Bulgaria is a country that I highly recommend everyone visit.
My trip, June 28-July 1, 2012, was arranged and made truly memorable by the guide Patrick Peneff. He obviously loves his country, is incredibly well informed in its history, knows people everywhere, which allowed us to get into all sorts of places, and was great company. He offered a great wealth of information, anecdotes and insights.
I found him through ToursbyLocals.com (Vancouver, BC, Canada; 866/844-6783). Two months before the trip, Patrick and I began corresponding by e-mail (bulgariaprivateguide@gmail.com). He made the planning thoroughly enjoyable.
I paid $1,680, which included travel in Patrick’s car plus his guide services; accommodations in wonderful homestays and small hotels; food and drink (including Bulgarian wine and beer); wine tours, and admission to all museums and sites.
A wonderful country, Bulgaria is extremely beautiful, particularly the mountains. If you’re interested in religious art, the art of the Greek Orthodox Church in Bulgaria is amazing — frescoes, iconostases and woodcarving like you’ve never seen; they were absolutely gorgeous.
The country is a place of contrasts — lush farms, rotting hulks of defunct Communist-era factories and 2,500-year-old tombs of Thracian kings. There are Roman roads and ruins aplenty plus cobblestone streets in small towns. With horses and carts still used in the countryside, there is an easy pace of life and yet a serious side, given their not-so-distant past. They face the challenges of trying to moderize.
If you’re interested in history, art, great food and friendly people, it’s a fabulous place to visit.
HALLIE BARON
San Francisco, CA