When gifts of nature and riches were handed out to countries and peoples, small Bulgaria remained the last. Everything big and valuable had been distributed. Beautiful places were still in stock but different ones. Many colours and much life, but all too different. They collected all these and scattered them over one piece of land in the Balkan Peninsula.

     Thus Bulgaria meets you with high rising mountains, Alpine peeks, ice and snow, fine golden sands and beaches that range form rocky coasts to kilometer long stretches along the Black Sea. The ancient Greeks called it “hospitable”. No rising tides, no ebbs, no sharks. In the south the water temperature can reach 27°C. It has modern resorts, ancient towns and many camping sites. In short, anybody can afford it.

     Bulgaria is just half the size of Great Britain, one third of Germany. Compared to the USA and Russia it is a pocket size country. But bigger is not necessarily prettier.

     Romania is to the North, Serbia and FYR of Macedonia to the West, Greece and Turkey to the South and the Black Sea to the East.

     Man appeared on Bulgarian land many thousand years before Christ. Well, that’s at least what archeologists say. The Bulgarians settled here at the end of the Seventh century AD. They came from Far Asia on a one way journey since there were no travel agencies or visa regulations.

     Sofia is the capital of the Republic of Bulgaria. Over a million out of Bulgaria’s 8 million inhabitants live in the city. Sofia is one of the most ancient cities in Europe. There are 250 archaeological, historical and architectural monuments.

     The majority of Bulgarians are Eastern Orthodox but there are also almost 1 million Muslims, some Catholics, Protestants and others. People have been mixed in such a way over the centuries as to give birth to the tolerance of the Bulgarians. May God help us preserve it!

     Bulgarians are stubborn. Throughout all the centuries of foreign domination they have kept their faith, customs and traditions.

     The Bulgarians are on a whole optimist. They believe in a better future.

     Bulgaria is the country where yoghurt originated. It is an integral part of the Bulgarian cuisine. It is in demand as far as from Japan and the Americas. Research carried out on the life and diet of the Bulgarian centenarians has proved that they have lived mainly on dairy products and, in particular, on yoghurt.

     There can be no doubt that Bulgaria has been the most successful of all East European wine producing countries. There are many folk songs about red wine in Bulgaria. Though there is only one however about the white wine and it says “Oh, dear white wine, why aren’t you red?”

     Ancient Romans already knew the power and the curative properties of the mineral water springs on the territory of today’s Bulgaria. Like treasures they fenced those areas with fortified walls. On the number and healing powers of its mineral waters Bulgaria runs second in the world after Japan.

     Plenty of game and fish gives hunters and fishermen a chance to recount some heroic tales back home.

    All visitors want to buy a souvenir from Bulgaria. More and more want to buy pieces of it. If you are one of them, then