The Berkeley Guides:
Berkeley Guide to Europe:
Bulgaria:
Background Information for
Bulgaria
By Deborah Giattina, Meir Rinde, and Cale Siler
To most Westerners, Bulgaria is an enigmatic place that provokes shrugs and looks of confusion. None of this is helped by the fact that virtually everything here is written in Cyrillic script (created by Saints Cyril and Methodius in the 9th century in an effort to preserve the Slavic language and culture), which looks to the untrained eye like something conceived in a Gothic nightmare. Even worse, Bulgarians tend to nod their heads to indicate "no" and shake their heads to indicate "yes." Unless you're careful, this unique custom can wreak havoc on your sense of reality; be sure to get oral confirmation from train and bus conductors when you ask a question. Otherwise, you may end up in Romania.
There's an ancient Bulgarian proverb that warns, "God forbid you live in an interesting time," and Bulgaria has been anything but dull since the 1989 revolution. Despite some political reform and advances toward a market economy, the legacy of Bulgaria's Communist dictators--particularly of former party boss Todor Zhivkov--is formidable: a stagnant economy, rising environmental problems, deep ethnic distrust, and a people frustrated after 45 years of abuse. Many Bulgarians believed the "miracle" of Westernization would bring prosperity overnight. But with a communist-socialist party in power and intense corruption, it's obvious that meaningful reform may take years to implement, perhaps decades to succeed. Bulgaria is hardly grim, but you will encounter some of the grosser long-term effects of Communist mismanagement (many museums have closed indefinitely due to lack of state funds for necessary repairs).
On the upside, prices in Bulgaria are comparable with those in the rest of Eastern Europe, and for $30 a day you can live like royalty. Even if you're traveling on a maxed-out credit card, you won't feel shortchanged. Sofia, the capital, has long been overlooked by the backpack set, while places like Rila, Plovdiv, and Veliko Turnovo in the Balkan Mountains attract enough travelers to guarantee some services but are far from overrun. The same can't be said of the somewhat flashy and resort-dominated Black Sea coast, but then again, it still ain't no Club Med.
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