Sat, Nov 21 2009
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Twelve years have passed since John McClane, everyone's favourite antihero, was saving the day and sending ultra-cool bad guys spectacularly into oblivion. The world has changed, movie goers' tastes have changed; the mass audience that will go and see Die Hard 4.0 probably was not born when the original film hit the screen in 1988. Ironically, the teenage crowd will hardly appreciate the 2007 film's most
"FOREIGNERS" are deemed to be any person not a Bulgarian citizen according to a new amendment to the Foreigners Act, currently having passed its first reading. The proposed amendment requires proof of Bulgarian language proficiency for anyone seeking permanent residence in this country.
THOUGH they grew up in the same Macedonian town, Ruzhitsa Bogeska and Bilyana Ermanoska didn't meet each other until they came to Bulgaria four years ago to study molecular biology. Since then they've been inseparable and have now made history by being the first joint Expat of the week interviewees.
THE Bulgarian tradition of masked dancers known as Kukeri dates back centuries to pagan times and each year hundreds of groups of masked men visit the homes of villages throughout the country to perform ritual dances for the occupants' health and well-being.
The Black Sea tourist season is beginning with builders still frantically trying to finish their work on resort hotels and restaurants before tourists flood the coast, and the old town of Sozopol is among the few places that seem to have escaped the commotion of these noisy preparations.
The tiny village of Bulgari experienced its annual upheaval last week when hundreds of people swarmed into the main square, blocking streets and pavements, and filling adjacent fields with their cars. They were attracted by the legendary Nestinari dancers' one-day ritual in honour of Saints Constantine and Elena, which culminates in a late night fire dancing performance to cleanse the Nestinari of evil and bring fertility and health to the village.
"I'm ashamed to be here earning just one or two leva a day," said Assen. He and his wife were packing up their stall as we spoke. It consisted of an odd assortment of sunglasses, old calculators, paper money from communism, cups, plates, and an amateur portrait of an elderly man - all laid out on a cloth on the bare ground.
Moderato is an extremely classy restaurant in terms of interior design and high quality furnishings and fittings. Diners encounter a massive smooth slab of onyx, backlit with water trickling behind it, when they enter the restaurant, and are welcomed by polite and attentive waiters. Upstairs, thick carpets, elegant drapes, and tables positioned well apart and laid with an impressive array of glasses, and fresh flowers put visitors at their ease.
"I don't consider myself an expat," Andy Whiteman remarked. "To me expats are generally overpaid and under-regarded in a particular culture, whereas I'm underpaid and over-regarded in this culture!"
When opened two years ago by the owner of BBB fruit juices as a luxury club for his friends and associates, no expense was spared to create the lavish interior of the club's restaurant. The owner's passion for all things oceanic is unmistakably rendered with the decor of nautical instruments, bottled ships, ancient maps, and eight incredible aquariums filled with tropical fish and exotic living coral, which are well worth a visit in themselves.
WHEN I first met Mesoud Mohamed Ali, known to his friends as Adi, I was initially reluctant to admit that I was English, fearing that he might be somewhat angry about Britain's complicity in the destruction of his homeland. His reaction upon learning my nationality was a complete surprise. "Oh you are British," he said, beaming with pleasure. "I want to thank you and the Americans for freeing Iraq from Saddam - I am so happy about what you have done." This meeting was the beginning of my first-hand enlighte
TRYING to defend the interests of Bulgaria's estimated 2100 wolves at a time when hunters are being encouraged to kill them, and there is no legislation to protect them, is a frustrating occupation for Balkani Wildlife Society board member Alexander Dutsov and his colleagues.
Sofia's villa zone of Bankya, just 10 km from the city centre, is a refreshing break from the capital. The tree lined streets and houses with gardens set back from the road retain its small town atmosphere, though the building sites and mansions glimpsed behind walls and guarded fences confirm the fact that it is now home to many of Sofia's elite.
NEKTARIN finds it hard to live in Sofia. "People are just chasing the wind here," he told me. "They create rules and laws and then become the slaves of those rules and laws. It's a miserable place, and it makes me depressed." As we sat in an outdoor cafe, a car alarm began its noisy wailing nearby and Nektarin grimaced with disgust, "This city!" he muttered angrily.
Brian Bergman's friends back home in the United States were initially a little confused about his Peace Corps placement in Bulgaria. Some told him that he'd find it pretty hot in Bolivia, and others praised his bravery for working in a country with a hardcore Communist regime, where they were sure he must have to queue for bread and live in utter poverty.
"I don't like the street dogs in Sofia," was one of the first things Andrea Rusu told me. "I don't think they're a very good image for the country." She explained that a least seven large dogs greet her whenever she leaves her apartment block, and are still there when she returns. "They're not aggressive if they know you," she said, "but they often intimidate strangers."
Tour operators and journalists from around the country descended on the tiny village of Kosti for the first Bulgarian Rhododendron Festival last week. Just a few kilometres from the Turkish border, Kosti is situated in the east of Strandja National Park, Bulgaria's latest and largest national park, which covers over 116 000 hectares and is famous for its dense oak and beech forests.
Positioned next to the Sheraton Hotel and opposite Saint Nedelya Church, Fiesta restaurant is predictably busy. If you're planning a lunchtime or evening visit, it's well worth booking ahead. Most of the tables are outside and are pleasantly shaded by large umbrellas and the foliage of the horse chestnut trees growing alongside the large green, concrete cacti which serve as a reminder that diners are in a Mexican restaurant.
IT'S common knowledge that Japanese tourists take lots of photos and Seiichiro Uto, though not exactly a tourist, is no exception. In his one and a half years in Bulgaria he has snapped more than 10 000 pictures with his digital camera, all of which are stored on an ever-increasing pile of CDs in his office. "I love taking photos," he admitted, with a shy smile, "most of them document my scientific work, but many are of my personal experiences here."
The day before I met him, two wolves had attacked Rumen Ivanov's flock of 25 sheep in broad daylight, carrying away one of them while his three Karakachan dogs, specially bred to protect animals from wolves, barked, but kept a safe distance. "The dogs were scared," said Rumen. "The wolves moved in very quickly and were pretty fierce."
"My advice to anyone thinking about moving to live in Bulgaria is don't do it just because it's cheaper here and the weather's nice," said Marc Koster. "You need to be very independent and you can't let difficulties get you down. Most people don't want to help you, they see you as a foreigner - a bag of money - and they want to grab that money and drop you afterwards. But if you know what you want, there is a way. Bulgaria is a very nice country."
The burly men that stand on Christo Botev Street and around Macedonia Square swinging lengths of rope are an intimidating and puzzling presence. The ropes are clearly the tools of their trade with which they advertise themselves to passers-by, but exactly what that trade is remains a mystery to most foreigners and many Bulgarians.
If you're lucky enough to find a table on Rich Restaurant's small terrace, you may not want to give it up for the rest of the day. The restaurant, located off Yantra Street, down some steps opposite the Stamboliisky monument, offers an unrivalled view from high above the Yantra River, looking down on the ceramic-tiled roofs of the tall, old houses built on the town's steep limestone cliffs below, the massive white concrete Veliko Turnovo Hotel from socialist times, and the nineteenth century art museum, per
THE Bulgarian eco-parliament, made up of child representatives from schools across the country, visited the Executive Agency of the Ministry of Environment and Waters on Tuesday to mark Earth Day. There they had the chance to see a water analysis laboratory in action, and to attend a presentation by a Japanese water specialist, who compared Japanese rivers with those in Bulgaria.
Mykael Lemosle is full of praise for Bulgaria, and considers himself extremely lucky to have a job that he enjoys in a country that he loves. "My life here is great," he enthused. "I can really do whatever I want. I live five minutes from my office in a great apartment, I have a real social life, and can go to the fitness centre, or cycling on Vitosha whenever I feel like it."
WHEN he first arrived in Sofia in January last year, Amir Fasihani found himself in a country where everything was white, it was bitterly cold, and where he could understand nothing of what people were saying. "It was so boring for me," he recalled.
LOCATED at the top of Buckston Boulevard, close to the ring road, Golden Grill is conspicuous by the number of expensive cars parked on the muddy verges outside. It is already popular with well-heeled Sofians and has begun to attract the interest of foreign diners. A display of numerous framed newspaper cuttings from the national press document the famous figures that have dined at the restaurant and the various events that it has hosted.
WITH the spring in full swing after several false starts, and the red and white martinitsas of March now hanging on trees and bushes around the country, the streets of Sofia are filling up with bright flower stalls stocked by village gardens.
METAL fans were treated to Fyeld's free debut album release concert last Thursday at the Military Club in Sofia. The Bulgarian neo-metal group played an hour of what they call 'dirty grooves' - with savage guitar riffs, roaring vocals, and plenty of stage diving. They were recently signed up by Joker Media, which funded their new album, Fyeld, and has organised a national tour that kicks off next week.
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