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Alison’s Adventures in Bulgaria

Alison’s Adventures in Bulgaria Alison Stankrauff

Alison’s Adventures in Bulgaria © 2023 Alison Stankrauff ISBN: 978-1-7360489-9-3 Library of Congress Control Number: 2024931688 Wit & Intellect Publishing LLC East Brunswick, NJ All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without permission in writing from the publisher. witandintellectpublishing.com

Contents

Introduction Page 6

Kalimantsi Page 8

Balchik Castle and Seaside

Communist Remnants

Page 14

Page 18

Country Homes Page 24

Sofia Page 30

Varna Page 36

Through the Countryside Page 44

Alison’s Adventures in Bulgaria

Introduction

I am an endlessly curious person.

It’s exploration, and it’s always, always fun. I cycle at home in Detroit to get to and from work, to run errands, and to do joy rides. Cycling also is freedom and independence. I get to see things on my terms and on my own time.

I always want to know the who, what, when, where, and why of things. This goes for things near and far— from my neighborhood in Detroit to lands on the other side of the world. I have a background in history—with a bachelor’s degree in history and a master’s degree in library information science. I was an archivist for eighteen years. So much of why I took that path was driven by this curiosity. I know that the past informs who we are now and who we will become as societies worldwide.

Joy is travel, and traveling is joy. I learn so much from traveling; doing it by bicycle is my favorite way to travel. I love how I get to see so much riding a bicycle—going exactly where I want to go and when. I have now traveled by bicycle in ten countries—including Bulgaria, Vietnam (twice), Thailand, Sri Lanka, Mexico, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Britain, Wales, and Canada.

Curiosity is what drives me both to bi cycle and to travel. I also love to be active—I feel better when I work out or keep active. And I’ve found cycling is my favorite way to do this. I can satisfy my curiosity and get exercise doing it.

I’m also a dedicated solo traveler. I, of course, have traveled with friends and family—and those are cherished wonderful trips! But to travel alone is

Alison’s Adventures in Bulgaria

the ultimate freedom and slakes my deep thirst for exploration. I want to know about other parts of the world— how they work, their stories, how they came to be who they are, and what they might become.

Roman Empire and then a part of the Ottoman Empire and, most recently, a Communist country were fascinating and shaped its present profoundly. I found Bulgaria to be a country seeking to articulate itself as a country and find its voice both individually and as a part of the European Union.

This trip illustrated here—my cycling trip to Bulgaria in 2016—was an exploration of a part of the world that I had not, to date, experienced—Eastern Europe. I’ve grown up with family in London and so have spent time in the United Kingdom and Western Europe. But I found Bulgaria a very different animal in so many ways. Its roots as a part of the

Bulgaria is a gorgeous country—with miles of sunflower and wheat fields, the Black Sea coastline, Roman ruins, and picturesque villages in a largely agrarian country. It makes for terrific cycling. I loved my trip to Bulgaria and am so so happy to share it with you.

Bulgarian Traditional Dancing at Elin Pelin

Alison’s Adventures in Bulgaria

Kalimantsi

Kalimantsi is a very small town that I stayed in on my cycling trip through the north-central portion of Bulgaria. The hotel that I stayed at in this town is pictured here. It is styled after a tradi tional countryside accommodation. This hotel was unlike any I’d stayed in— it seemed thoroughly Bulgarian. It had sweet gardens through the spacious courtyard dripping with lots of roses— the country’s national flower. It was also complete with farm animals (chickens, roosters, draft horses, and hunting hounds) on the grounds. The hounds howled all night in their kennels. And the British couple beside me had their television at top volume all night. After knocking on their door multiple times and banging on the wall, I finally, in desperation, climbed into their room through our shared balcony. They were not in the room—perhaps at the bar (the only going establishment in

town)—so I turned off the offending TV and slept well. The dinner at this hotel in the court yard I shared with my Bulgarian cycling guide, Kirl, was delicious and featured traditional Bulgarian delicacies. I will never forget the tutmanik (bread stuf fed with feta, yogurt, and eggs) and the delightful and pretty baked fruits. Also, while we dined, we got to hear some terrific traditional Bulgarian music (musicians playing a tambura and gaida with vocal accompaniment). This stay seems to be an extension of some of the most central elements of the country that stay with me: its deeply agricultural nature, its fantastic music that is such a melding of its Ottoman history, Eastern European present, and ties with the West, as well as a delicious cuisine that draws from the land.

Alison’s Adventures in Bulgaria

Bike on Dirt Road with Wheat Fields at Kalimantsi

Country Home at Kalimantsi

Kalimantsiin Bulgaria Alison’s Adventures

Baked Fruits Dessert on Traditional Pottery at Kalimantsi

Alison’s Adventures in Bulgaria

Rose Garden at Kalimantsi