The Soviet era
At the beginning of September 1944, the Soviet Union declared war on and invaded Bulgaria, allowing the communist-backed Bulgarian resistance organisation known as the Fatherland Front to assume power on 9 September. An armistice with the Soviet Union, Great Britain and the United States quickly followed, and two years later, in September 1946, following a rigged referendum, Bulgaria became a people’s republic, forcing the former royal family into exile.
Rila Monastery (Walk 5)
For the next four decades Bulgaria quietly functioned as a loyal Soviet-backed satellite state. However, by the late 1980s, with Gorbachev’s perestroika in full swing, the Bulgarian Communist Party was in disarray, enfeebled and unsure of its next move. With the outbreak of demonstrations in November 1989, the Communist Party had an internal shake-up, which saw the end of Todor Zhivkov’s 27-year reign. However, seeing the way the political wind was now blowing throughout Eastern Europe, the Bulgarian Communist Party cleverly decided to give up power without a fight, and instead remodelled itself as the Bulgarian Socialist Party to contest the country’s first free elections for almost 60 years. These were held in June 1990, and in their new guise the former communists did indeed find themselves immediately elected back into power.
Democratic Bulgaria
The ensuing years saw a whole string of governments come and go, as the balance of power shifted back and forth between the Bulgarian Socialist Party and their main rivals, the Union of Democratic Forces. With successive governments failing to deliver on their promises, or to prevent increasing economic hardships and surging unemployment, the Bulgarian people, impatient for change and an improvement in their lot, were unsure of which way to turn. Then, suddenly in June 2001, it seemed as though they had found their salvation, when the exiled heir to the Bulgarian throne, Tsar Simeon II, led his own political party, the National Movement Simeon II, to victory in the parliamentary elections, and formed a government backed by the minority Turkish party Movement for Rights and Freedoms.
However, once again the Bulgarian people were very quickly disappointed and became disenchanted with their leader, and not surprisingly Simeon and his party failed to gain a second term after the 2005 elections, which saw the Bulgarian Socialist Party return to power headed by Sergey Stanishev.
On 1 January 2007, the history of Bulgaria entered a new phase, with accession into the European Union. What it will actually mean for Bulgaria and the Bulgarian people is hard to predict, but for walkers it makes the country more accessible than ever before. Now is the ideal time to go there and explore this fascinating country on foot, for wherever you walk you will not only come across reminders of Bulgaria’s historic past, but in your meetings with ordinary people you will gain an insight into the society as a whole, and perhaps get a glimpse of its future direction and destiny.
Culture
Rural Bulgaria is a land of villages and hamlets, a pastoral paradise where picturesque stone and timber cottages lie scattered on the mountainsides, tucked in amongst extensive forests and lush green meadows. Here, over the centuries, the local people have not only eked out a living from the land, but also developed a rich and important tradition of crafts, costumes and customs.
As you explore Bulgaria you will come across beautifully crafted ceramic bowls and plates, all lovingly decorated by hand, and wonderful home-spun textiles in the form of brightly coloured costumes, carpets, blankets and rugs. Undoubtedly you will hear the complex lively rhythms of traditional music, as well as hauntingly atmospheric Bulgarian folk songs, and perhaps even find yourself swept off your feet and invited to join a long snaking line of locals enjoying an energetic dance (horo) while dining and drinking at a local inn (mehana).
Cuisine
Bulgaria’s historic legacy and geographical location have had a direct influence on its cuisine, which incorporates Turkish, Greek and Slavic influences, as well as numerous unique regional dishes and specialities.
Traditional Bulgarian cuisine
Meals usually start with a salad, which depending on season, is typically made from vegetables such as tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted peppers, cabbage, onions, carrots and lettuce. Bread, potatoes and rice are the staple carbohydrates, while pulses such as lentils and beans are made into wonderful thick rich soups flavoured with herbs. Pork, beef, veal, lamb and chicken are all widely available, as well as trout in the mountains, and other varieties of fish along the coast and in northern Bulgaria.
However, the real staples of Bulgarian cuisine are dairy products, with yoghurt (kiselo mlyako) and particularly white cheese (sirene) turning up as key ingredients in many dishes. With plenty of fruit, such as cherries, strawberries, apples, pears, apricots, peaches, yellow melons and water melons, available during their seasons, traditional Bulgarian cuisine is great for vegetarians, but extremely difficult for vegans.
While slowly eating their salads, many Bulgarians also enjoy drinking a glass of rakiya, a brandy-type liquor made from distilled fruit such as grapes, plums or apricots. Commercial varieties normally have an alcohol content of about 40%, but home-made brews are sometimes nearer 50%. The other drink for which Bulgaria is famous, of course, is its wine. Some archaeologists believe that the territory of present day Bulgaria was the first place where vines were cultivated and wine produced. Today, one can still enjoy some traditional indigenous Bulgarian wines, such as mavrud, pamid, shevka and broad melnik, the latter reputed to have been a great favourite of Winston Churchill.
Language
Bulgarian is a South Slavonic language written in the Cyrillic alphabet. Although more and more young people are learning and speaking English, and many signs are starting to appear in Latin letters, you will certainly find it helpful if you familiarise yourself with the Cyrillic alphabet and carry with you a small phrasebook or dictionary such as the Chambers Bulgarian Phrasebook (Chambers Harrap, 2007) or Bulgarian: Lonely Planet Phrasebook by Ronelle Alexander (Lonely Planet, 2008).
The Ministry of State Administration and Reform has recently implemented an initiative entitled ‘Comprehensible Bulgarian’, along with a new law on the official standardised transliteration of Bulgarian into Latin letters (http://transliteration.mdaar.government.bg/alphabet.php). This is summarised in Appendix 2, which also includes a short Bulgarian–English glossary.
Money
The local currency used in Bulgaria is the lev (plural leva). At the time of writing this is fixed to the euro at a rate of 1 euro to 1.95583 leva. All major currencies can be exchanged in Bulgaria, but Euros are easiest. Be aware that travellers’ cheques are of little use, since they can only be exchanged in Sofia.
Most banks now have ATM machines, and these are also found at Sofia Airport. However, if you are arriving at Sofia Airport and plan on changing cash, then you should be aware that the banks located within the airport arrivals hall are usually closed at weekends, so make sure you obtain Bulgarian currency either in your home country or before going through customs into the arrivals hall.
When you are travelling around Bulgaria itself, you will find banks and ATM machines in most major towns. The latter are usually more convenient, as bank opening hours tend to be fairly restricted, normally Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Bulgaria is still a very good-value destination, although accession to the European Union and fairly highly inflation means it is no longer as cheap as it was. To aid you with budgeting, here are some current (2009)