
to the formation of a Bulgarian cultural
projection within the borders of New
Europe. Since 2006, it has been breaking
with the stereotypes of what an art gallery
should do, expanding its activity to all
fields of the art market.

Loran Art Gallery is celebrating its

eight year on the art scene with an
exceptional exhibition of works
of the most popular and soughtafter Bulgarian artists. Each of
the presented works has not only
artistic, but also cultural significance.

Back From Work, Vladimir 'Master' Dimitrov, the 1940s,

oil, canvas, 83 49 sm

On the Shore, Georgi Baev,

oil, canvas, signature bottom right

The exhibition includes authors

like Konstantin Shtarkelov,Vladimir
Dimitrov Maystora, Dimitar
Gyudzhenov, Zlatyu Boyadzhiev,
Dimitar Kazakov Neron,
and more.

Loran Art Gallery exhibits works by

Bulgarian artists from the end of the
19th Century to the modern times,
and organises sales, special and jubilee
exhibitions and other artistic events.
Loran Art Gallery can be consulted on
evaluation, identification, certification
and registration of objects of art. It also
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conservation, publishing of catalogues and
other specialised literature, and more.

Stormy Sea, Aleksandar Mutafov, 1942,

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Sofia, 16 Oborishte St
(entrance from Vasil Aprilov Street)
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Sunday from 11 am to 6 pm
phones: 02 483 0877, 0888 920 786
A Port, Bencho Obreshkov, the 1940s,
oil, cardboard, 24,2 30 sm, signed bottom left

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14

bulgaria's monthly quiz

15

Take our test to doublecheck

Anthony Georgieff

think
you know
bulgaria
and the
bulgarians?
Grave of Orpheus?

by Bozhidara Georgieva

1
2

When will be the snap

elections in Bulgaria?
A. On 31 August
B. On 5 October
C. On 19 September
Which place in Bulgaria
claims to be the grave of
Orpheus?
A. The NDK, Sofia
B. The Belogradchik
Rocks
C. Tatul Thracian
sanctuary
Which is the most
popular car on
Bulgarian roads?
A. VW
B. Lada
C. Porsche

4
5
6

Who is the new leader of

the Bulgarian Socialist
Party?
A. Maya Manolova
B. Georgi Parvanov
C. Mihail Mikov
Which is Bulgaria's
largest mountain?
A. The Pirin
B. The Strandzha
C. The Rhodope
What is chushkopek?
A. A Bulgarian device for
roasting peppers
B. A mobile app for
finding Bulgarian friends
abroad
C. New musical genre
created in Bulgaria and
making its way into
international pop charts

7
8
9

In the summer, Bulgaria's

busiest airport is...
A. Varna Airport
B. Sofia Airport
C. Burgas Airport
In Bulgarian, stew
cooked in earthenware
pot is called...
A. Gyuvech
B. Musaka
C. Mish-mash
The name of which
mountain resort means
"in the firs"?
A. Pamporovo
B. Bansko
C. Borovets

CHECK YOUR ANSWERS ON P.30

16

politics

politics 17

b. b. is back?
Many Bulgarians support
GERB for strange reasons
by Veselina Sedlarska, reduta.bg

Well, how did it happen that the GERB

emerged first in this election? Do you now
anyone who voted for them? The second time
I got asked this question, I started thinking.
When someone asked me for the third time, I
knew the answer. Yes, I know 680,838 people
who voted for Boyko Borisov. That's the
number of votes the GERB garnered at the
latest European Parliament election.
Perhaps the Italians were asking themselves
a similar question in 2001, when Silvio
Berlusconi got elected for the second time,
and especially in 2008, when he got elected
for the third time. In both the Italian and the
Bulgarian case the core of the matter is quite
simple: it is the mindframe. It is not about
election agendas, it is not about right wing or
left wing values, it is not even about influence
and power, nor about the lack of alternatives. It
is about the mindframe.
The voters' mindframe is a lasting,
conservative, lazy quality. It is capable of
ensuring a long life for the people who spend
their time in politics unperturbed. They do
not have to make any significant effort. They
just have to be there in their capacity of what
they are because in this way they can make
up a large number of voters. In an attempt to
describe the sea of voters that poses no danger

be alone. They trained that for 500 years when

they were surrounded by hostile powers and
had no one to complain to. In Bankya, Borisov
sits alone "as a dog," as he once said. He is a
self-made man unlike Stanishev, who has
followed his father's name. Borisov does not
have a father like Stanishev. Furthermore, he
has a grandfather who smeared his Socialist-era
CV as a reactionary element. Boyko Borisov
often boasts that the Communists "killed my
grandfather." It is of little import whether
that was his grandfather or great-grandfather,
THE CRUSOE FACTOR. Every Italian
feels he is alone against the whole world or at or for what reason and in what way the man
got repressed by the Communists. Boyko
least against his neighbours. Personal, family,
keeps telling the tale in a way everyone can
social and economic survival is the ultimate
understand: whatever he accomplished, he
source for pride and joy.
did because he was a macho boy, not someone
Bulgarians know very well what it means to
Boyko Borisov's relationship with God is
just like ours. He wears a red thread around
his wrist as a mascot. He makes the sign of the
cross and keeps looking up when he mentions
God. A little paganism and a little Orthodoxy,
peppered with a little superstition. God is
his "boss," as he himself put it. Neither the
religious can castigate him for his intimacy
with God, nor the atheists can criticise him as
someone who is religious.

for Berlusconi to drown, Italian reporter Beppe

Severgnini articulated 10 factors for the success
in Italy for someone like Berlusconi. Let us
see whether they are applicable to the case of
Bulgaria's Boyko Borisov.
THE HUMAN FACTOR. Most Italians
think we are like each other. He is one of us.
What do most Bulgarians think about
Borisov? He is one of us. He grew up eating
lard toast and wearing Communist-era
"sneakers." Plays football. He calls us "human
matterial" (sic), but that's what we are, aren't
we. He likes to listen to Slavka Kalcheva's Byala
rosa, or White Rose, a popular chalga tune.
He doesn't like "soft wrists," an euphemism
for gays. He likes to build and renovate. He
knows how to keep both dogs and people on
a short leash. His English is as rudimentary as
ours. He wastes no time on books. He can cosh
his opponents with a bludgeon. In Bulgarian
standards, he is predictable.
THE GODALMIGHTY FACTOR.
Berlusconi knows that many Italians parade
their subscription to the Church only to
feel less guilty that they don't go to church
and that they break at least seven of the 10
commandments on a daily basis.

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18

FIRE SAFETY

politics

else's boy. He is alone on the island of a lonely

country. His only friend is Man Friday or, to
be more precise, Man Flower.
THE TRUMAN FACTOR. Just like in
Peter Weir's masterpiece, someone is helping
us to think and that someone is television.
Bulgarians love television, and the TV
stations love Boyko Borisov. He wakes up
early, never oversleeps like Sergey Stanishev.
He zaps the channels and makes phone calls to
editors whenever he doesn't like what he sees.
He puts the journos where they belong. The
people love it when journos are put where they
belong. The more he puts the journos where
they belong, the more the journos keep calling
him. The journos call him by his first name,
and the female reporters cast wet glances at
him. The TV stations are in a rush to flirt
with Borisov. In turn, he fills their airtime and
increases their audiences. The TV audience
is unlike the print media audience. In print,
what you say matters. On TV, what matters is
how you say it. Everyone knows what Boyko
will say, but no one knows in what particular
way he will put his foot in his mouth when he
says it. Boyko is a soap. It is always clear what
will happen. The mind remains unchallenged.
But there is always some chewing gum for the
eyes.
THE HOOVER FACTOR. Just like
the first Hoovers were sold by energetic,
experienced and agile salesmen, so is Boyko
Borisov an energetic, experienced and agile
salesman for his own product: Boyko Borisov.
He needs no publicist as he can handle his PR
himself. He knows what sort of gait radiates
confidence and respect in these climes. He
commands the looks, words and body language
that attract voters. He can take on a new part
instantaneously. He succeeds in appearing real.

19

What in most of Western Europe will look

comic is in Bulgaria seen as charismatic.
THE ZELIG FACTOR. Berlusconi's desire
to be liked by everyone is based on techniques
befitting Woody Allen's film character.
Berlusconi is nothing to write home about.
He may be a womaniser among women,
young among the young, wise when there
are elderly people present, and behave like
an entrepreneur when entrepreneurs are in
attendance, but he has never reached Borisov's
height of being able to tell his companions that
they are simple people and he is a simple man
and that's why they understand each other.
Borisov is a mirror, really. Whoever stands
in front of him can immediately see his own
image. The advantage of being a nonentity is
that you can impersonate everybody.
THE HAREM FACTOR. Many Italians
prefer self-indulgence to self-discipline and
do not deny that Berlusconi ultimately does
whatever they would love to do as well.
Borisov's picture hangs in Bulgarian
hairdressers' corner shops. Many women like
you. Everyone is sure you have an exciting
personal life, but no one can say an actual lady's
name. Every Bulgarian dreams of a life like
that. It makes no difference whether the tale
has anything to do with reality. What matters
is that Borisov epitomises the erotic dream of
many Bulgarian women and men. The women
want to have someone like him, the men dream
of being like him.
THE MEDICI FACTOR. Many Italians'
attitude to Berlusconi is similar to their
attitude to The Vatican. They know that it
cares mainly for its own glorification and
interests, but they hope it will do something
for them as well.

Borisov is a man who needs a single word

to dispatch an airplane, to issue a permit, to
help, to get involved, to grant. He keeps his
word. He promised Parvanov not to touch
Misho "The Beer," and he kept his word. The
important thing is to be able to get to him.
Being one of his voters certainly makes the
road easier. When there is no state as such it
is easier to have someone act like a statesman
than build the state from scratch.

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THE NO-ALTERNATIVE FACTOR.

Before voting in what they think is right, the
Italians vote in what they consider to be useful.
The GERB murdered politics as such in the
name of some ostensible pragmatism. Right
wing and left wing have no meaning in Bulgaria.
Boyko Borisov perceives what is left and what
is right as the two lanes of a motorway. The
GERB supporters have started talking in his
words: the complete lack of any social policy
can easily be explained with the You-Can't-EatAsphalt adage. Borisov acts as what he had been
trained for: he puts out fires. It may not be right,
but it seems pragmatic. What-Is-Right is some
nebulous concept of the future: in Bulgaria we
live from hand to mouth.
THE PALIO FACTOR. In the Palio di
Siena horse races what is more important
than your horse winning is your friend's horse
losing.
What mattered most in the European
election? GERB's percentage points? No.
What really mattered was that Boyko beat
Stanishev again. GERB's voters did not suffer
when Borisov didn't bother to appear on TV
on election night. The sight of a defeated
Stanishev was enough. GERB's victory was
BSP's fiasco.
How many Bulgarians' votes were
determined by these factors? So far, 680,838.

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20

forum

forum 21

in the country
of angry waiters
Bad service remains major problem in Bulgaria
by Anthony Georgieff

I have been asked repeatedly, time and

again, over and over in the course of many
years by various visitors and expats why is
restaurant and bar service in Bulgaria so bad.
Waiters and waitresses, I am being told, are
the worst in Europe. They are surly, slow, do
not react to customer demands, and do not
count out your change when they do not
overcharge. They seem to be constantly angry.
I have one answer to these charges. I tell
whoever happens to be expressing his or her
dissatisfaction with Bulgarian restaurant service
that it is not just restaurant staff that are so nasty.
Every area of the service sector in Bulgaria's
economy experiences staffing difficulties, so many
businesses have to do with whatever "human
material" (to quote Bulgaria's Former Prime
Minister Boyko Borisov) they have access to. At
this point my pals usually look up in disbelief.
OK, I say. Try hiring a plumber, a tile layer, or an
electrician. Those who have spent more than a
month in Bulgaria tend to understand.
It is of course silly to generalise as some
restaurants and bars actually have excellent
and friendly staff. Significantly, there are some
fabulous places in Sofia and elsewhere, all of
which have carried their commercial messages
in this journal through the years.
Truth be told, however, Bulgarian service
generally falls in two categories: it is either bad
and nonchalant or bad and hostile.

Consider these two events that happened

one fine day in June (actually, the first fine day
after a long rainy spell), in Sofia. A group of
friends from a country in northwestern Europe
took a long stroll in Central Sofia. Having
seen all the sites along Tsar Osvoboditel
Boulevard, we ventured into the park to take in
the notorious Red Army monument. Then we
decided to stop for a drink and a bite at what
seemed like a wonderful open air caf nearby.
Some of my friends went out to the bar because
they thought they could buy a few things there.
No, said an young man who obviously was in
charge. Sit down and you will be served.
My friends did not speak any Bulgarian and
consequently did not understand what they
were being ordered to do. So, in the minute or
two before I made my appearance at the bar,
they lingered on, pointing fingers at bags of
chips and trying to strike up a conversation
with the waitresses who were breezing to and
fro. Are you Bulgarian? the man in charge
inquired. Then tell them to sit down like
normal people, don't stand in the way and
someone will come to take your order. Be
polite! Behave yourselves!
In the mind of that young man, not more
than 25-26 years of age, we were not normal
people. He was normal. We were intruders,
nasty Westerners, uninvited good-for-nothings
who had undeservedly become filthy rich and

now had the audacity to want to share some

of our euros with him. This is an example of
the first category of Bulgarian service bad
and nonchalant. We were actually given some
food (though we had to wait for about an hour
for them to prepare a few Shopskas). For an
example of the other type of service behaviour,
the bad and hostile, read on.
We continued our venture into the service
sector of Sofia and ended up in front of the
National Theatre. Three or four icecream
vans were parked there, inviting us to sample
what they had to offer. To avoid having to
queue for too long, my friends spread out,
leaving me with no option but to run between
the icecream vans trying to translate sladoled
davka as something other than chewing
gum icecream. As I reached one van which
advertised itself as a major Western brand
I observed the following picture. A couple
stood in front pointing at some pink icecream
and holding a 20-leva note. We would like to
have some of this and then some of that, they
begged. Lev i chetirideset, the man replied.
We would like to have that pink icecream and
some of that brown icecream, the coupled
said. Lev i chetirideset, the man said. No, no
can we have some pink icecream and then
some brown icecream, the couple insisted,
thinking that the man did not understand
their English just as they did not understand
his Bulgarian.
I chipped in. Can I help at all? I inquired.
Tell these people a ball costs 1.40 leva. Yes, I
know, but can we have some pink and some
brown icecream, please. Tell them I have no
change. Tell them to go to change their money
and come back.
It was a fine Sunday afternoon in Sofia, the
finest after a long rainy spell. Other customers
had showed up and in that inimitable

22

forum

Bulgarian way of queuing and not queuing

at the same time had started ordering balls of
icecream for themselves. We were about to lose
the man's attention as he was turning to the
much easier lot.
You don't have enough change for 20 leva?
I asked. My question turned out to be a terrible
insult, the final straw that broke the icecream
seller's back. F*ck off, he shouted. Go to
another stand. Even if you have exact change I
won't serve you. Get the hell out of here, you
fat old man! Bring these bastards with you.
The icecream van of that man bore the
insignia of a major Western company.
Presumably, it belonged to it. Presumably, that
major Western company had instructed their
staff how to treat customers without having to
tell them to bugger off.
Bulgarian service, just like about everything
else in Bulgaria including politics, is a
complex subject and easy explanations are
therefore unavailable. The standard excuse
that bad service is a leftover from the times
of Communism when the government
ran everything from factories to shops and
restaurants is inadequate. Bulgaria has not
been a Communist country for over 25 years.
Significantly, the two service sector employees
described above were about that age which
means that they could not have possibly had
any living memory from the time their dads and
mums had to bribe doormen to get a place at a
dimly lit table in a damp Commie restaurant.
The fact that the service sector people
are underpaid is also not quite an adequate
explanation. Waiters and waitresses in Bulgaria
do get salaries and they certainly get tips. In
a country where everyone is underpaid, their
predicament is not that bad, or at least it is
not worse than that of bus drivers, nurses and
school teachers.
One would have thought that in this

forum 23

environment a bit of extra cash will open up the

iron gates to the hearts and minds of Bulgaria's
waiters. Wrong! If you experiment with tipping
Bulgarian staff, you are bound to discover that
the difference between a normal tip and no tip
at all might prompt an aboutface from bad and
nonchalant to bad and hostile service.
One important thing to know about tips is
that you never... know. Some waiters might try
to do better if they knew beforehand you would
tip, others won't. On the other hand, many
would be just offended if you told them at the
start you would tip them if they were good.
So, if this is not about Communist mentality
and not about cold hard cash, what is it? Why
are Bulgarian waiters so different than the
ones in Turkey and Greece, even in Serbia and
Romania?
To give a relatively balanced answer to
this question, you would have to consider
the overall situation in Bulgaria which can
be described as a patchwork of interwoven
controversies. On the one hand, waiters
want to make money, on the other they
are reluctant to work for it. On the one
hand, many in Bulgaria complain about
unemployment and so on, on the other it is
extremely difficult to find anyone qualified
or willing to do a job against payment. On
the one hand, Bulgarians especially young
Bulgarians are prepared to work like horses
if they find themselves in London. On the
other hand, they will not put in a tenth of
that energy if they have to do it in Bulgaria.
On the one hand, Bulgarians will send in
applications for jobs and attend interviews.
On the other hand, once they do get a job they
will be indignant. "I am not slaving to either
customers or employers," I've heard 22-year-old
bar maids say.
Sadly, the best explanation for Bulgaria's
notoriously bad service may be in a joke.

The mayor of a backwater village with very

high unemployment found an unorthodox
way to provide some work for its residents.
He summoned everyone able-bodied in the
village square, and told them: "I have jobs
for you. You will be cleaning the streets of
the village. I have no money to pay you, but
whatever you find in the streets will be yours."

inside info
MENU FOR
EVERYONE
At better places, a group of
four will likely get four sets of
menus. If you are over four,
however, this is unlikely. Menus
will sometimes be split in two
one for food and one for drinks.

So, the villagers started cleaning the streets

the next day and one of them was quick to
find a wallet containing a thousand dollars.
The man looked into the wallet, saw the
money, counted it, then thought for a second,
put the money back in the wallet and threw it
away: "I am not going to work from the first
day!"

WHAT NOT
TO EXPECT
IN BULGARIAN
RESTAURANTS

This is an incomplete list of

things you should not expect
in Bulgarian restaurants
regardless of how posh or
expensive they appear to be

EATING
ORDER
Ordering the Western way, at
the beginning of a dinner, is very
confusing in Bulgaria. Bulgarians
order drinks and salads first, then
relax, then order the main course
and more drinks, then they relax,
and then they may order deserts
and other drinks. So, if you order
everything at the same time you
may end up with kyopoolu and
icecream at the same time.

REALLY
HOT FOOD

FOOD ARRIVAL ALL

AT THE SAME TIME

REFUSING
TO PAY

We have covered the Bulgarian's

fear of hot and cold foodstuffs on
numerous other occasions in this
journal, but to put it in a nutshell:
this is a country where mothers
will order their children to wait
for the soup to cool down and
then will never allow them to have
really cold mineral water. Waiters
know this and tend to abide quite
strictly.
One side effect to this is that
if you order mineral water you
will be asked whether you want
it warm or cold. Do bear in mind
that "warm" in this case means "at
room temperature," not heated up.

Some things take longer to

prepare than others. This continues
to be a major bafflement for
Bulgarian chefs and waiters. Your
food will arrive at the table as it
leaves the kitchen rather than in
the order you are supposed to eat
it. If you are lucky, it will cover the
distance between the kitchen and
the table quickly, and you will get it
while it is still hot.
However, bear in mind that in all
likelihood some members of your
company will be left without food
because what they ordered takes
longer to prepare than what you
ordered.

This is unheard of and likely

to cause a major scandal. If you
decide to return your starter
because it is bad or rotten, what
will probably happen is the boss
will come over, smell it and declare
there is nothing wrong with it.
You will be told that this is the
way it is supposed to be. If you
insist, you might be able to get an
alternative but you will probably
be required to pay for what you
have ordered.
Complaints over the
temperature of food, the efficiency
of service etc are unlikely to be
taken any notice of at all.

24

interview

martin
zaimov
Prominent banker rules out
'crisis,' asserts viability
of banking sector
interview and photography by Anthony Georgieff

Geneva-born London School of Economicseducated banker Martin Zaimov has been

a household name in Bulgarian banking
and political circles since the beginning of the
democratisation process in the early 1990s.
Zaimov was deputy commerce and trade
minister in one of the caretaker governments
at the time, and in the period 1997-2003
serves as deputy governor of the Bulgarian
National Bank. In this capacity he supervised
the implementation of the Bulgarian Currency
Board, which most economic analysts agree
is the single most important economic device
Bulgaria introduced in the wake of its 1996-1997
hyperinflation and banking collapse. At the
present time he chairs the supervisory board of
the French-owned Society Generale Expressbank.

interview 25

26

interview

The first thing I note as we sit down in his

spacious office at Aleksandar Stamboliyski
Boulevard in Central Sofia is Martin Zaimov's
beaming optimism at a time of a severe political
crisis where the outcome, it seems, will be more
difficult than ever before in Bulgaria's short flirt
with democracy. I am tempted to start talking
politics, as Zaimov has also made a name for
himself as a local politician, but I decide to focus
on banking and finance exclusively. After all,
what brought me here in the first place is the
collapse of a major Bulgarian bank in June and
the run on another both events fed fears that an
overall banking crisis was imminent.
Banks in regular countries reflect the
economy and the general state of society.
Banks to a very limited extent have a proactive
role in the economy and in life in general. On
the other hand, they are a very good reflection
of what society is. So, what is happening
in the Bulgarian banking sector mirrors
what is happening in Bulgarian society. The
Corporate Commercial Bank and a number
of other banks reflect what I consider to be a
relatively small part of the Bulgarian economy.
In a broader sense, there is an ongoing
transformation not only in Bulgaria of the way
things are done. In the case of Bulgaria, this is
also a reflection of the slow phasing out of the
former Communist regime.
Is banking in Bulgaria safe at the moment?
Yes.
But one big bank went into supervision, there
was a major run on another...
Banking in general, referring to all banks,
is pretty safe. The fact that the Corporate
Commercial Bank has difficulties at the
moment does not mean that all other banks are
related. It could be the case, but it isn't.
In life, and in the economy in particular,
there are entities that fail. In this case there
is this bank that obviously has difficulties. It

interview 27

might recover, but it will probably be quite

difficult for it to do so.
For various reasons Bulgarians have become
rather wary in the past 20-25 years. Add to that
their "traditional" frugality and sensibility and
it will not be difficult to see that many citizens
are drawing comparisons with the situation in
the late 1990s when many banks went bust, they
lost their savings and some cunning individuals
made fortunes by taking an advantage of
hyperinflation.
One is tempted to compare the two periods
simply because banks are concerned. In actual
fact, however, today's banks in Bulgaria and
the whole banking system have very, very little
in common with the mid-1990s. Most of the
banking system in the 1990s was owned by
the government. Most of its customers were
bankrupt government companies. Today, most
banks are owned by well-known, reputable
shareholders, many of which are major European
banking groups. Those banking groups stand
behind their subsidiaries in Bulgaria.
Banks can't exist on their own. They rely on
their customers. The Bulgarian economy today
is, to put it mildly, well functioning. There are
some parts that are an inheritance from the
past and they are not necessarily transparent
and very effective. But the economy as a whole
is working. Evidence to that is the constant
rise of Bulgarian exports. Bulgaria's economy
is competitive with respect to world economy.
We have relatively low-level unemployment,
constantly emerging new companies.
Investment has plummeted, but that's not the
case only in Bulgaria.
The economy is strong, and banks now are in
a very strong position compared to 15 years ago
when the economy was in actual fact bankrupt.
In 1996 Bulgaria's government was on the
brink of bankruptcy while now it is one of the
least indebted in Europe. The government can

28

interview

interview 29

borrow billions at relatively low cost and thus

has the capacity to cover any bank failure.
Banks now have a completely different
regulatory framework. Now one could question
the diligence of the regulator vis-a-vis the
Corporate Commercial Bank. However, the
rules are the most advanced European rules.
Last but not least, there is a relationship
between bankers and society as a whole. And
these are completely different from 15 years
ago. You have 30,000 people working in the
Bulgarian banking sector. The vast majority of
these people are well-educated, sophisticated
and professional not very different from the
people working in any other European country.
I really don't think there is any room for
comparison.
OK, but how would you explain the run on the
First Investment Bank when customers flocked to
its branches one Friday last month and withdrew
as much as 800 million leva in one day?
I suppose there was a temporary loss of
confidence. The truth is most other banks
provided 1.2 billion leva liquidity funding
through the government to the First
Investment Bank. So, the banking community
was pretty supportive. We also saw that two or
three days later it was all calm back to normal
and the bank is expected to reimburse the
borrowed funds by the end of November.
Some people draw parallels between the
Corporate Commercial Bank and the First
Investment Bank. People might have felt that
the FIB was less transparent than other banks.
It's hard to say. You see, there is a huge difference
between a temporary liquidity problem and a
fundamental insolvency issue where many of the
borrowers are not good and therefore they make
the bank not good and therefore the depositors
risk the money they have deposited.
Liquidity difficulties can happen for many
reasons and there are ways of supporting banks
with liquidity difficulties.

But we are not talking about liquidity

difficulties. The liquidity difficulties came after
there was a run on the First Investment Bank.
We are talking about lost confidence.
The fact is that the First Investment Bank
was up and running pretty quickly. The
parallel with the Corporate Commercial Bank
ends here.
I am very, very confident about most banks
in Bulgaria.
It appears that the regulation is in place, the
framework is in place, the banks are in good
shape, the economy is functioning, so how could
the Corporate Commercial Bank fail?
In a functioning economy there will always
be some banks that are stronger than others.
And there is nothing odd in some banks
becoming less solvent or insolvent.
Corporate Bank is a reminiscence of the
crookedness of our recent past. We started

in 1990 from a very low starting point in

terms of business culture, political culture,
the economy, the habits and the overall state
of the country. Bulgaria was very isolated
geographically. More than 80 percent of the
country's exports went to the former Soviet
Union. We started with an economy, especially
industry, that was planned and created
entirely during the Communist era. We had
no tradition of competitiveness. The way
the previous regime handled difficulties was
through heavy borrowing. In 1990 we were the
most indebted country in eastern Europe and
the government promptly declared insolvency
which took four years to resolve. For 10 years
there was practically no investment whatsoever
in the country.
We have gone a very long way since then.
Nevertheless, part of the business culture is
of a different nature than the one you and I

Discover
a New World
in Sveti Vlas

30

interview

would recognise as belonging to the Western

world. There are clearly corrupt practices,
indecent relations with the government. In
any regulated activity, in any customs and duty
prone activities there are entities that tend
to behave in illegal or semi-legal ways. There
are excise goods passing through Bulgaria
and being traded without proper taxation.
Presumably, there are also bankers functioning
in this way.
You mean the Corporate Commercial Bank
was placed under supervision owing to reasons
dating back 25 years?
In a way yes. There is a long tradition of
doing business in a different manner.
But what about supervision? What about the
Central Bank?
In this case it seems that some leeway had
been given to the Corporate Commercial
Bank.
Bulgaria is under a currency board has been
since 1997. Few people in the West, outside
banking and finance, would know what a
currency board is.
A currency board is a post-colonial system
designed to emulate the currency of the former
metropolitan country. It is a system that
allows a country to have its own currency that
emulates the currency of the stronger economy.
In Europe there are even two countries that
actually do not have their own currencies these
are Montenegro and Kosovo. They use the
euro without being a member of the EU.
We are one step away from that. We do retain
the leva, but it is irrevocably fixed to the euro,
originally to the D-mark.
From a macroeconomic point of view, the
currency issuing bank is a related party to
the European Central Bank and the leva is
equivalent to the euro.
Is that good or bad for Bulgaria?
I think that the euro is very positive for
many countries in southern Europe. This is

balkans
travel
high
beamfiction
XXX 31

what allows them to take easy debts that have

turned out too large for them to sustain, I
hope temporarily. It also makes easier the
catching-up part that they have to do regarding
the rich area of Europe, notably Germany. It is
a very important macroeconomic measure that
integrates the economy of Europe, particularly
smaller economies like the Bulgarian.
Against the background of what happened
to the Corporate Commercial Bank and what
could potentially happen to other banks if there
was a run on them, is there any dangers for the
Currency Board?
I don't think so.
What could happen to put the Currency Board
in danger?
The only way to do that would be for the
Bulgarian parliament to vote the Currency
Board Act out. There are several reasons why I
think this is unlikely.
First of all, there is the great evolution of
the Bulgarian society as a whole. Politics is
lagging behind, but society has evolved a lot.
The majority are not only pro-European but
also democratically minded and in favour
of a liberal market. Politicians even in less
democratic countries than Bulgaria take
into consideration public opinion. I cannot
imagine any politician would want to ditch the
Currency Board.
Second, I think that all businesses in Bulgaria
would be strongly opposed because it would be
against their interests.
Probably, there are some economic areas
and businesses that would think that a weaker
currency is to their benefit. They might have
temporary gains, but in the long-term they will
have huge losses because inflation will catch
up.
the correct answers to the questions
on p.14: 1. b; 2. c; 3. a; 4. c; 5. c;
6. a; 7. c; 8. a; 9. c

Vagabond Media is happy to announce its cooperation with

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Sofia, to provide a new service to our readers: experience
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In 1990 Bulgaria was the only Warsaw Pact country to re-elect its former Communists in a multiparty election. In 2013 Bulgaria is the only country in Eastern Europe that has not demolished,
dismantled or at least put in context its hundreds if not thousands of Communist-era monuments,
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quiz

33

Anthony Georgieff

32

where
in bulgaria?
by Stamen Manolov

In the past, this huge rock in the Black Sea housed a

monastery, a prison, a lighthouse and a restaurant. The
Communists renamed him to reflect their own ideas of beauty,
and the democrats who followed the Communists let it fall
into disrepair and dereliction. It was only recently that the
island was spruced up and is now again accessible to daytrippers
and holidaymakers.
Where in Bulgaria are you?

Email your answers to

editorial@vagabond.bg
and you can win a copy of
Wall-to-Wall,
Poetry of Europe,
Vagabond's guide to the poetry
walls of Sofia.

High Beam is a series of articles, initiated by Vagabond Magazine, with the generous support
of the America for Bulgaria Foundation, that aims to provide details and background of places,
cultural entities, events, personalities and facts of life that are sometimes difficult to understand
for the outsider in the Balkans. The ultimate aim is the preservation of Bulgaria's cultural heritage
including but not limited to archaeological, cultural and ethnic diversity.

34

35

going down
the danube
Europe's second longest river
washed Bulgaria's border
but remains little known
by Minka Vazkresenska; photography by Anthony Georgieff

In the 19th Century, cartographer Guillaume Lejean discovered

with amazement that the Bulgarian stretch of the Danube was less
well known than the Nile. In 1933, Patrick Leigh Fermor described
the Bulgarian bank as terra incognita "the least inviting country in
Europe, except Albania." Were they right?
Few rivers have inspired so much history, imagination, culture and
politics as the Danube. The second longest river in Europe, after the
Volga, it rises at Donaueschingen, in Germany's Schwarzwald. After
a journey of 2,860 km, 10 countries and four European capitals, the
Danube flows into the Black Sea via the countless meanderings of the
Danube Delta in Romania and Ukraine.
The Danube has shaped history since the dawn of humankind.
The first settlements of Mesolithic people were along its course,
and Neolithic culture spread into Europe via the Danube. Having
control of the river, or parts of its course, was vital for the Romans,
Byzantines and Ottomans, as well as during the Second World War
and the 1999 NATO strikes against Serbia.

First row, from left: Danube River

springs at Donaueschingen, in the
German Schwarzwald; Danube
dam at Jochenstein, between
Germany and Austria; Danube
joins the Inn at Passau, Germany;
Barge going down the Danube at
Linz, Austria; Vienna's Volksprater;
Petrovaradin fortress in Novi Sad,
Serbia.
Second row, from left:
The old Hungarian capital,
Esztergom, on the Danube;
Danube at Budapest; Danube and
the Sava at Belgrade; Fortress
at Smederevo, Serbia; Danube
between Serbia (left) and Romania
(right); Danube ows into the Black
Sea at Sulina, Romania

36

vagabond world

The Danube is a river of incredible beauty and teeming wildlife.

Born at the pristine coming together of the rivers Breg and Brigach
in Germany, the farther it flows, the more spectacular its confluences
become. At Passau, in Germany, the Ilz and the Inn join the Danube,
overlooked by the beautiful houses and churches of the old city
quarter. In Belgrade, the mighty Sava joins the Danube in the shadow
of the impressive Kalemegdan Fortress.
Upstream, the Danube is a part of the life of numerous cities, its
banks adorned with stunning examples of architecture, such as the
Hungarian Parliament in Budapest. Historic bridges span it, the
modern descendants of the one built in 105 AD by Emperor Trajan.
After Belgrade, however, the Danube becomes a river of wilderness
and not of cityscapes. It passes through the 134 km of the Iron Gates
gorge, a stretch of precipitous rock walls and lush greenery. When it
frees itself of the gorge, and the great dams at its mouth, the Danube
flows through relatively flat lands, creating the Srebarna Lake nature
reserve, in Bulgaria, and then on to its grand Delta. The Danubian
Delta is a true marvel; 4,152 sq.km of isles, canals and waterways,
teeming with wildlife. Its sheer size is almost non-European: think
Mississippi.
The Danube has been on the tourist route since the 19th Century,
and nowadays can be explored not only by car, but also by ship,
bicycle or kayak.
Bulgaria is included in this infrastructure, and the Danube has a
significant mention in its national anthem. Yet, the Bulgarian banks
of the river are the least known parts of its course. Discovering what
they have to offer will be a trip of a lifetime.

timok
Bulgaria's westernmost corner is where the Timok River joins the
Danube. Quiet and unexplored, this area was a heavily guarded
border zone until recently and still preserves the atmosphere of a
place that the world has forgotten. The confluence of the two rivers
is at the end of a dirt track starting from Kudelin village. After a
peaceful drive through fields and poplar forests, you end up in a
landscape of sand and mud shaped by rising and falling waters; calm
rivers and isles overgrown with reeds and trees. It is a good fishing
spot, too.

37

38

vidin
Situated on a particularly picturesque bend of the Danube, Vidin
now has the second bridge over the river connecting Bulgaria
and Romania. It took decades to construct, but now the bridge is
bringing a breath of fresh air to economically depressed Vidin.
The city is the descendant of a Roman fort, a medieval Bulgarian
stronghold and an important Ottoman city. Its past and its modern
development charmingly mingle in Vidin's centre. There is the small
but bold Baba Vida fortress, the ghoulish and glorious abandoned
synagogue, several interesting churches and fin de sicle buildings,
along with an Ottoman mosque and fortifications, a grandiose
Socialist square and probably the best Danube promenade on the
Bulgarian bank of the river.

39

40

41

kozloduy

Kozloduy is also the site of

Bulgaria's Soviet-built nuclear
power plant (inset)

The city is tiny, yet it is one of the most prosperous in Bulgaria.

Why? Because it is where the country's only nuclear power plant
operates. It was built in 1974, and enlarged on several subsequent
occasions, but now only two of its six original pressurised water
reactors work. The closure of Chernobyl-type Reactors Nos. 3 and
4, in the early 2000s, was and still is a matter of great debate and
political argument.
Kozloduy, however, is also a place of historical significance.
When poet and revolutionary Hristo Botev and his men seized the
Austrian-Hungarian steamship Radetzky to cross the Danube and
take part in the 1876 April Uprising, he made the captain dock near
Kozloduy. From there, the revolutionaries continued their march
through Bulgarian territory, before being outnumbered and defeated
by Ottoman forces in the Stara Planina.
The landing site is now a venerated place of pilgrimage, adorned
with several monuments and the steamship Radetzky itself, moored
at the bank of the Danube.

42

43

nikopol
Tiny and seemingly uninteresting, in 1396 Nikopol became
the battlefield for the last confrontation between Bulgarians and
Christians on one side, and Ottomans on the other. It was then
that Bulgaria lost its independence for the following five centuries.
The town's sights include a Roman-era sarcophagus turned into an
Ottoman water fountain, the charming 13th Century Ss Peter and
Pavel church and the Nikopol Fortress, dating from medieval and
Ottoman times. There is also the tekke of Muslim sage Ali Ko Baba
and a beautifully preserved 19th Century house with an ethnographic
exhibition.

44

45

belene
The city's pedestrian area, designed in Communist times, is its least
appealing feature. Belene is the site of a large Catholic cathedral,
with a shrine to Bishop Eugene Bosilkov, who was killed by the
Communists and beatified by Pope Paul John II.
Next to it is the entrance to Belene Prison. Situated on Belene
Island, Bulgaria's largest on the Danube, the prison had a more
sinister twin under Communism: a labour camp for political
prisoners. Opened in 1949, it was operational in the 1950s and the
1980s.
East of the city is where Bulgaria's still unbuilt second nuclear power
plant should be. The future of the Belene Power Plant is uncertain, and
the answer to the question of who will build it and what the costs and
profit might becomes increasingly obscure by the day.

46

47

svishtov
This is a pleasant town, enlivened by the students of the University
of Economics, Bulgaria's oldest. Svishtov is also the home of the most
famous pieces of Revival Period architecture in the country, the 1763
clock tower and the fine Holy Trinity Church, built by the famous
19th Century architect Kolyu Ficheto.
Nearby is the family home of one of Bulgaria's greatest authors,
Aleko Konstantinov (1863-1897). Its most arresting exhibits are
the tail-coat the writer was wearing when he was shot dead, and his
embalmed heart, with a distinct bullet-hole.
In Svishtov's outskirts are the remains of its ancient predecessor,
the Roman city of Novae. Its ruins, however, have fallen prey to the
recent "imaginative restoration" craze in Bulgaria, so don't expect
much from it in terms of authenticity.

ruse
The origins of Bulgaria's largest city on the Danube are from
Roman times. However, it turned into the place to be in the mid-19th
Century, when ships bearing soldiers from Europe heading for the
Crimean War and the reformist Ottoman governor Midhat Pasha
brought about rapid modernisation.
The changes speeded up after Liberation in 1878, when Ruse
became one of the powerhouses of Bulgaria. This is still evident
in the fine, fin de sicle architecture in central Ruse, the finest in
Bulgaria. Aleksandrovska Street is particularly good for faadespotting, but every street around brings the discovery of yet more
stucco, ornate windows and reliefs, in various stages of decay.
The old Ruse houses are complemented by the cavernous Holy
Trinity Cathedral, which combines a 17th Century church dug deep
into the ground with post-1878 chapels and murals, and the 1970s
Town Hall which looks like a giant ship of concrete. Ruse's other sites
of interest include, but are not limited to, the 1970s Pantheon of the
Rival Period Heroes, and the only railway museum in Bulgaria.

Ruse is Bulgaria's major

Danube port

48

49

silistra
Bulgaria's last town on the Danube is dusty and quiet, but has
enough to catch your interest (besides its famed apricot rakiya). The
Srebarna Lake Nature Reserve, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is a
must for birdwatchers for its diversity of rare and endangered species,
including the Dalmatian Pelican, Glossy Ibis, and Great Egret.
Silistra itself has a nice river promenade and garden a rarity on
the Bulgarian Danube and the relatively well preserved remains of
Roman fortifications and a Byzantine Church. The centre is a maze
of pre-1944 houses and post-1944 apartment blocks, but the City
Gallery is indeed beautiful. Not far from the Danube are Silistra's two
other major sights: the Ottoman fortress Mecidi Tabia, and a 4th
Century Christian tomb with portraits of the deceased on the walls
and an array of birds on the ceiling.

50

blue, bluest,
sinemorets
Pristine beaches still survive
amid overbuilding
by Bozhidara Georgieva; photography by Anthony Georgieff

The name of Sinemorets, Bulgaria's last village on the southern

Black Sea coast before Rezovo and the border with Turkey, is
relatively new. It means "Blue Sea" and was given in 1934, as a
replacement for the older name of the village, which was derived
from the Greek galasios, or azure.

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53

The village itself is anything but picturesque a maze of holiday

properties built in the past 15 years but its surroundings are
true to the spirit that the name Sinemorets evokes. Perched on a
rocky peninsula by the mouth of the Veleka River, Sinemorets is
surrounded by lush forests and probably the last unspoilt beaches on
the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast.
The pristine landscape preserved around Sinemorets is the result,
surprisingly, of the Cold War. Under Communism, the village
was in the border area with NATO-member Turkey, and access
was forbidden without a special permit. This was hardly good for
tourism, and the beaches of Sinemorets stayed empty.
Things changed after the collapse of Communism in 1989. People
were now allowed to enjoy the unspoiled nature of Sinemorets. The
first to arrive, initially in small groups, were Sofia intellectuals and
new-agers seeking refuge from the crowds.
The locals, however, were eager to finally cash in on the beauties of
Sinemorets. In the early 2000s, a huge hotel was built right on one of
the most beautiful beaches; an architectural monstrosity featuring a
duck and a ram's head as roof decorations.
Soon, construction took over Sinemorets, turning the once sleepy
village into a concrete nightmare of new hotels and streets filled with
construction debris. The crowds grew bigger and the intellectuals
were replaced by ordinary Bulgarians and some German tourists.
The outskirts of Sinemorets remain untouched, as they are part of
the Strandzha National Park.
The northern beach at Sinemorets is where the Veleka joins the
Black Sea, forming the only fresh water protected bay in Bulgaria.

Sinemorets's southern beach:

"Tits You Can Find All Over
The Beach. Pizzas Only Here"
Right page: Former military bridge
over the Veleka River

54

Sinemorets's northern
beach seen from the eco
path to Ahtopol

55

high beam 57

56

1 2
3 4

The Sphinx, at the northern

beach

Volcanic rocks dot the eco

path to Rezovo

Umbrellas and crowds at

the southern beach, where,
according to local lore, the sea
simultaneously pushes and throws
you

Listi Beach, the last

undeveloped stretch of sand on
the Bulgarian South Black Sea
coast

The beach is extremely beautiful the river flows from the thickly
forested slopes of the Strandzha, and empties into the sea through
a narrow channel at the northern end of the bay. Picturesque cliffs
overlook the spot, and one of them, at the southern end of the bay, is
called The Sphinx because it resembles, well, a sphinx.
This pleasant beach encourages some to camp at its northern end.
When swimming, though, you have to be cautious as some of the
river water sneaks into the sea under the sand spit, creating a strong
undercurrent.
The southern bay at Sinemorets is called Butamyata. This name is a
Bulgarian corruption of the older Greek name, Potamia, but according
to local urban etymology Butamyata is 100 percent Bulgarian in origin
and explains that the sea at the beach simultaneously buta, or pushes,
and myata, or throws, everyone who enters it.
Swimming here, however, is easier than at the northern beach, and
it shows. The southern beach is more developed, with lines of beach
umbrellas on the sand, and a tavern booming out music, and the
strong smell of fried fish.
When you are at Butamyata, you might notice a steady stream of
people climbing up and down a tiny path in the rocks. Follow them. This
is the beginning of the Sinemorets-Rezovo eco path, which leads along
the shore and explains, with detailed information boards, the diverse
and picturesque geological phenomena sculpted by the sea waves out of
volcanic eruptions that occurred about 80 million years ago.
The crowds in the first few kilometres are not interested in the
geology as most of them only take the eco path as it leads to the last
undeveloped beach on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea.
Listi Beach is a long, pristine stretch of sand, protected by rising
cliffs, the Strandzha forest and the fact that there is no track leading
to it. Nature lovers and campers are a fixture here, staying for days in
tents and, when you see the beach, you will understand why.
Silistar Beach, the last on Bulgarian territory, is farther along the
eco path, but it can be reached by car, via the road to Rezovo. It is
beautiful, but far more commercialised, with a camping site, a tavern
and a forest of umbrellas taking up a good portion of the sand.
If you love walking, there is more around Sinemorets.
Another, and very easy, eco path starts from the northern end of the
north beach and leads all the way to Ahtopol. Like the eco path to
Rezovo, it incorporates beautiful scenery and more volcanic geology.
For the more adventurous, there is the eco path upstream of the
Veleka River. Follow it for the experience of wild forests, clear
water and the joy of reaching the village of Brodilovo, deep in the
Strandzha, on foot.

58

bulgaria
from the
window
of a train
Unusual, yet rewarding
way of exploring countryside
and its people
by Dimana Trankova;
photography by Anthony Georgieff

59

60

high beam

For a foreigner, getting lost on Bulgaria's railway network is easy.

You just have to follow the signs at Sofia Central railway station. Or
try to decipher the Bulgarian-only timetables at whatever station fate
has landed you at. Or try to understand the commands of sleeping
coach conductors who think they will make themselves clear to
foreigners if they speak Bulgarian slowly and in a loud voice.
Gone are the Communist-era days when trains were new, relatively
clean and could cover the Sofia-Burgas distance in less than five
hours. At that time trains had good bars and decent food. Now the
coaches are are old and rusty, and often sprayed with dubious graffiti.
There's no WiFi and you can only buy tickets online for a couple of
destinations (a recent innovation that hasn't really caught on). In the
summer, they lack air-conditioning, and in wintertime they are either
boiling hot, or freezing cold. They run late. They move slowly. And
there's no restaurant car on even the long-distance trains.
Yet, to hop on a train and start exploring Bulgaria can be a
fascinating experience. It is a sort of crash course in getting to know
Bulgaria and the Bulgarians.
Taking the train, you can cross the country from Burgas, Varna and
Silistra to the east, to Ruse and Vidin in the north and northwest,
and to Petrich in the south. With the train you can visit Plovdiv
without the fear that some crazy driver in a flashy BMW will put
your life at risk on the Trakiya Highway. While on the train, you
have much more space than on the bus. Who needs WiFi, when you
have to wait for hours squeezed into your seat before you get the
opportunity to visit the loo?

61

Bulgaria has 4,072 km of railroads

with nine major lines across the
country

62

63

The 5,808-metre Koznitsa is the

longest railway tunnel in Bulgaria.
It passes through the eponymous
ridge connecting the Stara Planina
and the Sredna Gora mountains and
is on the Soa-Karlovo railway. The
tunnel was built in 1949-1951 and is
at an altitude of 798-818 m

64

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high beam 65

Top: Total smoking ban on

Bulgarian trains was imposed
several years ago
Bottom: Reaching the seaside from
Soa by the train will take at least
seven hours

Whatever your destination, you are obliged pass through Gorna

Oryahovitsa, or to stop there to change trains. If you have not done
this, you cannot claim any experience of Bulgaria train-travelling. It is
the largest train station in northern Bulgaria and as the competition
from the south diminishes, Gorna Oryahovitsa has become the
epicentre of train travel in Bulgaria. Everyone has a special memory
connected with it, and some still remember through nostalgic
memories the huge pond in front of the station in existence for at
least 40 years.
While travelling by train, the world on the other side of the window
is yours to look at and, given the slow speed of trains in Bulgaria,
which move at 60-80 kilometres an hour, you have plenty of time for
gazing.
Some of the landscape you pass through is mesmerisingly
uneventful, but provides a glimpse into the lives of ordinary
Bulgarians. The trains pass by sleepy villages and small towns, with
their rows of houses with green gardens or apartment blocks with
their washing hanging out, their satellite dishes and parked 20-yearold Opels. Sometimes you pass so close that you can smell what's
being cooked for lunch.
There are more spectacular things you can see from the window of
a moving train, however, such as the curves and cliffs and river of the
Iskar Gorge, one of Bulgaria's most picturesque. You can drive along
it by car, but nothing can beat the vistas of the rocks at Cherepish or
Lakatnik when they are seen from the train.

66

high beam

The list of sights best seen from the train include Rupite and
Kozhuh Planina the train to Petrich passes right through them. If
you are prepared and know where to look, you can spot the Madara
Horseman on the high cliffs above Provadia, while the train rattles
on its way to Varna. The train to Podkova, Bulgaria's southernmost
train station, will bring you to the doorstep of the country's most
charming mosque, the Maidens' Mosque. It is small and dark, and
was built in time immemorial (indeed, no-one remembers the date)
entirely of whole wood beams without using a single nail.
If you are looking for Bulgaria's most interesting line, the answer has
to be the narrow gauge line which covers the 125 km from Septemvri
to Dobrinishte in five hours, chugging along at the reckless speed
of 25 km/h. During the trip the train enters the Rhodope, passes
through Velingrad (the spa capital of the Balkans, no less, as the city
advertises itself ) and when it leaves the mountains, it trundles along
through the Valley of Razlog, with the peaks of the Pirin and Bansko
seemingly within reach. This journey is even more enriching, as you
will share the train with a mixed bag of people from the Rhodope
villages where the train stops. For many of them, the line is the only
means of transport available.
You will also see some unpleasant sights, and by that we don't mean
the conductors who resolutely refuse to smile when they punch your
ticket. The train will pass by destitute Gypsy neighbourhoods, where
children amuse themselves by throwing stones at moving trains; by
abandoned factories, fields, schools and villages. There is also a lot of
derelict railway infrastructure, including railway stations.

67

Top: Taking the train will bring you

to a range of Bulgarian characters...
Bottom: ... and landscapes

68

high beam 69

Most of them were built between the two world wars, when
the Bulgarian railway system, which had began its life with the
British-built Ruse-Varna line in 1867, expanded. Plenty of money
was invested in it, and King Boris III himself could drive a train.
Bulgaria's railway system was further developed under Communism,
when the sector was heavily subsidised. After the 1989 democratic
changes, however, both state neglect and the National Railway
Company's debts began to increase. Soon after the start of the
world financial crisis, in 2008, the GERB government imposed
heavy cuts on the company, closing whole lines and stations. Today,
the company is trying to set things moving again a difficult task
especially if GERB return to power.
The best development in recent months is that someone is taking
care again of the coaches and, while they are still old, they are at least
clean. There is even toilet paper in the toilets.
The people who use Bulgaria's railway network are usually from
the poorer classes, as the train is the cheapest means of transport.
Probably most numerous are the pensioners, who spend their journey
reading newspapers, moaning about how awful life is nowadays
and quarrelling about politics. Usually, sympathies are divided
between BSP, GERB, Volen Siderov and Nikolay Barekov. Gypsies,
too, use the trains extensively, and so do students studying in far-off
universities. This latter group can usually be seen playing cards with
friends, or sitting quietly in the corner of the compartment, eyes fixed
on the moving landscape, headphones plugged into ears, their whole
attitude saying: "Can't wait until graduating to buy a proper car."
Poor kids, they really don't know what they are missing.

70

communism's
flying saucer
Possibly Europe's oddest
monument is in Bulgaria,
attracting cult following
by Bozhidara Georgieva;
photography by Anthony Georgieff

71

72

high beam

Bulgaria has yet to produce an architectural site capable of

generating a high-degree wow-factor, with the likely exception of
Sofia's NDK, Shumen's Founders of the Bulgarian State monument
and the urbanisation solutions seen at Sunny Beach. Yet, the
country does have a strong contender for world fame in a new, but
growing field of interest: abandoned, ghoulish, straight-out-of-adystopian-movie-set constructions visited by folks interested in
off-off-off-the-beaten-track tourism and captivated by anything from
extraterrestrials to Goths, Communists and urban decay.
Bulgaria's entry in a world's ghostliest derelict sites index looks like
a giant concrete flying saucer with a 70-metre pylon, perched on
top of a mountain. For those in the know, however, the Buzludzha
monument has nothing to do with sci-fi, 1960s James Bond films or
East bloc nuclear power engineering.
The background for the monstrosity on top of Bulgaria's Stara
Planina is political. In 1891, a group of Socialists gathered for their
first and largely clandestine congress at Mount Buzludzha, and
this was how the Bulgarian Socialist Democratic Party came into
being.
Ninety years later its scion, the BKP, or Bulgarian Communist
Party, which had been ruling Bulgaria since 1944, felt confident that
it would continue to do so forever. Even the Constitution of the time
stipulated that the BKP and the state were an indelible entity.
The Communist Party, having control over the whole country and
its population, needed to do something to display its power over
the people in perpetuity, and at the end of the 1970s it was decided
that a huge conference centre-cum-monument was to be built at
Buzludzha.

73

Top: A statue of two icecream

cones?
Bottom: The Buzludzha complex is
famous for its ghastly atmosphere

74

The congress hall, with a

diameter of 42 m and a
height of 14 m, is now off
limits as the complex was
closed for safety reasons

75

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high beam

The cost spiralled up to over 14 million leva, an enormous amount

of cash in those days. Most of the money, however, did not come
from the BKP's coffers. Instead, ordinary Bulgarians "voluntarily"
donated 50 stotinki from their monthly salaries. The labour was
almost free, as young men from the so-called construction corps built
the monument. Several of them died in accidents, but you needn't
look for a commemorative plaque to them at the monument there
isn't one. The information about the fatalities was withheld, as the
party did not want to demoralise.
The building, by all accounts, was a show-stopper. Designed by
architect Georgi Stoilov, the Buzludzha Monument embodied both
absolute authority and Communist luxury, with its sumptuous
chandeliers and 2001: A Space Odyssey interior. The walls were
decorated with mosaics and two five-pointed stars, both 15 m high
and made from artificial "rubies" imported from the USSR, shone
from the pylon. The diameter of the conference hall was 42 m and it
was more than 14 m high, all covered with 500 sq.m of mosaics, plus
more in the corridors. It took over 60 artists more than 18 months to
decorate. To put it in a nutshell, the Buzludzha Monument, when it
was finished, epitomised both Bulgarian Communism's megalomania
and its complete disregard for sensible architectural design.
The conference centre, luckily, did not last long. When the wind
of democratic changes swept through the East bloc, the Bulgarian
Communists changed as well at least in name. In 1990 the BKP
renamed itself into BSP, or Bulgarian Socialist Party. In 1992
ownership of the monument passed to the state through the Act
for Nationalisation of the Bulgarian Communist Party Property.
Importantly, it had already ran into seed even when the BSP was in
power as no one really cared any more. The BSP restored its property
rights to the monument in 2011.

77

Top: Semi-wild horse herds roam

around the Buzludzha complex
Bottom: Mosaic portraits of
Marx, Engels and Lenin from the
conference hall

high beam 79

78

1
2 3

Mount Buzludzha is 1,441 m

hight and since 1942 is officially
named Hadzhi Dimitar, after the
revolutionary who died there
in 1868

Some of the mosaic

decorations are still untouched
by time...

...While propaganda slogans

are falling apart

Today, when you follow the official brown signs to Mount Buzludzha,
you will see only traces of the Flying Saucer's former opulence. The
building is as impressive in its dimensions as it has always been, but
it is literally falling to pieces. The stars are a wreck: they were shot at
to remove the rubies, only to reveal that those "precious stones" were
worthless coloured beads. The windows have been smashed and all their
aluminium frames taken away and sold for scrap years ago. The doors
are blocked up, after too many people entered the dangerous building
to experience the decadent interior of the huge conference hall and the
remains of the shattered mosaics portraying Marx, Engels, Lenin, Georgi
Dimitrov and a plethora of grim-faced Communist factory workers and
their bosomy wives in the fields.
Yet, dereliction does not stop the BSP leaders from gathering thousands
of their supporters every year at the so-called Historical Meadow at the
beginning of August, when they mark the anniversary of the foundation
of their party with bold speeches, music and the smell of kebapcheta. Red
stars, flags and Soviet-era memorabilia are de rigueur.
On other days, however, the Buzludzha Flying Saucer is a waypoint
for alternative visitors ranging from captivated photographers
to Austrian bikers and British mobile home drivers. In fact, as
Buzludzha is gathering popularity as one of Europe's oddest sites the
influx of visitors can become quite overwhelming, prompting local
guards to tighten the no-entry ban.
If you visit, be warned. The building is dangerous and may collapse
over your head if you enter. Stay at a safe distance and try to perceive
it as a symbol of a system that ruled Bulgaria for 45 years and never
really went away after that.

This series of articles is supported by the

America for Bulgaria Foundation. The
statements and opinions expressed herein
are those of the authors and do not necessarily
reflect the opinion of the America for Bulgaria
Foundation and its partners.

80

berat
Albania's City of
a Thousand Windows
holds numerous
little treasures
by Dimana Trankova;
photography by Anthony Georgieff

81

82

balkans travel

If you are trying to go off-off-off-the-beaten-track and still remain

geographically in Europe, look no further than Albania. Tugged among
the precipitous mountains of the Western Balkans, it has been under
the radar for most of the time since its creation in 1913. During its
Communist period, from 1944 to 1992, Albania was sealed off from the
modern world by Stalinist leader Enver Hoxha, who dealt ruthlessly
with real or imaginary opponents and ordered the construction of over
700,000 bunkers to guard himself from real or imaginary enemies. He
fell out with everyone in the world, from Tito and Krushchev to Deng
Xiaoping, turning Albania into a hermetically sealed-off North Korea
less than 200 kilometres off the coast of Italy.
These mushroom-shaped bunkers are often the only thing that
foreigners vaguely associate Albania with. But Albania has been a
democracy for more than 20 years and is welcoming visitors, offering
plenty of undiscovered beauty. Some of the roads are still pot-holed
and dangerously curved, but being a tourist in Albania is one of the best
things one can experience in the Balkans. It's cheap, ordinary people and
polite are friendly, and you can easily explore the seaside, the cities and
the magnificent landscapes. The food is great, and the espresso has an
almost Italian flavour.
Berat, a city of about 70,000 people, is one of the best bits of Albania.
This is not only because the combination of a fortress, Byzantine
churches and hundreds of Ottoman-era houses with bay-projecting
windows is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Berat is a place where different eras of local history coexist. Established
by the Ancient Greeks in the 6th Century BC, the city on the gorge of
the Osum River sat on a vital trade route. In the following centuries it
inevitably changed hands many times, mainly between Byzantines and
Bulgarians. The Ottomans took it in 1417.

83

1
2 3

Previous spread: Berat's old quarter

NEVER, a larger-than-life
protest against corruption in
democratic Albania

The now abandoned Enver

Hoxha's residence inside Berat's
castle

Situated on an important route,

Berat was disputed between
nations and empires for centuries

balkans travel 85

84

2 3
4 5

Rustic charms at Berat

Castle. Known in Albania as
Kala, it was traditionally the
Christian quarter of the city

The Osum River divides the

lower city of Berat in two. Both
sides of the river are built with
beautiful Ottoman houses and
mansions

The 18th Century Church of

the Dormition of St Mary at the
castle houses a museum of the
local icon painter, Onufri

Once, there were more than

40 churches and chapels in the
Berat Castle. Today about half
are preserved

Getting lost in Berat is the

city's greatest pleasure

What remains of this turbulent history is now visible on the

fortified hill which still overlooks Berat. Lying over the remains of
ancient fortifications, there are the ruins of a medieval citadel, an eerie
underground cistern, several fine churches and old houses, plus a building
in pseudo-traditional style which was once a residence of Enver Hoxha
but now stands abandoned. If you don't speak to the locals, you will never
know...
Another remain of Hoxha is seen on a slope across the Osum River
valley: a line of 100-metre high letters forming one word, NEVER. The
letters were carved in the rock by a local man, Sheme Filja, in 2012, to
replace an older sign from 1968. The older sign read ENVER. Contrary
to intuition, though, Filja changed the first two letters not as a sign of
protest against the Stalinist leader and his legacy. Filja did it as a protest
against what he sees is a "replacement of history" in post-Communist
Albania. The country is indeed suffering from all the illnesses of young
Balkan democracies, and political corruption and underdeveloped
economy make some older Albanians feel nostalgic for Hoxha's strident,
but somehow more secure Stalinism.
The lower town of Berat is less controversial.
Scattered on the steep banks of the Osum, which according to the
legend were once two giants fighting over a girl, are the famous Berat
houses. Tall and elegant, they look at you with their windows, inviting
you to climb the steep cobbled lanes that pass here for streets, and to
immense in atmosphere of erstwhile Berat.
This is why Berat is known in Albania as the City of a Thousand
Windows.
Old mosques and churches pop here and there between the houses.
Each of them has a story or an interesting detail deserving attention, but
truth be told, the greatest pleasure of Berat is simply to get lost in one of
the most charming and least known places in Europe.

86

advertorial

the joy from

new life
at dr shterev
hospital

The delivery package provides medical care in

the preparation and conduct of the delivery such
as consultations prior to delivery with an internist
(including ECG) and an anaesthetist, a pelvic
examination, diagnostic ultrasound and monitoring
of the foetal heart rate in the hospitalisation day,
parturition (normal birth and C-section), anaesthesia,
daily medical examinations (doctor's visits) by an
obstetrician during the postnatal recovery stay.
The post-partum stay is in a room with an
independent bathroom, hospital system-call for
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87

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fiction

fiction 89

IRINA PAPANCHEVA's novel Annabel has been shortlisted in the 2014 January
Contemporary Bulgarian Novel Contest of the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation and Open
Letter Books at the University of Rochester. Translator Bistra Andreeva won the 2012
Translators' Residency Fellowship Contest of the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation and Open
Letter Books at the University of Rochester where she spent three weeks improving her
working translation of an excerpt from the same novel in April 2013.

annabel
An excerpt
by Irina Papancheva;
translated from the Bulgarian by Bistra Andreeva

It is a kind of painting that rather changes in character, and takes on a

richness the longer you look at it. Besides, you know, Gauguin likes them
extraordinarily. He said to me among other things "That...it's...the flower."
Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to Theo Van Gogh

When she faced one of the original

Sunflowers paintings, back in that distant
summer, at that same museum, she had felt a
surge of inexplicable tender joy, mixed with
sadness. It had a pale yellow background and
it was a copy of one of the first four versions
that Van Gogh had painted in the summer of
1888 in Arles. Annabel knew the originals and
the "copies", all nine of them, all too well. Back
then she lived and felt intensely, passionately,
expressively, and there was something different
to the state that the painting put her into now,

something as sweet as a blissful nostalgia, a

whiff of her childhood, something of her first
sketchbook, out of which the same vangoghly
sunflowers were laughing at her. She looked
at the sunflowers and associated them with
loaves of bread again, baked with gratitude
as if they were the artist's gift to nature, the
artist's gift to her. Back in those days it had
seemed to her that everything existed for her
pleasure, as if the Creator had made the world
with one single purpose in mind to grant
Annabel delight. She had returned to them

three times that day, she had gone around the

museum, she had stood in front of the other
paintings too, but something had been pulling
her back to the sunflowers all the time. Then
she had entered a phone booth and dialled
her home number. That was her second and
last call home. "Daddy, please, pick up, please,
please, please!" she repeated in her head, while
listening to the dial tone, and when she had
heard her father's deep warm voice, she had
almost cried out with relief.
"I saw the sunflowers!" her first words were.
"Anna, is that you?" She felt his joy.
"Yes, Dad. I saw the sunflowers. I was at the
Van Gogh Museum, they're even prettier, even
more intense, brighter, I am dazzled!"
"I am very happy for you. Are you okay, my
girl?"
"Yes, Dad, very much, I paint a lot, I've never
been happier."
"This makes me feel a little bit better,
we worry about you, your mom is very
concerned..."
"Mom just doesn't get it, Dad. I'm good,
better than ever, I feel like a sunflower, and
you're my sun, Dad, I love yoooouuu."
Annabel heard her father's subdued laughter
on the other end of the line.
"I love you too, Anna. Look after yourself."
"Gotta go, Dad, I'm running out of coins, see
you soon..."
The line went dead. That was the last time
she heard his voice, the last one; ever, that cruel
ever, that really means never. Never. What a
gruesome, incomprehensible word...
"All of life's stages in a few sunflowers"
Annabel turned around abruptly and saw
her father. The paintings blurred and the last
image her mind managed to grasp was that
of sunflowers burning like torches. The next
image was of Vincent, leaning above her.
Annabel realized she was lying on one of the

museum benches, she flinched and tried to sit

up. Five or six people had gathered, she saw
among them their lady companion's made up
face.
"It's okay, calm down, no sudden moves," the
man said.
She felt her breathing ease so she slowly rose.
People made sure she was fine and went on
with their walks around the museum.
"What happened?" Annabel asked
uncomprehending.
"I saw you study the Sunflowers and your
complete concentration was so magnetic, that
I felt like seeing them too. I started talking
to you and apparently you were taken aback,
because you turned abruptly and then you
slumped down. Has this happened to you
before?"
"Not for a while, it hasn't. It's probably due to
low blood pressure. I am sorry."
"Would you like to go down to the Museum
Caf?" Vincent offered.
"I wouldn't want to bother you. I am fine,"
Annabel said in a voice still weak.
"No, please," Vincent insisted.
Their companion followed them. The caf
was buzzing like a beehive, but they managed
to find a table. Annabel asked for coffee.
Vincent brought it, along with a croissant and
the words: "You need a bite."
"Do you feel better now?" their companion
asked her with concern.
"Much better, thank you. What did you say
when you approached me? What were your
exact words?" Annabel turned to Vincent.
"I said that all of life's stages are represented
in a picture of a few sunflowers."
"What did you mean by that?"
"The Sunflowers. Birth, maturity and death,
it's all in that sunflower vase."
"Right, of course...," she hesitantly replied and
thought about it. She had never looked at the

90

fiction

painting that way. "I have to see it again," she

thought.
Apparently, it'll never be enough, there will
always be more to discover, and that "more"
will reflect the stage we are at, our current state
of mind.
"Do you know the myth of the sunflower's
origin? A water-nymph named Clytie was in
love with Apollo, but someone else had won
his affection. For nine days she sat without
flinching, and gazed at Apollo traveling in
his golden chariot across the sky. Finally, she
turned into a flower, but kept looking at him
by turning her face on her stem, always gazing
in the sun's direction. That's why a sunflower
is a symbol of devotion in love, of faithfulness
that never questions, and of gratitude for that
feeling, even if it is unrequited," the elderly lady
recited dramatically, looking at Vincent more
than she was looking at Annabel.
"I didn't know that," Annabel uttered. "But I
do know that for Van Gogh a sunflower was a
symbol of gratitude and friendship."
"Apparently, you love the arts?" Vincent
asked.
"Yes, Van Gogh is my favorite artist."
"Do you paint yourself ?"
"I did. Once. In fact, so long ago, that it seems
like it was in another lifetime. What about
you?"
"Too bad you've stopped. I am just an
appreciator."
"As someone who was involved in the arts all
her life, I know best how important it is to have
appreciators," the lady cut in, and looked at the
consultant with a big smile and squinting eyes.
"You paint?" he asked.
"No, I'm a poet. I have several collections of
poems published."
After finishing their drinks they went

fiction 91

back to the paintings. This time they walked

around together, they stopped in front of
some paintings and quietly discussed them.
Annabel was silent and hardly listened to
them. Eventually, they ended up in front of the
Sunflowers again.
"Here is why this painting is so mysterious,"
Vincent drew her attention. "Because it's much
more than just a still life. Look, some of the
sunflowers are like little suns just come up,
others are like suns in their zenith, and these
over here are declining into the sunsets of their
short lives."
Annabel carefully absorbs his words while
watching the painting, and it seems to her
that she really sees it for the first time. All
of life's stages in one. That summer she had
gone back to the museum to copy it. She had
spent the whole day with her tripod in front
of it, making dozens of sketches only to finally
crumple them all up and throw them away.
It was impossible for me to copy it, because I
didn't grasp its essence, its soul escaped me, she
thought.
She feels someone touching her hand lightly,
the man is next to her and keeps observing her
with eyes that are still as calm and careful.
"You are a sunflower yourself, that's why you
like them so much. A sunflower in its loveliest
stage."
Annabel looks around. The poet lady is
at a safe distance. She doesn't know how
to respond. She keeps her eyes on his for a
moment. Then she heads for the exit. The
weather is still as hot. She relaxes on a shady
bench. Her cell sounds a popular hit. She takes
it out of her bag. She sees the name Nikola
written on the display and puts it away. The
song continues a little longer, gets to the
middle and abruptly stops. Her companions

show up and she starts towards them.

Cosmopolitans' Caf
Homeland, non-homeland...
"It is not possible to live always away from the
motherland and the motherland is not only
nature but also the human hearts, who search
and feel like us."
Vincent Van Gogh in a letter to Theo Van Gogh
I was in Bulgaria. I was on a bus and it was
a long trip across the country, so to kill some
time, I started making lists. Two of them.
I tried to break into pieces each of the two
worlds that I inhabited geographically, so as to
create two new non-geographical entities: one
by invisibly sewing up some select pieces into
a patchwork that I would call "homeland", and

another that would automatically become the

non-homeland.
Homeland:
The rounded landscape
The comfort of the ever-strained family
relations
The old friendships
A few Sofia bars
The Black Sea
My dear mother tongue
Red wine
Bulgarian taverns
Sofia in October
Gela village in the summer
The chaotic, yet distinctive Brussels
architecture

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and movable ceiling offering spectacular view of the starry sky and festive reworks.

fiction

My little street
My apartment
The smart-casual Brussels cafs
Art in Bulgaria
Art in Belgium
The way the sun colors the buildings in a very
warm yellow-orange shade after a dark day
Beer
Transport
The station city
The airport city
Multilingualism
Politeness
The evening news
The feeling of freedom
Jazz
The flea market on Place du Jeu de Balle
Non-homeland:
Chalga music
Preventive hostility
Rudeness
Public transport
Grey apartment buildings
Madness on the road
Elbowing your way up
The evening news
The coarse side of my mother tongue
A certain bus driver in Brussels
Brussels district registration
Corruption
Heartless doctors
Cynical doctors in the emergency ward
Prejudice towards Eastern Europe
Fawning on Western Europe
Homeland is the space your soul occupies.
From Brussels, Sofia looks very, very near
From Sofia, Brussels looks so much further
The distance is not only in our heads
but in our cultural predispositions too

fiction 93

In the sense of proximity and accessibility

In imaginability
Annabel has no roots.
Is the lack of roots a commitment?
Free is she?
She travels spaces, where my mind is not allowed
my soul cannot reach
Thus, Annabel is born
And with her, with her bike
A longing flies away in space
for the impossible
She had left without saying goodbye to
Nikola, although he did keep calling persistently
until she finally switched off her phone on the
plane. What had happened the previous night
called into question their whole future together.
"You never loved me!" she screamed at him.
"I thought that your coldness was just part of
your manner, but apparently I didn't know
you well enough. Apparently, you can be truly
warm and affectionate, even more than I dared
dream of, just not with me."
She was yelling and waving a print-out of
an email in his face. An email sent to him by
another woman.
"Oh, look who's talking?! Are you capable at
all of giving a damn about anything other than
your career and your freaking perfection!"
Slamming the door, Annabel left the
room and started nervously packing for her
impending trip. She called a cab and gave the
driver Erika's address. It was only when she had
pretty much arrived that it occurred to her she
should have warned her. She dialled her number
and heard her soft alto on the other side.
"I had a fight with Nikola, I'll be over in a
minute. Are you there?"
"I am, but, Anna, I'm not sure this is a good
time. I'm not alone."

"I have nowhere to go, please, I can't go back

home, I'm so mad at him."
"Alright then. I'll be here."
Annabel hugged her tightly at the door and
came into the room. There, sitting a bit stiff on
the dark blue sofa, was her assistant Maggie.
Cosmopolitans' Caf
Cosmopolitanism and nationalism
The Stanford Encyclopedia of
Philosophy gives the following definition of
cosmopolitanism: "The word 'cosmopolitan',
which derives from the Greek word
kosmopolits ('citizen of the world'), has been
used to describe a wide variety of important
views in moral and socio-political philosophy.
The nebulous core shared by all cosmopolitan

views is the idea that all human beings,

regardless of their political affiliation, do (or
at least can) belong to a single community, and
that this community should be cultivated."
In his short story A Cosmopolite In A Caf,
O Henry's narrator shares his theory that "...
since Adam, no true citizen of the world has
existed" so he concludes that "we find travellers
instead of cosmopolites". And right that
minute, his cosmopolite shows up, tossing the
planet on his palm like a ball.
In the story, Adam retains his exclusive
status, but in his case that's easy it's one
thing to have the Earth as a permanent
address in a united and apolitical world,
and it's a whole different issue to have to

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92

94

fiction

overcome the identity you had predetermined

at birth and locked into your language,
location and nation. But could the "old
world's" perspective of space, distance and
destinations be applied also to the unlimited
virtual dotcom universe?
The world has changed and it has shrunk,
the old boundaries have been removed.
How does that affect our understanding of
cosmopolitanism? Is our original identity
nowadays trans- and post-nationalistic? And
what does nationalism mean?
In Blood and Belonging: Journeys into the New
Nationalism Michael Ignatieff describes the three
aspects of nationalism. He says that as a political
doctrine "nationalism is the belief that the world's
peoples are divided into nations, and that each of
IRINA PAPANCHEVA is the author of the
illustrated children's book I Stutter (Ciela,
2005), the short novel Almost Intimately
(Kronos, 2007) and the novels Annabel (Janet
45, 2010) and Pelican Feather (Janet 45,
2013). She has worked as a journalist, editor
and translator, as well as a Deputy Mayor
of Sofia Municipality and an advocate and
consultant in the Bulgarian and European
NGO sectors. Currently, Irina Papancheva
is an EU Policy and Advocacy Adviser to the
Lumos foundation in Brussels. She writes a
blog about the city at myprivatebrussels.com.

95

these nations has the right to self-determination".

As a cultural ideal, it is "the claim that while men
and women have many identities, it is the nation
that provides them with their primary form of
belonging." As a moral ideal, nationalism is "an
ethic of heroic sacrifice, justifying the use of
violence in the defense of one's nation against
enemies, internal or external".
Then, is the cosmopolite someone who
has crossed the boundaries of the national
to arrive at a place of absolute freedom and
non-belonging? Is it possible to cut someone's
roots without amputating a vital part of their
identity/spirit/soul?
I don't have an answer to these questions. But
I would like to create a free, unburdened and
unattached heroine.

THE ELIZABETH KOSTOVA

FOUNDATION and VAGABOND, Bulgaria's
English Monthly, cooperate in order to enrich the
English language with translations of contemporary
Bulgarian writers. Every year we give you the
chance to read the work of a dozen young and
sometimes not-so-young Bulgarian writers that
the EKF considers original, refreshing and valuable.
Some of them have been translated in English
for the first time. The EKF has decided to make
the selection of authors' work and to ensure
they get first-class English translation, and we at
VAGABOND are only too happy to get them
published in a quality magazine. Enjoy our fiction
pages.

high
flights
airport news
health
destination
education

96

high news fraport

high news fraport 97

new vip lounge with unique design

welcomes passengers at varna airport

A new VIP lounge with unique design welcomes

passengers at Varna Airport. For the inauguration of
the new facility on 24 July, Fraport Twin Star Airport
Management AD invited passengers of regular flights

to Vienna and Moscow for a first-hand experience of

the new VIP Lounge services.
On the occasion of the opening, passengers and
guests had the opportunity to enjoy selected food,
refreshing summer cocktails and a nice relaxing music
in a pleasant, elegant atmosphere. A jazz musician
entertained the guests and ensured their good mood.
At the open terrace of the VIP lounge, which offers a
spectacular view to the apron and the airplanes, bar
tenders made attractive show with classical cocktails.
The newest VIP service at Varna Airport gives
opportunity to speed up formalities and spend quality
time in a calm, cozy and friendly atmosphere. The
lounge offers a VIP assortment of selected specialties
and beverages, newspapers and magazines, TV as well
as free Wi Fi. Its exclusive atmosphere makes it the
perfect place to relax, freshen up, eat or work before
the flight.

.
, 24 ,
" "
.
, ,
.

. ,
,

.
-
, ,
.

, , .
, ,
.

health

StoskFreeImages.com

98

Smile
Made in
Bulgaria

"
"

The dental care in the country

is on a world level
and on very competitive prices

by Dimitar Ivanov

To come to Bulgaria not only for the seaside or

the wine, the traditional villages and towns or the
mountains, but also to go to a dentist? Sounds strange,
but it actually is not. In the past decade Bulgaria
has become a destination for health tourism among
foreigners and Bulgarians living abroad.
The Bulgarian dental centres are exceptionally popular
because of the top specialists working in them, the good

, , ? ,
.
, .
,

(Continues on p.102)

( . 102)

Filtchev
Clinic:
Experience
and Care
are Vital
Dr Dimitar Filtchev on the
forces behind the ongoing
success of the clinic
What are the strong points of Filtchev Clinic?
Our biggest advantage is our team of ambitious and
smiling people. They put the patient at ease and make
him or her to forget the fear from the dentist. As a team,
we have specialists in all fields of dental medicine.
Our second advantage is the state-of-the-art precise
equipment in Filtchev Clinic. It helps us to diagnose
correctly, easily and very fast all conditions and
problems, and to plan the most effective treatment.
Which are the minimally invasive treatment methods in
Filtchev Clinic?
Minimally invasive treatment is gaining momentum in
contemporary dentistry, and in Filtchev Clinic we also
strive to offer out patients the more sparing treatment
plan possible. When teeth are missing, we made
constructions without having to file down healthy teeth.

We, too, make crowns with minimal damage to the hard

dental tissues and the procedure is finished in hours. We
achieve this through our team philosophy for minimal
invasive treatment, and using the precise equipment we
have in the clinic.
What is the CAD/CAM system you use?
The Computer-Aided Design/Computer-Aided
Manufacturing is a revolutionary technology for
manufacturing of ceramic and composite constructions
with unique precision. The whole process is
computerised. The biggest advantage of the CAD/CAM
technology is that your crown is ready in hours.
Tell us more on the congress which your team organises
every year?
The event is the biggest dentistry congress in the
Balkans. We invite over 100 Bulgarian and foreign
lecturers who share their experience with over 1000
dentists from Bulgaria and abroad. The congress is a
great opportunity for us and our colleagues to be in
touch with the latest innovations in dentistry. We are
proud that we have created in Bulgaria an event on a par
with the biggest international congresses.
You organise implantology courses in Bulgaria and
abroad, tell us more about them.
We work with the most successful implantology
system in the world, Zimmer Dental, an American
company. Through our co-operation we built not only
good business relations, but met in their face friends who
help us to bring the smiles back on the faces of hundreds
of patients. Our team is happy to be invited to congresses
all around the world, where we learn more and make
contacts with the best lecturers in the world which we
then invite to our events.

Filtchev Clinic | Sofia, 62 Krum Popov St | phones: 02 865 3540, 0888 222 480

www.prostheticdent.com

100

advertorial

advertorial 101

Just Smile!
De&Ka Dental Clinic is the place
where care is quick, modern and
painless, says Dr Aleksandar Dechev

When you enter De&Ka

Dental Clinic, in Sofia, the usual
drilling sounds are no-where to
be heard. Established in 2010,
for two years now the clinic has
been using a high-tech laser for
quick and painless treatment
of a variety of conditions.
Staffed by young and ambitious
professionals, De&Ka Dental Clinic provides its patients
with the full range of treatments, periodontology,
implantology, surgery, children dentistry, at a top quality,
says Dr Aleksandar Dechev. He has graduated from
the Dentistry Faculty of the Sofia Medical Academy
and is one of the few specialists in Bulgaria trained
to work with ERBIUM dental laser. Dr Dechev has
numerous specialisations, ones of the most important
are in periodontology in Germany and in aesthetic
implantology at the Bern University.
What are the advantages of the young team of De&Ka
Dental Clinic?
Our professionals are not only young, but ambitious,
they attend courses abroad and specialise in all fields of
dental care. We have an orthodontist, a therapeutist, an
orthopaedist, periodontist, a surgeon, and a specialist
in children's dental care. This is complemented by the
newest technology of dental laser for effective, quick and
painless treatment. We also offer surgery, implantology,
bone reconstruction and periodontology.
Children are famously hard to get on with the dentist.
How do you convince them to trust you?
To treat a child is a stressful task, but I am proud
to say that most of the children who visit De&Ka
Dental wouldn't visit another dentist. We use a range
of psychological methods. First we introduce ourselves
to the little patient, and on our second visit we explain
why dental care is important. We tell the story of the two
malicious gnomes living in the children's mouths.
What is the ERBIUM laser you use?
Since 2012 we have been working with the ERBIUM
laser. It is an innovative technology which uses a wave-

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phone: 02 481 0511
dekadental@hotmail.com
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length of 2940 nanometers. Its end is made of glass

and during treatment it doesn't touch the tooth. The
laser emanates light and water, which cause small-scale
explosions in the treated tissues. This paralyses the
nerve receptors and the patient doesn't feel anything.
The sound of the laser reminds that of microwaved
popcorn, which is less stressful than the sound of the

classical drill. And the patient doesn't feel drilling

vibrations.
What the ERBIUM laser is able to do?
Treatment of caries is the most obvious answer. I
use ERBIUM, too, in periodontology and surgery for
periodontitis, pockets, plastics. Basically, I haven't used
a scalpel since we have ERBIUM. One of the unique

working time:
Monday-Friday: 9 am - 8 pm
Saturday: 10 am - 6 pm

applications of ERBIUM is the whitening of gums,

which have darkened as an effect of metal-ceramic
crowns. This distinctive shade appears about 2-3 years
after the crown is placed, and can become a real nuisance
for the patients. Until recently, it was untreatable, but
with only two painless procedures with ERBIUM laser
the gums become pink again. The effect lasts for 4-5
years.
What are the advantages of implants?
They are the future. Unlike bridges, they don't harm
healthy teeth, and can bring back the joy of eating for
patients who have lost all of their teeth. There is no
age limit for implants, and the procedure takes about
10-15 minutes per implant. This, however, is influenced
by several factors: whether the patient smokes and
what level of hygiene he or she maintains; what is the
condition of his or hers bones; how many teeth are lost,
etc. We work with a whole range of quality implants. As
a general rule, the procedure is easy and painless, and 95
percent of the patients respond well to their implants.
What are the other trends in modern dentistry?
Zirconium ceramics and gold ceramics are all the rage
now, and for a reason, as they are similar to the natural
teeth to such an extent, that a crown made of them is
indistinguishable from a natural teeth.
What aesthetic procedures De&Ka Dental offers?
We do all sorts of procedures teeth-whitening,
treatment of gingivitis, gums plastic. A particularly
interesting procedure is correction of recessions, a
condition when the gums recede, baring the roots of
otherwise healthy teeth. We extract tissue from the roof
of mouth and implant them on the gums with amazing
results.
What should we do to have a beautiful and heathy smile?
Prevention is paramount. Children aged 5-6 should
know how to brush their teeth and how to use
mouthwash and teeth gloss. Going to the dentist every
six months is also very important. I am sorry to say that
more and more young people have bad dental health. To
improve this, we need more education and prevention
and better health culture.

102

health

advertorial 103

(Continues from p.98)

( . 98)

price-quality ratio and the modern equipment. The

affordable prices are the key motive for foreign patients
and Bulgarians living abroad, to head to dentl centres in
Bulgaria, as for services costing hundreds and thousands
of euros and US dollars here are times cheaper.
The training of a good dental specialist takes talent,
time, efforts and investments. The dentists study at least
five years, dedicating more time for training and have to
spend serious money if he or she aims to equip his or her
own office. The lower living standard in Bulgaria makes
the dentists' labor inexpensive for the average Western
European or American. The expenses for visiting a
dentist with comparable qualifications and experience in
affluent countries are significantly higher.
At first, one would say that these factors slow the
return on investment for the Bulgarian dentist. However,
the lower price is Bulgaria's competitive advantage. It
attracts clients from all over the world. And this is why
Bulgaria is a hit for dental tourists, whether they need
an ordinary filling, parodontitis treatment, or new
permanent teeth.
The best professionals and dental centres in Bulgaria
have been investing for years in the best equipment.

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TOP DENT
THE TOP PLACE
FOR COMPLEX DENTAL CARE!
The clinic offers the whole spectre of dental care,
e,
e,
including diagnostics, treatment and prevention while
w
giving its patients optimal quality and comfort. Top
op
Dent keeps up with the latest innovations and itss
dentists explain all stages of the treatment process.
ess.
ss.
s.
y Periodontology
y Caries treatment
y Endodontics

y Prosthetics
y Surgery
y Child dentistry

Your new, more beautiful smile is the success

of our mutual partnership!
Sofia, 38 Lyublyana St, ent. B | phone: 02 955 9523 | mobile:
e: 0888
88 398 671
671 | office:
off
ffice:
ice
ce:
e 0884
088
0884 523
23 432
43
4 2 | www.top-dent.net
www.
www top-dent
www
top-dent.net
.net
ett | www.facebook.com/topdent.net
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ebook.com/
kk.com
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.com/
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topdent.
top
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t.net

Trust,
Professionalism
and Quality
meet at Spadent
Dentist Centre
After graduation from the Dentistry Faculty
in the Sofia's Medical University, Dr Spartak
Yanakiev gained experience with some of the
finest dental clinics in Sofia, and two years ago
opened Spadent Dentist Centre. He believes
in the strong relationships between patient
and dentist, and is positive that strict mouth
hygiene and care for even the tiniest problem
are the short-cut to good dental health.
Spadent Dentist Centre is a place where all
sorts of dental problems are fixed from caries
to implants.

How is the relationship between a patient and a dentist

important for the success of the treatment?
Trust is paramount in the connection between a
patient and a dentist, and I often get better results
with positive people, with patients with who we share
mutual trust. I always begin treatment with a detailed
description of what procedure we are going to perform
and how the treatment will proceed. But for me is also
very important to know what the patient expects of me.
It is not uncommon for a job done well by the dentist to
be disliked by the patient, because he or she simply had
different expectations.
Which procedures Spadent Dentist Centre is best at?
Root canals treatment is the procedure we perform
most frequently and are extremely prone on. Yes, all
dentists do it, but it is very important that treatment to
be done right. You need to measure the canals length
with professional equipment, the treatment should be
done with the best machines and instruments, the root
canals should be cleansed and filled in the best way for
the complete recovery of the tooth.

I am also very fond on caries treatment. It sounds

trivial, but there is a huge difference between a well
treated caries where the tooth is indistinguishable from
a healthy one, and an ill-treated tooth which leaves the
patient with a feeling of discomfort.
I also specialise in aesthetic prosthetic rehabilitation of
all kinds.
What are the requirements for having implants?
A lot, but they all start with the perfect mouth
hygiene. The teeth should be brushed twice a day with
a sweeping motion of the toothbrush, and dental floss
should be applied every day. Then, with X-ray we should
evaluate the thickness, size and quality of the bone.
Implants, however, are a no-no for smokers, and people
who suffer from diabetes and some cardio-vascular
diseases.
Why is treatment of caries of primary teeth important?
It is not important it is extremely important. The
primary teeth secure a normal way of eating for the kid.
They also keep the space in the mouth. If a child loses
a primary tooth, the jaw which still grows at this time,
becomes smaller. Then, when the permanent teeth
eruption begins, the lack of space leads to orthodontic
problems and the need of complex orthodontic
treatment. This can cause a lot of embarrassment for the
child in early puberty, when appearance is crucial for
the self-esteem. Moreover, it is good for children to get
accustomed to the dentist since early age and with the
least possible trauma.
SPADENT Dentist Centre
Sofia, 32 Tsanko Tserkovski St
phone: 0886 445 108
www.zabolekar-sofia.net

104

health

105

(Continues from p.102)

( . 102)

Thus, the old nightmares of the visit to the dentist the

scream of the drill, the smell, the pain are already in
the past. In the best places for dental care in Bulgaria the
specialists use lasers, with them you don't feel pain and
the treated tissues heal and recover with minimal injuries
and trauma.
When it comes to the work itself, the experience and
competence of the specialists are crucial. Even when
only fillings have to be made, the dentist has to make a
decision which is the most suitable material. For this,
he or she considers the health of the tooth, that of the
ones around it, its colour, the aesthetic taste of the
customer, the material opportunities of the customer
and so on.
The most common materials the fillings are made of
are photopolymer, amalgam, composite, glass ionomer,
and ceramics.
The photopolymers are exceptionally popular they
merge with the rest of the teeth in colour and shape and
are quite durable. When they are set, all moisture has to
be removed, as there is a possibility they will not glue
well enough. One drawback of these fillings have is that
they tend to dwindle.

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The amalgam is the cheapest option for a filling and is

by no means the most beautiful. It has its advantages
it is firm and adaptive, and is resistant to the attack of
different chemicals and moisture. However, its metal
colour makes it unattractive. The amalgam also contains
mercury and many dentists refuse to work with it.
Norway, Sweden, Denmark, and Canada have forbidden
its use for children, pregnant women and people with
kidney problems. In 2011 the Council of Europe urged
for limitation of the amalgams, containing mercury.
There are, however, different opinions on the question if
the mercury in amalgam is dangerous. Other drawbacks
that they have are that with time they extend, can darken
the tooth, and may withhold particles of food and plaque
which can cause caries.
The composite is usually used when the damage on
the tooth is more serious and it isn't possible to apply
photopolymers. This material doesn't need light to
harden. Its qualities, however, are surpassed by that of the
photopolymers.
Ceramic fillings are a good decision. They look like
natural teeth, have good durability, and are made in
laboratories after taking tooth prints. They are glued
with cement.

KALIDENT Dental Clinic

y Modern equipment for treatment and makeover
y Treatment of caries for children and adults; Oral and
periodontal surgery; Implants; Aesthetic restoration with
photopolymer
y All varieties of orthopedy metal ceramics, Zirconium,
facets, soft dentures, bruxism splints
y Cleaning of tartar with ultrasound, whitening, bonding and
aesthetic regeneration for perfect shine
y On your rst visit: free of charge examination,
consultation and treatment plan

(Continues on p.108)

SPECIALISED
ENDODONTICS OFFICE
Soa, Druzhba 2, Tsarigradski Complex,
block 284 E; phone: 0887 607 263

YOVDENT

, -2, " ",

. 284 E; : 0887 607 263

Pain, sensitivity to cold or

hot, to touch and during
chewing? Darkening of the
tooth?
You need a root
treatment consult with
an endodontist.
Specialising only in the
eld of the endodontics,
Dr Yovchev has achieved
high precision and
eciency.
YovDent uses in the
treatment of its patients
the most modern and
up-to-date equipment
surgical microscope, digital
X-rays and ultrasound.

www.yovdent.com

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KALIDENT
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Soa, 12 Vishneva St
phone: 02 866 9528
kalident@abv.bg

, . "" 12
: 02 866 9528
kalident@abv.bg

www.kalident.eu

health 107
whole prostheses but also crowns, bridges, facets, and
dental aligners.
Ceramic and photopolymer facets are thin lamellae
placed on the frontal surface of the teeth and are gaining
popularity because of their advantages in comparison
to crowns. They last for long and less than a millimetre
of the tooth is filed in the procedure. The result is a
beautiful, white smile without loosing tooth tissue.
Facets are also a good alternative to the popular teethwhitening. The teeth-whitening is indeed swanky, but
shouldn't be overdone as it damages the tooth enamel.
Dental specialists in Bulgaria are also an excellent
solution when you are looking for an adequate child
dentistry. As a rule, children hate going to the dentist
and too many parents think of the visits to the dental
office as too much fuss for nothing. The primary teeth
will go anyway, why treating them then?
But the truth is different. The quantity of refined
sugar which modern children eat creates an "epidemics"
of caries and more serious teeth conditions, which often
require the extraction of teeth in an early age. Teaching
the child to care for his or her teeth is the first step
towards healthy smile. The regular visits to the dentist
and the timely treatment of caries will keep the primary

(Continues from p.105)

( . 105)

The procedures the patient has to go through are

entirely different if the tooth tissue is exhausted and is not
capable of holding a new tooth or crown. Then you may
have to use implants that are attached to the bone. They
are left there for some time. During that time the gums
are sewed up, while the implant and bone adjust to each
other. Bone substitutes can be added to the damaged bone,
so that the organism is incited to produce healthy bone.
After this the implant is opened and a crown is set on it.
In practice, the implants substitute the tooth roots. These
procedures last long but are amongst the best ways to
improve your teeth health and facial bones.
The success of the procedure depends not only on
the professionalism of the dentist, but also on the effort
and care of the patient before, during and after the
application of the implant. Dentists advice the patient
to be more careful during the first hours and days after
the procedure, limiting drinks and food in contrast
temperatures, sparing the teeth from pressure and taking
antibiotics and sedatives. Smokers should reduce or
stop smoking. In spite of these temporary difficulties,
however, the result definitely deserves the effort.
Another popular way to repair you teeth are the
prostheses. They are not just the removable partial and

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DENTACCORD
d e n t a l

c l i n i c

You
rs
oal!
mile is our g !

Aesthetics y
Smile y e
Sculpturing
Implantology y
Parodontology y
Oral & Maxillo- y facial Surgery
Plovdiv, 4A Brezovska St
Phone: 032 651 214; 0885 940 626; 0888 625 145

www. dentaccord.com

health

advertorial 109

YovDent

108

teeth healthy, and this is of a great importance for the

growth of nice, well-arranged permanent teeth.
The good value for money offers on the dentistry
market abound, but if the low price is at the expense of
quality, eventually in the long term the procedures will
actually cost more. This is why it is advisable to always
check the reputation of the dental experts you have
picked.
(Continues on p.110)

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( a . 110)

AMA Dent

Sofia

James Bourchier Blvd, block 122,

entrance from Galichitsa Street
phone: 02 962 5579; 02 868 4365
mobile: 0878 640 732
e-mail: amadent@abv.bg

Our goal is to achieve health,

harmony and beauty of the whole
face, to make your smile irresistible
and to boost your confidence!
Dental treatment
Maxillofacial and oral surgery
Orthodontics
Laser procedures
Teeth-whitening
Dental physiotherapy
Allergy testing
Fillers and bio-revilitalisers

www.amadent.bg

K Dent:
A Smile
Makeover
Achieving a beautiful smile is a complex
process which takes knowledge and
professionalism, believes Dr Pavel Krastev
from K Dent Interdisciplinary Clinic
K DEN Clinic | Plovdiv, 33 Ivan Vazov St
phones: 032 62 64 09, 0884 860 360 | www.k-dent.eu

What is the philosophy of K Dent Clinic?

The aim to achieve clinical perfection with the
inclusion of different specialists in every treatment plan,
the completely individual approach towards each patient
through a strategy adequate to his or hers expectations.
We apply new, creative ways of thinking and treatment,
aiming to imitate Nature in the best possible way. Our
results are functional and aesthetically pleasing, and fit
the personality of the patient.
Which is K Dent strong point?
The overall experience. We have highly qualified,
smiling and caring team and the most contemporary
digital equipment: digital X-rays, microscope, high
energy laser, hall for general anaesthesia. Our patients
have all the necessary tests and examinations, plus
excellent treatment in one place. The preliminary talk
with the patient is very important, it paves the way
for developing the best treatment which will fulfil the
patient's dreams. We don't only cure, we revive the
patient's individuality.
How can you make a complete makeover of a smile?
We will discuss how do you want your smile to look
like, and will offer you different options, including
the countless opportunities of modern dentistry from
orthodontics to direct bonding and ceramic restoration
to laser teeth-whitening.
What is direct bonding?
It is the reconstruction of the frontal area with
composite material in only one visit to the dental
office. The modern high-quality composite materials
are gaining momentum, with them even the most
complicated conditions can be cured with predictable
results and a minimal loss of hard dental tissue.
What are the implants' advantages and what implant
systems do you use?

Reconstruction of hard and soft tissues is a big

challenge. Dental implants are made after precise
measurement and computations in the aim to look
as natural teeth. They save healthy teeth and bone,
and decrease bone resorption, allowing the patient to
look and chew normally. In K Dent we use 5 implant
systems which allows us to offer the best aesthetical
and biological result for each patient. There are two
methods of inserting an implant one-stage and classical.
Today, the patients want quick and guaranteed result
and the one-stage method is the most promising, as it
allows almost immediate insertion of the implant. The
placement of the prosthetic construction is possible days
after the implant insertion. The classical method allows
the implant to be inserted on the wanted place, where
a tooth is missing, and allows the usage of all kinds of
orthopaedic constructions.
What is the application of lasers in modern dentistry?
Lasers are fantastic machines which allow us to achieve
the impossible. With them treatment is painless, and
the healing is quicker especially after surgery. Most
of manipulations can be done without or with little
anaesthesia, and the patient feels more comfortably. In K
Dent we use Biolase laser. With it, frenectomy becomes
a routine intervention with minimal post-surgery pain
and swelling. Lasers have advantages in cavitation
preparation, too, as they remove the caries tissues and
preserve the natural cavity without the need of opening
the tooth as in conventional treatment. The lasers for
photodynamic therapy help us to eliminate or decrease
bacteria without thermal effect and significant damage
to the neighbouring tissues, this eliminating the need for
antibiotic therapy.
I think the lasers are the future, and every treatment of
soft and hard tissue will be done with them!

110

health

advertorial 111

(Continues from p.108)

( . 108)

Not always is the more expensive better, but the

level of private dentists in Bulgaria, which cost more,
usually excels that of the state ones. The explanation
for this could be found in the overall context of the
problems of public health care in Bulgaria. The state
health care is lagging behind to the private due to both
insufficient funds and lack of effective control. The
percentage Bulgaria spends on health care is 4.6 percent
of GDP. For comparison in the EU the average is 7.3
percent of GDP. The largest share are paid by Croatia
(9.2 percent), Denmark (8.6 percent), France (8.3
percent), Finland (8.2 percent), and the Czech Republic
(7.8 percent). Only Lithuania and Latvia spend
less then Bulgaria respectively 3.3 percent and 3.9
percent of GDP. The unorganised control system, the
bureaucratisation, and the demotivation of the medical
personal are to blame for the further deterioration of the
situation in public health care.
No matter how careful you chose a dentist, however,
you should remember that to a large extent the health of
your teeth is in your hands. Brush your teeth twice a day,
use dental floss and visit the dental office for a check-up
twice a year.

.

.
,
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4,6 % .
7,3 % , - (9,2%), (8,6%), (8,3%), (8,2%) (7,8%).
- 3,3% 3,9% . ,

.

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.
,

.

Dr Maria Kotova
Denta Ko Dental Centre
Soa, Manastirski Livadi West,
7 Lavski Rid St

DENTA KO
D E N TA L

C E N T R E

mobile: 0888 981 774

mimi_kotova@yahoo.com

all ceramics crowns, home

and ofce teeth-whitening

In Denta Ko we make
your dreams for a healthy
and beautiful smile come
true. For us there is not
such thing as "mission
impossible".

z Orthodontics for children

and adults: classical metal
and aesthetic brackets, the
most modern invisible and
transparent aligners

We are a team of young

and ambitious dentists and
offer complex treatment
according to the individual
needs and preferences of
each patient.

z Oral surgery and

implantology: implants,
bone replacement,
gingivoplastics

z Aesthetic restoration:
obturations, veneers and
lumineers, Zirconium and

z Endodontics: machine
treatment of canals, lling
of root canals with warm
condensation

Dental laser:
The road to
healthy smile

Since 1997, when she enlisted in the

first specialisation in implantology
in Bulgaria, Dr Rositsa Koleva has
been devoted on securing a highprofessional care for her patients. She
has specialised in Israel and Germany,
and since 2011 has been applying the revolutionary dental
laser Er Yag at Laser Dental Centre Dr Rositsa Koleva.
Dr Koleva also works with Kavo Esthetica 70 dental
unit of highest class with built-in systems for disinfection
and implants. When making obturations, crowns and
others, she uses high-precision Keeler lenses.
What are Er Yag's advantages?
The high-frequency laser ErYag is a new technology and
a new method of treatment with a new equipment, the
innovative Lite Touch dental laser. Using surface ablation,
it treats the tissues without harming the tissue around.
It has bactericidal effect and leaves the treated tissues
sterile. Er Yag is the only laser which has a contact with the
treated tissue, without causing coagulation or necrosis.
What conditions can be treated with the laser?
The laser is good both for treatment of hard tissues
(enamel, dentine, tartar, bone) and soft tissues
(ligament, gingiva, frenulums). The healing period is
faster and painless, without edema. The caries treatment
is contact-less and painless. The Er Yag laser allows
innovative treatment of generalised periodontitis
(periodontitis), closure of deep pockets, bone
regeneration, and prevents general gingival retraction.
With it, we can stop patients of loosing their teeth due
to generalised periodontitis (periodontitis).

1997 .,
, -
. ,
2011 . Er Yag
"- ".
- -
Kavo Esthetica 70 . ,
Keeler .
ErYag?
ErYag
,
Lite Touch.
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Ruse, 8 Tsarkovna Nesavisimost St, entrance , floor 1 | phones: 082 826 767, 0888 787 948 | Monday-Friday: 10 am 7 pm

http://facebook.com/dentako1

, . " " 8, . , . 1 | : 082 826 767, 0888 787 948 | : 10:00 19:00

dentist.koleva@gmail.com
www.dr-koleva.com

112

destination

A Gulp
of Varna

Rediscover Bulgaria's
sea capital

by Dimitar Ivanov;
photography by Anthony Georgieff

Varna is Bulgaria's largest seaside city and a favourite

place for vacation to Bulgarians and foreigners alike.
It has all a stretch of sandy beaches and greenery,
shopping and bustling crowds, sights of interest and
cultural events, vivid nightlife and one of the best
culinary scenes in Bulgaria.

- . , , ,
- .

high news fraport

Varna was declared a resort city in 1921 and soon on
the seaside appeared the Central and the North Sea
Baths, which offered revolutionary things like a water
slide and a mixed beach for both sexes.
From this moment on, Varna hasn't stopped developing
as a centre for sea tourism. In 1955, in the city's outskirts,
the Sts Constantine and Helena Resort was established
and in 1956 appeared the popular Golden Sands
resort. Both complexes are on the territory of Varna
Municipality, but they are not alike. In the years of the
post-2003 construction boom, Golden Sands was heavily
developed and the results from the over-construction are
still visible today. Unlike it, Sts Constantine and Helen
still preserves vast undeveloped areas and forests, being
slightly outdated and not that attractive to the young
crowds, but definitely more nature friendly.
Varna, however, is much more than a place to gather
some tan on its sandy beaches. The city is green, and its old
centre combines Ancient ruins and European architecture
from the first half of the 20th Century. Among the most
interesting sights are the remains of the largest Roman
termae preserved in the Balkans, the fine buildings of
the Opera House and the Balgaran Theatre, and the
Assumption Cathedral, the second highest in Bulgaria.
Varna has several museums deserving to have a look
at their exhibits. Park and Museum Wadysaw III
1921 .
-
, .
,
. 1955 .
". .
", 1956 . " ". ,
. 2003 .
" " ,
.
, ". . " , . , -
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, , ,
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Your new favourite place

on the Black Sea!
Comfortable, modern and stylish, Kristel Hotel is the latest star in the
Sts Konstantin and Helena resort.
This sophisticated place for relaxing vacation is amidst a lush park, with a
picturesque sandy beach in close proximity.
y 28 luxurious double rooms, 1 studio and 1 apartment
y exceptional food and wine in Kristel Dining Room with garden
y private sauna, jacuzzi, massage
y open air swimming pool
y in close proximity to the hotel you enjoy: tennis court, playgrounds, yacht port,
deep-sea shing, mineral swimming pools

3 "68" St | Sts Constantine and Helena Resort | phone: 052 363 599
reservation@kristelhotel.com

www.kristelhotel.com

116

destination

destination 117
Warneczyk, in the city's outskirts, is devoted to the
battle of 1444 which the knights of the Polish and
Hungarian King Wadysaw III Warneczyk fought with
the Ottomans. Eventually, the battle put the end of the
last Crusade in history.
The Revival Period Museum and the Ethnography
Museum are both situated in beautiful houses from the
19th Century, a rare reminder of how Varna looked like
before the large scale Europeanisation which engulfed it
during the turn of the 20th Century.
The pearl among Varna's museums actually, among
Bulgaria's museums is the Archaeological Museum.

,
.
"" , . - ,
,
.
1862 .,
1881 .,

Varna's University of Economy was established

in the beginning of the 20th Century

The park and museum Wadysaw III Warneczyk are a

place of historical significance and lush greenery

DR KOVACHEVA

"- "

Elisa Pasquali

DENTAL OFFICES

The Assumption Cathedral is Bulgaria's

second highest

More than 20 years of precise treatment and

qualied service by dentists and nurses with years
of practice
z Aesthetic, prosthetic and surgery
dental medicine
z Modern equipment
z Precise diagnostics and treatment

20


z E,

z
z

Varna, 54 General Kolev St (the business building on the corner

with Tsar Osvoboditel Boulevard), oor 2, oce 11
phones: 052 607 890; 0888 456 790; 0898 746 789; 0895 483 325

, . " " 54 (
. " "), . 2, 11
: 052 607 890; 0888 456 790; 0898 746 789; 0895 483 325

kovacheva@drkovacheva.com
www.drkovacheva.com

1118
1118

destination
dest
d
de
destin
eest
stin
st
in
natio
nation
attion
ation
tiion
o
on

destination 119
Situated in the spacious building of the former Girl
High-school, it keeps the oldest gold treasure in the
world. It was discovered in 1972 in a 6500-year-old
necropolis in the outskirts of modern Varna. The
museum offers a lot more in its recently renovated halls
are exhibited everyday objects and art from Antiquity
and the Middle Ages, along with beautiful Revival
Period icons.
When they say "Varna", however, the most visitors
think of the Maritime Garden. It is deservedly thought of
as the most beautiful in Bulgaria and is a place where you
will wish that your walk would never end. The first steps
for creating a public garden here were made in 1862, but
true development began after 1881, when Varna mayor
Mihail Koloni proposed the area around the theatre and
the sea park to become a full-scale maritime garden, on
an area of 6 acres with 130 trees. The Maritime Garden
was designed mainly by Czech landscape architect Anton
Novk, who have worked, too, in the gardens of the
Schnbrunn and Belvedere palaces in Vienna.
Today the Maritime Garden covers 850 acres and to the
north borders with Evksinograd Park, where you can visit
the charming summer residence built in 1893 for Prince
Alexander I Battenberg. The Evksinograd Park has an area

Kolyovi Izvori

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Complex

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Immerse yourself in the tranquility of

times bygone when among the greenery
and springs around the Batova River the
people would stop for sweet talk and
delicious lunch.
y Traditional restaurant with sach dishes,
mezes, delicious salads and grilled meat
y A hotel for wholesome relaxation
y An ideal spot for weddings and other
events

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Varna, Batova Reka area, after Aksakova Panorama

on the road to Kranevo
working time: 9 am 3 am, every day
for inquiries and reservations: 0899 833 327

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: 09,00-03,00
: 0899 833 327

120

destination

education 121

of 136 acres and besides a great botanical garden is noted

for its vineyards which produce wonderful wine.
In the past few years Varna has been developing tourist
services with higher added value, like yachting and
diving, green and rural tourism.
The summer in Varna is also a season for cultural events,
including festivals, exhibitions, literature readings and
others. Among the most famous are the Love is Craziness
International Film Festival, the Varna Summer International
Music Festival and the International Ballet Competition.
Varna has the deserved confidence of a cultural hot spot,
and is a contender for European Youth Capital for 2016 and
European Capital of Culture for 2019.

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Back to
Text Books

Prepare your children for school

with courses which will enrich
their knowledge and skills

by Dimitar Ivanov

The traditional perception of summertime as more

suitable for holiday, and the autumn for more serious
study is a prejudice. And yet, something being a prejudice
doesn't mean that it is not true. Studying in the hot and
sunny weather may keep you in good intellectual shape,
but on the whole, the autumn learning is more effective.
It contributes better to remembering the already learned,
mastering new knowledge, and for transition to the more
demanding phase of the year.

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(Continues on p.124)

( . 124)

The best place for business and pleasure!

Varna, 10 Slivnitsa Blvd | reservation@hotelplazabg.com | www.hotelplazabg.com

reception: +359 52 684 060, 0885 919 370 | Like us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/plazahotelv

StoskFreeImages.com

In the centre of Varna,

close to the Festival
Complex and the
Maritime Garden, but
in a quiet place in the
pedestrian zone
Personal service, bar,
rent-a-car, free Wi-Fi

122

CHILDRENS ACADEMY
OF SCIENCES, ARTS
AND SPORTS

123

THE INNOVATIVE AND AVANT-GARDE EDUCATIONAL

INSTITUTION IS READY WITH AN INTERESTING AND
DEEPLY ENRICHING PROGRAMME FOR CHILDREN AND
PARENTS ALIKE. IT IS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED TO SATE
THE NEED FOR KNOWLEDGE AND FUN OF THE KIDS.

STAGE PERFORMING AND DANCE

ACADEMY
z Acting; Rhetorics; Classical and modern
ballet; Latino; MTV dance; B-boying; Hip hop;
Folklore dances
BEAUX ARTS AND APPLIED ARTS
ACADEMY
z Painting; Graphics; Sculpture; Quilling;
Origami; Decoupage; Papier-mch; Glass
painting; Batik; Hand made; Floristics
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ACADEMY
z Conversational English taught by a native
speaker; Certificate courses for beginners
and advanced; Musical English; Learning
with Mind Maps
FOREIGN LANGUAGE ACADEMY
z Conversational Russian, German, French,
Spanish, Italian or Chinese taught by native
speakers; Certificate courses for beginners
and advanced; Learning with Mind Maps
SCIENCE ACADEMY
z History and Ethnography; Thracian
studies; Archeoastronomy; Bulgarian
language and literature; Creative writing;
Philosophy; Team role games; Behavioural
culture; Physics; Astronomy; Mathematics;
Biology; Chemistry; Ecology; Learning with
Mind Maps
COMPUTER ACADEMY
z Web design; Graphic design; Movie
animation; 2D and 3D animation; Game
programming with HTML5
MUSIC ACADEMY
z Piano; Guitar; Percussions; Pop and jazz
singing; Musical awakening

CULINARY ACADEMY
z Sweet and savoury treats for children and
adults; Culinary travel
SPORTS ACADEMY
z Swimming; Climbing; Orienteering;
Football; Lacrosse; Baseball; Cricket;
Badminton; Squash; Kung fu; Taekwondo;
Yoga; Chess
TEENAGER ACADEMY
z Interest classes; Internship programme;
Culinary art
EACH WEEK:
TRAVELLING
ACADEMY
z Day-trip to
sites of cultural
and historical
significance
with drawing
en plein air and
orienteering
training

THE STUDYING OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES

IN THE CHILDREN'S ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, ARTS AND SPORTS
The earlier a child begins studying a second
language, the faster he or she masters its
written and spoken rules and its vocabulary,
and develops his or hers abstract thinking.

their mother tongues, but also English,

Russian or Chinese.

The foreign language team of the Children's

Academy for Sciences, Arts and Sports aims
to offer an interesting and entertaining
method in learning foreign languages since
early age. It uses games, dramatisations,
songs, storytelling, flash cards, audio and
video games and many more. Children learn
while playing, succeeding easily, mastering

All alumni of the Academy, from toddlers

to teens and their parents, have a wide
range of language courses in English,
German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian,
Chinese or Japanese. The interest towards
Chinese is hardly a surprise, and the time
when speaking it will be a sign for good
culture is not that far. So it's better to
prepare your child or yourself for this
future.

FROM SEPTEMBER: A NEW ALL-DAY

GROUP FOR TODDLERS

MATHS COURSES
IN ENGLISH LANGUAGE

The Academy is starting a group with

a capacity of 10 toddlers for intensive
studying of English with a native speaker.
The programme includes 10 hours per week
for conversational and musical English,
taught by qualified professionals.

The booking for the Mathematic courses

in the English for children in 2-7th grade
is already open. The aim of the course is
to prepare the children for international
competitions. The groups are of 10-12
children, divided according to their age.

124

education

125

(Continues from p.121)

The beginning of the study period for pupils also

makes autumn courses preferred over the summer ones.
Concentration is harder when the hot sun burns outside,
and the sea or the mountain want your attention. In
such atmosphere, the room gets smaller and the thinking
somehow finds a way to slip around the mandatory. Of
course, there are no universal truths and everything is
individual, but still...
To achieve the golden means it is advisable to balance
your autumn courses with your overall level of workload
and obligations. It is important to reach a comfortable
equilibrium in everyday life. In your schedule, or your
child's schedule, there has to be some time for rest and
recreation. In case you finish work at 6 pm, your German
or programming classes start at 6.30, you arrive at home
at 10 pm and in the morning you have to be at work,
learning new things won't be so easy.
The same goes for your children. Studying, apart from
concentration and work, requires fresh mind.
The fall is time for entering a new study period,
remembering and asserting the already familiar, and for
mobilisation at school. After the summer break your
children need smooth transition to a more demanding

and ambitious agenda. The team of the CHILDREN'S

ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, ARTS AND SPORTS
(Sofia, 9-13 Hristo Tsenov St, phone: 0876 929 249, www.
childrens-academy-bg.com) understands this and offers
different autumn courses without excessive pressure.
The main priorities of the Academy are foreign
languages, mathematics, computers, history, music, and
sports. The children effortlessly learn and participate
actively in the process. Amongst the foreign languages
taught at the Academy are English, German, French,
Italian, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese.
Qualified specialists look for the balance between
study and play and know that the combination of the
two lead to accumulation of the best knowledge. The
dramatisations, singing of songs, and story-telling using
cubs or cards, the interactive board, audio and video
games, all contribute to the facilitation of the studies
and make them fun.
The earlier enrolment requires better planning and
arrangement of time. It is preferable to the option to
enrol at the last minute or a week before the courses start.
Sometimes earlier enrolment also involves a good rebate
from the course fee.

( . 121)

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127

fiction

where
business
East meets West
in Sofia at

Air Lazur General Aviation is a business-jet company which has proved to be leader
in the heavy-jet aviation for Central and Eastern Europe. Over the years Air Lazur
has introduced high standards of VIP services and has developed a network of
prominent and well-o customers worldwide.
The basic services provided by Air Lazur is the performance of charter ights upon
request where the route and timetable are xed by customer. Businessmen, heads
of state, royal families, celebrities and the like are among the VIPs that best utilize
their time and enjoy ying with Air Lazurs state of art Bombardier Challengers 604.
Aircraft management is another target type of business in Air Lazurs portfolio.
Charter your aircraft when you dont use it and turn the endeavour into a protable
investment.
Air Lazur main priorities are ight safety, high-quality service as well exibility
and adaptability to the contemporary dynamic business environment where
promptness and comfort are key factors.
Striving to gain and preserve its customers credit Air Lazur is entirely devoted to
satisfying its customers needs and desires.

Gourmet Cuisine

Checkpoint Charlie

The Elizabeth Kostova Foundation

and
Bulgaria's English
Monthly, cooperate in order to enrich
the English language
with translations
of contemporary
Bulgarian writers.
Every year we give
you the chance to
read the work of a
dozen young and
sometimes not-soyoung Bulgarian
writers that the EKF considers original,
refreshing and valuable. Some of them
have been translated in English for the
rst time. The EKF has decided to make
the selection of authors' work and
to ensure they get rst-class English
translation, and we at
are
only too happy to get them published
in a quality magazine. Enjoy our ction
pages.

Live Jazz on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays

sofia hotel balkan,

a luxury collection hotel

plaza
hotel
23 Alexander Malinov blvd., oor 4
BG-1729 Soa
phone: + 359 2 8927767/77
mobile: + 359 889 669 355
e-mail: sales@airlazur.com
www.airlazur.com
24/7 Flight Operations number:
+ 359-889-669800

Sofia, 5 Sveta Nedelya Sq

phone: 02 981 6541
www.theluxurycollection.com/sofia

When it comes to location, service and history Sofia Hotel Balkan is not only in the
very heart of the city, but the building itself is part of the architectural heritage of the
capital. The hotel combines timeless grace and modern convenience and is preferred
for the lavishing guest rooms and exquisite event halls. This summer Sofia Hotel
Balkan will take exclusive care for its corporate guests. Until 15 September they can
enjoy free transfer, free upgrade (upon availability) and free access to the Executive
Lounge. And this is only the beginning of the journey that is Sofia Hotel Balkan.

meets
aviation

12 Ivan Vazov St. Sofia phone: 988 03 70

126

Varna, 10 Slivnitsa Blvd

phone: 052 684 060; fax: 052 684 061
www.hotelplazabg.com
To make the most of Varna, go for the centre and the Plaza Hotel. Right in front
of the Sea Garden, the exclusive accommodation is packed with features such as
luxurious leather furniture, bathtub, air-conditioning, and free Wi-Fi. The helpful
staff will take on whatever you need done so that you can relax and soak up the
ambience of Varna. The location in the heart of the city is perfect, just steps away from
the beach and with a great range establishments nearby.

128

inside track

mahaloto
restaurant

Sofia, 51 Vasil Levski Blvd

phone: 0887 617 972
mahalotto@gmail.com
For more than 10 years, this has been
where you get delicious meal along with
the quiet atmosphere to help you wind
down after a busy day in the centre of
Sofia. The restaurant menu includes
favourites such as pepper steak, Caf de
Paris veal and trout with walnuts to suit
your palate. Complete the experience
with a selection from the wine list Old
and New World both, with a scattering
of Bulgaria's best. Mahaloto is a suitable
place for business lunch or dinner, and
you can offer your guests the taste of
Bulgarian cuisine as well. The free wifi
and dreamy atmosphere will hook you up
for hours of lounging here.

kohinoor
indian restaurant

7 Knyaz Boris I Str, Sofia

(close to NDK and Vitosha Boulevard)
phone: 088 253 2541 | www.kohinoor.bg
Indian restaurant Kohinoor offers
classic authentic Indian dishes, such as
flavour-rich curries and tandoori dishes
prepared in our charcoal tandoor. The
freshly baked naan bread will make you
want more and more of it. Kohinoor
has been awarded 3 years in a row the
certificate of excellence by Tripadvisor.

pizzarela
pizza & grill

1 Bulgaria square, Sofia (next to NDK)

Reservations & deliveries: 0888 660 404
www.pizzarela.bg
Pizzarela offers the best of American
And Italian cuisines. Try out our
selection of authentic American beef
burgers, beef steaks, nachos or wide
selection of freshly prepared salads. For
the pizza lovers we offer both American
style thick pizzas, as well as thin crust
Italian style pizzas all prepared in a
traditional wood fired oven.

VB

ISSUE 94/2014

5.95 leva

ZINE
NGLISH MAGA
BULGARIAS E

9 771312 859112

ISSN 1312-8590

06

Clar!s, image builder - Photo Nicolas Claris

BUZLUDZHA
FLYING SAUCER

I SSU E 9 4 / 2 0 1 4

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