By now you have heard about the great beaches along the Black Sea, or of the great ski resorts that Bulgaria offers. Now it's time to let you in on the secret that the Bulgarians never told you about.
     Most Bulgarians that you meet in America come from smaller towns, The few that you meet and are from large cities have relatives in Those small towns that they visit on holidays or while on vacation.
     In rural Bulgaria, the rules are different than what we are used to in the city. You are expected to walk down the streets, just to walk, say hi to people, stop and watch a cart go by that is being pulled by a donkey, and of course, if you decide to stop and talk to someone that you meet on the street, they will take great delight in talking with you.
     You might think that there is not much to do in the rural parts of Bulgaria. Well let me tell you of some of the many things that I like to do. I like to get up early and go for coffee and a little shopping for breakfast. Bread is baked every morning, along with a pastry that has feta cheese inside. Many times I find a farmer that sells milk that just came from the cow or a sheep; if you ask, many times they will show you how to milk the animal. (Nothing better than real fresh milk!)
     After breakfast I like to explore. I might walk around the town and look at the monuments or the gardens that everyone has. I like to try to meet people. You would be surprised at what you will find by meeting people. I discovered a small farm that not only makes feta cheese, but will let you purchase it before it is put in the salt water.
     Sometimes, the countryside is where I go, walking along the rivers and streams, (Be on the look out here. You might just find yourself walking on an original Roman bridge). Mountains are where I really like to go to, walking through the trees and fields, just being alone with nature. There are many springs in the mountain, and a lot of them have been made into a drinking facility, with water running out of a simple pipe or two. Some times when you are near the top, you will find a very small hotel or restaurant for hikers. When you come across one of these, you should stop for some of the special herbal tea. You will be very glad you did. One activity I like is to go to historical places. The history of the Bulgarians is so much older than they give themselves credit for. They like to think that their history pretty much started when the different tribes were united for the first time. If you look and do some research you will see that the Bulgarians have one of the oldest histories around.
     On occasion I will do something that the local people will think is funny and become the talk of the town for awhile, for an example, one morning I purchased an ironing board for my wife one morning when I was also getting the things for breakfast. I walked from one end of the central square to the other end carrying the ironing board. I guess this is not a normal behavior in the early morning, and the locals still refer to me as "The man with the ironing board."
     At night I go out to eat and have a drink or two. All of the food is fresh and prepared just right. You don't see frozen or canned food very much. I can tell you that when you eat a salad with tomatoes that are picked ripe that morning, you know it. It is not unusual for the Bulgarians to start singing after dinner when a good folk song comes on; sometimes I try to and sing with them, and other times I just listen. You are always welcome to sing along and more often than not, you will be invited to join the table, and the folk dance.
     Well, enough about what I like to do in Bulgaria. Here is some information that you can use. If you do a search online for "rural Bulgaria" you will find many companies that specialize in providing vacations in the rural areas. The options range from staying in a hotel, to a house or apartment, to camping in a tent. The Bulgarian government has selected about seven areas as special "rural vacation" areas where they stress that the buildings should reflect an older Bulgaria and the activities and accommodations have been upgraded for the tourist. You can find plenty to do out of the designated special areas. You might want to rent a house with a big garden with many fruit trees; of course you get to eat from the garden if you pick it. Or you might try for a nice hotel in a village with natural mineral water supplying the pool.
     As for communication in Bulgarian, there are dictionaries, electronic translators, kids who speak English, or you can always use the hand and arm signals. You will find that people usually will understand you better than you expect. Traveling in Bulgaria is quite easy, they have a good public transportation system, and for the areas that are really off of the beaten path, there is always a taxi. One of the nicest things about rural vacationing is that the prices are a lot lower than in the tourist towns.
     One more thing I should mention is that many foreigners who take the rural vacations in Bulgaria often will go back two or three times, and then decide to purchase property for themselves. There are companies in Bulgaria that specialize in renting out your property to other vacationers for you when you are not using the property.
     So, do something different this time. Spend a week or two in a rural area, and then see if you really want to go to the main tourist area for any real amount of time.
     Oh yeah, the secret is while Bulgaria is extremely beautiful, you don't just meet people in Bulgaria; you meet your life long best friends.

By Mark Orris

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