Bulgaria: An Unexpected Beauty

Okay, I’ll admit it – Bulgaria was my FAVORITE country in Eastern Europe – even with dislocating my shoulder. Update: I am feeling great now but I will most likely need surgery when we get home this fall. This was so surprising to me, simply because I knew nothing about Bulgaria before we went there. But what I found was a beautiful country filled with friendly and driven people. We got to experience the Black Sea in Varna, and then drove across the entire country to Dupnitsa, a small town nestled in the mountains. We spent the end of the month in Sofia, which is easily my favorite city on the race so far (probably because it reminded me the most of America ;). We got to take a walking tour one day, and learned so much about the history. Underneath the city, while they were digging a metro system, they discovered the ruins of a city that had been there since Roman times! Sofia was a crossroads between Western Europe and Constantinople (now Istanbul), so it was traveled through frequently.

Beautiful flowers along the Black Sea in Varna

RJ and I in Varna with the Black Sea in the background

Dupnitsa, a quaint little town nestled in the Rila Mountains

The pedestrian street in Sofia. Every European city we visited has a walking street, lined with shops and restaurants. They are lovely!

An Orthodox church in the Sofia city center

When they were digging for a new Metro line, they discovered these ancient ruins of Roman structures.

The Bulgarian National Theater

Sofia’s most famous landmark – Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

RJ hiked the mountains surrounding Sofia

Here are 9 unique things I noticed about Bulgaria during our month there:

1. People tend to be very serious. They are friendly, but many Bulgarian people (especially older people) we met kept to themselves. This is a leftover result of Communism, where people didn’t know who to trust.

2. Bulgarians are very intelligent. Bulgaria has the highest percentage of people in Mensa – the club for smart people. One girl we met knew 7 languages!

3. Bulgaria’s climate is perfect for growing grapes. Many of the houses in Dupnitsa had trellises over their driveway or balcony with grapes. It was so beautiful in the spring when we were there!

4. Every playground I saw was surrounded by a multi-color fence. I don’t know if this is a law or just a tradition.

5. Bulgarians nod for no and shake their head side to side for yes (so opposite of us). RJ experienced this first-hand, and many of my squadmates found themselves in awkward situations when they thought someone said yes, but they actually said no.

6. Many men wear satchels. Men have stuff to carry too!

7. One of Bulgaria’s largest exports is wheat for bread. There are bakeries on every corner!

8. Everyone is always 15 minutes late. We have noticed on the race that many other cultures are not as concerned about time as Americans. It’s actually refreshing!

9. The majority of the population is Orthodox. We learned on our walking tour that these churches don’t have seats. So if you attend a service, you will be standing for over an hour!