As you travel, consider these points:
• You are on Vacation!! Leave the job at home ... no cell phone ... maybe even no laptop. You can always go to the Internet Cafes; there are plenty of them all around in Plovdiv.
• Get a drip-dry hairstyle. Guys, grow a beard. No one will know how you are supposed to look anyhow, and you can stand to look at a different "you" in the mirror for three weeks.
• Don't try to drive. Enjoy the leisure of walking, taxi or train travel.
• Leave most of your things at home ... enjoy shopping here and there.
• Don't set a cast-iron schedule; loaf and schmooze.
• No jewellery, except your wedding rings ... fewer valuable things to lose.
• Take a tiny or disposable camera., unless you are addicted to zooms and other gadgets.
• Learn some of the language: "please" -- (‘MOL -YAH) -- and "thank you" -- (BLA -GO -DAR -‘IYA) -- for starts. Bulgarian grammar is complex in comparison to English, but you can get by with some simple words. "Yes" is "Dah"; "No" is "Neh". "Dobre" (stressed on the second syllable - strictly meaning "good") is a rather universal word, acceptable for "OK" or general agreement. In addition to masculine, feminine and neuter, the Bulgarian language has added another ... distant ... somewhat similar to the old formal "thee, thou and thine" in English.
• Enjoy the difference - you don't need Coca Cola (although every place in Plovdiv has it)! Try fresh juice and a sandwich of local cheese and sausage (or ham or chicken).
• Go in the off-season; you might just get by with NO reservations anywhere!
• If you enjoy the economy you could try a room with a shared bath for a night or two.
• Most of all - go with the determination to have a happy time.
Bulgarian National Holidays are as follows:
• New Year's Day is celebrated on January 1st
• National Day (Liberation from the Turks) is celebrated on March 3rd
• Easter (not on the same day as in Western Europe – usually a week later; according to the East Orthodox Calendar) – usually 3 days in a row
• St George’s Day – May 6th
• Sts. Cyril and Methodius Day is celebrated on May 24th (also Education and Culture Day, Day of the Slavonic Literacy)
• Christmas is observed on December 25th
Telephones in Bulgaria:
International dialling code for Bulgaria is +359; the Sofia city code is 2, Plovdiv is 32 when dialled from abroad (if you already happen to be in Bulgaria, the city codes all acquire a 0 in front: Sofia 02, Plovdiv 032, etc). Coin and card phones are available both for local and long distance calls at hotels, phone boxes and Post Offices. Direct telephone communication from Bulgaria to all countries is possible through the BTC (Bulgarian Telecommunication Company) phone booths or by phone cards, but not all operators will speak a foreign language. Carry a telephone calling card with you from your long distance carrier. Be certain you know their access code in the countries you will visit, including Bulgaria. Telephone calls, telegram and fax services in the country and abroad are also offered by the Post Offices.
