Page 22 - Southern Exposure - September '22

Page 22, Southern Exposure

Travel from page 21

to 1878). This move by Russia worried the countries of Through various leaders,
Europe, fearing the total dominance of the Balkans by the things didn’t get much better,
two nations. The Congress of Berlin (1878) broke up the and as a result Simeon II,
area, carving out a small principality for Bulgaria, which who was dethroned as king in
was ruled by Alexander of Battenburg, a nephew of the 1946 when he was 9 years old,
Russian czar. was brought back to power as
Bulgaria fought several Balkan wars against the Turks prime minister 55 years later.
and their allies. The second war cost Bulgaria all that it Bulgaria became a member of
had achieved in area from the first war, surrendering to the NATO in 2004, and received
Turks. Again Bulgaria came up on the wrong side in a war, a conditional membership to
siding with Germany in World War I. They had hoped to the EU in 2007 – depending
gain Macedonia as a conquest, but when the effort failed, upon whether it cleaned up its
King Ferdinand abdicated in favor of his son Boris III in “dirty laundry.”
1918. Boris III squandered the assets of the country and Bulgaria, officially called
assumed dictatorial powers in 1934 to 1935. Bulgaria sure the Republic of Bulgaria, has
didn’t know how to pick them, because they became an ally a population of 6,873,253
of Germany again in WWII. This time the Russians, once (2022 estimate, CIA World
their ally, took over and imposed a communist coalition Factbook) that is on the A village in the wine region of Melnik, Bulgaria
that took control of the country in September 1944. decline. The population in
To make sure that they pleased their new dominating 1990 was approximately 9 million. The country has an area
government, Bulgaria became unquestionably loyal to of 43,000 square miles, which is approximately the same size
the whims of Moscow. Todor Zhivkov ruled the country as Tennessee.
for 35 years, ruling with strict communist guidelines. In The country is rich in mineral resources, from gold
1989, Petar Mladenov kicked out the communist, ending and silver to coal. It also contains deposits of nonmetallic
their monopoly, and held free elections. Various parties materials such as rock salt, gypsum and marble. Agriculture
within Bulgaria had control of the nation during the 1990s is mirrored by the population decrease. However, Bulgaria
and there became a growing concern over the spread of remains one of the world’s largest wine producers. There is
organized crime. more farming than stock breeding in the rural areas. Playing
a paramount role in Bulgaria’s economy are large refineries,
transportation vehicle and equipment manufacturers,
electronics and electrical equipment as well as shipbuilding.
The Bulgarians have a long list of impressive personalities.
From the Thracian era there is Democritus (c. 460 to 370 Traditional Bulgarian cuisine
B.C), the Greek philosopher and mathematician whose main
contribution to society was the Atomic Theory – the belief Thrax, Roman emperor (235 to 238 A.D); and Spartacus, the
that all matter is made up of elements he called atoms. Also Thracian enslaved by the Romans who led a slave uprising
in the group of notables from Thrace were Herodicus, the and formed an army of escaped gladiators that defeated the
fifth century B.C. physician considered to be the founder of Roman legions in the Third Servile War. The 1960 Stanley
sports medicine and one of Hippocrates’ tutors; Maximinus Kubrick film Spartacus starring Kirk Douglas and Sir
Laurence Olivier gave Peter Ustinov one of his two Oscar
wins for his role as Lentulus Batiatus.
Bulgarians have also been credited with inventing the
digital watch, oral contraceptives and even the first bomb,
which was dropped from an airplane in the Balkan War. They
also have some rather unique body language. A nod of the
head means no and a shake means yes, so don’t get confused.
Don Kiselewski writes from his personal experiences,
having traveled in 122 countries and cruised the oceans, seas
and rivers of the world. Palm Beach Gardens Travel Leaders,
his family owned and operated agency, is located at Mirasol
Town Square, 11360 North Jog Road, Building A, Suite 102-6,
Palm Beach Gardens. The agency has been serving the travel
needs of the South Florida area for over a quarter of a century.
Contact him at (561) 694-9696 or Aussie@PBGTravel.com.
Two children in a traditional Bulgarian costumes at the
Surva fair, which is held annually in Pernik, Bulgaria Photos by Don Kiselewski

A cat perches outside an old home in the village of Bozenci,
Bulgaria

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Rita enjoyed her tour outside of London to Warwick Castle.
City stays allow to unpack once and experience day tours
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