Weddings & Facelifts

Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe, founded in the late 7th century when Bulgars from Central Asia established an independent state called Great Bulgaria. Located at the junction of trade routes that linked Europe to Asia and Africa, Bulgaria was traversed by many ancient cultures and, as a result, Roman, Greek, Byzantine and Turkish influences are seen in the country's architecture, arts, cuisine and religious heritage. On the downside, Bulgaria's strategic position caught the eye of powerful states competing for land, and the country was often under foreign rule - the Byzantines from the early 11th to the late 12th century, and the Ottomans for 500 years starting in the late 14th century.

Bulgaria adopted Christianity in the late 9th century, and a boom in monastery construction followed. Many were destroyed during Ottoman rule, but the Turks did not attempt to convert all Bulgarians to Islam so the monasteries that survived became key in preserving the cultural heritage and identity of Bulgarians. Thanks to their efforts during the era known as the "Turkish yoke", many examples of early church architecture are found in the country to this day, and Orthodox Christianity remains the dominant religion, with over 80% of the population adhering to it. The Orthodox churches are quite impressive on the outside, specially on sunny days when their golden domes glisten in the sun, but I found the inside generally underwhelming, too somber and sometimes even oppressive.

Sofia, the country's capital, is known as the city that "grows but does not age". Growing it is – it now holds 20% of the country’s population. And it’s fighting aging through some much needed facelifts. However, like any such procedure, it doesn’t look very appealing until you see the end result. But in between cranes and construction fences, one thing is evident: Bulgarians love a wedding. I saw five in merely two days, with brides and grooms coming and going in big fancy decorated cars followed by crews of photographers and videographers.

More interesting than the capital are Bulgaria’s historic towns, of which Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo are worthy examples. Both these towns have old quarters with steep cobblestone lanes cutting through hills and filled with houses typical of the Bulgarian National Revival period (18th and 19th centuries), made with timber and with overhanging painted facades. Plovdiv is the best preserved of the two but Veliko Tarnovo has more character and sits on a more dramatic setting, with houses perched on the hills overlooking the river. In Veliko Tarnovo, the border between the old and the new town are blurrier, some artisans still practice old trades in the area known as the Bazaar, and locals call historic buildings home. True, some of them could use a facelift (a piece of a wall actually crumbled to the floor when I leaning on it while photographing…) but maybe that’s what makes Veliko Tarnovo charming – it’s unapologetically imperfect, and not overrun by tourism, a refreshing thing is this crowded, perfection-obsessed world.