“Just call me Daisy,” she said. “You know, like in the movie Driving Miss Daisy.” Her name is actually Desislava Natzkova but, as she later explained to me, her Bulgarian name is difficult for most Americans to remember or wrap their tongues around. “So I just make it easy for them.” I met Desi in … Read more
The ancient Roman Amphitheater in Plovdiv is one of the most stunning sites in Bulgaria. Records show evidence of occupation in Plovdiv as far back as 6,000 BC, during the Neolithic Age, making it one of Europe’s oldest continuously inhabited cities. In the Bronze Age it became a Thracian settlement named Eumolpias, and in 342 … Read more
The weird and fabulously formed rocks of Belogradchik, Bulgaria, turn fiery red at sunset. Composed of sandstone, limestone, and conglomerate, the formations resulted when ancient seas that covered the area millions of years ago receded. Over time, the sediments that had lain at the bottom of the sea were eroded by wind and water. Legends … Read more
My goal to travel to every country in Europe was upended a couple of years ago when I started researching how to visit Belarus. I was eligible for a single-entry tourist visa on arrival at the Minsk National Airport, but the $480 price was prohibitive. I could have gotten a visa at a Belarusian embassy … Read more
The Opera House in Minsk, Belarus, is officially named the National Academic Grand Opera and Ballet Theatre of the Republic of Belarus, but most just call it the Bolshoi Theatre. Originally completed in 1939, the venue was subsequently renovated and reopened in 2009. During the renovation, sculptures were added inside and around the grounds, the … Read more
