Bulgaria Journal
August 28, 2016
We finally landed in Bulgaria, the last destination for this trip. We’ve decided to spend the last days to our best. First things first, Bulgaria is all about food. We didn’t know what to choose from the menu, so we just ordered what the waitress suggested. As appetizer, Shkembe was served, a type of soup commonly seen in Bulgarian restaurants. The dish had a funny taste so we asked the waitress what exactly is in it. Her answer left us speechless. The soup was a tripe soup, which is pork, beef, or lamb STOMACH boiled in a pot, seasoning with garlic, hot pepper, and vinegar. We didn’t know what to say or do because we both aren’t used to eating animal’s intestine. As we pushed the soup aside, Shopska Salad was brought to the table. This was the most popular salad in Bulgaria. It is named after a big group of thrifty people called shopi, who live in the capital city of Bulgaria, Sofia. It is a mixture of chopped tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, and pepper, sprinkled with white cheese on top. Next was Mesena Skara, Bulgaria’s classic meal. Consisted of kebapche (grilled minced meat with spice), kyufte (meatball made up of minced meat with spice), pork steak, and chopped onions. Last but not least, for dessert, we had tarator, a cold soup made of yogurt, cucumber, and garlic. The dessert really cooled us down for the hot day.
After filling up our stomachs, we shopped around the streets of Bulgaria. However, we didn’t know how to get to other cities, so we sat down on a nearby bench, and flipped through a travel brochure from the airport, hoping to find the right transportation to get to our next stop. First, taxi, yellow-painted cars, is the most common transportation in Bulgaria. People can get through cities just by the taxi. Apart from the taxi, minibuses were also a good choice. Most Bulgarian towns have convenient bus services that can lead us easily through the country. After good examination of the bus routes, we took a minibus to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria for shopping.
After a few stops on the bus, we got off at the National Archaeological Museum stop. This archaeological museum is located at center of Sofia. As we walked in, a red apron-looking dress got our attention. A tourist guide in the museum explained to us that this was Bulgaria’s traditional clothing for women or a soukman dress. It was the most worn female costume in Bulgaria. Depending on different religions, it could be found in both short and long sleeves. The strips on the soukman are attached to the sleeve-opening, which is called “tails.” The ornamentation of Bulgaria’s traditional clothing is concentrated on the skirt, along with the neck and sleeve borders. The main three types of the soukman dress are the kasoklinest, visokoklinest, and the two-piece soukman. Kasoklinest has low wedges, visokoklinest has high wedges, and the two-piece soukman has a short jacket.
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| Soukman Dress |
Bulgaria Newspaper
Violina Ancheva, who was Miss Bulgaria in 2016, found someone to give the dress she wore during Miss Universe pageant. Before she returned to Bulgaria, she said that she would pass on her Sherri Hill gown to someone who needed a dress for prom. Then Issay Gallano, a Filipino single mom, wanted her 15-year-old daughter,Zyra Nicole Cidra to wear the dress, since they couldn’t afford to buy one. Gallano then messaged Ancheva, but did not expect a reply from her. However, Ancheva ended choosing Gallano among the thousand people who messaged her. “This is probably the most beautiful thing that I have ever done for somebody, the most touching thing,” Ancheva said.
In the center of the Balkan Mountains, a deep, round hole in a road leads it way up on Mount Buzludzha, which appears Buzludzha Monument. This monument is also known as “Bulgaria’s UFO.” There is a red star on top on this monument, symbolizing communism. It shines over the valley from the 70-meter-high tower. This monument official name is the House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party. Since the mid-1990s, tt has been attracting many city travelers from all around the world.
In Sofia, a self-promoting magnate, Veselin Mareshki, displays his last name on the pharmacies he owns in Bulgaria. He is a straightforward-talker who spreads patriotism, has strict immigration controls, and has a corrupted political establishment. Mareshki, 49 years old, recognizes this feeling may sound familiar. “I believe I am an anti-establishment candidate like Donald Trump,” he stated. “And we will be able to change the world.” His political experiences are being the City Council in Varna, a city in Bulgaria, and a fail run for the mayor of that city, and having 11 percent of voting for president in 2015. Now, Mareshki is forming a new political party, which he calls it Will, indicating “strength of character,” in parliamentary elections on March 26, 2017.
Bulgaria Postcard
August 29, 2016
Dear Audrey,
Today, we went to Slanchev Bryag, also known as Sunny Beach in English. It is a resort on the coast of Bulgaria, the Black Sea. There are watersports people can do, sand dunes, and nightlife in the resort and it was so much fun. Sunny beach has very small amount of people going there, but when it’s summertime, the resort is a home to thousands of people. The swimming pool there is very large and many people lay by the beach and enjoy the sun.
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| Sunny Beach |
See you soon,
Kelly and Vivian
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