1. Which is a traditional Bulgarian breakfast pastry?
A. Croissant
B. Banitsa
C. Koulouri
2. What is ayran?
A. An yoghurt-based drink
B. A dessert
C. An alcoholic drink
3. How many Michelin-starred restaurants are there in Bulgaria?
A. 10
B. 3
C. 0
It was supposedly built by the Devil. Or the Devil was seen or heard laughing in the vicinity. Or the Devil agreed that he would leave the builders alone if they managed to construct the bridge so that he, the Wicked One, would be both visible and invisible at the same time. And so on and so forth. The stories about why the Devil's Bridge got its name outshine what even the most devoted tour guide can remember without checking their AI of choice for devil bridge legends.
The government's action plan was drafted using Sigma AI.
Luybomir Stefanov, political scientist
People who just yesterday denied the existence of fascism in Bulgaria have suddenly discovered that there is indeed neo-Nazi activity here.
Journalist Aleksandar Simov, after it transpired that the five teenagers were affiliated with an extremist rightwing group
Instead of criticising the government's action plan, the opposition should review their agendas through the years.
It was medium-sized, with a slight oblique curve, and a lot more watery than the gherkins being cultivated in Trans-Danubian Bulgaria (the very word "gherkin" is one of the few Proto-Bulgarian remnants found in modern Bulgarian). At that time Anatolia was of course a part of Byzantium which Bulgaria was constantly at war with. Some researchers surmise that many of these battles had been prompted by the Bulgarians' desire to obtain more and better cucumbers.
If you have travelled in Bulgaria, you should have noticed: the deserted, slowly dying villages. The crumbling houses. The abandoned kindergartens and schools. The overgrown healthcare facilities. The empty squares, adorned with monuments to long-forgotten men. The boarded-up stores. The decaying farms. The white rectangles of death notices for people who had called these spaces home plastered on trees and walls lining the empty streets.
Take in the elaborate wooden ceilings of some of the house museums open to the public and you will know why. What is unavoidable, however, is the old clock tower right in the town's square. Years ago the local clock-man had devised a mini Foucault's pendulum inside which you could see just for the asking. Next to it is one of the first modern schools in Bulgaria and further down the road the old bath house is now an art gallery featuring artefacts from the Americas, Asia and Africa.
1. Which city is known as Bulgaria's maritime capital?
A. Varna
B. Sozopol
C. Nesebar
2. How long is the Bulgarian Black Sea coast?
A. 502 km
B. 208 km
C. 378 km
3. Mesembria is the ancient name of which Bulgarian coastal city?
A. Kaliakra
B. Burgas
C. Nesebar
Strictly speaking, this is not an idiom, but specific usage of the phrasal verb "let out", one that has become obsolete. Under Communism, the Bulgarians had to survive chronic shortages of anything from tomatoes to toilet paper. To create some feel-good factor amongst the populace, the Communist Party periodically "let out" various "luxury" goods in the retail market. Ordinary citizens were only allowed to eat oranges and bananas for New Year. The situation was the same for a series of other articles, for instance suitcases.
The people now need bread and circuses. There is no bread in the budget, but the people will be given circuses.
Diana Damyanova, PR expert
We cannot possibly govern for 100 years, but in 100 years, we are going to be in the textbooks.
Milen Trifonov, MP for Progressive Bulgaria
Progressive Bulgaria continues to act like a presidency. It only criticises and makes excuses.
Boyko Borisov, GERB
In times of political, economic and technological disturbances deemed historical even by contemporaries, luck becomes a key concept. It is the defining feature between success and failure. Every culture, religion and social and political system has given its own answer for what defines "good" from "bad luck": grit, hard work, virtues, agency, bravery, inventiveness.