Bulgaria, so mysterious to most Americans, has a vivid identity as a crossroads of the Balkans.
We will trace the country’s complex history, from ancient Thracian tombs to medieval Orthodox Christian monasteries to Soviet monuments.
And we will enjoy an intimate taste of contemporary culture: the yellow brick road of Sofia; the gregarious craftspeople of the medieval capital, Veliko Tarnovo; and the thriving pedestrian zones of cosmopolitan Plovdiv.
For a quick historical reference, we will show Europe’s map from X century A.D. and Bulgaria’s place on it. Notice the second Bulgaria on the map – both countries existed simultaneously for 300 years before Volga Bulgaria was disseminated.
