Bulgaria

Bulgaria is often overlooked by its big neighbors Greece and Turkey, but it still offers travelers a unique vacation. From the beaches of the Black Sea to the snow-capped ski slopes, to the sheep yogurt stands and  the Orthodox Monasteries, Bulgaria is a land of hidden treasures. 

Among all the Monasteries, the most famous is the Rila Monastery, which was named after its founder, the hermit of Ivan of Rila. Founded in the 10th century, today it houses 60 monks, but is still a key tourist attraction. 

Outside the monastery looks like a fortress. It contains a library, and was key to preserving the Bulgarian language and culture during the rule of the Ottoman Empire. 

Established in 681 AD, Bulgaria is one of the oldest countries in Europe. So it is no surprise there's a ton of history packed into this country that's about the size of Virginia. It is a country that in form, survived Byzantine and Ottoman rule, the Balkan Wars, and both World Wars. 

It's a country who honors its history. 

They still perform a fire ritual of dancing on hot coals. 

And they still exchange red and white woven bracelets called Martenitsi's on the first of March every year, leaving the bracelet in a tree when they see it come into bloom (a traditional that dates back centuries). 

There are carvings that date back to the 8th century, and the world's oldest gold was found here in 1972. 

It's a country with underrated wine (it's the birthplace of Dionysus!) and great cheese to pair it with. 

But it is also a country full of roses- lots and lots of gorgeous roses. In fact, about 80% of all rose oil (which is used in perfumes) comes from Bulgaria's 'Rose Valley'. You need one million roses to make a liter of essential rose oil. That makes it more valuable than gold. 

There are just over 7 million people living in Bulgaira today, but they are currently experiencing 'negative population growth'. It is said to be the only country in the world to have a smaller population today than it did in 1950. 

The boys made their Bulgaria postcards. 

Calib's featured a guy skiing, because you can do some cheap skiing in the mountains of Bulgaria. 

Peyton made the Rila Monastery and a guy carrying a ton of roses. 

Hayden's featured the wrestler Rusev, because apparently he'd been waiting all year to get to Bulgaria just to put Rusev in his postcard. 

For Bulgaria dinner we took a little help from Trader Joes, who sells 'product of Bulgaria' eggplant garlic spread. They also have the roasted red pepper spread, but we've had that before and enjoyed it, so I decided to give this one a try. (The boys were not so much a fan of the eggplant one, even though they tolerate the red pepper one). 

Bulgaria was held on a braces tightening day for Calib (and he got this crazy bar in the back too- ouch!) So we had to go with something softer, as we do on those days. Enter Mish-Mash, and peaches to round out the Bulgarian breakfast for dinner.  

This dinner earned four spoons up. 

Everyone liked the mish-mash but Hayden, which is a little odd because he is a big feta fan. Whenever he makes himself a salad, he's always asking me if we have any. I guess he just didn't enjoy them in the eggs. 

We colored Bulgaria in the same orange-ish color as Russia, along the coast of the Black Sea. to the north of blue colored Greece, to the east of  red Serbia, and to the south of purple Romania. 

That's 162 down, 34 to go! 

Next Up: Lebanon