BULGARIA

SOFIA - CAPITAL OF BULGARIA

Bulgaria is a wonderful country and the people are still changing over from communism to democracy. Bulgaria lies in the east of the Balkan Peninsular. More than half of the country is mountainous or have hills. Right through the centre of Bulgaria runs the Balkan Mountains and in the south-west are the Rhodope Mountains. The Rhodope Mountains have the highest peak -- Musala Peak with 2923m.

In the Thrace and Maritsa valleys are the southern lowlands. The River Danube flows through the northern part of the country. About 30% of the country is covered with forests of conifers, beeches and oaks. Wildlife of bears, wolves, elks, foxes and wildcats are mainly found in the mountains of the south west.

The climate in the central valley and lowlands is warm summers and snowy winters. The climate along the Black Sea is warmer.

RHODOPE MOUNTAINS

RHODOPE MOUNTAINS --
TRIGRAD GORGE

RHODOPE MOUNTAINS -- TRIGRAD GORGE

Bulgaria borders, in the north on Romania. In the south it borders on Greece and Turkey. In the west it borders on Yugoslavia and Macedonia. In the east it has a long coastline along the Black Sea.

The population consists of 85% Bulgarian, a minority of Turks, Macedonians, Romanise, Armenians and Russians. The main religion is Bulgarian Orthodox Christianity but also Islam is practiced by a minority.

Areas mostly populated are Sofia, Plovdiv and along the Danube plain.

Health service and education are free to all. However, there is a shortage in both services. The education moves slowly from the Soviet style to the Western style.

Bulgaria produces machineries, chemicals and electronics. The most famous export is the fragrant attar (oil) of the roses made from damask roses. For further information please visit my article The Valley of Roses.

.

 THE GOLDEN RHYTON
ONE OF THE ITEMS IN
THE THRACIAN
PANAGYURISHTE
TREASURES
4TH TO 3RD BC

IVAN SHISHMAN THE LAST RULER OF THE TARNOVO TSARDOM 1371-1395

HISTORY

Prehistoric culture was the Neolithic HAMAGIA and VINCA from 6th to 3rd century BC. The Varna culture lived in the 5th century BC and in the Bronze Age EZARO.

The Thracian was various tribes and King Teres united them in 500 BC and called it IDRYSIA kingdom. They were conquered by Alexander the Great and then by the Romans. They migrated and settled in the eastern most SouthSlavs settlement which is Bulgaria today. They lived with the Hellenised or Romanised Thracian. The Bulgar elite established The First Bulgarian Empire.

Asparukh, heir of Old Great Bulgaria's Khan Kubrat migrated with several Bulgar tribes to the lower Danube after his father's state was conquered. Asparukh conquered Moesia and Soythia Minor from the Byzantinian Empire. He signed a peace treaty with the Byzantine in 681 and made Pliska the capital of Bulgaria.

700/701 - 718/721 Tervel made the borders safe and Bulgaria a powerful nation when he defeated 22,0000 Arab Armies in 717; stopping an Arab invasion into Eastern Europe and Central Europe.

802-814, Krum established a country twice the size and killed Nicephorush I in the battle of Pliska. He wrote the code of law for both the Slavs and Bulgars.

852-889, Boris I the Baptist abolished Tengriism and introduced Eastern Orthodox Christianity as well as the Cyrillic alphabet.

893-927, Emperor Simeon I the Great ruled and establish Bulgaria with a great expansion. He had a military supremacy over the Byzantine Empire.

927 the Battle of Andualos were one of the bloodiest battle in the Middle Ages and one of his decisive victories. Under his reign Bulgaria became a rich culture

After his death Bulgaria declined because of various wars. It resulted to the invasion of the RUS in 969-971 and Byzantine captured the capital Preslav.

Under Sumuil rule, Bulgaria conquered Serbia and Bosnia.

1014, Byzantine Emperor Basil II defeated the army at Klyuch. Sumuil died soon after and by 1018 Bulgaria was fully ruled by the Byzantine Empire.

After Basil II death the politics changed and it led to several rebellions.

1185, Asen I and Peter IV succeeded after a major uprising and re-established the Bulgarian state and with that began the second Bulgarian Empire. The Asen dynasty declared Veliko Tarnovo, Kaloyan the capital of Bulgaria.

1218-1241, Ivan Asen II conquered Albania, Epirus, Macedonia and Thrace. He established the Tarnovo Artistic School and minted coins.

Due to the Tatar invasion the Asen dynasty ended in 1257.

By the end of 14th century the empire split up into small tsardoms and principalities. Then they fought amongst themselves.

Between 1365-1370 the Ottoman Turks started to and conquered Bulgaria

1877-78 In the Russo-Turk War the Russian army defeated the Ottoman forces.

From 1912 to 1913 Bulgaria became involved in the Balkan Wars.

In the WW I Bulgaria sided with the German and became defeated and lost a lot of territories.

During 1920 - 1930 the country had a lot of political unrest. It led to a Royal authoritarian dictatorship Tsar Boris III from 1918-1943.

In the WW II Bulgaria joint the Axis but refused to take part in the Operation Barbarossa. It did not declare war on the USSR. It saved its Jewish population by postponing transportation, times and times again.

1943 Boris III died suddenly and the country went into a turmoil. Germany lost the war and the Russian rolled into Bulgaria. It became a communist country.

1990, Bulgaria had its first free election. 2007 it joined the NATO and in 2007 the EU.

ROMAN SITE IN PLODIV -- PLODIV IS EUROPE'S OLDEST CITY AND THE 6TH IN THE WORLD -- SETTLEMENTS SINCE 3000 BC.

Bulgaria is privatising only slowly and is the slowest in Eastern Europe. It suffers from an industrial output decline and high inflation. Their trading partner is EU, Russia and Ukraine.

Agriculture is their most important economic sector. Their problems are under-mechanized, and hampered by the slow transfer of farms from state to private ownership. However, their fertile land makes up for that and their crops include cereals, vines (Bulgaria exports a lot of vines) cotton, tobacco and fruit. Forestry is one of the big industries and they cut over four million cubic metres annually. Fishing is another big industry. 27,000 tonnes caught annually, mainly Mackerel.

Bulgaria is a parliamentary republic. It has a multi-party politics. Parliament has a 240 member National Assembly and is elected every five year by proportional representatives. The leader of the Assembly’s majority party becomes prime minister. The president is the head of state and commander-in-chief of the armed forces. He is elected every five year by popular.

In the 20th century, its literature is still important. Elias Nanette won the 1981 Nobel Prize for literature Music and folk art are thriving activities.

HOLIDAY

Bulgaria has a beautiful countryside with its coastline along the Black Sea, its mountain with famous ski resorts of Vitosha near Sofia, the capital, the Rila mountains mountains, Rhodope Mountains and the Balkan Mountains all offer great ski resorts such as Pamporovo, Cheaplare, Borovet and Bansko. Summer holidays are ideal on the Sunny Beaches and Golden Sand with the cities of Nessebur and Varna to visit from there. The Valley of Kazanlak is not only famous for its rose growing but it offers a beautiful countryside, for walking, camping, biking, fishing, mountain climbing and with tremendous wildlife for a great nature watch. For the size of the country it has so much to offer you will be spoiled for choices. The food, wine and beer is excellent

Great value for money, the prices are still low because tourism hasn't built up yet.

ONE PROBLEM WITH BULGARIA YOU WILL FIND IS THAT WHEN YOU SHAKE YOUR HEAD IT MEANS -- YES -- AND WHEN YOU NOD YOUR HEAD IT MEANS -- NO --.

PIRIN MOUNTAINS -- IT HOLDS ONE OF THE WOLRD'S OLDEST TREES -- BAIKUSHEV'S PINE

MAURITIUS

PORT LOUIS THE CAPITAL

                                                  

PORT LOUIS THEATRE  1910

Mauritius is an island paradise in the Indian Ocean. Your breakfast will be served under shading palm trees and there are juicy mangoes, pineapples, papayas and freshly squeeze orange juice to choose from. While you are there and indulge yourselves on all these, you enjoy the view of the Indian Ocean and four kilometres of sandy beaches.

On the Le Mourne Peninsula a 556 metre rock towers above a beach-side villa. It is on the UNESCO World Heritage list because it had a special significance in Mauritian history.

Accordingly, in the early 19th century slaves climbed the rock to hide from the masters. When slavery was abolished, they saw soldiers approaching, scared they would be recaptured, and they jumped from the mountain. There is no evidence whether the story is true but a special memorial was erected.

You can climb the rock with a special guide. There is also a cycle truck and mountain bikes tours are available.

Watch kite surfers while you lie on almost empty beaches or take a ride on a jetty on the beautiful stunning Indian Ocean.

RODRIGUES ISLAND

=====================================================================
IF YOU SEE AN ADVERT OF INTEREST TO YOU PLEASE CLICK ON IT FOR DETAILS
=====================================================================

In hotels you can tread yourself to massages, luxury spas, swim in the pool or lie on sun beds and unwind watching the Indian Ocean in all its glory.

On the south coast is a zoo with all unusual animals. If you hire a taxi, the driver will be only too eager to inform you of all the sightseeing in his country. Along the road to the zoo you will see mango trees laden with fruit and also the sugar plantations. La Vanille you experience the giant Aldabra tortoise which was introduced by Darwin to the Island in 1880 when the native species were extinct. The oldest is 95 years.

The famous Dodo was not saved by Darwin and a life-size model is in the zoo. Apparently they were driven to extinction by settlers. To keep the memory alive you will find souvenirs everywhere.

In the Casela Nature and Leisure Park you might get a glimpse of the pink pigeon, if you are lucky. This was saved from extinction purely through a conservation programme.

Because Mauritius lies in the Indian Ocean you will find a great variety of fish and very tastily cooked. You also will find a choice of Indian, French, Chinese and African menus.

Mauritius known history began with the first European who discovered the island in 1507 by the Portuguese. From 1598 to 1710 the Dutch controlled the island. Then the French succeeded the Dutch and eventually in 1810 the British arrived.

Under the British rule there was a lot of Indian labour brought over to work on the sugar plantation. By the time Mauritius won their independence in 1968 the island was multi-cultural.

In 1980 after the fall of sugar prices Mauritius started on a programme of agricultural diversification and it was very successful. The island remains political stable. Aneerood Jugnauth of the Mauritius Socialist Party was in power since 1982 and in 1992 the Island became a republic and remains in the Commonwealth

PAMPOROVO SKI RESORT, BULGARIA

PAMPOROVO CENTRE

Where is Pamporovo?

Here is another, almost unknown and yet great ski resort. Pamporovo is at the foot of the Mount Snejanka 1,926m in the Rhodope Mountain in Bulgaria.

Sofia, the capital, is about 250km away but Pamporovo is easily reached by car, train or coaches. You can also fly into Plovdiv which is the second largest city, and from there it is only 85km to get to this wonderful ski resort.

Pamporovo has a reputation as the sunniest ski resort. Skiers from beginners to professionals will find pistes to their abilities and satisfaction. The runs are on the northern, eastern and western slopes of the Snejanka peak. The main runs start from the top of the mountains from its landmark the television tower. There are altogether 25km of ski runs and 18 ski lifts with a capacity of 8500 skiers per hour.

PAMPOROVO FIVE STAR HOTEL  BUT IT IS MORE THAN REASONABLE PRICED

                                                          
                                                             
                                         

PAMPOROVO IN WINTER AND IT IS NOT UNUSUAL THAT SNOW

100 ski instructors with many languages spoken will provide ski lessons from professionals to beginners.

The four nursery slopes are at the bottom of Snejnka Mountain. For cross-country skiers there are three tracks which are together 38 km. You will also find a toboggan ride available. Facilities of bowling, archery, indoor swimming pools, saunas and fitness centre are all provided and available.

Pamporovo has plenty of bars, discos, typical Irish pub and traditional Bulgarian taverns with bagpipe playing and folk dancing. It is advisable to taste typical Rhodopean dishes which are enjoyable, delicious and an unforgettable experience.

This area of the Rhodope Mountains provides also a fantastic summer holiday. You will find unlimited walking in the mountains, cycling, horse riding and experience of the surrounding village offering an insight into rural life and ancient traditions which you will never forget.

Nature in Bulgaria is still untouched and it will remind you what we have lost already. The forests are absolutely magnificent and so rich with wildlife. A great experience for Naturalists and birdwatchers when visiting these Rhodope Mountains.

Bottom of Form

MALLNITZ, AUSTRIA SKI RESORT SUMMER HOLIDAY

MALLNITZ  - HOHEN TAUERN

By sheer luck and chance I found this ski resorts in the Hohen Tauern Nature Resort in Austria. The village is called Mallnitz. It lies in a valley of high mountains all around. Since the winter and skiing season has started I thought maybe other people would be interested in the beautiful ski holidays I had.

You can fly into Munich or Salzburg. We flew into Munich and took a train directly to Mallnitz. This train ride was an experience by itself. For two hours you will see a winter wonderland. Along rivers, through valleys, around high mountains or through tunnels which opens up to another valley with beautiful alpine houses here and there and heavy forest along the side of valleys all covered with thick snow. It is a picture of a winter wonderland and for two hours.

When you arrive at Mallnitz call a taxi or some landlords are picking you up and take you to your booked room. It is advisable to book with a family, which it much cheaper than a hotel and you get a more personal service.

Mallnitz itself has all the facilities like ski schools, skate hire, Spa swimming pool, very reasonable priced restaurants, supermarket and nightlife with bars and pubs with live music.

The resort has various grades of ski runs. Skiers can find out which runs are suitable to them. There is a ski bus, which is free, taking you to the end of the valley. The mountain Ankogel and ski lifts take you to the top. From the bus stop, across a little bridge, you will find a moderate but quite a long run of downhill slopes. On the far side, lifts will take you up. The queues are not very long, even in high season. There are also facilities for snowboarding, snowboarding lesson which are very good and skiing lessons for the very young to adults.

The valley stretches quite far and you can have beautiful walks and it is ideal for cross country skiing.

Mallnitz has an altitude of 1200 meters and it is therefore a health, spa and ski resort of great reputation. The skiing season starts at the end of November and last till the end of April because of the high altitude. Another great and good news is that you do not need any passes for any lifts. They are all free. Therefore it is an ideal family skiing holidays.

Opposite the Ankogel ski lift and at bottom of the other slopes there is a pub/restaurant where you can eat home cooked meals at a very reasonable price.  In the afternoon you can enjoy coffee and home baked cake.

If you contact the Mallnitz Tourist Board you will receive all the information you required to give you the most memorable skiing holidays. The snow is an absolutely dream.

Mallnitz is also a wonderful summer holiday. It offers  sports facilities like riding, swimming, climbing and endless paths to wander visiting surrounding villages and alms. 

Half way up mountains are farmhouses where you are welcome. You can refresh yourself on freshly produced milk, cheese, eggs and sausages while sitting outside in the sunshine admiring the beautiful surroundings.

ST JOHANN, AUSTRIA SKI RESORT AND SUMMER HOLIDAY

ST JOHANN - PANORAMIC VIEW

St Johann in Tirol Austria is one of the most picturesque ski resort you can find. It is in a valley between the Kitzbuehler Horn and Wilder Kaiser. The medieval village with its pedestrian centre and frescoed houses will win your heart.

You will find that with 10 blue runs, five red and one black, it is suited for all skiing abilities. The modern ski lifts will reach up to 1,700 m and skiing season is from December right through to April. For people and children who like to learn skiing there is a good ski school available. The Red Ski School instructors put on a weekly show with skiing on stilts and fireworks.

Although a small village but there are popular bars, pubs with live music and games nights. You will not miss out on nightlife if you still have the energy after a day on the slopes.

St Johann has also the advantage that it is easily to reach from Munich International Airport or Salzburg. If you are looking for more luxury then the four-star Sporthotel has everything to spoil you. You find it is closed to the piste and has a pool, sauna and steam room. The breakfast has a hot and cold buffet served till 10.30 and in the evening a five-course dinner.

The ski resort is known for one of the best snow in Austria The nearby Kirchberg is famous for good runs and ski lift facilities. The weather in Austria is more stable and a snow report in Austria is always available and constantly updated on the Internet, including a snow forecast. All these facilities are provided to make sure the visitor is not disappointed.

Very recommendable is to stay in private accommodations. You will find the people very friendly and the rooms are cosy in an Austrian style and at a very reasonable price.

                                                         ST JOHANN'S VILLAGE CENTRE

The history of St Johann dates back to the 4th century BC. A Celtic tribe, Ambisontiers, were copper mining in the mountains.

In the 8th century missionaries built a Catholic Church in the region and named it St Johann after John the Baptist.

1540 they found silver and copper mines and St Johann became very wealthy. In the 17th century 'The Holy Ghost Shaft' was the deepest in the world with a 780 m depth.

1875 St Johann was connected to the international railway network. This increased the economy and tourism.

The facilities you will find there are:

Indoor and outdoor swimming-pools

Indoor and outdoor Tennis

Mountain biking routes

Cycling and walking paths

Summer toboggan run

Riding Hall, bridal way, trotting course

Kayaking and rafting

60 km of ski runs, gondola, chairlifts, draglifts and baby lifts

Cross country circuit

Ski jumping facilities.

As you can see there are sports facilities for everyone. Although St. Johann is well known for winter sport but it is also a great place to visit in the summer and has many facilities in the summer such as walking, touring, mountaineering, outdoor swimming pools, fishing and to watch wildlife.

Gangl - Taxi - Mietwagen GmbH
AIRPORT INNSBRUCK TAXI
No extra charges for waiting if flight is delayed
A family business and therefore with friendly and personal attention
phone:  +43 (650) 2000 999
To all skiing resort in Tyrol and the Alps
For more information please contact
http://www.gangl-transfer.at/index.php

Top of Form

T

Bottom of Form

GARMISH-PARTENKIRCHEN SKI RESORT / SUMMER HOLIDAY

THE VILLAGE PARTENKIRCHEN

Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the Bavarian Alps in Germany is a very famous place for winter sport as well as summer sport.

It was first named in Roman times under the name of Partanum and was on the trade route from Venice to Augsburg.

The two separate villages were forced together in the 1936 Winter Olympic by Hitler. Today they have grown so much and now they are joined. However, you can still see the differences. While Garmisch is somewhat more elegant and has a town characteristic; Partenkirchen still has cobblestone roads and houses decorate with fresco which will give you a glimpse of the past. Another fascinating and intriguing tradition you will find there, is the early morning and late afternoon herding of the dairy cows up or down their mountain meadows in the summer. When that happens, all traffic has to stop.

Garmisch-Partenkirchen became famous for its ski jumping contests. Every New Year they have the traditional ski jumping event to bring in the New Year.

Closed to the town is Germany's highest mountain called Zugspitze 2963 m with the famous Zugspitzbahn which reaches about 2600 m. The region is in the Wettersteingebirge and you will find an enormous choice of various ski-runs and ski lifts. There are ski runs for beginners, medium and pro-fies.
=================================================
PLEASE BE SO KIND AND CLICK ON ADVERTS, THANK YOU
=================================================

Since it lies 720-800 m above see level it is known for the wellness climate. It is a famous spa place which offers you saunas, various massage and swimming in the sport hall in winter and as well as in the summer. An Olympic styled Ice skating ring.

Snowboarding, downhill skiing, cross country skiing, sledging and horse drawn sledges will all stop you from being bored.

There are a lot of excursion to most of the King Ludwig's palaces and castles. As well as to Berchtesgaden this is another famous place to see.

BOROVETS BULGARIA SKI RESORT

BOROVETS IN WINTER

A vacation in Borovets will be unforgettable. You will find perfect snow conditions and a long season.

Borovets is Bulgaria's long-standing ski resort and the oldest, dating back to 1896. In the 19th century the Tsar and the Bulgarian King used the area for hunting. After that it had been changed into a ski resort. There is a wide range of ski runs, lifts, eateries with national and international dishes. High-class hotels with reasonable prices especially compared to other ski resorts.

It is the largest ski resort and yet not widely known in Europe. The resort is in the Rila Mountains at a height of 1,350 m and the slopes are on the northern side. This guarantees powdery snow and for a longer skiing season. The ski resort is surrounded by ancient forests and lies below the highest peak on the Balkan Peninsula, Moussala 2,925 m.

There are three ski regions and the highest starts and ends the season. Markudjika 2,550 m has four difficult runs. One of them has been approved for giant slalom competitions.

Sitnyakovo and Martinovi Baraki are the other two regions and have a network of 19 km of medium and difficult runs. Some nursery slopes are lower down.

The three difficult runs of Yastrebets are approved for International competitions and have a total run of 13 km. The resort hosted twice the World Cup Alpine which proves the quality Borovets has.

There are also cross-country ski tracks, a great biathlon track and it is one of the best in the world. There also ski jumping facilities available which are serviced by a chair lift.

In 2009 the constructed 19 new pistes which brings the total of ski runs to 90 km and a further 12 new ski lifts were built.

The 58 km marked pistes on the northern side all end in the village centre which brings you right to your hotel. Longest run is a gentle 12 km.

For evening fun you will find plenty of bars and discos with all the expected entertainments.

In the summer it has one of the best scenic walks. There are photography safaris available. Visit to the Seven Rila Lakes, Malyovitza peak, Moussala peak or Bulgarian Tsars residence of Bistritza are organised.

It is easily to reach Borovets from Sofia's International airport with a 73 km distance. You will find accommodation from a five-star hotel to more modest priced ones. The hotel prices are more than reasonable.