I came downstairs in Ewan the Fatty's penthouse. No sound there. The Fatty had tiptoed out to his workshop. My ears were still ringing from my conversation with Graziella. It was as if I had been scalded by salt water, my teeth were numb and I felt hungover even though I hadn't had too much to drink. I wanted to make myself a cup of coffee and take advantage of my mate's crammed fridge, but that meant I would be late for work.
As we sit down for a chat with Kaare Jansson, Denmark's ambassador to Bulgaria since 2007, I cannot but think that next to me is a not only a man with a vast experience in international diplomacy and a long-serving ambassador to Bulgaria, but also the doyen of the diplomatic corps in Sofia at the present time. Kaare is an educated historian and in the past we have had many conversations about history, both in the Balkans and in Western Europe.
Every person has their own fears and usually these have to do with past experiences, current difficulties and so on. But some types of fears are experienced collectively. These are archetypal fears that, with a bow and a wink to Freud and Jung, may be termed national nightmares. What are Bulgarians most scared of? Are they scared of things that other nations, for example the Belgians, are not? Are the Bulgarians so different from the Greeks and the Turks in the way they fear others and each other?
Martina Vrdoljak was born in 1982 in Zagreb. She graduated the Law Faculty at the University of Zagreb. Her first appointment as a junior diplomat was in Sofia, where she has lived since 2007. Martina likes painting and reading, and is currently on a PhD course in foreign policy and political science.
Your favourite cultural venues in Sofia – and why are they favourites?