Bulgaria #1 Photography - M1key - Michal Huniewicz

Bulgaria #1 by Michal Huniewicz

Perhaps the best way to understand individual countries, and in Eastern Europe even more so than elsewhere, is to understand their history.

In Poland, we like to boast that Poland was off the maps for 123 years, and yet it managed to come back to life and gain independence, after all. It turns out that Bulgaria survived half a millennium under foreign occupation, and yet it stood the test of time, and preserved its identity.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.
Uploaded on: 2017-06-10.

Sofia, Bulgaria

Welcome to Bulgaria

Welcome to Bulgaria
The spirit of Bulgaria is said to have survived the Ottoman occupation in secluded places just like this one. Far away from the imperial hustle and bustle, Bulgarian identity was nourished in distant monasteries, where Bulgarian language and the Cyrillic alphabet were preserved for future use. That time came in the 19th century.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/8.0, 1/280s.

Sofia

Sofia
But the hopes of long lasting independence were soon to be squashed. Although it too is a Balkan country, Bulgaria never was part of Yugoslavia. Instead, it was a Soviet satellite country.
In 1989, Bulgaria became independent and democratic at last, but in the elections that shortly followed, the Communists triumphed again, albeit under a new name of Bulgarian Socialist Party. Nevertheless, the country has become a NATO and EU member.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.0, 1/850s.

Church of St. George

Church of St. George
Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, is ancient. This is the oldest surviving building, the Byzantine Church of St. George, surrounded by Socialist edifices. [2]
I get criticised all the time for using the word Socialist like that ("Canada and Denmark are Socialist!"), but that's the official name of this architectural style and that's what the Communist states called themselves. [3]
ISO 200, 23mm, f/8.0, 1/340s.

Church of St. George from Above

Church of St. George from Above
To give you a sense of how surrounded it is, I threw my camera very high up in the air... Okay, I flew my drone. It turns out Bulgaria is nowhere near as paranoid about drones as other countries, and on top of that, I was accompanied by my friend Sasho and his mighty press card.
ISO 115, 4mm, f/2.8, 1/100s.

Serdica

Serdica
And to give you an idea of how ancient Sofia is, there are ancient Roman ruins for you to see. That's right, if you've ever played Total War, you might have conquered Serdica - that's the ancient Roman city that became Sofia. In fact, the city was originally a Thracian settlement, and then it was possessed by Alexander the Great, destroyed by the Huns... Lots of history here.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/4.0, 1/2000s.

Tin Tin

Tin Tin
According to my guide book, if you're a Tin Tin fan, you'll recognise these guys.
Because I used a very short lens on this trip, I needed to get really close to this chap to take this photo. I used the fact that they cannot speak and tell you off, heh heh. What happened was, the other soldier scared me with his rifle, and then I was chased away by another guy with a whistle. Gee, sorry!
ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/220s.

Martenitsa

Martenitsa
The Bulgarians celebrate Poland... No, they don't, but that's what I first thought. This adornment is called martenitsa, red representing female, white representing male, but then there are various interpretations as well. Either way, this is how the Bulgarians welcome spring. Reminds me of the Japanese Hinamatsuri.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/950s.

National Ethnology Museum

National Ethnology Museum
Sofia has certain elegance to it. This is the formal Royal Palace which has now become the National Ethnology Museum.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/3.2, 1/1500s.

Striptease Bar Kiss

Striptease Bar Kiss
Well yeah, maybe not everything is elegant! Like other big cities in Eastern Europe, Sofia has become a target location for the infamous British stag do parties, binge drinking and striptease fun.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/1000s.

National Archaeological Museum

National Archaeological Museum
This is the National Archaeological Museum. I asked my friend Ilinka to sit on the bench to improve the composition of the image. Just when it was perfect, the guy in the front leaned forward to show off his ass... Photography is difficult, man.
Anyway, looking at the architecture of this building you might be able to guess its original purpose. That's right, it used to be a mosque.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/70s.

Eye

Eye
Eye
Fun fact: In Persian, octopus is called "eight-legged". I sometimes address my Persian teacher as "two-legged". She hates it.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/240s.

Waitresses

Waitresses
Everyone in Bulgaria smokes! So annoying. And they smoke everywhere. But then it turns out that about 2 months after I visited a smoking ban was introduced.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/4.0, 1/600s.

Chupa-Chups

Chupa-Chups
The Chupa Chups logo was designed in 1969 by the artist Salvador Dalí. [4]
ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/2500s.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral
Unlike many other Eastern European countries, Bulgaria appears to have had a rather cordial relationship with Russia. They share the alphabet (actually a Bulgarian creation!), religion (Orthodox Christianity), and then the Russians helped out to free Bulgaria from the Ottoman yoke. Hence this cathedral was named after a Russian Saint and prince, and it was created in honour to the Russian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War. [5]
Perhaps in recognition of Jesus' modesty, the cathedral is decorated with Italian marble in various colours, Brazilian onyx, alabaster, and other luxurious materials.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.8, 1/320s.

Couple

Couple
Couple on the balcony of the Rila Hotel in Sofia.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/1800s.

In the Temple

In the Temple
"And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves." -- Matthew 21:12-13.
ISO 800, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/25s.

National Palace of Culture

National Palace of Culture
National Palace of Culture at night.
ISO 1131, 4mm, f/2.8, 1/5s.

In the Cathedral

In the Cathedral
Woman with candles. The candles on the floor are for the dead. The candles higher above like these ones are for the living.
ISO 800, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/45s.

Rila Monastery

Rila Monastery
This is the fabulous Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila. It's one of the most famous landmarks in Bulgaria, and almost one million people visit every year. It is thought of as a depository of Bulgarian language and culture, as well as a hideout for various Bulgarian revolutionaries during the Ottoman occupation. Curiously, I read somewhere that even the Ottoman Sultan donated some money to it to have it restored. Little did he know...
ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/400s.

Rila Monastery from Above

Rila Monastery from Above
The oldest part of the monastery is the tall Tower of Hrelja. As you can see, the place used to be completely secluded, and the monks would only very rarely interact with the outside. Architecturally, the main building resembles mosques also found in this part of the world.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.8, 1/140s.

Ablaq

Ablaq
And then this is ablaq - the stripes that is. The stripes became popular in the Ottoman Empire (that Bulgaria was part of) following the conquest of Egypt.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/250s.

Devils

Devils
Detail of one of the monastery paintings. Here's a merchant who cheated his customers.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/240s.

The Valley

The Valley
Saint Ivan of Rila was a proper hermit though. He didn't live in that fancy monastery. Let's fly to where he lived!
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.8, 1/850s.

The Path

The Path
Of course we don't have to fly. The place used to be remote and distant, but now there's a road that ends with a parking and this path. On our way back, we picked up some pilgrims in a rush, and they gave us their blessing afterwards.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/300s.

Tree

Tree
A photogenic tree I found.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/8.0, 1/640s.

Follow the Path

Follow the Path
There is a cave here, and only those who are not major sinners can squeeze through, they say.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/150s.

Altar

Altar
Altar inside the cave, just before it gets narrow and claustrophobic.
ISO 800, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/20s.

Squeezing Through

Squeezing Through
My friend's ass, as she's squeezing through.
ISO 640, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/60s.

Exit

Exit
Leaving the cave. It's probably as close as it gets to re-enacting being born.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/1000s.

Rock

Rock
People lost in thought near some sort of sacred rock.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/8.0, 1/450s.

A Hermit Lives Here

A Hermit Lives Here
Maybe something was lost in translation, but I was told a hermit lived here now as well. Another one.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/8.0, 1/105s.

Inside the Chapel

Inside the Chapel
This is inside the hermit's chapel.
ISO 800, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/18s.

Prayer

Prayer
Prayer at the rock.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/1000s.

Stob's Pyramids

Stob's Pyramids
If you're visiting Rila, this is probably worth seeing. These are the Stob's Pyramids. They should not be confused with the Melnik ones. Made of clay and river sand, some up to 40 metres tall.
Of course, there are many legends associated with them, including one about a local Turkish boy and Bulgarian girl, whose love was not to be due to religious differences - in despair, she jumped off the cliff and became a pyramid. [6]
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.8, 1/340s.

Graveyard

Graveyard
This is where she would have ended up in reality though. Graveyard in Stob.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.8, 1/340s.

Streets of Stob

Streets of Stob
The town of Stob from above.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.8, 1/400s.

Church Decoration

Church Decoration
And we're travelling East. Took us several hours to get here - Plovdiv. Church decoration.
ISO 800, 23mm, f/2.0, 1/20s.

Roman Theatre in Plovdiv

Roman Theatre in Plovdiv
Who would have thought that one of the world's best-preserved ancient theatres would be in Bulgaria? It's existed for almost 2000 years, and it's still in use, following restoration. [7]
ISO 200, 23mm, f/5.6, 1/800s.

Plovdiv

Plovdiv
Plovdiv is also ancient - there's supposedly evidence of habitation since the 6th millennium BC. Like Sofia, it was originally a Thracian settlement, and then it was invaded by pretty much everyone, from Persians to Goths to Huns to Crusaders to Turks.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/180s.

Refugees Not Welcome

Refugees Not Welcome
Sticker in Plovdiv.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/340s.

Café In Front of a Mosque

Café In Front of a Mosque
I was amazed that the front of this mosque (Dzhumaya Mosque) was some sort of café. Islam is the largest minority religion in Bulgaria, and predates even the Ottoman invasion. Of course once Bulgaria became part of the Ottoman Empire, there were reasons to convert to Islam in order to be a first-class citizen. Interestingly, some Muslims in the Ottoman Empire converted or pretended they converted to Christianity so that their sons would have a chance to become a member of the elite and influential corps of Janissaries.
This mosque was attacked by a mob in 2014.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/240s.

Imaret Mosque

Imaret Mosque
"On September 30, 2016, the Parliament of Bulgaria, backed by the Patriotic Front passed the law that outlaws wearing burqas by women in public places in an effort to combat terrorism and migrants flowing through Europe."
0.5 percent of Bulgarian Muslims believe that disputes should be resolved using Islamic Sharia law - in Britain, 40% accept "some aspects" of it.
In the picture, the Imaret Mosque that sports a unique minaret, and the unofficial flag of Eastern Europe - shopping bag caught in a tree.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/450s.

Plovdiv Bridge

Plovdiv Bridge
Roughly 4 in 10 Bulgarian Muslims eat pork and drink alcohol as well.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.8, 1/1250s.

Bins

Bins
If you played Total War and encountered Trimontium - that's the old name of Plovdiv.
ISO 200, 23mm, f/7.1, 1/550s.

Nebet Tepe

Nebet Tepe
Nebet Tepe was where the citadel of the ancient town was. What you see in the photo is from the time of Justinian. If Nebet Tepe sounds Turkish to you, that's because it is. It means "the hill of the guards".
... And so much for Bulgaria part 1! I must say we had a pretty good time, it was safe and clean, and there were diverse food options.
Give me some time now, and I'll bring you part 2. We'll go to Buzludzha the Spaceship and to Veliko Tarnovo.
ISO 100, 4mm, f/2.8, 1/800s.