Eastern and Central Europe (Eyewitness Travel Guides)

634 SOUTH EASTERN EUROPE

Shopping & Entertainment

Bulgaria has a wealth of shops, malls, open-air markets
and stalls selling everything from Bulgarian-made soaps
to rakiya (fruit brandy). In every town centre there is a
market, its stalls stacked with fruit, vegetables and
flowers, and street kiosks with meticulously arranged
trays of dried fruit, nuts and sweets. The country’s
classical music, ballet and theatre season runs from the
begin ning of October to the end of June, when orches-
tras, opera and ballet companies perform at venues in
Sofia and other major towns, and theatre companies
stage productions of classical and contem porary plays.
Bulgaria’s summer folk festivals also provide an oppor-
tunity to see the country’s vigorous folk culture.

MARKETS

Every town in the country
has an open-air market, where
fresh fruit and vegeta bles and
a great variety of Bulgarian
cheeses and sausages are sold.
Several of Bulgaria’s most
picturesque outdoor markets
sell not only fresh produce,
clothing and household goods
but also handicrafts. The
liveliest of these are the
daily Zhenski Pazar in Sofia,
the daily market in Varna and
the Sunday morning market
in Bansko.
The daily Bric-à-Brac Market
in front of the Aleksandûr
Nevski Memorial Church in
Sofia is the best place for
antiques, old postcards,
and Communist-era medals
and militaria.

OPENING HOURS

In major towns, cities and
holiday resorts, shops open
from 10am to 8pm from
Monday to Saturday, and
often later during the summer
season. In Sofia and towns
along the Black Sea coast,
shops also open on Sundays,
closing at various times
between 2 and 6pm.

HANDICRAFTS

High-quality craft items are
abundant at Bulgaria’s souve-
nir stalls, with ceramics,
embroidery and traditional
text iles among the most pop-
ular tourist buys. Pottery from
the central Bulgarian town of
Troyan, decorated with flow-
ing patterns in bright colours,
is a favourite Bulgarian

souvenir, and is available

through out the country.

Traditional Bulgarian textiles

include vividly pat terned

kilims (carpets) hand-woven

on vertical looms by the

women folk in highland

villages. Other high land crafts

include guberi (fleecy rugs),

and kozyatsi (tufted goat-hair

rugs). Brightly coloured

blouses, delicately embroi-

dered with folk motifs, are

usually also of high quality.

Bulgaria is a major producer

of attar of roses, an essential

oil extracted from the damask

rose, which is used all over the

world in per fumes and beauty

products. Locally made soaps,

skin creams and eau de

cologne made from Bulgarian

attar are available from

pharma cies and supermarkets

throughout the country. Other

items to look out for include

traditional copper pots and

coffee sets, and hand-painted

copies of Orthodox icons.

Souvenirs can be found in

market stalls and small shops

in tour ist resorts across the

country. Specialist outlets sell-

ing fine handi crafts include the

Ethnographic Museum Shop in

Sofia. Shops in Veliko Tûrnovo

are also good places to pick

up good-quality items made

by local crafts workshops.

MUSIC, THEATRE

AND DANCE

Bulgaria has a fine tradition

of classical music and tickets

for concerts are very reason-

ably priced. The Bulgarian

Philharmonic Orchestra,

which performs weekly at the

Bulgaria Concert Hall in Sofia,

is the country’s most presti-

gious orchestra. Plovdiv,

Varna and Burgas also have

good symphony orchestras.

Many of Bulgaria’s best

ensembles and soloists

perform at Varna Summer

International Festival in July.

Local bands playing rock

and jazz standards are a fre-

quent feature of bars and

clubs in the cities and holiday

resorts. Rock and pop stars

perform at the National Palace

of Culture in Sofia.

International jazz musicians

FOOD, WINE AND RAKIYA

The most famous Bulgarian

speciality is yogurt, consi-

dered very healthy due to a

rare bacteria found only in

Bulgaria. Sirene (salty white

cheese) and kashkaval (cheese

made from cow’s milk) are

also some good buys available

in most supermarkets. Most

food shops also carry a wide

selection of Bulgarian wines.

While Bulgarian Merlot and

Cabernet Sauvignon are on a

par with red wines from else-

where in Europe, domes tic

varieties, such as Melnik from

the southwest, have a much

more distinctive charac ter.

The highest quality wines are

those pro duced by lead ing

wineries such as Todoroff and

Damyanitza. These are avail-

able in stores throughout the

country. Bottles of rakiya

(grape or plum brandy) make

very good gifts. Bottles marked

otlezhala (matured) are likely

to be of superior quality.

NIGHTLIFE

Central Sofia is packed with

clubs and bars, many of which

have designer interiors and

attract an equally style-con-

scious clientele. Motto, which

serves cocktails and food in a

trendy lounge-bar atmos phere,

is typical of Sofia’s contem-

porary bar scene. There is also

a growing number of pubs, of

which JJ Murphy’s is one of

the longest-established.

Dance clubs are informal

and inexpensive, with long-

standing venues such as Yalta

and Chervilo (“Lipstick”)

attracting international DJs

and a young crowd.