WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?

WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?

Sun, 08/28/2022 - 16:04

When John Steinbeck penned Tortilla Flat (1935), Cannery Row (1945) and Sweet Thursday (1954) he hardly thought the immortal classics would become huge hits on the eastern side of the Iron Curtain

where in bulgaria are you.jpg
photography by Anthony Georgieff

Generations of East Europeans grew up with Doc, Mack, Dora Flood, Lee Chong and the boys, and though few if any could set foot in the real California they imagined Monterey and Salinas epitomised exactly the opposite of what their own drab lives held for them under Communism. Steinbeck got the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962 and died in 1969, but his books continued to be read across the former East bloc in general and Bulgaria in particular. 

If he were alive in 2022 and visited the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast he would have been at least bemused to discover... a monument to him in the middle of a former fishermen's settlement, right on the main street. And yes, it is appropriately named... Cannery Row. 

Issue 191-192

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where in bulgaria are you
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Connecting the two small towns of Ardino and Dzhebel, both overwhelmingly populated by ethnic Turks, the narrow road is an endless succession of sharp turns and switchbacks, each of which revealing wide vistas over the small villages – hamlets, really – dot

where in bulgaria are you
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
It is a tomb, possibly belonging to a king, elaborately decorated with frescoes and sculptures of women. Made of limestone, the women have disproportionate bodies, intricately carved dresses and sturdy faces with wide-opened eyes, which mesmerise.

where in bulgaria is this fortress
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Originally it was erected in Late Antiquity-Early Middle Ages, but was almost completely destroyed by the Ottomans in the 15th century. So, what it is that you see today?

where in Bulgaria are you
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Though it is Orthodox Christian, it bears little resemblance to Bulgarian churches of the same period – simply because it was designed, constructed and consecrated by... Russians.

where in bulgaria
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Sometimes they are "parked" in the middle of villages, in one or two instances inside Communist-era housing projects, often they will be the first to greet you as you drive into some Bulgarian town.

where in bulgaria is this place
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
The Thracians were able craftsmen. The gold and silverware they produced was exquisite – and is now a priced treasure in Bulgarian museums. They were also great winemakers.

where in bulgaria are you?
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
Vestiges of that era can be seen all over modern Bulgaria, but there is one city where their sheer concentration astounds.

where in bulgaria are you
WHERE IN BULGARIA ARE YOU?
The Thracians, the Romans, the Proto-Bulgars, the Venetians and the Ottomans were all here, and with them came Czechs, Hungarians, Germans, Armenians and Jews. All left their marks on the modern city.