The High School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics - Bourgas , Bulgaria

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BLOG: The Secret of our Success in Studying and Teaching English The objective of this project is for the students aged 10 to 18 years old from five European countries /Poland, Greece, Bulgaria, Italy and Spain/ to realise that they are part of the same community with similar cultural and educational roots.We will compose the multicultural and multinational mosaic of different types of schools / primary school, grammar school, secondary school and technical college /via activities that are related with topics of the youngsters‟ interests (ecology, geography, diet, the educational systems, everyday life, habits, traditions etc).The Polish, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Bulgarian students /16 people from each country/ will communicate with each other using different communicators. They will discuss the current content of the book that will be created thanks to their blogs. The meetings in each one of the five countries will serve their closer mutual acquaintance.The project aims to take full advantage of ICT in order to improve learning opportunities for everyone, especially the weaker students.We would like to encourage the participants of our project to broaden their knowledge of other cultures and show them how people from different European countries promote and preserve their cultural sights.

Participating Institutions: Complex of Car Schools Zespół Szkół Samochodowych I Licealnych no 2 in Warsaw is composed of Technical Car College and Vocational Car School. There are 30 classes in the Technical College. 14 of them are held under the patronage of the reputed firms like Peugeot Poland, Toyota Motor Poland, MAN and Mercedes Benz. There are 83 well qualified teachers and about 800 students are educated at the school. The school maintains contacts with some European countries and takes care of European standards of education and the competitiveness of its students on the European job market.

1st Gymnasio Chalkidonas is situated in the small town Chalkidona, not far from Thessaloniki, a city in Northern Greece. It is an agricultural region. The students / 171 people / are between 12 and 16 years old. As most of Greek schools nowadays it is a multicultural school with lots of students coming from immigrant families from Albania, Russia, Georgia and Romania.

The High School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics “Academic Nikola Obreshkov” in the city of Bourgas is one of the most prestigious and demanding schools in Bulgaria and certainly the best school in Bourgas region. The students who study here are accepted after a keen competition, which proves their motivation and high intellectual abilities. The High School is a school with longstanding history, codes of behaviour and strong tradition. The best teachers of Mathematics, IT, Physics, Chemistry and Biology, in the discipline of Arts and humanities are picked up in the school, because its goal is to issue the best training of its students.

The Italian institution, Circolo Didattico Viale Battisti, is located in Recanati, a town of 21.000 inhabitants, in Marche region, in the middle of Italy. Most of the students belong to families with a good social-economic situation. But there's a very disadvantaged minority made up of migrants from Africa, Romania, Albany and refugees from ex-Yugoslavia. Their 2

problems of integration are principally represented by the barrier of the language the lack of a familiar and social network, the differences in terms of religion and economic level.

IES Sant Vicent Ferrer, in Spain, is a heterogeneous local school. There are some immigrants, basically from Morocco and South America, however the great majority of their students are from Algemesi (their small town) and the surrounded villages. There are secondary studies and vocational studies related to computing too. In total, there are around 700 students. Moreover, they form part of a regional programme called CLIC (Content teacher to teach some language), and their students are really interested in improving their knowledge of other countries.

The concrete objectives of the partnership are: The promotion of understanding between European citizens.

To design and develop new educational approaches.

To show students how to discover their own and other peoplesâ€&#x; cultural heritage.

Develop skills in cross-curricular and cross-cultural co-operation, strengthening links with the wider European community.

Develop expertise, knowledge, motivation, achievement and new skill for students and teachers.

To compare our educational systems.

Make students become lifelong learners and acquaint themselves with the wider world through interaction with others.

To foster a positive feeling towards the EC.To improve the English of all participants to be involved.

To make all partners familiar with working with ICT and new methods of teaching.

The use of new technology, which teenagers are familiar with, for educational purposes. e.g.: Internet blogs, Skype, Msn, e-books.

To deal with subjects related to the final leaving school exam such as: school, health, home, family and social life, work, travel and tourism, eating, shopping and services, people, sport/culture, science andtechnology, nature environment, state and society. These topics are also related to the B2 national English language examinations.Increase the students motivation to learn English.

We will influence students to get to know the culture of the participating countries.

We will initiate a long lasting and fruitful cooperation between the five schools.

The schools will exchange experience.

Equip our students with skills and qualities useful on the European Labour Market (biographies etc) and useful for the society / tolerance, openness, creativity, courage, selfesteem.

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Our Country Bulgaria Bulgaria is one of the oldest European countries with 20-century-old history and traditions. Modern Bulgaria is situated in Southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula – a busy crossroad of ancient cultures. For centuri es, the roads passing through the territory of the country have been connecting Europe with Asia and Africa. Four common European transport corridors, connecting West and North Europe with the eastern and southern part of the continent, cross their roads here.Bulgaria is also known for its splendid nature and rich cultural heritage. According to the statistics, the country ranks third in Europe only after Greece and Italy for the number of its valuable archaeological monuments.

The crest of Republic Bulgaria is a standing golden crowned lion on a dark red field in the form of a shield. Over the shield there‟s a crown, symbol of the crowns of Bulgarian rulers from the Second Bulgarian Kingdom with five crosses and another one on top of the crown. The shield is held up by two standing golden crowned lions facing the shield from both sides. They are standing on two crossed oak twigs with acorns.

Under the shield stands a white ribbon with a tricolored edge with the words “Unity renders power”.The current crest accepted on 31 July 1997 symbolizes the political succession between Kingdom Bulgaria and Republic Bulgaria.

On this page, you will find general information about the country: history, state structure, economy and the national symbols.

Bulgaria is a great country, which is giving birth to great people. Let‟s not forget that we have given to the world more than many large nations together.

-Did you know that Bulgaria is the only country in Europe which has kept its name till now?

-Did you know that Bulgaria doesn`t have taken captive flag from its establishment until now?

-Did you know that King Kaloyan (a talented Bulgarian ruler) caused the greatest defeat over the Crusaders?

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-Did you know that Bulgaria gave Europe one of its official three-Cyrillic alphabets ?

Belogradchik Rocks are a group of bizarrely shaped sandstone, limestone and conglomerate rock formations located on the western slopes of the Balkan Mountains (Stara Planina) near the town of Belogradchik in northwest Bulgaria. The rocks vary in color from primarily red to gray to yellow; some of the rocks reach up to 200 m in height. These rocks have fantastic shapes.

Another interesting fact is that every singel person from Bulgaria knows at least one ancient legend about them.They are often named for people or objects .Most majestic cliffssurround Belogradchik: Madonna, Rider, Monks, Student, Lion, Bear, Adam and Eve, the Castle. . The names of each piece rock are the result of people's imagination. About 4 km from Lepenitza cities around the cave is another great rock band, where the most impressive piece is a dinosaur. The Belogradchik Rocks have been declared a Natural Landmark by the Bulgarian government and are a major tourist attraction in the region. Here every stone has a history and legend, full of suffering and heroism, to explain the incredible stone beauty.Centuries ago, the rocks have a nunnery.Early each morning monastery bells called for prayer to God doomed nuns.The youngest among them, Bithynia neophyte, could not hide their beauty under his cassock.Rumors about her beauty Vita is spread everywhere throughout the Roman Empire.Peter's one where people had the right to visit the monasteries, the fate met by roman Antonio Vita.They love their long hiding from the nuns.But after a year the fruit of their love is revealed to light.Kids crying announced cells of the monastery.Vita was revealed and faced the strict law of the monks.

The 7 Rila lakes are one of the most interest views in Bulgaria. They are situated in the highest mountain on The Balkan peninsula – The Rila Mountaian, rising one above the other with a displacement of 440m at the Northern slope of Damka in the Northwestern part of the mountain. The Lakes have glacial origin and they are part of “The One Hundred National Tourist Sightseeing Spots” and they are among the most visited places in Bulgaria. They are connected with each other by small brooklets that turn into waterfalls at some places.

Officially they have been numbered from up to down: The Tear-drop, The Eye, The Kidney, The Twin, The Trefoil, The Fish and The Bottom. The water from the lakes swells from one into the other and it is where The River Djerman originates form.

Ledenika is a cave in the Northwestern parts of the Balkan Mountains, 16km away from the Bulgarian town of Vratsa.The cave was famous during the time of The Ottoman yoke.Shepherds used to keep yoghurt there.In summer and spring the cave is very beautiful.

The first hall (the lowest part of the cave) is “The Antechamber”.There is a huge ice colone with diameter of nearly 21m.There is a set of wine-which is from ice bottles and glasses on the floor, below the high dome. Marvellous blue-white waterfalls shine at some places. The ice stalactites are like swords-short or longer, up to 4m.And everything shines like a diamond.

A low corridor connects “the Antechamber” with “the Little hall”-almost a circle hall, which leads to “The Concert hall”. The way to it is through the Passage of Sinners. Only those whose heart is pure can pass through it. According to the specialist`s oppinion it has divine acustics.There is another hall, called “The Refrigerator”.

People used to keep seeds in it in the past.Everything here is majestic and unique – the Crocodile, the Giant‟s head, the Falcon, Santa Claus, the Witch‟s house etc.In 1961 there were 5

the first visitors, and in 1962 it became a landmark .The subterranean kingdom of “Ledenika� is so beautiful that it`s impossible to be described , it must be seen.

The Krushuna Falls is a waterfall in northern Bulgaria, near the village of Krushuna, Letnitsa Municipality.The waterfall is situated 34 km away from the town of Lovech. Krushuna Falls is famous with its picturesqueness.It is formed by numerous karst terraces. There is a pathway that leads away to the cave from which springs the waterfall. There are also two smaller waterfalls , and one of them is called ' Malka Maara '.

A few more caves are located nearby - Urushka Maara, Gornik and Devetashka. The waterfall can be reached very easily - from the village's square you have to turn right and find a parking place.You will get to the waterfall by walking along a well-shaped path.There are bridges allowing the tourists to enjoy the natural beauty. Along the waterfall an Eco path is built ,which gives the opportunity to see the entire waterfall system. In 13th - 14th centuries, the Kroshuna Monastery was located here and was occupied by monks Hesychasts. That is proved by the remain rock niches and cells.

It is traditionally thought that the monastery was founded by the hermit St. Ivan of Rila, whose name it bears, during the rule of Tsar Peter I (927-968). The hermit actually lived in a cave without any material possessions not far from the monastery's location, while the complex was built by his students, who came to the mountains to receive their education.

The Monastery of Shipka is an Orthodox church built in memory of all Bulgarian and Russian warriers , died in the Russo-Turkish War in 1878. Тhe church's architecture is typical for the Russian churches from 17 century.The brilliant cultural monument was built on count Ignatiev and Olga Skobeleva `s initiative with donations mostly from Russia but from Bulgaria ,too.The building started in 1885 and finished in 1902 under the guidance of gifter Russian architects.The Monastery`s opening was in 1902 in Russian army`s generals and a lot of guests of honour `presence. The heaviest bell of the church is 12 000 kilograms. The mural paintings are the work of a team of painters led by N.Rostovcev. The four little domes are made of gold, with the central one being 19 m high.

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The Culture of Bulgaria Our Country Bulgarian traditions were created thousands of years ago. One very important part of the Bulgarian culture are Bulgarian traditions and customs. Their traditions are related to Bulgarian history, religion and trusts. Bulgarians perform their traditional rituals on the holidays and believe that the rituals will bring happiness, health, love and fertility. Only in Bulgaria people" survakat" on Christmas. Only Bulgarians wear "martenitsi" and only Bulgarians celebrate Baba Marta on 1 March. And these are some of our incredible rituals.

Bulgaria is a country with many beauties and monuments. There are countless relics in the museums. The distinctive villages and the buildings there are amazing. We had many wonderful capitals with castles and churches. Bulgaria is a great place to visit! And we are proud of being Bulgarians and we want to conserve our traditions.

Bulgarian Treasures The Panagyurishte Treasure The Panagyurishte Treasure is a Thracian treasure from the end of 4th-the beginning of the 3rd century BC. It was found in 1949, two kilometers away from Panagyurishte. The treasure consists of a beautiful golden service with amazing decoration. It was used for feasts or secret rituals, part of the Thracian mythology.

There are nine objects made of pure gold with combined weight more than 6 kg.

Four of the rhytons are made as heads or the front part of an animalâ€&#x;s body(ram, goat and 2 deers). On top of the rhytons are portrayed mythological scenes and heroes from the ancient Greek history. One of them features the wedding of the god Dionys and princess Adriadna. Three of the objects are pitchers in the form of the head of the Amazon. The handles of these pitchers are made as centaur - a mythological animal with the head of a human and the body of a horse. Master workmanship also has the object with the form of a baking dish. On top of it four circles are engraved , each with 24 ornaments on it. The ornaments are getting smaller from the edge toward the centre. Most interesting in shape and decoration is the big amphora-like object. Itâ€&#x;s handles are made as two battling centaurs. It also features the little Hercules fighting with the snake. Again there are magnificent mythological scenes all over the treasure. The Panagyurishte Treasure has enormous importance for studying of the Thracians, their lives, their connections with other populations and their believes. The treasure is a priceless and beautiful witness of the ancient world.

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The Letnitsa Treasure In 1963 shepherds from Letnitsa decided to make themselves a new cabin. They started digging and on 50-60 meters depth they hit something. It turned out to be a bronze container.

When they took it out they found silver objects in it. Most of them had gold backing.

After a scientific investigation it was proved that the treasure was a Thracian trestle from the 4th century BC. 23 silver-gold objects!

A few different workmanships could be seen. There were real and mythical animals portrayed. The horse, symbol for the sun among the Thracians, had been worshiped when the treasure had been made.

The discovery clearly shows that the objects were a possession of a rich man from the time of Kotis I(4th century BC). The Letnitsa‟s treasure is one of the most important examples of the Thracian mastery and its finding was a huge contribution to the studying of the Thracian culture. The silver blocks with gold backing are unique not only for the Thracian‟s land but for whole Europe. They‟re with different shape and portray different mythical scenes. One of the main scenes is the marriage of the Thracian master with the Earth Goddess. The Letnitsa‟s treasure can be seen in the National archaeological museum.

Tsvetnitsa Tsvetnitsa is the last big church holiday before Easter.It is always on Sunday. On this day everyone goes to church and holds in hands lighted up willow branches,which replace the palm branches – it is like they again meet their Saver. Pastors lit the branches and the flowers,bring by the faithful.After worship Christians take illuminated willow branches to their homes for health and to prevent sickness and evil.Usually they are wrapped wreaths to be hung about the house or home over the altar.

Theatre The beginning of the theater in Bulgaria is placed first with the construction of libraries. They weren‟t only a center for science but also for culture. For a long time the performances were amateur. Even female roles were performed by men. During the Renaissance, the wealthier Bulgarians sent their children to study abroad and returning they brought the European experience and ideas. Initially there weren‟t professional artists, but traveling troupes were touring the country and gave performances. In 1881 in Plovdiv the first professional theatre was founded.

The majority of the actors were self-taught, but some were trained overseas, mainly in Russia.

There, the young actors were trained in the methods of Stanislavsky - our famous actors (for Theater, Adriana Budevska, Atanas Kirchev etc.) and Nikolay Chekhov, who later went to 8

America and there carried the same methodology. Thus the Bulgarian theater became part of world culture. In 1948, in Sofia the first state university school of acting was opened. The National Theatre “Ivan Vazov” is the oldest and reputable theater in Bulgaria. It was built in 1906, designed by Viennese architects Hermann Helmer and Ferdinand Fellner. Krastio Sarafov is a Bulgarian stage actor. He studied at St. Petersburg and debuted in 1899 with his role “Inspector”. The majority of his roles was played in the National Theater. Adriana Budevska is a Bulgarian actress and one of the founders of the professional theater in Bulgaria. She is considered to be one of the best performers in tragic roles. The recent years are great renaissance of theater because the actors and directors are looking for new means of expression. Bulgarian theater isn‟t world famous because of the specificity of our language, but there are several new theater groups, which translate Bulgarian playwrights and play productions in foreign languages worldwide. Cosmopolitan society helps the development of theater and culture, because translation of the play is facilitated with the development of communications. Stoyanka Mutafova is a Bulgarian actress, born in Sofia. She has worked in Prague, but the bigger part of her life she spent working at the National Theater. Today she is one of the most popular actresses in Bulgaria Georgi Kaloyanchev is a Bulgarian actor, born in 1925 in Burgas. He is starring in over 60 plays and 63 films. He is an actor who will remain forever in the minds of Bulgarians. Tatyana Lolova is a loved Bulgarian actress, known mainly for her comic roles in films and in theater. She is also author of the autobiography book “Half life”. Stefan Danailov is known actor and politician. He has participated in 53 films and many theatrical productions. Since 2005 Stefan Danailov is the previous Bulgarian Minister of Culture.

Hristo Botev (1848-1876) Botev is briliant author and revolutionary. He was born in the town Kalofer and his father is the teacher Botio Petkov. He was a student in Odesa. Hristo Botev emigrated to Romania in 1867. He was a teacher in Aleksandria and Izmail from 1869 until 1871. He published the newspapers ''Alarm clock'', ''Flag'' and ''New Bulgaria''. He died on 20 May 1876. He was killed in the war.

Dobri Chintulov Dobri Chintulov was born in the town of Sliven. He was a student in Odesa (Odesa in a city in Russia) from 1839 until 1840. He published his first poem in the newspaper ''Tsarigratski vestnik''. From 1850 he was a teacher in Bulgaria. He is the author of many Bulgarian patriotic songs.

Paisii Hilendarski The founder of the Bulgarian Revival is considered St Paisii Hilendarski. In 1762 he wrote his famous treatise "SlavBulgarian History" (Istoriya Slavyano-Balgarska). The book is a kind of call to the Bulgarians for national awakening and 9

struggle against their oppressors. "Slav-Bulgarian History " is transmitted and copied by the Bulgarian people as a sacred relic. St Pisii was born in 1722 in Bansko. Although with no education, 23 years old, he went to Hilendar monastery, where he became a priest and podigumen. Two years collecting materials and finishes in history in 1762. ”Slav-Bulgarian History is is a cross-piece which interweaves elements of history, autobiography and journalism. Contains medieval and Renaissance features. Paisii opposes Bulgaria to Greece and Serbia, pointing out its advantages for people to raise their self-esteem.

Sofronii Vrachanski The activity of Hilendarski has a worthy successor in the person of another national leader - Sofronii Vrachanski. He is the author of the first Bulgarian printed book, published in 1806. The book is a compendium of festive teachings under the title "Nedelnik". Sofroni Vrachanski reached the conviction that a successful liberation struggle of the Bulgarian people need to be raised primarily level education. It calls for education, liturgy and literature to be spoken Bulgarian language to be accessible to everyone. Sofronii aims to build lasting in people's consciousness of Bulgarian nationality.

Luben Karavelov The movement of liberation during the Renaissance brings into the world new revolutionary figures. The Bulgarian Revolutionary Central Committee has been created in 1869.It merges two big revolutionary movements – the democrats and the liberals. Luben Karavelov shows the true face of social relations Ottoman Empire in his issues of the newspaper “Svoboda” /”Freedom”/ . He presents the Ottoman government as an enemy of freedom and progress of all Balkan states.

Vasil Levski Vasil Kunchev , mostly known as Vasil Levski , is may be one of the most famous leaders of Bulgarian Nation . The base of his political ideology is his faith in natural power of Bulgarian people. He defines the biggest aim of the liberating struggle against the Ottoman slavery with general revolution leading to changing the public system to democratic republic.

Hristo Botev Hristo Botev is a follower of the idea of uniting all Balkan nations into one .He is a revolutionary but also and a poet and publisher. Botev rationalizes the most progressive ideas of Russia. He yearns for a revolt and becomes one of the ardent Bulgarian leaders, the one who outlines the strategic and tactical aims of the revolutionary struggle of Bulgarian nation.

Ivan Vazov (1850-1921) Probably the best Bulgarian writer!

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Vazov was born in the town Sopot in 1850. He was a pupil in Kalofer and a student in The High School in Plovdiv.

Reading used to be his hobby and his favoutre authors were Alphonse de Lamartine, Pierre-Jean de Béranger and Victor Hugo. He was studing French. His first book of poetry was ''Пряпорец и гусла''. In 1870 he emigrated to Romania but he came back to Bulgaria a few months later. Ivan Vazov has more than 50 creations. Some of his stories are ''Grandfather Iotso Is Watching'' ''One Bulgarian Women'' ''Is It Coming''.

The most popular of Vazov`s poems are ''The Volunteers at Shipka'' ''Levski'' ''Where is Bulgaria'' ''I am a Bulgarian'' and other. The first Vazov`s novel is ''Under the Slavery''. Many people think this is the best Bulgarian novel.

Nikola Vaptsarov (1909- 1942) Vaptsarov was born in the town Bansko. He was a student in The High School in the town Razlog. After that he was a student in The Military School in Varna. And after that he was a probationer on a warship in the port of Burgas. He traveled to Istanbul, Alexandria,Cyprus by warships. When he finished school, he worked as an editor, mechanic in a factory, stoker in a train and his life used to be very difficult. In 1940 he published his one and only book of poetry. In 1942 Vaptsarov was given a death sentence and was killed because he was a member of an illegal group of anti- fascists.

Babinite Vidini Kuli (Grandmother`s turrets of Vidin) The stronghold was built 10 centuries ago on the ruined Roman castle called Bononia. In the past there were big bridges made of rope between the turrsts. The stronghold defended the town Vidin from enemy`s armies. The stronghold was a prison from XIV century untill XIX century. But today Babinite Vidini Kuli are only an attraction for the tourists in Bulgaria.

Asenovata Krepost (The Asen`s Stronghold) The stronghold is not far from the town Asenovgrad, near the Chepelarska river.

The stronghold was built more than 10 cnuries ago. The king Ivan Asen II expanded the stronghold but the Turkish army destroyed it. And now there is only one church...

Perperikon Perperikon is a sanctuary, located in the Rhodopes, 15 km northeast of the town of Kardzhali. At its foot is the village of Gorna Krepost, which runs until Perpereshka river flowing into the lake “Studen kladenec”. The archaeological complex consists of a large megalith sanctuary, the holy city and fortress. Supposedly, it was celebrated in ancient sanctuary of Dionysus, the Thracian tribe Satrae.Even the Romans were 11

making sacrifices to Dionysus on the sanctuary. It is believed that Perperikon is even older than the Egyptian pyramids.

Movies It is believed that the first film, created in the world, was “Workers leaving the factory”,which was shot in 1895 . At that time Bulgaria was an economic upswing, so only 20 years later the first Bulgarian film “Balgran is a gallant” (1915) was projected . The film was black and white and silent, and it remained only one or two frames. Unfortunately, the Bulgarian cinema is not very developed in the coming years because of the country's participation in several consecutive wars. Only after World War II they began to build summer cinemas, and memorable movies were created, some of which remain forever in the minds of Bulgarians. It‟s operated mainly in three genres – historical films, comedies and dramas. At the time of communism, the state paid a lot for the creation of new films and television productions. One of the most popular films of that time “Goat Horn” [Koziyat Rog] (1972), which won numerous international awards. At that time the films: “Split Time”, “Orchestra without a Name”, “Ladies Invite” and many others were shot .In 1964, the director Nedelcho Chernev created the first Bulgarian series “The Blond and the Dove”. But the most famous Bulgarian series aired in all socialist countries was “On Every Kilometer”.

After the changes in the Eastern block, Bulgarian movies enter a new crisis and reduce the production of films, but with the becoming of Bulgaria a member of the European Union ,they began to create new modern films.

Shipka Memorial Church Temple-monument "Christmas", known in Bulgaria as Shipka Monastery was built between 1886 and 1902 in memory of the fallen Russian, Moldavian, Romanian, Ukrainian, Finnish officers and soldiers and Bulgarian volunteers in defense of the Shipka Pass in The Russian- Turkish War of 1877-1878.

The temple is a basilica. It was built in the style of the Russian church tradition. Outside its domes are gilded. It‟s one of the most beautiful churches in Bulgaria.

Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Sofia The cathedral is an Orthodox Church in Sofia. It serves as the Cathedral Church of the Bulgarian Patriarch, and is one of the historical places in Bulgaria with a long history. Its main stone was laid during the reign of Prince Alexander Battenberg on February 19, 1882. The construction began in 1904. Built on a total area of 3170 square meters and its total CC was 86 000 cubic meters. Its height is 50.52 meters, while the central dome - 46 feet. In the inner part of the cathedral with its impressive dimensions, the architectural harmony of lines, space and rich artistic decoration.

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The church “St. Cyril and Methodius” The church “St. Cyril and Methodius” is the oldest Christian church in Burgas. It was built in 1907. Rises in the center of town and is one of its characters. The cathedral is built on an area of 516 sq.m, as its length is 32 meters, width - 21 meters. ”St Cyril and Methodius” was built as a three-nave basilica. Its architecture is impressive with magnificent facade and opulent end of the dome roof. The whole building is Aitos mason green stone, brick and marble. The interior is richly ornamented as impressive are the five pairs of marble arches that seem to divide into two temples.

Church of Christ Pantocrator, Nessebar This is an Orthodox church in Nessebar, Bulgaria. It‟s part of world heritage by UNESCO. It‟s one of the best preserved and most beautiful churches in Nessebar, which has over 42 churches in it‟s old part.

Namedays -What is name day? -In Bulgaria, people celebrate a special holiday of their names. People with same names, celebrate on the same day. That is a very famous holiday in Bulgaria, and everybody celebrates it like a birthday. Bulgarian name days are: Vasilyovden- 1 January Vasiliov den is the day of Saint Vasilii. People called Vasil, Vasilka, Vasko, Vaska, Veska, Vesela, Veselina and Valcho celebrate their name day on 1 January.

Gergyovden- 6 May 6 May is the day of Martyr George Victorious who killed a big monster. On this day Bulgarian families always eat lamb meat. People called George, Gosho, Joro, Gergana, Gergina, Gerga celebrate their name day on 6 May. Dimitrovden- 26 October Dimitrov den is the day of Saint Dimitar. And everyone with the name Dimitar, Dimitrina, Mita, Mitka, Mitko, Mitio, Dimo, Dima or Dimka celebrates Dimitrovden.

Ivanovden- 7 January 7 January is the day of Saint Ioan Baptist. People with the names Ivan, Ivana, Ivanka, Iva, Ivanina and Ivancho celebrate on 7 January.

Arhangelovden- 8 November Arhangelov den is the day of Saint Mihail. Saint Mihail is an angel who always stands next to God. People with names Anglel, Mihail, Rangel, Raina, Radka and Milka celebrate their name day on Arhangelovden.

Yordanovden- 6 January On this day Jesus Christ was baptized in river Iordan. And everyone one with the name Iordan, Iordanka, Dancho, Dana, Boian, Bogdan, Bogdana celebrates Iordanovden.

Atanasovden- 18 January Atanasovden is the day of Saint Atanas. On this day people say: Go away winter, come summer! . Everyone with the name Atanas, Atanasko, Tasko, Nasko, Traiko, Jivko, Traian, Traiana, Traika has name day on 18 January.

Todorovden- On the Saturday of the first week of The Long Lent 13

Todorovden is the day of Saint Todor and it is famous as the day of the horse too. Saint Todor is the patron of the horses. People called Todor, Todorka, Teodora and Dora celebrate their name day on Todorovden.

Petrovden- 29 June Petrovden is the day of two apostles. Their names are Peter and Pavel. On this day everyone with the name Petar, Pavel, Petya, Petranka and Pavlina celebrates his name day.

Andreevden- 30 November Saint Andrei was a student of Jesus Christ and he is a brother of the apostle Petar. This holiday is famous in Bulgaria as Mechkinden too. People with names Andrei, Andreia and Adrian have name day on 30 November.

Enyovden- 24 June This is the birthday of Saint Ioan and 24 June is very famous as the day of the Sun. People say that this is the day when the herbs are the most medicative. People with names Encho, Enyo,Yani, Yana, Yanka, Yanita, Yanko, Yancho.

Antonovden- 17 January This is a traditional Bulgarian name day. Antonovden is the day of Saint Anton and everyone with name Anton, Andon, Antoniq, Antoaneta and Tonin celebrates on 17 January.

Vyara, Nadejda i Lyubov (Faith, Hope and Love) – 17 September This is the day of the sisters Saint Vyara, Saint Nadejda, Saint Lyubov and their mother Saint Sofia. In English Vyara means Faith, Nadejda means Hope and Lyubov means Love. Women with names Vyara, Nadejda, Lyubov and Sofia have name day on 17 September.

Simeonovden- 1 September This is the day of Saint Simeon. Bulgarians say that Saint Simeon comes with the fall.

Everyone with the name Simeon celebrates on 1 September.

Nikulden- 6 December Nikulden is one very importanat Bulgarian holiday. This is the day of Saint Nikola. He is the patron of fishermen, bankers and sailors. On this day people in Bulgaria always eat craps.

And this is the holiday of Burgas, our town. Everyone with the name Nikolai, Nikola, Nikolina, Nikol, Nikoleta, Nina, Kolyo or Nana has name day on Nikulden.

Spasovden- 40 days after Easter On this day Jesus Christ went to the sky. Everyone with name Spas or Spaska celebrates Spasovden.

Stefanovden- 27 December 20 December is the day of Saint Stefan. On this day people in Bulgaria don`t do any work at home. And people called Stefan, Stefka or Stefani celebrate their name day on 27 December.

Trifonovden- 14 February Trifonovden or Trifon Zarezan is very famous as the day of the vines. Saint Trifon is the patron of the grape and wine-producers. Men with name Trifon have name day on 14 February.

Kazanlak Tomb The Kazanlak Tomb was found accidentally in 1944. It‟s from the time of the Odrysian kingdom (4th century BC). It‟s also the tomb in best shape. The Kazanlak tomb was already robbed in ancient times. The tomb has rectangular entrance made of stone blocks with proportions 2.60 on 1.84 meters. It has vaulted hall from well-done bricks, 1.96 long and 1.12 meters wide; the brick grave chamber is 3.25 meters high. The wall-paintings that show battles scenes are unique- with figures of warriors with helmets, long spears and big shields.

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The central scene is dedicated to the Thracian hero and his wife who are having feasting, holding hands and wearing wreaths on their heads. They‟re surrounded by musicians and servants. The brilliant wall-painting has been made by Atenion from the Thracian town Maroneya.

The Madara Rider The Madara Rider from the 7-9 century is one of a kind in Europe. It‟s a relief that has been cut out on 23 meters above ground on a vertical high cliff. It depicts a majestic horseman that‟s probably Khan Tervel. The horseman is in real size, dressed in luxurious rich garments, with long hair, with a spear in hand, piercing a fallen lion. There‟s an eagle flying in front of him and a dog running after him. The scene symbolizes a military triumph.

Tsarevets Tsarevets is the central of the 3rd Bulgarian capital‟s three hills. It‟s unapproachable, protected by Yantra river and the strong stone walls with embrasures. Here were the castles of the Bulgarian kings and the impressive patriarchal church “Saint Ascension”. The blossoming of the life and culture in Tsarevets was during the 15th century. The stronghold had a main entrance and two small gates. On of them drops on a path that leads to the “SS. Forty Martyrs” church. The Baldwin Tower was restored where the Latin Emperor Baldwin I found his death.

“St. Ivan Rilski” Monastery The largest and most famous monastery in Bulgaria is located about 120 kilometers south of Sofia. Situated at 1500 meters altitude amidst the beautiful scenery of the highest mountain on the Balkan Peninsula - Rila. With its architecture, wall paintings and ancient history of the monastery is one of the most attractive tourist destinations in Bulgaria.

Troyan Monastery "Assumption" Situated in beautiful countryside on the banks of the Cherni Osam River just 10 miles east of the town of Troyan. Occurs at the beginning of the 17th century. Shortly later an unknown monk from Mount Athons monastery left a miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary, which to this day is among the most valuable icons of the monastery.

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Ivanski Rock Monastery Near the village of Ivanovo, about 12 kilometers south of Russe is one of the most interesting and valuable monuments of culture Ivanovo Rock Monastery in the list of UNESCO world cultural heritage. The monastery is situated amidst the picturesque canyon of the River Lom and Rousse and represents a complex of churches, chapels and cells carved in the rocks about 32 feet above the river, .

Glozhen Monastery “St. George the Victorious” Built on a high bluff, surrounded by precipices , Glozhen monastery resembles a medieval fortress from the distance. It is located 2 kilometers from the village Glozhen. It is believed that it was founded in the 13th century by the Kiev prince Glozh who arrived in these lands to seek the miraculous icon of St. George the Victorious for the healing of his sick daughter.

Dryanovo Monastery “St. Michael” The monastery is situated among the high limestone cliffs of the picturesque gorge of the Dryanovo river, 5 km southwest of the town of Dryanovo. It was founded in early the 17th century.

Only a few kilometers from the monastery is the cave “Bacho Kiro”, where they found traces of the Paleolithic settlement in Europe.

Pirin Dances Pirin is one of our beautiful mountains. Its nature makes a person feel welcome and encourages him to create things of beauty and art such as the ones that surround him. In this region men and women usually dance separately and if they take part in the same dance the women dance at the rear of the line with a handkerchief held between the last man and the first woman. There are many dances in 7/8 and often the dances begin slowly and increase in speed. The style is either sustained with a catlike feel , weight being taken onto the balls of the feet slightly behind the beat (hesitation), or is characterised by fast and low movements skimming across the ground. Men's dances include balancing movements with high knee lifts, often in shoulder hold. Women's style is graceful and light, hands are held in low hold or in 'asymmetrical' W- hold in which case the left arm is extended further than the right arm. In certain dances the arms move up and down in time with the music.

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Shop Dances Another Bulgarian style with lots of different dances in it. Shop style is probably the most difficult Bulgarian style for non-Bulgarians to master. Mostly that's because of the speed of the dances and the amount of energy necessary to dance so many steps in a short space of time. Dances are usually performed in short lines, with belt hold or crossed hand hold.

Separate hand movements are not common in Shop dances. If hands are not joined they are placed on the hips with palms flat, backs facing out. The body is held upright but with weight slightly forward so it is over the balls of the feet. This allows the performance of fast small steps often referred to as "knitting with the feet". Knee lifts are abrupt and high, and are often coupled with bending the body forward. Men's and women's styles are similar. As the dancer moves the whole body, especially the shoulders, should vibrate with a type of shaking movement called "natrisanne" which gives the impression that the dancer is hardly touching the floor with his feet. Cries and shouts are also common.

Rodopes Dances The dances in this region are as beautiful as it is. However, the Rhodope mountain area is known more for its strong tradition of open throat singing than for its dances. Our mountains are one of the most beautiful places in Bulgaria. On such places you feel inspiration and connection with nature. The dance style here has been subject to religious influences as this is the area of Bulgaria which has the largest Muslim population. This means that men and women usually dance separately. Religion differences are sometimes a thing that throws a shadow over the beauty of dances and nature. The style is subdued and heavy, with small steps and low hops using the whole foot. Hands are joined in low or "W" hold. Women's dances are usually accompanied by songs.

Thracian dances The most deceptive Bulgarian dance style is probably Thracian style. At first it appears relatively easy style to learn, but it takes a great deal of practice to really dance the dances from this region with the smoothly flowing, graceful movements evident when watching both men and women who have been born in this area, and it is a style that is easily lost. Dance with relaxed knees, thatâ€&#x;s the most important key to Thracian style. Steps are taken onto the whole foot, with the body weight centered over the feet. Hands are held in "W" hold or low hold or are used for smooth flowing arm movements. In this region dances are based mainly on a 2/4 rhythm especially in Eastern Thrace. More common in Western Thrace ,especially in the area close to the Shop region ,are irregular rhythms such as 5/8, 7/16 and 9/16. The tropoli (tapping) step is found only in Eastern Thrace (Stara Zagora, Sliven, Yambol Districts) and is danced only by men. Women dance with a less flamboyant style than the men. Pair dances are more common in Trakija than other regions.

Dobrudja Dances First of all, to get the feeling of Dobrujan dancing ,stand with your feet apart and bend your knees as far as you comfortably can with your feet flat on the floor, push your ribs forward while keeping your back straight and stay there throughout the dance! Dobrujans dance with their knees always bent and their backs hollow. They all seem to be of short stature and solid.

With the dance a story is told- the life is hard for the Dobrujan farmer as he has to struggle with nature in order to survive, so his dancing, with strong downward movements, expresses his struggle with the land. When a Dobrujan dances he uses his whole body. Hands are joined 17

crossed in front, in belt hold, in "W" hold or placed with the back of hand on hips,the palms open and facing outwards. They are also used for strong, firm, positive arm movements. Men and women dance together, though there are some dances for men or women only. Women's movements are simpler and lighter with slight shoulder twists.

Norten Dances Another region that contributes to our colorful dances. The dances from the North of Bulgaria are mainly mixed, with similar styles for men and women. They are danced with an upright body carriage, with weight over the balls of the feet which allows the dancer to perform fast footwork with high knee lifts and various crossing steps similar to those found in dances from southern Romania. The impetus is upwards, hops are further off the ground than in the Shop region and knee lifts are less sharp. There are some typical positions of course. In this region a variety of hand "positions" and movements are common. These include hands joined in low hold and swung backwards and forwards, joined in "W" hold in which case the arms "jig" up and down in time with the music making small circular movements, joined crossed behind backs or placed on hips, thumbs back.

Bulgarian National Dances

Bulgaria is famous with its national dances. We have a huge variety of folk dance styles. Our country is very popular among international folk dancers. Even though the moves are important and sometimes difficult , in Bulgaria the main thing is the passion. When we dance you can see our feelings, our fire, our passion. Our dances range from the simple village dance with one basic pattern that repeats to highly complex choreographies. Most of the dances that we enjoy in our country fall in between these two extremes. They are usually slightly more complex arrangements of traditional village dances, possibly combining several figures from adjoining villages or else including several of the more interesting variations performed by the 18

village "extroverts". We usually dance a fixed number of variations in an agreed order which have been "put together". Most Bulgarians are able to join dances, such as" pravo horo" or improvised " ruchenitsas"|. Everyone in our country knows at least the basics of these dances.

We perform them together at social gatherings such as weddings. We don‟t just watch the best dancers for fun, we have fun while dancing, everyone as much as he can. Bulgarian folk dances are normally line dances, with hands joined either in low "V" hold, belt hold, crossed in front or "W" hold. Footwork can vary from fast intricate steps to slow sustained cat-like movements. In the different regions in our country we dance different dances. We all know them but we also know which part of Bulgaria they‟re typical for. We enjoy watching the dances we cannot perform and then performing for the enjoyment of others. There are five different regions where our national dances are concerned. One of the most interesting ways of identifying the regional style differences is to look at the way that the basic Pravo Horo is danced in each region. In Trakija it is danced in a smooth flowing, graceful style. In the Shop Region it is jerky with small hopped steps and lifted knees. The Dobrudjan Pravo is called Opas and is danced in a solid "earthy" style with knees always bent. The Severnjaško Pravo, called Dunavsko or Svishtovsko, is more springy, with an upward feeling, and the arms swing or "jig" in time with the feet. Pravo Rhodopsko is a simple dance with a solemn feeling, and small, restrained steps. The Pirin "Pravo" is usually in 7/8 and is what we know as Makedonsko, or Lesnoto. The 7/8 count is long, short, short, and begins with a lift on the first beat. Steps are onto the balls of the feet.

Men lift their knees high while the women's feet barely leave the floor. When women only are dancing the leader of the line often performs a variation by moving back along the line of dance and dancing in a pair with the following woman.

Kukers Kukers is a traditional ritual in Bulgaria. Actualy, only costumed mеn are performing the ritual. Their costumes cover most of the body and include decorated masks of different animals or sometimes double- faced creatures, big sticks and huge bells. Kukers can`t be women! The kukers walk, dance and sing through the village to scare evil spirits away with the costumes and the sound of the bells, as well as to provide a good harvest, health, happiness and love to the village during the year. They dance in the last days of the winter, just before nature comes back to life. The ritual is mixture between Christian and pagan traditions.

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Nestinarstvo (fire dancing) The" nestinarstvo" is one typical Bulgarian custom. The "nestinarstvo" is dancing on hot embers without any shoes or socks. The dancers dance with the sacred images of Saint Konstantin and Saint Elena. And the custom is still practiced today in one little village in Bulgaria called `Balgari` in the beautiful Strandzha Mountain, 18 km away from the town of Tzarevo. The ritual is performed on the Day of St. Konstantin and St. Elena on June 3 and June 4. People think of them as chosen by the patron Saint and it is even believed that they can hear his voice and see his face during the ritual. The "nestinars" are not only women, there are also male nestinars. The most important fact is that the feet of the "nestinars" show no signs of burned skin at all.

Music Silvie Vartan is a French singer born in Bulgaria. She is one of the first rock singers in France. She has become very famous all over Europe. In 1965 Silvie got married with Djony Holiday. They are known as the golden couple. They divorced in 1980. Silvie got married again in Los Angelis for an American producer called Tony Scotti. They adopted a girl from Bulgaria-Darina.

Yildiz Ibrahimova is a Bulgarian singer of Turkish origin. She is one of the most popular jazz singers in Bulgaria. She also sings Bulgarian, Turkish and Gypsy folk songs and Russian romance.

Lili Ivanova- the biggest name in the history of Bulgarian pop music. Idol of three generations. The secret of this phenomenon lies in her magnificent, brilliant, clean voice, filled with drama and gifted with a huge range. Known to Bulgarian and foreign critics as a benchmark for quality and professionalism. The phenomenal success of the biggest star of Bulgarian pop music has lasted for four decades, and her faithful pilgrims for whom she is just Lili, multiply 20

with each successive generation. Incredibly ambitious, the song dictates her life, she serves it as a real thoroughgoing professional. With her natural talent she discoveres intuitively the emotional spark in every song and ignites it in an inimitable way. Lili Ivanova contributes to the promotion of Bulgarian music in the world and raised its international prestige through the numerous awards that she has won. The circulation of her records are astronomical for a small country like Bulgaria and can hardly be achieved by another contractor. As difficult will be to reach the number of concerts and sang songs. Emil Dimitrov was born in 1940. He performes in almost all European countries. His biggest success was in Russia. In France he became very famous performer. His songs “Monica” and “Julia “ took the top places in a lot of European rankings . Big European companies make contracts with him. He sang on the same stage with Jovani Morandi, Ricky Povey, Josef Kabson and Alla Pugachova. In France there‟s a brilliant career for him but he missed home and returned back to Bulgaria. For all his life he emit 30 albums with 55 million copies sold only in Russia. He dies in 2005. Nicolai Ghiaurov is an opera singer. Defined as a Bass № 1 on the planet. He performs roles in Moscow‟s Bolshoi Theater, Vienna‟s Shtatsopera, Parish Grand Opera, Millan‟s La Scala, London‟s Covent Garden and New York‟s Metropolitan opera, as well az many other prestigious theaters.

Remarkable are his roles Mephistopheles in "Faust" Charles Gounod, Philip II in Don Carlos of Giuseppe Verdi, Don Juan in the eponymous opera by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart and Boris Godunov in the opera of Modest Mussorgsky. Raina Kabaivanska is a world-class artist of world renown. She is Born in Burgas on 15 december 1934, still below the age of 30 years, she conquers the world scene. In 2000 Raina Kabaivanska was awarded the Grand Prix. "A life dedicated to music, Venice. She is Cavalier of the Italian Republic for civil courage and for her outstanding contribution to the art. Five times she is declared the most popular personality in Italy and 2 times musician of the year. The most popular singers and bands in Bulgarian pop and rock music are : BTR, Grafa,Rushi Videnliev,Toni,Stenli,Gravity Co,Ostava,D2,Karizma,Mariya Ilieva,Wickeda Toni is one very famous Bulgarian performer.

She started her career like a dancer in the ballet ''Sega'' (sega means now in English).

"Vsichko bilo e na san" (vsichko bilo e na san means everything was a dream in English).

Toni has only one album- ''Prerajdane'' (prerajdane means rebirth) Maria Ilieva is a great pop singer. She was a singer in the band called "Coffee". "Lunen san" (a dream from the moon) is the first song of Maria Ilieva. And the first album is with the same name. She has some songs with Grafa (famous Bulgarian pop singer). D2 is a boys band. The band was created in 1999.

The names of the boys are Dimitar Kanev (guitar), Dicho Hristov (the old singer of the band), Krasimir Todorov (piano), Aleksandar Obretenov (bass), Iavor Aleksandrov (drums). D2 has two albums- ''Ledeno momiche'' (ledeno momiche means frozen girl in English) and "2002".

Religion The main religion in Bulgaria is Orthodox Christianity - one of the three most common denominations of Christianity. In the middle of IX century Bulgaria was one of the largest and most powerful countries in Europe. Its neighbors were Christians. They didn't trust the Bulgarians because they were still pagans. Bulgarian fell into international isolation. In 864, the Khan and his associates were baptized by Byzantine priests. The next year the whole country was baptized. Nowadays the majority of the inhabitants of Bulgaria are Orthodox Christians, but there are also Catholics, Muslims and Jews.

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Bulgarian National Costumes Along with language and folk song traditions, the national costumes are a specific cultural characteristic of the Bulgarian people. In the different areas, the costumes are different. From the Renaissance until XX century people were wearing traditional costumes. The casual clothes were simpler than the formal clothes. Menâ€&#x;s clothes were usually brown with white shirt. In some regions they were wearing special hat. Women were wearing low-cut sleeveless dress and special belt.

Rich girls were wearing beautiful ornaments – earrings, necklaces and belts.

Formal clothes were worn only on holydays, weddings and christenings. All costumes were hand-made. They were made of wool and hemp. Painting the clothes was difficult, because it was made with natural paints, so only formal costumes were colorful. All costumes have got different embroideries and decorations.

Language Bulgarian language was the first Slavic language attested in writing. It is the third official alphabet of the European Union, following the Latin and Greek alphabets and it has about 12 million speakers. The Cyrilik alphabet was created in 885 by two brothers – the Saints Kiril and Metodii. They were born in Salonica (Thessalonica), Greece. Some of the letters are the same as in the Greek alphabet. In 866 their students came to Bulgaria and the Slavic language was made an official language for Bulgaria in the end of 866. Many Turkish words were adopted into Bulgarian during the long period of Ottoman rule. Words have also been borrowed from Latin, Greek, Russian, French, Italian, German and increasingly from English.

Easter Ester is one of the most important holidays in the Bulgarian calendar. In Bulgaria this holiday is popularly known as `Velikden`, which means `the faith in the resurrection of Jesus Christ` . They eat Easter breads known as `kozunak` or `kolache`. Eggs and Easter breads are traditional symbols of Easter in Bulgaria.

Congregation At midnight on the Saturday before Easter Sunday, people in Bulgaria gather at church, with candles. The priest proclaims three times `Christos Voskrese` (Christ has risen) and the congregation replies ` Vo 22

istina voskrese` (Indeed he has risen). After that the people go three times around the church.

Traditions Before the actual day of Easter, each Christian family in Bulgaria would send presents to their Turkish friends containing a loaf of Easter bread and 10- 15 red eggs. A typical Bulgarian Easter remains incomplete without traditional Bulgarian dishes like banitsa, plachinki (a type of pancake), baklava, Lamb drob sarma and wine kebap, which are prepared on the Easter Sunday The eggs The Easter eggs are an important part of Bulgarian Easter traditions. Bulgarians color eggs into different bright colors. And it is a tradition that the eggs are colored on Holy Thursday after the Divine Liturgy. The ritual of cracking eggs takes place before the Easter lunch. The person who ends up with the last unbroken egg is believed to have a year of good luck.

Christmas Christmas Eve has always been one of the best expected evenings for all people, one of the most festive ones in Bulgaria. The most important part of it is the Christas Dinner. The dinner consists of twelve or more dishes to represent twelve months of the year. These dishes must be all vegetarians. Christmas is the time when whole family comes together. The dishes: wheat, corn, soup of lentils, soup of haricot beans, nuts, red peppers with rice, apples, pears, quince, sarmi, banitsa and baklava. And the main dish is a huge round bread on which things that indicate wealth like house and cattle are craved. Bulgarians celebrate Christmas on 25, 26 and 27 December. And people in Bulgaria don`t eat meat from 15 November until 25 December.

Koledari At midnight on Christmas Eve there is a tradition of boys and unmarried young men visiting all the houses of the neighborhood. They sing Christmas songs that wish good health for hosts. The boys receive treats in return such as money or food. Each boy carries a stuck called `survachka`, with which each one of them pats the back of their parents, grandparents and friends, wishing them health, wealth and happiness. On these long sticks are stuck round breads with holes known as `kravai`.

Baba Marta (1st of March) Tradition On the first of March and few days afterwards, Bulgarians exchange and wear white and red little bracelets, tassels or small dolls called Pizho and Penda . In Bulgarian folklore the name Baba Marta ( in English баба Марта means Grandma March) is related to a grumy old lady whose swings change vary rapidly. This Bulgarian tradition was created 1500 years ago from Khan Kubrat and his sons.

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Martenitsa The martenitsa is something like small bracelet, made of red and white yarn.

The Martenitsa is always given as a gift.

Bulgarians wear it from 1 March until the first time an individual sees a stork, swallow or budding tree. But the ritual of finally taking off the martenitsas is different in the different parts of Bulgaria. Some people would tie their martenitsason a branch of a fruit tree, thus giving the tree health and luck. Others would put their martenitsas under a stone with the idea that the kind of the insect closest to the token the next day will determine the person`s health for the rest of the year.

Symbolic The red and white tassels aren`t just decorations. They symbolize the wish for good health, happiness, love. They simbolize the new life and the spring too. White as a colour symbolize the cycle of life and death, the balance of good and bad in human life.

Banitsa In Bulgaria we have a traditional urban pastry called banitsa. It's very delicious. Naturally we eat it for breakfast but it can be an entree too. We often eat it with yogurt or with honey. On New Years Eve we make a banitsa with little cornel-tree branches in it. If in your piece there's 1 branch that means "health"( you'll be healthy all year). If you have 2 branches that means "happiness"( you'll be happy all year) and so on. Here is a quick recipe for banitsa: First you have to prepare: #1. A package of thin filo sheets spread on the table. Make sure they lay flat and are defrosted to room temperature. #2. A bowl, in which you should mix crushed Bulgarian Feta cheese, beaten egg, and a little natural flavor yogurt. The measurements of those are based on a personal preference.

In general, the mixture should be 24

soft, not liquid, dominated by the Bulgarian cheese and held together by the egg and yogurt. #3. A small bowl with some melted butter and prepare a brush beside it. #4. A round pan to the size you desire. Grease and line the pan a thin layer of oil and flour. #5. The oven, preheated to 375 to 400F Then comes the actual process: #1. Assuming the filo you have is thin, it is recommended to use two to three sheets per roll. By lifting half a sheet at a time, drip with the brush a few drops of butter in between the sheets you are going to use for the first roll. This way when baked, the filo sheets stay separated and crisp. Do the same for the top sheet too on which you will put the filling. #2. With a spoon, spread a row of the mix just inside the outer edge of the filo sheet.

Next, gently lift and roll the first roll from one edge to the other – being careful not to press so the filo stays crisp and airy. #3. Place the first roll in the pans outer edge. #4. Repeat this process and complete the spiral in the pan from the outer edge to the center. #5. Brush the banitsa spiral with more butter, and bake for 20 minutes, or until the crust becomes golden from the top and bottom. #6. Best to eat when still hot.

Enjoy your banitsa!

White Brined Cheese White brined cheese is concentric milk food with different gustatory and aromatic qualities which depend on the way it’s made. From ancient times white cheese is a homemade product. It‟s considered a entrée or a ingredient for meatless dishes from the national Bulgarian kitchen. Here‟s a recipe for sheep‟s white brined cheese which is very popular in Bulgaria.

Yoghurt Bulgarian yogurt is an original national product. Its beginning is connected to the developed sheep-breeding from the time of the Thracians. The shepherds turned part of the fresh milk into different products. Yogurt is made from heated fresh milk, which has gone through fermentation at 40-45 degrees. Depending on the milk that it‟s made from the yogurt can be sheep‟s yogurt, cow‟s yogurt, buffalo-cow‟s yogurt or mixed yogurt. Here‟s a recipe for Bulgarian yogurt: Required products: •1 l fresh milk •1 soupspoon yoghurt Way of making : •Boil the fresh milk and let it cool to 38-40 degrees.

•Fill ¼ of a tea cup with the milk, add the yoghurt and stir. Then put the mixture into the fresh milk again. Stir, close the container with the milk with a lid, wrap it in a blanket and leave it in a warm place.

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•The temperature of 38-40 degrees should be kept for about 3 hours until the fermentation is done.

•After that the yoghurt should be kept in a fridge.

Mussaka Mussaka is a traditional Bulgarian , not Greek or Turkish ,meal . It has came into England via the Greek. This version is the best-known one outside the region , their meal consists of sliced eggplant and tomato .. Here are the instructions how to make your own homemade moussaka : Necessary products: • *500gr forcemeat; • *75ml oil; • *1 onion; • *600gr potatoes; • *2 soup spoon tomato souse; • *1 teaspoon red pepper; • *1/4 teaspoon grounded pepper; • *25gr butter; • *50gr flour; • *200ml fresh milk; • *2 eggs; • *50gr yellow cheese; • *salt; *parsley; Way of cooking: • Stage1: Chop the onion into little pieces , stew them until they change their colour . Then add the tomato souse and the forcemeat .After the water streams away put the red and grounded pepper .

• Stage2: Stir and pour some hot water on [bullion] .After the water streams away [again],put the cut parsley and keep stirring.

• Stage3: Peel ,clean and wash the potatoes .Cut them into slices and start frying .In lubricous baking tin set in order consecutively row of potatoes then row of meat .The last one should be row of potatoes.

• Stage4: Again you have to pour hot bullion on .Bake in oven [180C] for over 40 minutes.

• Stage5: During the waiting make a mixture of the eggs , butter ,flour and the milk. When the meal is ready pour the mixture on , sprinkle with yellow cheese and put it back in the oven till it has a russet color .

Lutenitsa Lutenitsa is Bulgarian, not Russian specialty, but I heard it was a very popular imported product in Russia during the Soviet times.It‟s made in the end of the summer .The making has turned into a tradition here because It‟s hand down from one generation to the next. Here are the instructions how to make your own homemade lutenitsa : Necessary products and instruments: • *15kg big red fleshy tomatoes; • *10kg red pepper; • *5kg eggplant; • *1l oil; 26

• *1 coffee glass of salt; • *2 coffee glasses of sugar; • *large baking tin [which can keep around 25l]; • *an oar [it‟s preferable to be longer]; • *fireplace; • *meaty grinder; • *cauldron where to boil the jars; Way of cooking : • Stage 1: First of all you have to bake the eggplant and pepper , then to peel them .Here comes the grinding .

• Stage2: Here is the tomatoes‟s turn to get grind.

• Stage3: The main part begins with boiling the tomatoes .After the mixture gets thicker you have to start stirring it with uniform motion . You should keep stirring for 40 minutes.

• Stage4: At this stage you have to put the grinded eggplant and pepper into the mixture. Keep stirring till you notice that after the oat there is a trace and you can clearly see the bottom of the baking tin.

• Stage5: Now add the oil and keep stirring. You‟ll see that after a few minutes the oat starts leaving the same traces like in Stage4, this is the moment when you add the salt and the sugar [which is supposed to remove the sour taste of tomatoes].

• Stage6: Here comes the funniest part – filling the jars .In this time the lutenitsa is the tastiest .

• Stage7: The last stage is sterilizing . The jars are in the cauldron ,which is full of water[it has to cover the jars]. They are boiling 15 to 20 minutes. Now your lutenitsa can still be delicious even in the beginning of the next summer .

Soup of Lentils The soup of lentils is traditional Bulgarian soup .It decreases the level of cholesterol , stabilizes the level of sugar in your blood . Here are the instructions how to make your own homemade soup of lentils: Necessary products:• *300gr lentils; • *1 soup spoon oil; • *30gr flour; • *1 teaspoon red pepper; • *salt; Way of cooking : • Stage1 Wash the lentils and let then soak in cold water for a night.

• Stage2: The next day squeeze it , put it in 1l water ,then let it boil with the salt .

• Stage3: Make thickening from the oil and the flour , add the red pepper and pour cold water on [to dilute]. Put the cooked lentils in the thickening and add 1l water.

• Stage4: Let the soup comes to the boil . Now your soup is ready .

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Beans Soup The soup of haricot beans is a traditional Bulgarian soup . It is extremely alimentary . Here are the instructions how to make your own homemade soup of haricot beans: Necessary products : · 180gr ripe beans; · 1-2 carrots; · 1-2 onions; · a slice of new soil [50gr]; · 1 soupspoon oil; · 1 teaspoon red pepper; · 3 bottled tomatoes; · salt; · dry mint; Way of cooking : · Stage1: Wash the beans and let then soak in cold water for a night. · Stage2: The next day squeeze it , put it in water ,then let it boil . After that throw the water and repeat the procedure again. · Stage3: Add the oil , red pepper , fine chopped onion and vegetables . · Stage4: Let the soup boil for 15 minutes and it‟s ready .

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Our school Burgas Of course we can‟t describe our school without mentioning our beautiful city, called Burgas! Burgas is the fourthlargest city in Bulgaria and is called “the Bulgarian San Francisco”. It‟s situated in the eastern part of the country and located at the westernmost point of The Black Sea. The city is very beautiful with its beaches, the Sea garden, the old buildings, the shopping centers and it's unique atmosphere. Burgas has the largest and most important Bulgarian port. But despite being an industrial city, Burgas also provides many interesting things you can do here.

The Sea garden is a perfect place for people to have a walk, relax or have fun. The most romantic and beautiful place in the garden, as well as in the city, is the bridge. It‟s the most visited place here even in the winter when the snow makes it look like a place from a fairytale.

Another wonderful place in Burgas is the center. It consists mainly of two very long streets crowded with people, called Alexandrovska and Bogoridi, the second of which leads to the sea garden. There are many shopping centers, cafes, bars, restaurants, discos and fountains. In the summer Burgas is a big tourist center, because of the wonderful beach and the gorgeous scenery. People from all over Europe come here to relax and enjoy the beauty of Burgas Bay. Our school is situated in the center of the city, which allows the students to relax and go out with friends after classes. Just before the school year is over, some students even go straight to the beach after school, which really helps after a long day of tests and studying hard!

History of the School High School of Mathematics "Academician Nikola Obreshkov", was founded on 27th of May 1971 as a part of the Bulgarian public secondary school education system and it included 12 classes from VIII to XI grade. Ivan Staikovwas appointed as the school's first headmaster and Irina Abedinova- as his deputy. The teachers collective consisted of 27 people.

Nikola Obreshkov was chosen as the school's patron and respectively 6th of March (his birth date) as the school's official holiday. In 1983 selection after a keen competition of students from VII grade began. In 1985 mathematical courses for students from IV, V and VI grade were created and in the next two years classes majoring Biology and Physics were added. On 1st of September 1989 by order of the Ministry of Science and Education the High School of Mathematics, Burgas was declared High School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Burgas and English and Physics education was emphasized. Students were then admitted after IV grade. In 1998 Stancho Slavov was appointed to the post of the new headmaster and he successfully manages the school till today. Also, since 1998, the school 29

has admitted a group of students following a competitive examination to form an additional fifth grade in the high school and as a result of great public interest and the success of the program, in 2005, one more fifth class was opened. The competition for admission in these two classes is still enormous as they are unique in their character inBurgas District. From 2000 to 2002 a new class majoring computing and one majoring Mathematics and studying German language were founded. In 2002 XII grade was created.

Our School Today Currently in the High School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Burgas there are four major areas of specialization: Mathematics with English Language and Computer Studies; Mathematics with German Language and Computer Studies; Computer Studies with English Language and Mathematics; and Biology and Chemistry with English Language. Each year 156 students who have achieved competitive, and many of whom – the highest possible, scores on the national post-secondary school examinations are admitted.

All students admitted after seventh grade at High School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Burgas are obliged to go through a five-year course of education including an eighth grade (with an intensive course in English or German), followed by ninth, tenth, eleventh and twelfth grade levels. The courses in Mathematics include a large number of additional classes, most of which on an advanced level, since most of the students are among the best young mathematicians on local and national rank.

The English Language courses at the school are also very intensive. All students take a language exam after completing eighth grade. Most students take extracurricular courses to pass internationally recognized English exams, such as Cambridge First Certificate in English and Certificate of Advanced English, as well as the American exams TOEFL and SAT. At present 36 classes with different specialities from V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, X, XI and XII grades are taught at the school, which all together makes over 1000 students. The management consists of 1 headmaster, 3 deputies and 66 teachers, half of whom have graduated the High School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Burgas themselves. During its 35-year history, High School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Burgashas taken pride in its competition teams, who have attained highest places on national level. The students of the school are regular participants and most often the prize-winners at national Olympiads and competitions in Mathematics, Computer Studies and Computer Technology, Physics, English, Biology, Chemistry, Philosophy and Bulgarian Language and Literature, which brought the school more than 420 awards!Here you can download the full list of them!

The intensive courses in mathematics, the number of extracurricular classes and a special syllabus for work with children talented in mathematics, as well as the highly experienced teaching staff, provide conditions for undeniable future success. Over 98% of our senior students (99% for those from Mathematics/English Language) continue their studies at colleges and universities in Bulgaria and abroad. Some of them are admitted without entry examinations on the basis of their previous academic achievements. About 15% of our senior students are admitted to prestigious educational institutions abroad. High School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Burgas is a high-profile school in Bulgaria and is well-known in many universities in the world, as is evident from the annual correspondence with universities 30

such as Oxford University, Harvard, Stanford University, MIT, NYU, Colgate University, American Universities worldwide and many others. It has always been and will continue to be respected as a school of talented!

We are all extremely proud to be students in such an elite and prestigious school as the High School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics "AkademicNikola Obreshkov" Burgas!

Sports Except for the notable mathematical and science achievements, our school is also proud of it's numerous sports talents! Since the school was founded, the students have been winning many awards at basketball, volleyball , table tennis, handball and chess tournaments among local schools. Hereyou can download the full list of the sports achievements of the students! The school has four ping-pong tables, some fitness apparatuses, an inside and an outside volleyball playgrounds, a football pitch and three outside basketball courts, along with the inside gym, which contains eight basketball baskets. Also, this year a brand new running track was built outside. But what would all these sports facilities mean without someone to help get the best out of them? That's why we're all proud of our our PE teachers, who have been giving great support to our champions through the years! Thank you: Bogdan Kehayov, Petar Boev, Katya Chernikova, Svetla Petkanova and Krasimira Yaneva!

Art and Literature Being a school of gifted mathematicians and physicists doesn't in the least of it deprive our school of talentedwriters, painters, photographers, musicians and actors! Here you can read the translations of two poems, written by students of the school and at the side you can see just some of the numerous painting and photos, our classmates have made!

The Spirit of the Bulgarian Where could it ever be?

Didn't it stay at Levski's grave?

The paths started crying on the way back...

They felt the wind of the morn; They peeked in the home of the present, In the Danube, In the Balkan, And in Bulgaria!

Tell me you don't believe in Botev!

The world has opened up in front of my eyes.

I lay my arms on the horizon, and I watch, watch, watch...

My eyes fill with mood.

The day opens its arms wide...

I am here- with arms on the horizon, With the conscience of Levski on my shoulders, So I could feed the root with the water From the tears of the paths.

Nevena Eliseeva 31

Second Prize from the National Contest "We live in Botev's land", 2005

Cobweb In my room's darkest corner, Which no light ever reaches, Which no one ever looks at, And which no one ever sees In that place, forgotten by God There is a beautiful laceThin, tender and white, It's like it has taken from the clouds The tenderness of its curls, The lightness of it's white threads, Where sometimes it gathers Souls, so briefly tasted life.

In that silver lace, Made by some body's little skillful fingers In an afternoon hour, I suddenly find A piece of a moonlight beam, A trace of a January day And the sad song of a string, The taste of a night by the sea.

And while people would probably see Only a grey and ugly cobweb, I see a trace of somebody else, A way to express some body's love.

Elena Bulanova First Prize from the National Literature Contest "Petya Dubarova", Burgas, 2005

Our School's Building The school's building was built in the 70s in order to be used by the new-found Maths High School in Burgas. It was used by purpose until in 1988 the school moves into the building of the "Miladinovi Brothers" primary school. It wasn't until 11th of September 1991 when the school returns to its old building, which it currently shares with The Roman Languages High School 32

"Georgi Sava Rakovski" (The French High School).

The school's building has 4 floors plus a ground floor and a courtyard. When you first enter the main door of the building, to the left you can see a small room, where the guards usually stay and check anyone that may seem suspicious. They are also not allowed to let students in without their uniforms on or at the time when the classes are running.

When you pass the entry hall, in front of you you can see the stairs and to the left- the cafeteria. Here you can eat the most delicious pastries and pizzas in the whole world! When they bake them, the aroma spreads over the whole school and makes you want the classes to end as soon as possible and you just dream to go down and buy some. Also, from this year on, nothing unhealthy is sold in the cafeteria- coke, chips and snacks are all out of the meal!

If you turn right at the entrance you will see a long hall. Walk down it and to the right you'll find the medical office. Here you can come if you feel ill during the classes and the complaisant nurse would be happy to help you or send you home for the rest of the day. When you pass the med's office you'll reach the libraries of both the Maths and the French High Schools. Here you can borrow any book you need for your classes in case, of course, that you return it back in time!

Opposite the library is the Audience Chamber. In it there is a small stage, a TV with a DVD, a piano and a presentation wall so any important events as giving awards to students, voting for the uniforms, presenting students' books or exhibitions, discussing a problem or watching some videos related to a class take place here. At the right end of the hall you can find the gym. There are 4 table-tennis tables in front of the door, where usually, even during breaks, there are many students playing. In the gym you can play basketball, football, volleyball or feather ball- it's all up to you... or your PE teacher! Opposite the gym door there are stairs again. Take them and you'll find yourself on first floor, right next to the deputy-headmaster's office. On this floor you can also find all of the computing rooms, which have been just donated with new computers thanks to a student, who has won an international competition.

Along with the computing rooms, there are also plenty of class rooms on this floor. On the second floor, along with some more class rooms, you can find the teachers' room, where no students are allowed, the headmaster's office and the music room, where Missis Tagavovateaches singing and music history. Next to the music is the office.

Here you can give or take your documents, taxes of any sort (for competitions for instance) or just take some extra chalk or markers for the board! At the end of the hall on this floor, as well as on every other floor, you can find the toilets, equipped with brand new washbasins, mirrors and lavatory pans.

On the third floor you can find the school'spsychologist. If you feel insecure, unsure, stressed or just troubled, here is the perfect place for you! The school's psychologist also helps solving the problems with tough students or the ones that need special treatment.

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Our School's Vision Uniforms Since 2008 our school was one of the first ones in Burgas, in which the students are obliged to wear uniforms. In order to be modern and comfortable but also stylish and formal in the same time, the uniforms were chosen with a contest, in which participants were the students themselves, so anyone who wanted could take part and present their idea of how the school uniforms should look. The teachers collective chose the 5 best projects and gave the students the right to vote for the one they like the best. At the moment the students from VIII to XII grade wear the model that won first place and the students from V to VII gradethe one that won second place.

Flag The school's flag was chosen on 23th of May 1973. The text is written in golden letters over a red background and it declares "Maths High School Burgas". In the center there is a portrait of Academician Nikola Obreshkov, since he is the school's patron.

Logo The logo of the school very cleverly presents the school's profile and precisely pictures its true nature. It represents a student sitting on the Omega letter (often used in Physics, Chemistry and Mathematics) and leaning over a desk in the shape of the radical sign (also referring to Mathematics). The head of the student is actually shown as an atom which one more time gives the idea of the sciences studied in the school and also hints at the fact that students' brains are more complex than they may seem. The inscription once again says: Science and Maths High School "Academician Nikola Obreshkov" Anthem The anthem of the school was written in 1981 on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the school's foundation. The text is by BorisBuhchev and the music is composed by Konstantin Tashev. Please click the Play button of the tape to the right to hear a pop version of the anthem. You can find the English-translated lyrics below: Lyrics: Our life is just a blast of solving problems, With birth-pains, with the beating of our wings, You know that you and me are just like climbers, 34

who found an edelweiss stuck in the cliffs.

We were the first ones to defeat the gods of The formulas composed by nature laws, In outer space we sowed a small Earth flower, blooming only if the skies are broad! *Chorus* The science raises us together, The science is a sacred gift, Glory to the mathematics, Today and in tomorrow's day!

The planet bows down with appreciation, The motherland meets us with love today, Because we are the soldiers of the nation, And our names mean nothing but progress!

And so we go again to new directionsThe bottom of the seas and oceans' beds, We're happily united, renovated, Trying to make the world a better place! *Chorus*

Excursions and Time Together Every year the school organizes an excursion for several days, on which we go every year to a different place. The excursions are the most awaited period of the year. We always spend our time wonderfully and we laugh a lot. We go to some interesting places in Bulgaria (Tryavna,Pamporovo, Borovets and many more) and occasionally- abroad (mostly because of international maths competitions or during the summer vacation) The school gives us much more than good education- it gives us lifetime friends! That's why we love spending our time together on birthdays, parties, holidays and we often don't even need a special occasion to go out and have some fun! We are all much more than friends or classmates in our school- we are one big family!

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Holidays Halloween (October 31) Although it is neither a Bulgarian nor even an Orthodox holiday, Halloween is quickly gaining popularity in most English studying schools in Bulgaria. Every year students of our school are eager to choose their costumes and accessories for the holiday, since an annual contest for the most original costume and the best decorated pumpkin is held, which guarantees many awards and funny moments. After the prizes have been given, the students with the scariest costumes go to every room in the school so that all the evil spirits can be scared away. Of course, the traditional "Trick or treat" phrase is present, so anyone who likes may support the exorcists with some candy!

Christmas (December 25) Probably one of the most important religious holidays in Bulgaria is Christmas. In our school we celebrate it with a Christmas show, which is usually held one or two days before the actual Christmas day. Anyone who wants can take part as long as they're good at singing, dancing, acting, drawing or just in having fun! Our school has collected unique talents from all these spheres and many more at sports and science, of course. A week before the show, a giant present box is put in the school's hall, where everyone can leave a small present or a greeting card for someone they care about and on the day of the Christmas show Snow White delivers thesurprises to the lucky students. Every year in each class a game called "Secret Santa" is played. All the students put their names in a box and then drag a name out. On the day before Christmas they put a present for the person, whose name they've got, underneath the Christmas tree, without leaving a card with their names on it, so that it's not known who the present is from. As you've probably already guessed, all the school's halls and rooms are properly decorated and in the school's hall, right before the front door, a big beautifully decorated Christmas tree welcomes the students and brings them into the Christmas mood.

In Bulgaria Christmas is celebrated on the 25th, 26 th and 27th of December. The Bulgarians have a lot of interesting customs such as koledarstvo, posti and many others.

Koledarstvo is a tradition for boys and unmarried young men visiting all the houses of the neighborhood, singing Christmas songs that wish good health to their hosts. They receive treats in return such as money or food. And this all happens at midnight on Christmas Eve. Posti means ''not eating meat or any animal products(including eggs and dairy products)''.

It lasts from 15th November until the 25th of December. Because of that the Christmas Eve 36

dinner consist of seven, nine or twelve traditional Bulgarian vegetarian dishes such as wheat, corn, soup of lentils, soup of haricot beans, nuts, red peppers with rice, apples, pears, quince, "sarmi", "banitsa" and "baklava". The number twelve represents the twelve months of the year and the main dish is a huge round bread called pitka in which there is a coin and everyone of the family has to take a piece. The one who takes the part with the coin will be the richest in the family and will earn a lot of money in the next year.

Christmas Eve has always been one of the best expected evenings for all people, one of the most festive ones in Bulgaria, the time when whole family comes together and goes to church.

"Koledari" from the town of Yambol The ritual "Koleduvane", the town of Yambol "Silent Night" in Bulgarian Bulgarian Christmas songs „Happy new year!‟ are the three most exciting words you can hear when the clock strikes twelve on the Eve of January the first. Everybody loves to hear these words because they mark the beginning of the next year and all that comes with it. For some people the past was filled with difficulties and disappointments and they are anxious to start a new one. For others, it‟s just an occasion to party and get together with lots of people.

In Bulgaria we celebrate either with our families, loved ones or with friends. Some get together at friends‟ houses, drink, eat and wait for the New Year to arrive. Others cook until the afternoon and prepare tasty dishes to enjoy together with their family. Some couples celebrate alone. A lot people gather at main squares in their cities where there usually is a big Christmas tree in the middle. There are big concerts that people go to and celebrate until one or two o‟clock in the morning. The best part is right after the countdown stops and the fireworks fill the sky with color.

Everyone lights Bengal fires and makes calls to congratulate people they know.

About five or six o‟clock in the morning boys and men, called „survakari‟ put traditional Bulgarian clothing on and go from house to house and sing songs for health and prosperity. They hit the hosts on the backs with decorated sticks called „surovachki‟ while singing. Then the hosts give them treats and money and send them off to the next house.

Another tradition is the „banitsa s kasmeti‟. It‟s made of sheets of pastry with cheese between them and there are few –centimeters- long cornel-tree branches in each slice. The branches represent the good fortunes that will follow you through the following year.

New Year is one of the biggest holidays in Bulgaria! Тиха нощ, Свята нощ Тиха нощ, Свята нощ всичко спи сал една свята двойка над своя син бди, над главица със руси коси. А навред тишина, а навред тишина. Тиха нощ, Свята нощ 37

вест дойде най-напред от пастирите секли нощта чули ангел да носи вестта, че Христос се роди, че Христос се роди Тиха нощ, Свята нощ две очи и във тях нежен поглед сияещ от смях. Лъч надежда достигна до нас за спасителен час, за спасителен час. Зън, зън, зън Вдига облак сняг конче с чуден бяг, по поля летим и се веселим! Виж луна изгря пътят заблестя нашата шейна лети и звънче звъни. Пр.: Зън, зън, зън... Ставайте от сън. Вижте, вън шейни летят и звънци звънят! Снежинки Баба Зима пак размята белия кожух. Ний се стелим по земята леки като пух. Припев: Над къщички и дворчета, край светлите прозорчета летим, летим и се въртим, децата веселим! Ставайте, дечица малки, ставйте от сън! Чакат ви игри, пързалки. Тичайте навън! Припев:... Баба Зима пак размята 38

белия кожух. Ний се стелим по земята леки като пух.

Silent Night - Lyrics Silent night, Holy night All is calm, all is bright Round yon Virgin Mother and Child Holy Infant so tender and mild Sleep in Heavenly peace Sleep in Heavenly peace Silent night, Holy night Shepherds quake at the sight Glories stream from Heaven afar Heavenly hosts sing Hallelujah Christ, the Savior is born Christ, the Savior is born Silent night, Holy night Son of God, love‟s pure light Radiant beams from thy Holy face With the dawn of redeeming grace Jesus, Lord, at thy birth Jesus, Lord, at thy birth Santa Claus is stamping with the red boots, cheerful kids, the sled stopped next by you. There will be presents wholeheartedly for everyone. Let‟s join the ring dace for the New Year!

Look in the sack, there are teddy-bears, monkeys, drummers .There is a book for Elka , accordion for Spas and a plush cock for Anton.

The snow is pouring quietly for the first time and is caressingly nipping the cheeks again. Where is the old stub in the yard, the snow has covered up everything outside. The barn has a snow cap, the snow has covered up the door-sill. Sharo is anxiously shaking head, Sharo is just a little puppy, he just can‟t understand. How silly you are, Sharo , how cowardly you are looking the snow.

Winter Song Above the silenced fields copper bells are singing.

Painted tray passed the white trail in the snow.

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Ring, ring, ring, the white trail in the snow!

Playful horses are running, tossing frosted manes.

There is a road full of snow-drifts hiding in the village.

Ring, ring, ring hiding in the village.

Houses are hugging in the snow, chimneys are smoking, As if grandmas are spinning fluffy woolballs.

Ring, ring , ring fluffy woolballs.

Easter Since Easter is not a school day, an Easter show is organized before the holiday. It's mostly like the Christmas one, except for the Spring atmosphere and Easter-themed decoration. Many talenteddancing groups and singers take part in the show, which contributes to its great success. Some students from the school, usually girls, dress up like rabbits and give away colourful Easter eggs and wishing cards. After the holiday is over, the students bring to school the strongest egg from home and then play egg tapping with each other and a winner is chosen that way. Everyone except the winner gets to eat their eggs after that, of course :)

Valentine's Day/Trifon Zarezan (February 14) Since both the Catholic holiday Valentine's Day and the Bulgarian holiday Trifon Zarezan share the same date14th of February, so people can enjoy celebrating both holidays in the same time, which, as you may find, isn't so hard to do after all. TrifonZarezan is the traditional Bulgarian holiday of vine-growers and more importantly wine, which fits perfectly for couples in love on a romantic dinner or picnic. But since most of the students in our school are still too young to drink, we only celebrate Valentine's Day. A week before the holiday a box for Valentine love cards is put in the hall, so that anyone who wants may send a message to the person they adore, love or even just like as a friend.

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The Slavic Script and Culture day (May 24) Being the only holiday dedicated to our alphabet, 24th of May is one of the most honored holidays in Bulgaria. On that day our school, along with every other school in every other town, comes together in the center of the town with many bouquets and flower wreaths.

After that the students and the teachers parade in the center of the town until they reach the monument of the creators of the Slavic alphabet- St. Cyril and St. Methodius, located in the Sea Garden. Every student is proud to be part of this ritual, especially the ones honoured to wear an "excellent student" sign while marching!

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Hobbies and entertainments for teenagers in Bulgaria :) Teenagers use a lot of their time for hobbies. There are many types of characters in teens. So every teenager has different interests and hobbies. For example sports, collecting some things like marks, stamps and labels, reading books, writing, and cooking.

Girls and boys are different.

For example, boys are interested in sports like football, basketball, volleyball and swimming. But girls prefer dancing, singing and going out with friends. Some girls like sports too like running, playing volleyball, handball and swimming.

Because of the many teenagers that are interested in sports the ministry made different programs for them --„Sport for teenagers in their free time” --“Sport for teenagers with high achievement” --“Program for development for students” They even give scholarship for teenagers who are very good at sport. And there are sport-camps for these teens.

There are competitions in other countries like Russia, Rumania and Greek where students from Bulgaria present very well themselves and out country and get different medals.

How many per cents of teenagers play sports?

54% - do 9% - do not but in the future they plan to play 36% - they were playing but now they don‟t Every tenth of the teens play sport.

Teenagers spend a lot of time on the computer. Three out of four teens spend about two hours daily surfing the internet or chatting with friends. Teenagers in Bulgaria use the most Skype.

There isn‟t anybody who uses MSN, QQ or ISQ. We use the computer and for listening or downloading music. But most boys prefer to play computer games like CS, WOW, Diablo, FIFA, NBA, COD and others.

Teenagers love being with friends. For example they like going to discos and clubs. Summer time in the evenings discos are full with people. Teenagers love to relax when they go to discos. They dance, talk, joke with friends and at all have fun. Sometimes teens even go to karaoke bars to have a good time.

In the summer teenagers love going to beach resorts with their families and friends. The most popular beach resorts are Nesebar, Sunny beach, Sozopol, Pomorie, Varna, Kavarna and our 42

city too. There are many attractions. For example in Varna there is a dolphinarium which is a very interesting place for tourists.

In Sunny beach there are many luxurious hotels and attractive buildings. Teenagers love having a walk around the resort. In the evening one of the coolest clubs open their doors for the biggest fans of dancing. Most of the visitors are teenagers, but they go with adults, because they‟re under 18. The music is mostly Bulgarian pop-folk. Teens stay up too late dancing with their mates.

In Burgas celebrating July morning is very popular for teenagers. Every year a lot of teens welcome the sunrise.

They stay up at the night on the beach, drink alcohol and have fun with friends. In the morning a half of them sleep but the awake ones enjoy the sunrise.

The Sea Garden Park in Burgas is one of the major recreational areas in town. The flowerbeds in the Sea Garden Park are among the best kept in the region. The garden begins next to the Burgas Harbour and goes along the Black Sea coastline up to the Northern end of town. Directly below the Sea Garden Park you find the Old Beach, and The Pier.

In addition, you find the Central Town Beach just North of the Burgas Harbour and the South end of the Sea Garden Park. It is one of the few places in Burgas which is regularly maintained. Here the main, forked stairs leading down to the Central Town Beach are being swept.The garden is really nice place to have a walk. In spring there are a lot of people with their dogs, kids or just with friends.

In the Sea Garden there are and fun-fair too. A lot of kids visit it and have fun. In the fun-fair there is a big “ballerina”. It is the biggest attraction in the fair. Sometimes teenagers visit the fun-fair with friends and have fun.

The centre of our town is next to sea garden of the town. Here are many places where teenagers can walk, have a drink or just sit and have fun. The biggest cafes in Burgas are “Dreams” “Fresh” “Karamel” “Silver” and “Broadway”. Throughout the day they are full with people of different ages who relax, talking or just drinking coffee. At the night there are loud music, dancing people and so many happy faces. Also, when you walk down the capital streets here, you usually see your friends and familiars, stop and say just “Hallo!” or talking with them something.

Teenagers often relax with walking along of capital streets. They are two-Aleksandrovska Avenue and Bogoridi Avenue. There are many shops for clothes, places where you can eat, where you can sit and have a rest.

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Some girls prefer reading books for example all parts of “Twilight” and “The Vampire Diaries”. Girls are crazy about vampires‟ stories.

The lazier students prefer to watch movies or to go out with friends.

Big part of them like horror movies and fantasy. For example the film “Harry Potter” is very watched. Everybody love going to the cinema with friends and to have fun.

Girls like going out with friends.

They love shopping, talking with friends for their problems and telling stories about themselves.

Girls are not so active. But some of them are interested in sports. The most popular sports are volleyball, swimming and handball. Teenagers who play sports are very athletic and good-looking because they eat more healthy food.

About girls' sports: Swimming: --5th please for teenagers – 2008 --9th please for girls – 2008 --16th please in World Championship in Rome, Italy --one 1st, two 2nd and two 3rd please in championship in Slovakia --six 1sr and one 3rd please for girls in Regional Championship for boys Girls from Bulgaria took part in European Championship in Tampere, Finland. A girl named Vangelina Draganova won three 1st pleases in championship where Varna was a householder.

For the last year she won six 1st and one 3rd pleases and six distinctions for girls (two 2nd and four 3rd please).

Some of our teenagers took part in Balkan Junior Championship 2008 in Pitesti in Romania.

There was a European federation congress in Denmark.

Gymnastic: --1st, three 2nd and two 3rd please on Balkan games --7th please on World championship in Portugal --14th please in twelve events on State championship for girls --5th please in combination without device (from 64 participant) --one 3rd please in championship in Patra, Greece --one 3rd please in championship in The Czech Republic Tennis: Bulgaria won five medals in championship in Slovakia, ten medals in World Championship, fifteen medals in Regional Championship in Sofia and three medals in Balkan games. Girls and boys were prized with cups for their good presenting on world championships. Teenagers 44

from Bulgaria took part in competition where they were competing with teenagers from Turkey and Rumania. Bulgaria won sixteen medals in Balkaniada in Greece.

-- 1st please in Regional Championship for girls – -- 2nd please in Balkan games -- 2nd please in World Championship for boys -- One 1st and two 3rd please in Regional Championship for boys.

There are not any teens who can live without music. Music is everything. Music is life.

Everybody likes a different style music. The most popular music is pop-folk. 90% of girls listen to it. But there are also teens who like more pop, punk, rock and metal. Heavy metal is not so popular but about 2-3 % of teens listen metal. Teenagers often listen to music: when they study, when they go to school, when they surf the internet, even when they have a rest.

There are teenagers who ate interested in art. They like taking photos of people and buildings.

Those kind of teenagers like painting too.

The boy‟s hobbies and entertainments are usually sporting, collecting and a little bit writing and reading. In Bulgaria big part of the boys play computer games or do some sport. Football, volleyball and basketball are the most popular sports here.

Football in Bulgaria is very popular, although our teams aren‟t so good.Here, in our town, every school has one or more football grounds where students or people living near the school play. It is the most common sport for boys in our town. The biggest team whose home ground is in Burgas is “Chernomoretz” .It has a great youth academy, where many football talents train to become professional footballers or just for fun.

There are many pools in Burgas where people can swim.

Our town is one of the most developed cities in Bulgaria in this respect, probably because it is on the coastline of Black Sea and many people enjoy swimming in the sea in the summer. Some of the best swimming teams in Bulgaria are from our city-“Briz” and “Chernomoretz”. There are many kids and teenagers interested in swimming.

There are about 20 or 25 tennis courts in Burgas which isn‟t small number for Bulgaria. Many kids start training tennis at early age in order to become tennis players in the future, but tennis is a hobby for many teenagers and adults, who started playing older and like having fun playing with friends or just like resting after work, of course not physical rest .

The boys are more intensive than most girls. They run more; they jump more and in all boys are more mobile. But some of them are creative, too. They like painting, writing, and reading.

One big part of the famous writers and artists are men. When little boys grow up and become more aged 16-17 years, they become lazy and less mobile. Learning takes more time, there is 45

much homework too. Also they start being interested in girls and they do not have enough time for their hobbies.

Interesting numbers about the teenagers' hobbies and entertainments: 70% of the girls dance and sing 18% of the girls play an instrument or are in a band 22% of the boys play an instrument or are in a band 32% of the girls have own pages in the Internet 22% of the boys have own pages in the Internet

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We proudly present our blog-

http://bulgaria-burgas.blogspot.com/

the work we have been doing for the last two years.

Our first and most enthusiastic competition was the one for a Comenius poster.The competitors suggested different ideas –

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Comenius programme helps to improve the English of young students and to increase their knowledge of the other countries.

It consists of 19 young promising people from the Mathematics and Natural Sciences High School in Bourgas, Bulgaria, where their education is on a high level.

They are students from 8 , 9 and 10 grade. The school gives them everything that their home can not.

You can find more information on this site:

http://bulgariaburgas.blogspot.com/

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We put posters all around the town, handed them to our Comenius partners at their arrival in Bourgas , and used the two winners’ posters for covers of the folders for the invitations we prepared to give to our Comenius partners in Greece .

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ПРИРОДОМАТЕМАТИЧЕСКА ГИМНАЗИЯ „АКАД. НИКОЛА ОБРЕШКОВ” БУРГАС BULGARIA

We have great pleasure of inviting our partners1ο ΓΥΜΝΑΣΙΟ ΧΑΛΚΗΔΟΝΑΣ – 1st GYMNASIO CHALKIDONAS, GREECE ZESPÓŁ SZKÓŁ SAMOCHODOWYCH I LICEALNYCH, POLAND

CIRCOLO DIDATTICO VIALE BATTISTI, ITALY

IES SANT VICENT FERRER, SPAIN

To participate in the third staff and students meeting of the Comenius Multilateral Partnership Project:

“Blog: the Secret of our Success in Studying and Teaching English” with reference number 2009-1-PL1-COM06-05271 The purpose of this meeting is to evaluate the work already done, to design tasks for the second year and proudly introduce our country‟s culture,history and everyday life.

The meeting will take place from 7th October 2010 .

The schedule will be sent by email.

We look forward to meeting you in Burgas.

Yours sincerely Mrs Jacqueline Neicheva Project Coordinator

Mr Stancho Slavov Headmaster

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To make our work popular all over the European countries members of the project we prepared plenty of souvenirs and advertising materials to hand out and to put in the folders we prepared for all the participants in the meeting in Bourgas in October 2010.The billboard was put on a main road and made our meeting popular for months on end.

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Here is what we prepared-calendars, key-chains , magnets, Comenius writing sheets , badges, memory statues , folders.

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We proudly presented the beauty of the region as well as the rich history of our country. Each participant was given a summary of the most valuable sites and historical facts of Bourgas and the area-

THE SOUTHERN BULGARIAN BLACK SEA COAST – FROM ANCIENT TIMES The Southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast is famous for its rich ancient history. The earliest archaeological remains discovered here date back to the Neolithic period. The museum possesses a rich collection of stone implements (axes, flint knives). From the Neolithic and Eneolithic periods – the end of the 7th till the 3rd mill. B.C. (7000 – 3000 B.C.).

The analyses of the settlement pattern, based on archaeological evidence, point to the fact that during the Neolithic and Eneolithic periods our predecessors inhabited open-air settlements, situated usually close to water basins. As a result of the long inhabitation of one and the same place the so-called tells were formed. Some of the most famous tells on the Balkan peninsula are to be seen in the present-day district of Bourgas (near the villages of Karanovo and Djadovo) – they are more than a hundred. The archaeological excavations of the Karanovo tell revealed a significant cultural layer – its thickness is 14 m and present enormous variety of cultures. Some of the tells are situated close to the shores of the three Bourgas lagoons. The biggest one is situated near the Atanassovo lake, some 10 km NorthWest of the city. One cultural Eneolithic settlement existed in the Bourgas residential district “Izgrev”, near the church of St. Atanas. Ritual pits, containing artifacts with their chronology ranging from the Eneolithic till the Antiquity, were discovered in the residential district “Meden Rudnik”. Bronze Age ceramics were collected during dredging activities in the fishing harbor of Bourgas. It was during that period when navigation in the Black Sea was becoming more active. The one-, two-, and three-holed stone anchors, discovered underwater, date back to this period. Here you can see also an ox-hide ingot originating from a Bronze Age settlement near the village of Cherkovo (some 30 km from the sea). This unique for Bulgaria ingot can be compared with similar finds in Cyprus and Crete and sites in the Mediterranean. According to many scholars, such ingots had been used as a medium of exchange until money came into being.

According to literary evidence, during the Bronze Age our lands were inhabited by the Thracian tribes. Their culture flourished greatly during the Early Iron Age (XII-VI century B.C.). It was during that period the Megalithic culture flourished in the Strandza-Sakar mountain region. Among its monuments the so-called dolmens are worth-mentioning.These are burial monuments, built of big, roughly worked stone slabs and blocks, arranged vertically and horizontally, so that they form one, two or three chambers. The archaeological material discovered in them is of a wide chronological range (XII-IV century B.C.), which means that for more that eight centuries they had acted as a place where the cult of the ancestors found its expression. It is important to mention a Thracian dolmen, located in the village of Zabernovo, that had been turned into a Christian chapel in the more recent times – probably a result of the undying Thracian tradition.

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At the end of the 7th century B.C. the Western Black Sea coast became the stage of a new historical phenomenon – the ancient Greek colonization. On the place of the old Thracian settlements on the Atia and Sozopol peninsula Greek colonies were founded by Greek settlers coming from the town of Milet in Asia Minor. The colony on the Sozopol peninsula was named Apollonia after the name of a main god of the town Apollo. During the first ages of its existence it flourished greatly. It was not only due to the transit trade, organized by its citizens, but also to the rich ore deposits in the neighbouring “Meden rid” (Copper hill) – a coastal spur of the Strandza mountain range. The economic devolopment of the colony benefited its cultural life. Apollonia is famous for its great achievements in the field of arts. At the beginning of the 5th century B.C. a temple of Apollo – God of Sun – was built by the famous ancient Greek sculptor Kalamys – a representative of the so-called “restraint-style”.

The bronze statue, weighing more than 13 tons, was taken to Rome in 72 A.D. and placed on the Capitolian hill. It remained there till the 5th century A.D., since when its traces were lost.

The archaeological museum in Bourgas possesses the oldest marble statue ever found in Bulgaria. It was discovered on the Atia peninsula. It represents a figure of a man with his one leg stretched slightly forward, dressed in a long garment with magnificent archaic hair-dress on the back of his neck.

The tomb-stone obelisk with a figure of a seated woman, as well as the small marble head with its magnificent hair-dress, following the Egyptian fashion tradition, can also be attributed to the period of the early plastics. Further-on imported Attic ceramics are to be seen.

Most vessels have black- and red-figured decoration. The beautiful vases originate from a commercial settlement, that existed on the place of the present-day town of Bourgas. One of them is decorated with a Dyonisian scene. Following are lachrymals made of alabaster, glass and clay, amphora stamps and a variety of terracotta figures used for domestic, religious and building purposes.

The second hall displays the cult traditions of the Thracians during the time of Roman domination (1st – 3rd century A.D.). An inscription from 72 A.D. mention the Roman arrival here to have taken place in that very year. Another epigraphic monument discovered in Bourgas tell us about the Thracian strategist Apollonius Eptaikentos who ruled the settlements of Anchialo, Seletica and Rizika at the time of Rhoemetalces the 1 st, who reigned as a vassal to Augustus and Tiberius. Another find from a mound in the necropolis of Anchialo dates back to the same period. In a mound near the tholos, as early as the 1 st mill. A.D., the Thracian priestess Lesseskepra was cremated. Her name is inscribed on a pair of golden earings, a gold necklace, a band and a wreath of leaves. In addition there are some ceramic objects by the priestess when performing her cult rituals. Following are some bronze artifacts, most of which are found in burial mounds – a wooden coffin, silk fabrics, as well as the boot soles from a funeral of a Thracian chieftain in a mound near the grounds of the “Neftohim” firm.

Reliefs and statues representing the rich Thracian pantheon during the time of Roman domination are to be seen at the far end of hall. Most numerous are the reliefs of the Thracian horseman, as well as those of Dionyssos, Heracles, the three Nymphs, Zeus, Hermes, Hera etc.

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The third hall is devoted to the technical skills of the ancient Thracians during the time of the Roman urbanization and Late Antiquity. Here one can find a Latin inscription from the village of Panchevo, Sredets district, which says that during the reign of the emperor Antonius Pius in 161 A.D. a lot of “burgs and praesidia” were built in the province Thrace.

Another inscription discovered in Bourgas and interpreted by Karel Skorpil testifies to the fact that in the present-day town of Bourgas a “burg” (small fortress) was built, giving the present-day name to the town. Later the fortress was called “Pyrgos”. The necropolis of this “burg” was discovered in the sixties in the centre of Bourgas. Glass necklaces and bronze coins were discovered during the excavations. Various iron implements – axes, pickaxes, sickles etc.; colonial coins minted in the Black Sea towns, clay lamps, domestic and ritual ceramic vessels from Roman times and Late Antiquity are also to be seen in this hall. The final panels illustrate the Slavic settlement in the present-day Bulgarian lands in the 6th century A.D.

THE THRACIAN SANCTUARY ON THE SHILOTO HILL An archaeological site which has never been subjected to regular or rescue archaeological investigations, is localized at the Shiloto Hill – the highest point of Varli Bryag. The hill is a part of Varli Bryag-Karabair Range and is 3.5 km to the north-northwest of Meden Rudnik Housing Estate and 800 m to the west of the main shaft of Varli Bryag Mine. Being of 208.56 m altitude, the hill occupies a dominant position over the entire vicinity. It provides a good view to the three lakes, Burgas Bay, the endmost range of the Aytos part of the Balkan Mountains, the hills beyond which Debelt is situated and towards the Mednoridski heights.

The site was mentioned for the first time in scientific researches in 1950s. During 1960s the site of Shiloto Hill was badly destroyed by the construction of a military anti-air landing. That is why only fragments of marble reliefs, shards of pottery, amphorae and clay building materials are found on the ground nowadays. Some of the finds that worth mentioning are: a statue of Apollo with a fragmented inscription on its base (in National Historical Museum – Sofia), an intact relief (in the British Museum), and four relief fragments (there is an illegible inscription on one of them) of the Thracian Horseman- the main deity of the Thracians from the Roman Period to the Christianization, a marble female head, two marble arms – one holding an object, probably a plektron- an object used for playing the lyre, fragmented male torso with belt, a relief fragment –probably a torso of a winged animal, a fragment of the base of a Thracian Horseman relief bearing an inscription in Ancient Greek and a fragment of an inscription in which the Thracian proper name Auloudzenes is mentioned. They are all dated back to the 1st-2nd century AD. Two of the amphora stamps are worthy to be noted: a Rhodian one containing the magistrate name Kratinos and a Koan one they prove that the hill was inhabited in the Hellenistic Period as well- from the beginning of the 2nd century BC on.

The materials found so far at Shiloto Hill evidence the existence of a Thracian Horseman sanctuary here and the other votive fragments hint to syncretism between a local Thracian deity and the Greek god of sunlight Apollo.

Under other circumstances the sanctuary on Shiloto Hill would have had a great significance to our city. We should protect what has remained of it so that we enjoy not only beautiful scenery but also masterpieces of Ancient culture in our region.

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Archaeological discoveries along “Trakia” Motor Way. Site 19 Necropolis of Romans time (I – III c. A.D.) and The Medieval. It is situated in Dolnika land, about 1 km northeast of the village of Vratitsa, Kameno Municipality.

There were discovered 103 graves of different types, presenting characteristic of the epoch lack of unification in funeral rite. In the close proximity were discovered funerals by cremation at site, cremation at a special place (crematorium), and dead body laying.

In the graves were usually found personal jewelry and accessories which were burnt with the deceased as well as pottery, which contained symbolically food and liquids for the deceased.

As one went along investigations, exceptionally interesting observations were made, as regards phases in development of graves of different type – character, rituals, stock, gifts.

They provoke corrections in our notions about funeral practices and data for spatial, social organization and morphological peculiarities of necropolises in Romans Thrace.

Ancient and medieval fortress in the vicinity Poda - Cape Foros At the end of 2008 for the first time, an archaeological expedition from Regional Burgas Museum carried out archaeological research in parts of Foros peninsula near Burgas.

The discovered during the archaeological coring was sensational, preserved remains of the lost city, predecessor and historical symbol of Burgas city - the ancient and medieval fortress and port Burgos (Poros).

Foros pennisula was known by more common localizations in the European charts from the 13th-17th century as an old fortress and port under the name Poro (strait) or Poros, which assumes the fortress defended the swelling of Mandra Lake (Skef). A stone inscription from the 2nd century AD (shown in the Archaeological Exposition of Regional Burgas Museum) states that during the Roman Empire at the border of the Roman colony Deultum were built “burgi” (fortifications).

Historians are unanimous that at the swelling of Mandra lake, there was a large port connecting the Deultum colony, which was guarded by an inaccesseble wall. The road station Pudizo marked in Tabula Peutingeriana from the 4th century, has been loclized in this same area.

The area also is famous for a certain memorable battle from the time of the Second Bulgarian State. At the beginning of the 14th century the Bulgarian Tsar Theodore Svetoslav made his march to the Black Sea coast, where his power spread over Rusocastro, Mesembria, Anchialos, Sozopolis and Agathopolis. Thus, in 1304 at the bridge over the swelling of Mandra lake also called Skafida (Poros), a crucial battle was held which ended with a significant victory of the legendary Bulgarian ruler over the Byzantine army.

Many years the territory of Cape Foros is unavailable for the public because of a military base. First after area specialist archaeologists discovered the existence of two separate ramparts of the late antiquity, related to the fortification of the most important areas in the Foros peninsula and by standing buildings.

Found was a significant amount of construction and domestic ceramics from the 4th6th century AD and a stone block of great interest with a part of inscription in Greek from the 59

Roman era. The inscription mentions that an event occurred at this place during the reign of the great Roman Emperor Gordian the Third (238-244 AD).

In 1989, a part of the fortress wall was discovered by the construction works of a cowshed. During the present research, the continuation of the wall to the west was estimated of ca.190 m in length. Uncovered was the external surface of the wall at 15 m length and width 3.5m, as well as the existence of a rectangle tower – bastion with internal width 4.2m and standing parts of gate-side-walls. In the north-east, the fortress wall took a heavy damage in later time and it is preserved only at the substruction.

After looking around the area, the experts determined the presence of two Late Antiquity defences from the 4th-6th century connected to the fortification of the most important areas on Foros Peninsula, as well as many separate buildings. Discovered were a significant amount of construction and domestic ceramics from the 4th-6th century and a part of stone block with inscription in Greek from the Roman era, used as spolia inside the fortress wall construction.

Studies were conducted at the following sites:

1. Southeast fortress wall In 1989, a part of the fortress wall was discovered during building works of a cowshed. During the present research, the continuation of the wall to the west was estimated of ca.190 m in length. Uncovered was the external surface of the wall at 15 m length and internal face in two sections with length 2 and 2.5 m. Width of the wall is ca. 2.90 m. as well as the existence of a rectangle tower – bastion, which is preserved only in parts of gate sidewalls connecting it with the fortress wall. They are 0.9 and 0.5 m in length and 2m in width.

The internal width of the tower is 4.20 m. In this area the wall is 3.4 m thick, because it contains the inner wall of the tower. Preserved is up to 0.5 m of the substruction and a layer of the superstruction. The solid structure is laid with crumbled stones filled with white mortar. In Northeast, the fortress wall was destroyed in a later time preserved only in the mortar overlay of the foundation.

2. Northwest fortress wall At the beats of the northwest coast of Cape Foros, the archaeologists found the presence of a construction in the coastal profile. During the research, they uncovered two towers of the fortress defence system. The tower in Southwest is semicircular or U-shaped.

The towerâ€&#x;s frontage has tumbled down in the sea and there are only parts of substructure preserved. Thickness of the wall of the tower is 0.73 m with internal width 3.10 m. The structure is laid with crumbled stones, hewn on the external surface, filled with white mortar to the floor level and red mortar over it. The remaining part of the interior has uncovered floor level of brick pavement with two bases of ca. 0.25 m. In the middle of the tower we found a tunnel with inside width 0.6 m, which is ends as a false arch. The bricks from the floor level differ; their prevailing dimension is 0.29x0.29x0.06 m. The second tower is rectangular, situated 15 meters northeast of the first. Here the internal width is 3.8 m, issued in 2 m of the fortress wall facade. Completely preserved is the south-western orthostates. The side-walls thickness varies: the southwest is 0.85 meters and the north - 1.05 m. Structure is similar to 60

the first tower. We found in the first tower profile a small portion of brick walls, which goes deeper into the coastline. Between the two towers existed facilities, where were uncovered elements of walls and floor level. On the surface of the ground between the fortificationsâ€&#x;s walls can be seen more mural remains.

3. The Church Near the highest point of Cape Foros, on the surface, the archaeologists determined the remnants of walls, and a large amount of construction ceramics. The local inhabitants called this place "the Church". The remains of a building with preserved foundations wee discovered after probing in the area. The building plan and date of the findings give a reason to repost this place as the location of the famous monastery St. George, mentioned in Byzantine sources from the 13th century.

The story tells that the monastery was built on the place which sheltered the great apostle Andrew Protocletos during his journey to preach the Gospel. In the course of its existence, it was an important spot for the crypto-Christian pilgrims. The monastery was included in the group of Sozopol monasteries that are autocephalous, which means they did not subject to the local bishops but directly to the Constantinople Patriarchate.

4. Cape Kabata The northeast shore of Cape Foros in the landslide area, the smaller Cape Kabata projects deep into the sea. A large amount of ceramics from the 4th-6th century appears throughout the surface area.

Configuration of the terrain and structures in the profiles give the specialists a reason to assume that they have caught onto a badly destroyed part of the fortress wall, obstructing the foot of Cape Kabata.

Archaeological studies lead to assumption that the whole Foros peninsula was fortified by defence facilities built in late-Roman era and restored repeatedly in later ages to the middle of the 15th century.

Archaeological studies lead to assumption that the whole Foros peninsula was fortified by defence facilities built in late-Roman era and restored repeatedly in later ages to the middle of the 15th century. These data clearly outline a significant historical site directly associated with the history of modern Burgas.

Rusokastro, Rusokastro, Kameno Municipality The stronghold Rusokastro has a long history. It was built 1500 years ago strategically using the height of the natural landscape, suited for monitoring the main roads of North-East Thracia coming from North and South, as well as all of the eastern passes of Stara Planina (the Balkan) and from North the Black Sea leading to the Bosporus and Constantinople. The existence of the village here can be traced back to the 6th century, evidence which were found on the epigraphical monument dedicated to the byzantine general Yustinian. According to the Bulgarian Professor in history Mr. Beshevliev, General Yustinian 61

was a great-grandson of the byzantine emperor Yustinian the First (518-527), who fought the great wars against the avaren.

For the first time the name Rusokastro is used from the Arab geographer El Idrisi in his work “Geography of the world”. He describes the village of Rusokastro as a large and crowded city.

Later the name “Rusokastron” is mentioned in the byzantine chronicles connected to historical events in the 14th century. The memorial battle on the 18th July 1332 is an important highlight in the history of Rusokaston, ending with the victory of the Bulgarian tzar Ivan Aleksander over the Byzantine army led by Emperor Andronic.

Early at the foot of the “Big Stone” the Thracians established a village important to the economical and cultural relationships between the Odrisian Kingdom and the ancient cities of Apollonia (nowadays Sozopol) and Mesambria (Nessebar) on the Black Sea coast.

Large numbers of archeological finds made at the end of 19th and beginning of the 20th century confirmed the existence of this village. Among the archeological artifacts found were a plate of Thracian rider; coins of electron (stater) coinaged in the city of Krizik, dated back in the beginning of the 5th century BC; silver drahmas and tetradrahmas coming from the cities of Apollonia Pontius, Odesos, Moroneia dated with the 3rd - 2nd century BC; small treasure with Messambrian bronze coins from the 2nd century BC. A tower above the village rose upon the megalith rocks of the impressive Thracian sanctuary dedicated to the Sun God, the Mother Goddess and the Thracian Hero – the Rider called also “Heros”. The unique megalith rock has an extraordinary shape with many natural cavities, which the Thracians shaped and used for the needs of their rituals. During the excavations in 2006 the archaeologists found four half-round cavities, formed as altars for ritual sacrifices. Two offering stones with round tubs inside mark the road to the cave known as the “Russinata dupka” (Russin's hole). Water running down the walls is collected on the bottom of the cave. A legend talks about the magical healing powers of the cave water. Thanks to this legend, information could be found about the exsitance of the Thracian sanctuary and the rites performed there, as some of these rituals became part of the Christian tradition later.

Even today the local population know this historical place with the names “Russin kamuk” (Russin'stone) and “Russina dupka”. The language specialists root the name Rusocastron to words with latin and greek origins: “Ruso” meaning red colored and “castron” meaning stronghold, castle. The local population preserved its very own explanation of the village name coming from the old legend, telling the love story of a serpent living in the cave inside the castle and a maid called Russa (Russin'stone).

In the 5th century AD, when the Christianity replaced the old cult, on top of the “Big stone” was built an early Christian church, which base stones were found during the archaeological excavations. In the years of the 11th - 14th century next to the church was located a monastery with the name of the Christian holyman-rider St. George. There is a high possibility that the choice of a patron has been influenced by the ancient beliefs inherited from the Thracian sanctuary.

The legend is recorded in the 50s of the 20th century by the local analyst Mr. Nikola Prodanov. He heard the story coming from the mouth of the 86 years old Mr. Marko, while they were paying visit to the famous "Russin`stone". The legend tells the love story of the 62

serpent that fell for a maid called Russa. In the morning when Russa went to bring water from the well, the serpent turned into a handsome young man and was waiting for her there. He filled with water the coppers and persuaded her to marry him. Unfortunately she was in love with someone else and kept declining his marriage proposal. On St. George‟s day inside the monastery grounds there was a huge horo (chain dance). Russa was dancing next to her beloved at the celebrations, when all of sudden it turned dark and lightning began. Then from the top of the "Big stone" the serpent came down, took away the maid and carried her into his cave. Her relatives begged him to set her free several times, but he refused flatly. Locals and travellers could hear Russa´s sobbing even at the road next to the river bank. In his sorrow the father of Russa asked for help from St. George. The saint stabbed the serpent in a terrific battle and saved the maid.

The story of Russa is told to be related with the building of a church named after St. George as a thanksgiving. For the local population he was a saviour from the evil serpent, who terrorized all the villages in the neighbourhood with frequent devastations, drought and fire. This is the reason why every year on St. George‟s day people from all of the neighbourhood places come to a fair at "Russin´stone". This was the largest fair in Burgas Region till the 50s of the 20th century. The people spent the night before the celebrations at the fields surrounding big fires. On the actual day of the fair they washed themselves with water collected in the "Russin‟s hole", which was told to posses healing and magical power.

This extraordinary power of the water here was explained with the tears of Russa (two round holes on the bottom of the cave). Even today the old people believe in the healing power of the water here, they say it can help against children‟s sore eyes or bewitch the women in child-birth - "lihusi". On the second day of the celebrations at the cave entrance the worshipers hang up parts of clothing with hopes for good health and fertility. The legend from the village Rusokastro could be traced back to the mythology of the old indo-European population, which included the Thracian, Slavic and proto Bulgarian tribes. The serpent has the meaning of the cosmic mediator between earth and heaven and represents the fear of the surrounding nature. On the other side he offers protection and leads through the ritual transit between life and death. Thus the kidnapping of the maid in the dragon‟s cave is a metaphoric element symbolizing possible death and ritual moment of the funeral – a wedding ceremony.

The engaging of another mythical character such as the man who fought with the dragon also known as a saint - rider could be understood as a bearer of the heaven‟s birth opposing the chaos and earthly being, which mythical archetype is the land.

During 1927 the village people used some of the donated money for the building of a chapel over the old mediaeval church. They choose again St. George the Conqueror as patron saint, because the legend of maid Russa was still alive in the local people‟s imagination.

In the summer of 2007 archaeological excavation were carried out on the ground in front of the new church St. George in the territory of the stronghold Rusocastron. The archaeological monuments in this part of the stronghold took a lot of damage caused by the military during the international drill “Shtit” (Shield) in 1982. Though the bad condition of the ground the archaeological excavation gave good results and brought into light information about the history of the church build plan and the Christian population in the stronghold.

Among discoveries were remains of two churches built on the same ground in different time periods. The first one was built during the early-Byzantine period in the middle of the 5th century and existed till the beginning of the 7th century, when the stronghold was destroyed 63

by avaren-slavic assaults. At the beginning of the 9th century the stronghold Rusocastron has been rebuilt by the Bulgarians as part of the digging works of the big frontier drench “Erkesiata”. After Bulgaria accepted the Christianity in the 9th century on the place of the old church was built a new one. The new church had measurements 9 x 12 m and had stone construction which was the reason it survived till the 15th century. Next to the mediaeval church was found Christian necropolis, which a big part of was destroyed in the military drill “Shtit”-82. Inside the explored 38 graves were found the remains of men, women and children of different ages. The graves had been superficially hewn into the rock and in most of the burials there are signs of wooden coffins as they were following the Christian way of interment. The archaeological finds of pottery, everyday objects, coins etc. lead to the conclusion that this place was an active burial ground for a long period between the 9th and 14th century.

During the Ottoman invasion in the 14th century the church ground was burnt down and with the capture of the stronghold the existence of the old Christian centre was put to an end.

In 2006 a team of specialists led by the director of studies Mrs. Tsonja Drazheva and the second advisor Mr. Milen Nikolov from the Regional Burgas Museum started a new archeological survey at the stronghold of Rusocastron. The excavations were carried out in partnership with the program for temporal employment in the villages of Rusokastro and Zheljazovo. During the two previous years the excavations gave the chance to reveal part of the stronghold system and the main gate. Found were the remains of residential districts from the 12th – 14th century where the local population developed a variety of handicrafts and economical activities.

The main fortification system surrounds from all sides the highest ledge of the hill called “Golemija (Russin) kamuk” /The Big Stone or Russin‟stone/ with the size of 20dka.

The wall here follows the peculiarity of the rock formation and rationally makes usage of the natural rock massif including it into the wall line. Its width varies between 1.6m and 2.3m in different parts of the flat accessible sections. The wall‟s construction uses stone blocks from local gritstone with polished surface and soldered with white mortar.

The scientific study ascertained heavy damage on the wall caused by stone removal and military fire during the international drill “Shtit” in 1982. Best preserved are the researched sectors with a length of 56m of the west wall, 15m of the south wall and 12m of the north wall. The maximum height of the preserved sectors is 2.2m. The construction and the variety of archaeological finds point out the 5th century AD as the beginning of the building works on the fortress wall, later it endured several repairs and major modifications in the building construction.

The archeological survey started clearing works of the fortress main gate found on the west wall. The entrance is situated almost at the centre of the west wall and is appropriated with the cobblestone road that is climbing the second external terrace direction south – southwest.

The entrance width is around 2.2m and side length of 3.8m. A rectangle tower is flanking the northwest end of the fortress. The tower juts out 2m forehead of the stone pier ankle and it is preserved on 1.8m height. The entrance is with a two sided planning. The first 64

gate is a two leaved door and the second door goes back by 3.2m. Inwards the gate suggests construction from the type katarakta. On the inside the doors were bolted with thick beams, which were stored to the side in deep rectangular canals found on the inner side of the wall.

Some special features of the left side wing on the entrance suggest a possible tower above the gate, which is going to be subject of a future research on the whole capacity of the gateway.

In 2009 the fourth archaeological season of historical fortress Rusokastro was completed under the direction of the scientific team of the Regional Historical Museum Burgas: Head of research Tsonya Drazheva and Deputy head of research Milen Nikolov. The archaeological research continued two months funded by the Municipality of Kameno and Foundation Rusokastron.

Rusokastro medieval castle is situated 35 km west of the regional center of Burgas and 2.5 north of the modern village Rusokastro on the way to Zhelyazovo village, Kameno Municipality. The castle was built on a picturesque hill rock of volcanic origin with altitude of 108 m, which uncovers a panoramic view from Cape Emine to Bakadjitsite vicinity near Yambol.

This year the archaeologists unveiled the most interesting defence facility - a secret passage to the fortified citadel used for the water supply from the nearby river. The passage has a length of ca. 65 m and is hidden in a natural gorge between two rocks. The internal chassis path is 4 m wide, protected on the sides with high stone walls of a 2.5 m thickness.

The secret passage leads down to the river, where a massive rectangular tower was built. On the inside a deep tank was created to reach the bottom of the river below, and thus maintain a constant water flow in all seasons. This unique facility was built back in the 5th century and then further strengthened during the 9th-10th century. The secret pass for water supply is the best preserved facility of this kind in south of the Balkan mountain and it was of significant importance for the defence of the historic fortress Rusokastron during the second half of the 14th century.

Excavated were many findings, among which the most interesting are: medieval coins and lead seals for stamping of official correspondence from the 9th-11th century, as well as good quality arrows and pottery.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL EXCAVATIONS OF A MEDIEVAL FORTRESS WALLS AND TOWERS AT THE ENTRANCE OF THE OLD SOZOPOL The archaeological research of the fortress started in 2008, sustained during 2009.

The researched fortified facilities are located in the southwest peninsula called “Skamnii”, where is situated the old city of Sozopol and the isthmus. The excavations and restoration works on the city walls are financed by the Municipality of Sozopol.

The fortified wall and two towers present a monolith construction of large squared stone with mortar. Their construction is dated with the end of the 4 th – beginning of the 5th century. At the end of the 5th century reconstructions were performed in the design and height of the fortifications, which aimed to strengthen the western flank and access to the port. The total length of the disclosed wall is of 36 m, width - 2m and its height reaches up to 5.3 m.

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In front of the southern facade of the city wall the archaeologists discovered and studied baking kilns of limestone, associated with the construction of the wall in the 5 th century, as well as two metallurgical coke from the Antiquity.

The most interesting discovery was made after removing the antenna of “Mobiltel” on sq. Khan Krum. Foundations of an ancient tower with a rectangular shape and impressive size (11x12,5m and thickness – 3m) was excavated on 2m below the street pavement. The tower was constructed of large rocks without solder, to guard the fortress gate of the city. In its foundations discovered were pottery and coins from the 4 th – 3rd century BC, which allows the scientist to link its construction with the city gate of Apollonia - Sozopol at the end of the 4th century BC described by author Aeneas in the Antiquity.

He wrote: "Evenings, the heavy doors have been closed with the blow of a heavy hammer that makes horrific roar throughout the city and its surroundings. Judging by the description, we can assume that the gate was of the type "katarraktes." In the 73 year BC the Roman commander Marcus Lucullus captured and destroyed the city.

Only five centuries later, the fortress at the entrance of Sozopol was restored and now has been fully revealed by the archaeologists.

Aquae Calidae – Therma, the city of the hot mineral baths Burgas, Bulgaria. The Thracian sanctuary of the Three nymphs 15 km northwest of Burgas is the home of the most popular mineral baths in Southern Trace. Аlready by the middle of the 1st millennium BC, people have been using the unique combination of hot springs with healing mud of the nearby lake Atanasovsko and the salty sea water. The findings indicate that the healing qualities of the hot springs were known already in the Neolithic, when close by were established three settlements from the 6th – 5th millennium BC. Around the 1st millennium BC the Thracians turned this spring into the most celebrated sanctuary of the Three nymph, which attracted many pilgrims along the centuries.

The popularity of the Burgas mineral spring‟s healing powers spread far beyond the Balkans.

Best information that our findings provide, come from numerous coins (over 4000 pieces) found during cleaning of the spring‟s old piping in 1910 and 1994. They had been thrown as a gift from visitors coming from all major centers of ancient Thrace and Greece, the Pontius coast, the Aegean islands, ancient Macedonia and Italy to be healed here. The earliest coin found was minted in Apollonia (Sozopol) in the beginning of the 5th century BC – a silver drachma, type “standing anchor-swastika”. Found were also coins belonging to Thracian rulers from the capital of the Thracian Odris kingdom Seuthopolis, from Kabile, Messambria, Odessos, Istria and Tomi in Romania, Byzantion, Abdera, Maroneia, Lizimahia of the straits, the Sea of Marmara etc.

Roman Baths The first bath at the sanctuary of the Three nymph near Burgas was built when the Romans conquered the Thracian lands in the middle of the 1st century AD. This is only natural; namely the Roman public baths provided the new philosophy of the Roman society on a combination of the utilitarian and cultural needs of the Roman citizens. In the baths they 66

were not only indulged in wellness and sport games but also cultural entertainment, poetry, music and political debate.

At the time of Emperor Trajan (98 – 117) the construction of roads and public baths were an act of the Roman state policy in the creation of new urban centres along the provinces of the empire. The Emperor himself was a great fan of mineral springs, which played an important role in the selection of the first centres in the autonomous province of Thrace.

The old Thracian settlements, known for their mineral springs: Serdika (Sofia), Pautalia (Kyustendil), Nicopolis ad Nestrum (near Gotse Delchev) and Anhialo (Pomorie) became autonomous. The choice of Ahialo as an administrative center of the region is strongly influenced by its proximity to the ancient healing wellness resort, which was developed into public baths with two large pools. At the same time a major Roman road was built in the passageway Dyulevski connecting the new city Martsianopol (Devnya) with Anhialo and Adrianopolis. An important road station called Aquae Calidae was situated at the public baths. Its strategic location on the link between the coastal road from the pass Dyulevski crossing with the roadway under the slopes of the Balkan mountains, expanded enormously the popularity of the fortress during the next centuries. This fortress appears on the earliest Roman maps of today Bulgarian lands from the middle of the 2nd century AD, and it is often present in the geographical and historical sources. Aquae Calidae was most famous for its sanctuary of the Three nymphs called in the Roman times “The nymph of Anhialo” and the baths were known as “the baths of Anhialo” due to their proximity to the administrative center Anhialo. During the reign of another Roman emperor Septimius Severus (209-211), who was also a fan of the mineral baths, special celebrations and games called “Severia Nymphea” was held here regularly for more than three years.

The earliest trace of the name "Aquae Calidae" was found in the old Roman map Tabula Peutingeriana as a road station situated between Anhialo /Pomorie/ and Kabile /near Yambol/.

The first description of the town Aquae Calidae is delivered in the writings “Roman history” by the Gothic historian Jordan /5th century/, which describes the Gothic raids during 257-270 AD over the cities along the western Black Sea coast, when they were plundered and burnt to the ground. The city Aquae Calidae took heavy damage, but the hot mineral baths were saved. During the 257-270 AD the Gothic tribes terving and carp prey and burnt down Anhialo and stopped at the nearby standing Aqua Khalide. About the attitude of the Goths in relation to the healing baths, the Gothic historian Jordan dedicated a special text: "Here they remain many days and enjoyed the baths with hot water, which is situated at the twelfth billion pillar from the city Anhialo and gush from the depths of fire springs.”

The increasing danger of barbarian attacks induced the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I /527-565/ to protect for the first time the city Aquae Calidae and its famous baths with a fortress wall. The historian Procopius of Caesarea reported in his writings De Aedificiis (On Buildings) about the construction: "The Thracians inhabited a coastal city on Pontos Evksinos named Anhialo ... there, not too far away from the city, springs are gushing natural hot water, which form by itself 67

public baths for the local population. But this village from an old times left unprotected, was ignored by the previous emperors, so even next to it settle barbarian tribes and the patients risk their lives to go there and received relief on their pains. But Emperor Justinian I surrounded it with walls and made the medical treatment safe.

Only after 30 years barbaric attacks by the avar tribes started from north, led by cruel Khan Bayan. They shed blood and violence across Thrace and the coast but the warm mineral baths had been saved. Here's how Byzantine historian Theophylact Simocatta (Greek: Theophylaktos Simokates) described this event: "In 584 Khan Bayan reached and burned down Anhialo. He was staying at the Anhialo healing baths, which he mercy of destruction at the request of women from his harem. In one of the city churches Avars found crimson robes of the empress Anastasia, wife of the Emperor Mauricius Tiberius, who was treated here and donated the robes as a sign of gratitude. After wearing the clothes, Khan Bayan proclaimed himself Emperor of Romans."

Between Bulgaria and Byzantium After the creation of the Bulgarian State, the town of the hot springs was named already Thermal and / or Termopolis. The place appears in center of the events at the time of the Bulgarian ruler Tervel, who was a great strategist and statesman. In 708 in the vicinity of Thermal occured one of the most shattering fights for Bezant and Emperor Justinian II. In the subsequent expansion of the Bulgarian border to the south, the city of Thermal remained part of Bulgaria. The spa resort continued existing and the city around them expanded during the next centuries. In the medieval sources, this place is called Thermae, Thermopol or Megali Termi. The fortificated city stood at the crossroad between North and South and also between the Black Sea coastline and inner Thrace, which designated its participation in all important historical events over the following centuries.

During the 12th century the Arab geographer El Idrisi described it as "Megali Termi, a small but beautiful city, rich and well-ordered. An important role in this definition is certainly assigned to the greatest wealth of the city - the thermo-mineral hot baths that Arabs know how to appreciate best. Its fate was strongly influenced by events related to the establishment of the Latin Empire in 1204 after the Crusadersâ€&#x; conquest of Constantinople and the following wars with the Bulgarian King Kaloyan. After the captivity and death of the Latin Emperor Baldwin I of Constantinople (Baldwin IX Count of Flanders) in the Bulgarian capital Tarnovo, Tzarevgrad, his brother Henry II launched punitive military campaign against the Bulgarian towns south of the Balkan Mountains in the winter of 1206. The knights of the new Latin empire prosecuted conquests over Adrianopol (Edirne) and Arkadiopol (Lozengrad), they decided to house in the warm baths of La Farm, as the bath was called by the chronicler Vilarduen. After three months stay and treatment in the hot baths, they were recognized by the Latin knights for “the best in the worldâ€?, nevertheless Emperor Henry II commanded that the city together with the baths is to be burned to the ground.

After this devastating fire, the city could not recover and the baths led an unfortunate existence until 1562 when Sultan Suleyman II (1520-1566) arrived. In gratitude for healed gout, he commanded establishment of a new oriental bath over the destroyed Roman pools.

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During the renovation of the baths in 1910, Professor Bogdan Filov conducted the first archaeological survey. The old basin and piping of the spring were cleaned. Among the archaeological findings were more than 4000 coins, jewellery and other objects from the 5th century BC to the 17th century AD. In 2008, in connection with the strengthening and renovation of the new piping of the mineral springs, started a large-scale archaeological research of the ancient and medieval castle, the hot mineral baths and other facilities on the territory of the ancient city Aquae Calidae - Thermal.

Arhaeological studies of the Ancient mineral baths near Burgas during 2009 The total area under research is approximately 3.800 square meters reaching a maximum depth of 6.3 m. to the bottom of the ancient basins.

During the latest excavation was fully revealed the central hall of the Baths, called in the antiquity "caldarium" - a place for hot mineral water procedures. It locates over a total area of 220 sq. m and has two rectangular pools with dimensions 3 x 5 meters situated on both short sides.

Found were also remains of the heating system “hypocaust” made of special clay pipes, which conducted warm air from the channels with hot water and heated the stone floor.

The ancient catchment of two hot springs with temperatures between 53° and 42 ° was found on 30 m northwest and is connected to the bath with a complex system of collectors and clay pipelines.

Important discovery is the cold water catchment in the northern part of wellness complex with a depth of 5.3 m, which is also used for medical procedures under the name "frigidarium" - a pool with cold water.

Interesting results were obtained from excavation of 8 rooms in the east wing of the wellness complex, which was a possible locating of shops and catering premises. They relate to the final stage of the medieval existence of the baths between the 10th and 13th century, when they were completely burned down in 1206 by the Latin Emperor Henry the Second, brother of the Emperor Baldwin of Flanders, who was captured by Tsar Kaloyan. In this area the research team found many bronze coins of the 10th and 13th century, glass and bronze bracelets, candlesticks and balsamarii with essential oils for the massages, belonging to the visitors who used the bath.

2009‟s geological drilling and archaeological analysis showed that in this place the depth of cultural layers is over 9 meters and the artifacts relate with the period between the 4th-1st millennium BC. This means that further studies could discover even earlier installations, tracing back the first occupation of these mineral springs, how they were used by the ancient people and why they were considered as sacred place.

The most valuable findings from the 2009 archaeological season were: a lead seal of a Byzantine strategist from the 11th century – a ring seal with an image of a lion with wings /griffin/, a stone mold for ornamentation of bronze female jewellery, 86 coins from the 3rd century BC to the 15th century AD, many ceramic vessels, fragments of architectural 69

decoration and inscriptions.

Archaeological survey - island St. Ivan near Sozopol On July the 20th scientific team lead by Prof. Dr. Kasimir Popkonstantinov and Deputy. Head Researcher Tsonya Drazeva started the new archaeological season in the medieval monastery of St. John the Baptist on the island of St. Ivan near Sozopol.

The excavations began with testing pits in the foundations of the oldest church on the island, built at the end of the 4th - beginning of the 5th century AD. On July 28th at 1:30 PM during the clearing of the base of the altar table at a depth of 0.6 m under the marble floor was found a RELIQUARY (container for relics) in a shape of a small coffin, 18 cm long and 14 cm high. The reliquary was carefully removed from its bed and transferred to the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol. According to the characteristics of other findings in the surrounding layer, this finding can be dated with the late fourth century AD. During the research of the mortar pad, a second small box made of pale yellow sandstone / typical for the territory of Palestine/ appeared. On the outside walls, an inscription in middle greek language has been deciphered by Professor Popkonstantinov. In the text clear appears the name of St. John on one side and the name of a person called Thoma, who shalt be “Blessed by God”, which means that the person carried in this box relics of the saint which were placed in reliquary during the construction of the early Christian church.

This discovery gives us a unique opportunity for the first time in Bulgaria to track the entire process of sacred ritual performed at the dawn of Christianity in our land. It demonstrates the importance of the ancient city of Apollonia-Sizipolis (city of salvation) and in particular the oldest monastery along the Black Sea coast and also the only one monastery which bears the name of St. John the Baptist.

We invite you to witness the opening of the reliquary on August the 1st / Sunday at 11 o'clock in the Archaeological Museum in Sozopol by a special commission of experts as well as in the presence of His Eminence Metropolitan of Sliven Yoanikii and Bozidar Dimitrov - Minister responsible for Religious Affairs in the Republic of Bulgaria.

ARCHAEOLOGICAL DISCOVERIES OF BURGAS MUSEUM The settlement mound on the 10th kilometer in the area Solna niva Archaeological excavations of tell Burgas started in 2008 with financial support of Burgas Municipality. Miroslav Klasnakov (Regional Historical Museum – Burgas) is leader of investigations and numerous recognized scientists from Bulgaria and abroad took part in terrain works and interdisciplinary analysis.

The earliest settlement was established in Late Neolithic (end of 6th mill.BC).

Settlement life continued through Neolithic age (whole 5th mill.BC – beginning of 4th mill.

BC).

Various archaeological materials, connected with economics and beliefs of 70

prehistoric population, were found in excavated dwellings and open spaces between them.

Stone, flint, bone and antler tools testify for an advanced degree of construction activities, ceramic production, tanning, spinning, weaving and other crafts. Investigated plant (archaeobotanical assemblage) and animal (archaeozoological assemblage) remains outline stable economical development with century traditions in selection and growing of cereals as well as domestication and breeding of animals. Gathering of wild fruits and hunting of wild animals and birds played secondary role in population subsistence. The ceramic vessels found are also quite various. Part of them were used in domestic activities, and others – with more specific forms and decoration, had strictly specified functions in religious life and were used in different rituals. Mother Goddess – The Earth had the main place in prehistoric pantheon.

Her cult is testified by numerous findings of ceramic anthropomorphic figurines and different objects with semantic meaning, connected with her honoring and commemorating.

Material culture of tell Burgas outlines it as a key site for investigation of prehistoric ages along Bulgarian Black Sea coast and connects Burgas Lowland with synchronously developing prehistoric cultures along Western Black Sea, inland parts of Balkan peninsula and Northwest Asia Minor.

Our best idea was to have a Facebook page of our Comenius experiences . It seems not only we are enjoying it-have a lookhttp://www.facebook.com/pages/Comenius/109511169074128

All our efforts were highly recognized in local newspapers , Tvs , and even in the National Radiohttp://bnr.bg/sites/radiobulgaria/Lifestyle/Life/Pages/Uchenicneski%20obmen%20EU-BG.aspx

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We had our Comenius poetry competition and the work of our students was a wonderful surprise and pleasure .The winner was undoubtedly Lyublyana Atanasova . Here is a full list of all the poems presented at the competition1.

The world is small And even though Many people don’t know There are no strangers None at all Sometimes when you go north You meet friends from the south And the words They are different But the smiles They are the same And life It might be difficult And the world Might be turning insane But the days They are simple enough When treated with a little love So while the world is indeed small The most important thing of all Is that we taught friendship how to grow

2.

You can’t make the winter warmer You can only pray for hot summer You can’t stop the rain when the storm hits You can only look for the rainbow when the fog lifts

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You can’t make it alright When it’s clearly not You can only try to keep it right When all that’s left is love Because that’s still a lot

3.

I’ve got the world figured out Sadly it’s not pretty all around There are trees dying There are kids crying It’s the reckless who cope But don’t lose hope There are still people like you Desperately trying to stay true

4.

Spoiled, little kid Fed with a silver spoon And girls dancing Only when there’s full moon People living in a perfect world While the rest if us insist That such thing does not exist

5.

When you hear children crying You may wanna go deaf When you hear trees falling

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You may wanna go deaf When you hear your parents shouting You may wanna go deaf But you keep listening and you hope Because the music will help you cope It won’t stop you from falling down But it will pick you up with its sound

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The world is turning round and round I’m listening to that lovely sound It’s a ringing in my ears It’s my falling tears

There are animals around here They are the people who disappear All the doors are closed But I find an open window

When I jump I will fall When my world ends Yours goes on

7.

The fire in us will always burn Until the one is bones And the other dust We’ll stay in this world For eternity and more

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Because the love we possess Will burn forever

8.

I cannot love you properly For my mind does not obey me I cannot love you selflessly For my soul has left me

I may not be able to I may forget my own name But when my lips touched you I loved you all the same

9.

I’m a coward every day If there was no tomorrow I’ll be so much more free today Because everything will be washed away Today would simply pass And the truth won’t last But don’t you worry If tomorrow never comes But don’t you worry Time has it’s own plans

10.

You seem to know me so well Still you wonder how not to fall

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You act like you really don’t know

I have a little tale to tell About someone who dared to believe They say if you seek, you receive

I know what I saw You’re worth the fall I’ll go down before I let you go

THE STORM The rudder breaks, the sails are ripped, the roar Of waters mingles with the ominous sound Of pumps and panic voices; all around Torn ropes. The sun sets red, we hope no more The tempest howls in triumph; from the shore Where wet cliffs rising tier on tier surround The ocean chaos, death advances, bound To carry ramparts broken long before, One man has swooned, one wrings his hands ,one sinks Upon his friends, embracing them. Some say a prayer to death that it may pass them by.

One traveller sits apart and sadly thinks: ,,Happy the man who faints or who can pray Or has a friend to whom to say goodbye."

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THE CALM OF THE SEA The flag on the pavilion barely stirs, The water quivers gently in the sun Like some young promised maiden dreaming on, Half-waking, of the joy that shall be hers, The sails upon the masts' bare cylinders Are furled like banners when the war is done; The ship rocks, chained on waters halcyon, With idle sailors, laughing passengers.

O sea, among thy happy creatures, deep Below, a polyp slumbers through the storm, Its long arms ever lifted, poised to dart.

O thought, the hydra, memory, asleep Through evil days, in peace will lift its form And plunge its talons in thy quiet heart.

SUCH DEPTHS Such depths there are in the ocean That waves surging from below Reject the lead-tipped rope, For here ends the plumb-line's rule: Now at the mercy of the sun and stars, You don't ask land how the run will end.

When the summer fields are mown, When the birds are fledged and flown, And the dry leaves strew the path; With the falling of the snow, With the cawing of the crow, Once again the fields we mow And gather in the aftermath.

Not the sweet, new grass with flowers Is this harvesting of ours; Not the upland clover bloom; But the rowen mixed with weeds, Tangled tufts from marsh and meads, Where the poppy drops its seeds In the silence and the gloom.

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I was angry with my friend; I told my wrath, my wrath did end.

I was angry with my foe: I told it not, my wrath did grow.

And I waterd it in fears, Night and morning with my tears: And I sunned it with smiles, And with soft deceitful wiles.

And it grew both day and night, Till it bore an apple bright.

And my foe beheld it shine, And he knew that it was mine.

And into my garden stole.

When the night had veiled the pole; In the morning glad I see, My foe outstretchd beneath the tree.

Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice.

From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favour fire.

But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice.

My river runs to thee.

Blue sea, wilt thou welcome me?

My river awaits reply.

Oh! sea, look graciously.

I’ll fetch thee brooks from spotted nooks.

Say, sea, Take me!

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Upon a Lilac Sea To toss incessantly His Plush Alarm Who fleeing from the Spring The Spring avenging fling To Dooms of Balm

When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.

Inspired by the emotions we shared for the last nonths ,and in accordance with our project plan , we prepared a short DVD film and posted it …….. " The Secret of Our Success in ...." Comenius Project-2009-2011 , Bourgas , Bulgaria

We made tickets for our Hawaiian Party-

And what a night we had…..

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What a fun were all the culinary competitions we had- remember the “ Cooking time” in Chalkidona? And we had our prize for the “incredible’ beans soup . The Spanish omelette was really worth the first prize!!!

And then we had a competition in Bourgas-the best part was the degustation , of course.

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Followed by the final- in Warsaw-where everyone was almost professional-

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Comenius meeting in Italy January 2010 Sofia Airport – The beginning of the trip

Our first day in Recanati

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Hello, Poland!

Our new friends from all over Europe

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Our families for one week Thank you!

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School time

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Welcome to the City Hall!

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Our last day in Recanati: the farewell party! ď Œ

T hank you for everything!

That was one fantastic trip we will never forget!

Thank you , Italy!

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Comenius meeting in Greece

1st Gymnasio Chalkidonas

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1st Day in Chalkidona When we arrived in Chalkidona everyone was waiting for us. It was the beginning of the most memorable and experience ever.

2nd Day in Chalkidona We went at the sport centre in Chalkidona and played volleyball there against the Greek girls. Unfortunately, we lost but at least it was a lot of fun.

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3rd Day in Chalkidona Pella is an ancient Greek city located in Pella Prefecture of Macedonia in Greece. It was the capital of the ancient kingdom of Macedonia.

We went to the kindergarten in the town where a group of really cute children sang and danced for us. The teachers there served us some very delicious traditional Greek meal.

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After going to the other High school of Chalkidona we went to the Town hall.

The mayor hold a speech there and our teachers received prices.

There were journalist and many important people. It was really exciting.

We had lunch at school where the food contest started.

Every country prepared a national meal.

Finally, the Spanish omlette won the prize and the Bulgarian beans soup was in the second place.

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We went to the rest house where the Greek students danced traditional Greek dances and then they taught us how to dance one of them.

Than we listened to old peopleâ€&#x;s songs. It was very interesting.

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1 Day in Tessaloniki The Byzantine Walls around the city date back as far as 315 BC. Parts of these walls have survived to the present day, and you can see them in the Acropolis. There are towers still standing at the corners that provide panoramic views of Thessaloniki along with an insight into the mysterious Byzantine culture.

The Church of Saint Demetrius or Hagios Demetrios is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It is part of the site Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1988.

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The Official Dinner We had a farewell dinner all together in one great hotel in Chalkidona and Mrs Neycheva handed invitations for the next Comenius meeting in Bourgas.

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Comenius meeting in Bulgaria After weeks of nervous running around and preparing the moment finally came and with the arrival of the Polish group the meeting started. They arrived with a bus from Sofia where their plane had landed the day before.

We were excited to meet our first guests and eager to welcome the others.

The next to arrive were the Spanish who landed in Burgas. They were a bit shy at first but soon after they realized that we were having lots of fun they joined us and made it a trip to remember.

The third to arrive were our awesome Greek friends who also arrived by bus and were greeted as openheartedly as the others had been but still not as hospitably as they had welcomed us.

Along with everyone else a few Italian teachers also arrived but sadly the children were too young to travel abroad. With everyone finally here the meeting could really begin.

On our first school day there was a great deal of boredom. Since we werenâ€&#x;t so enthusiastic to pay attention we decided to shorten our classes and go home.

Soon after we had a snack our local ethnographic we visited the local museum and had a little treat while teachers to finish.

we had to go to museum. Then of archeology waiting for the

After visiting the museums of the day off so we decided mall. We had a lot of fun with the shopping carts.

we had the rest to visit the drifting around

The next morning we woke up early, had breakfast and set off to Medovo. The trip was quite short and we only stopped to pick up the teachers from Pomorie and to take some pictures at the projectâ€&#x;s billboard. When we arrived we had a look around the complex and went straight to the restaurant where we had lunch and watched a live performance with traditional Bulgarian songs and dances. At the end everyone got together and danced hand in hand as a symbol of unity.

After having a lunch to remember in Medovo we headed for Nessebar to visit the archeological museum and one of the ancient churches in The Old City. Then we had free time to look around and after an hour or so we got onto the bus and went back to Burgas where we were going to spend a night at the karaoke.

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The night at the karaoke was fantastic. Not everyone had the courage to sing but we had a lot of fun nevertheless. Our Polish friends were particularly enthusiastic about showing off their singing talents and didnâ€&#x;t go unnoticed.

For the fourth day of our meeting we had arranged for a boat trip down the Ropotamo River if the weather was good and fortunately, it was. Almost everyone got onto the boat and had a tour around the river. The ones who didnâ€&#x;t go went straight to the restaurant where we joined them later and had lunch by the river.

Wh ile we were in Sozopol some of us were in Burgas preparing the food contest preceding the Hawaiian party we had organized for our guests.

We wanted to show our friends some of the most delicious aspects of our cuisine.

After the degustation it was party time. We let the already gathering crowd into and switched off the lights. Everyone danced and had fun but after the party was over it was our duty to clean the saloon.

The next day we had to go to school again but we were released from the last two classes because we had to prepare for our meeting in the Town Hall with the deputy mayor of Burgas.

The sixth day of our meeting was the day of the big trip. We split into two groups - our Spanish friends and their hosts got into a minibus because they were going to come back to Burgas after visiting Veliko Tarnovo and everyone else was in the big bus. We stopped only in Shipka before entering the pass. While in the village some of us went to look at the famous memorial church with the golden domes.

After Shipka we went to Etara which is an ethnographical complex near Gabrovo. We looked around, bought some sweets from the pastry shop and had lunch at the restaurant.

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Then we went to Veliko Tarnovo to visit the great fortress Tsarevets. We looked around and visited the church. We came back down and it was time to say goodbye to our Spanish friends.

Everyone hugged and took some last pictures together and then they left. The others had some free time and left for Arbanassi where they would spend the night.

After a four hour journey we finally reached Sofia. Unfortunately we had to say Goodbye to our beloved Polish and Italian friends as soon as we arrived since they had a flight scheduled and were a bit late.

Having some spare time left we managed to get to the city mall. There we had some memorable moments despite the fact that we split up into several groups.At the very end with tears in our eyes we saw our Greek friends off and head back to Burgas.

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Comenius meeting in Spain We arrived at Madrid airport on 5th February. We went to our hotel in the center of the town and went for a walk around the city We took a double-decker tourist bus and saw the most important sights of the city.

We took a lot of pictures but unfortunately they can not be compared to what we saw.

On our second day in Madrid we went to the Plaza Mayor and to the Palacio Real. We enjoyed the beautiful collection of the Prado Museum-a memorable and breath-taking experience. We had the opportunity to go around all the squares in the city ,touched the symbol of Madrid-the bear in Puerto del Sol. We even had time to do some shopping.

On 6th February we went to Toledo by train and had a memorable excursion around Alcasar and the unique Cathedral We went sightseeing all around the old capital city of Spain and we did not want to leave. We came back to Madrid thrilled with priceless memories. Also we had a bunch of souvenirs.

We landed at Valencia airport and had our first touching meeting with our hosting families. Then we were taken to our host homes in Algamesi. n the evening we settled down and spend the time resting and getting to know each other.

Our second meeting with Valencia was the unforgettable walk around the biggest aquarium in Europe.

We tried the Spanish school system with our hosts for a couple of hours. We met the mayor of the town and the Cathedral of Algemesi.

One of the days in Algemesi we went to the orange factory, where every single day hundreds of tons of packed oranges leave by trucks and are distributed all over the world.

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We went by train to Barcelona. When we arrived we went to the hotel. Then we got out and saw the nightlife in the city.

We had free time to visit the and even do some shopping.

landmarks

The last day we had little free time to have

a walk around the beach and enjoyed the last hours in Spain. Then we went to Bulgaria.

Thank you Spain !

We had the best 10 days . We miss you and hope to see you all again!

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Comenius meeting in Poland 11.04- 17.04. 2011 During the meeting in Warsaw we had some of our greatest and happiest moments in our lives. Moreover we made some lifelong friendships. One thing we can say is that we will never forget it.

Day 1 The first day of the project meeting in Warsaw started early in the morning. Only our Deputy Headmaster Mr. Baev joined our group in Sofia, the rest of us traveled the long six-hour trip from Bourgas to Sofia. When we arrived at the F.Chopin airport in Warsaw Mrs. Jarocka was waiting for us. We were taken by a minibus to the school where our hosts were waiting for us. We also met the Spanish group which arrived earlier that day. Soon everybody left for his hosts houses and the teachers went to the Sobieski hotel. The students went home to meet their hosts‟ parents.. It was a long day for us but a happy one too.

Day 2 The day started with a school sightseeing.We found the Polish school very interesting. The school‟s headmaster Mr. Wojciechowski and the coordinator of the project Mrs. Jarocka delivered their speeches to start the project meeting. The main attraction of the day was the paintball game. It had a team-building purpose and strengthened our friendships. After the game the Italian group arrived. The teachers had a dinner at a restaurant while the students were free to use their time as they want.

Day 3 The third day started out with the arrival of the Greek group and a meeting at the hotel. After having breakfast the teachers joined us and we got on the coach which was going to take us to the Museum of Motorization. We looked at the old cars and the remaining vehicles from World War II and went on our way to the house of the greatest composers in the Polish history – Chopin. The museum definitely left an impression with its beautiful gardens which we didn‟t have a lot of time to look at but still 106

managed to take a few pictures.

Then we went to the forest where the bonfire was supposed to be but before that we had an open carriage ride around the forest. At the bonfire we sang and ate and had a lot of fun until it started raining and we had to head back to Warsaw.

Day 4 The fourth day we went to the World War II museum where we saw a full size replica of a German bomber and watched a short 3D about what Warsaw‟s right after the bombardment.

Then we went to the palace in the Old City of Warsaw where we had a tour guide show us around.

After that we had some free time in the Old City and most of us went to eat outside. Then we joined up with the teachers and on our way to the bus we passed by the Supreme Court.

With the bus we went to the highest building in Warsaw where used the lift to reach the very top and took some awesome pictures. Then we went to dinner with the teachers and we were given certificates for the project and we saw some traditional Polish dances.

Day 5 In the morning we had a meeting in the school.

After that we went to the Catering School, where we had our last lunch with the Spanish group before their flight back to Spain. Then we went to the bowling center where we played not only bowling but some other games too. Then we went to the mall where we watched a short 5D movie. After that we had a free time and we stayed in the mall and we played on a game with robots until 11 o‟clock, then we went home.

Day 6 In the morning the Polish group went to the school and all of the other groups went to the Wilanow palace where we stayed for about an hour and a half. After that we went to the mall called Golden terraces and we had a lunch with the Polish group.

After that we went to look around the mall but before that we went to the Hard Rock café.

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Then we went to the Arkadia mall, but we didnâ€&#x;t stay long. After that we went home to pack our luggage and to have our last dinner with our hosting families.

Day 7 In the last day of the project we had to get up early to have a breakfast and a cup of warm tea and go to the hotel, where our final meeting was. In front of the hotel was standing a small minibus which transferred us to the airport. The day was tough but luckily we managed to get back home safe & sound.

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OUR DIARIES Day 1 After we landed and received our luggage we were welcomed by Mrs. Jarocka –the project coordinator in Poland. We were transferred from the airport to the school by two small buses where we were greeted by our hosts. Paul and his mother took care of me and made sure that I could be accommodated as soon as possible. We took a quick supper followed by a chip chat which length I decided to shorten because of my tiredness. Safe and sound I fell into a heavy sleep.

Day 2 On the next day I woke up and had a breakfast. Refreshed from the previous day I was ready to front the day ahead of me. Paul and I made our way to the school. We had a short speech by the headmaster followed by a circuit of the school which was quite big. Our teachers had a lunch arranged, so we decided to go to the biggest mall in Warsaw – Arkadii. After killing 3 hours shopping Paul and I went back home for a quick lunch. We managed to get to the place where we were going to play paintball. The building was decorated with paint balls crashed into the walls which were making it look more cheerful and joyful. The paintball was kind of a lifetime experience. We had free time so we went to the nearest mall to grab a cup of warm coffee. While having dinner Paul‟s dad and I talked about the World War II and some of the greatest polish kings. With a smile on our faces we went to bed and fell asleep.

Day 3 Paul waked me up and after having a cup of warm tea and some sandwiches we made our way to the hotel “Jan III Sobieski” where the meeting point was. What our schedule stated was that we were going to have a culinary competition. We were transferred to the culinary school of Warsaw. I can‟t say whether the contest was successful but frankly speaking the students did enjoy some time watching us trying to create few sandwiches. In this very spot the school‟s restaurant was located. I was keen on the idea of the students who were working and studying at the same time. Maybe the client‟s opinion represented their mark for the subject. After having a great lunch we went to play bowling with the Greeks and the Polish. What I can say Is that the Greeks had a lot of luck. After travelling 4 or 5 tram stops we reached the 5D cinema.

Although most of us had already seen one we had our moments there. Exhausted we managed to get back home and went to bed.

Day 4 We had to wake up early and without loosing any time we found a way to the school where we were gathering. In front of the school was standing a bus which we were going to use to travel all day long. We visited one of the most famous museums in Warsaw – The museum of the Warsaw‟s Insurrection. We saw many original photos showing the remains of Warsaw after being attacked by Soviet Russia and Soviet Germany. One thing that I will never forget is a wall. But it wasn‟t a simple wall. It was “The heart of Warsaw”. You could feel a heart beat when you put your hand on the wall. After I was told that this heart beat had never stopped beating I felt like I was in the centre of this metropolitan city. We made our way to the Old City of Warsaw where you could smell the scent of the old buildings. We grabbed a sandwich and after travelling 20 minutes by bus we were already standing in front of the museum of culture. With a height of 231 metres and 42 floors this was the tallest building in Warsaw. We took the lift and I could feel the tense in everyone waiting to witness one magnificent view of the whole town. We had our dinner in a small restaurant where we listened to many folklore songs which represented their culture.

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Day 5 We all gathered in front of the school again and got into the bus. We visited the museum of the ancient vehicles. We used the moment to take some good photos and saved the moments.

Two hours after we were standing in front of Chopin‟s house where he was born and brought up. This humble house was nothing more than eight simple rooms in one of which he was born. We had lunch in a restaurant named after the composer and short after we were transferred to the forest where we two carriages drawn by horses were waiting for us. The teachers hopped into the first one followed by the students in the second. This was quite joyful for all of us but what I will never forget is that warm April night when we all were standing in front of a huge bonfire, singing some of our national songs.

Day 6 On the next morning we were a bit off the project since we decided to go to Vilanov‟s Palace famous for its beauty which is brought into comparison with Versay‟s palaces. We had lunch in a Italian restaurant and the rest of the day we spent in search of presents for our friends and families. I enjoyed my last night in Warsaw while talking with Paul‟s parents about my stay.

Day 7 Although I don‟t have much to say about this day it was the longest one. Our last meeting was in the hotel where we chatted a little but unfortunately we had a flight to catch. With tears on some of the faces we began our journey to our country – Bulgaria.

The 11th of April Monday After the long trip from Bourgas to Sofia we arrived at the airport. Soon we got on the plane for Warsaw. The flight went well and after less than two hours we arrived at “Frederik Chopin” airport. Mrs. Jarocka was waiting for us there. From there we took off for the school of our hosts. The path to it wasn‟t long but it took long time because of the traffic. In the school we met with our hosts and introduced ourselves. Everybody was really friendly from the beginning. From the school everybody went to his host‟ I was accommodated at Lukasz‟s home who choose to accommodate me at his uncle‟s house. It was in an outskirt town called Zabki. Another Polish boy, Matyek, lived there too. He was host to one of the Spanish, Jorge.

We left our luggage in the house and went to a pizzeria not far from there. There we had a great time and managed to get acquainted with our hosts. After that we went back by bus. I was tired from the travelling so I went straight to bed.

The 12th of April Tuesday We got up and after a quick breakfast we met Matyek and Jorge. Then we took a bus to the school. There we met the rest of the group and started the sightseeing tour around the school.

We visited the conference hall, where the headmaster of the school delivered a speech, many of the rooms, in one of which we saw the main attraction- a driving simulator, and the garages, where the students practiced their mechanic skills. Then we went to Arkadia – the biggest shopping center in Europe. There we had free time. After that the time for the paintball finally came. It was very entertaining for everybody, especially for the ones that had never tried it before. Of course the Polish team won but that didn‟t matter. Everyone had great 110

time and this is what was important. Then we went to another enormous Mall but we didn‟t spend much time there. We got home late in the evening and we went to bed.

The 13th of April Wednesday We woke up early again to get to the school, where a bus was waiting for us. We traveled for a long time but no one was bored as the atmosphere in the back of the bus, where the students were sitting, was very cheerful. First of all we stopped at the Motoring museum in Wola.

There we saw an incredible collection of vehicles but we were most impressed by the two tanks at the entrance. After a big amount of photos taken we went back in the bus to travel to Chopin‟s court, which personally I liked very much. After that we went to restaurant Chopin.

The dishes there were traditional but not everyone liked them. However everyone enjoyed the dessert. From there we went to the forest, where we had a bonfire organized. Firstly we made a tour around the forest traveling on horse carriages. Then we went to the fire where we roasted sausages and drank tea. After we finished eating we started singing songs. Every group sang some traditional national songs. The atmosphere was really cheerful once again and everyone had great time. When we got back in Warsaw the group split up. The four of us, me Lukasz, Matyek and Jorge went to Zabki because we had a long way. When we got there we went straight to bed because we had to get up early in the morning

The 14th of April Thursday That day we got up really early because of the early meeting infront of the school. When we arrived there was a bus waiting for us to take us to the Warsaw Uprising Museum. There was a guide who was telling us about the buildings we were passing. We arrived. The thing I noticed first was the Wall of Death where the names of some of the people who died in the Uprising. We spent about an hour but it wasn‟t long enough to see everything. There were some really interesting specimen, many pictures and monitors showing short films about the Uprising. There was also a small cinema where we saw a film about the days after the bombing. After we exited the museum we went to the old part of the city. After we took some pictures we entered the Royal Palace. There was a guide who walked us through the museum in the palace. Most of us enjoyed ourselves and showed interest in the history of Poland.

When we leaved the palace we spent our free time to see more of the sights in the Old part.

Then the whole group gathered and we continued our trip with the guide. We saw the Marie Curie house, the Supreme Court and the monument showing the place of the Jewish ghetto.

Then the bus took us Chopin‟s park where we took a picture of the whole group. From there we went to the Palace of Culture and Science - the highest building in the city. We went to the 30th floor were we saw an incredible scenery. When we went down we took the bus for the last time to go to the restaurant where we had or goodbye dinner. Not only the delicious dinner but we enjoyed also the traditional Polish folk dances that were organized. There were also some interesting competitive games. At some moment of the dinner the moment for receiving certificates came. Everybody took his. Everybody had a great evening. After the dinner we went home.

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The 15th of April Friday That day we got up earlier than in the other days- about five o‟clock in the morning. After breakfast we went to the school where our meeting was. From there we took a tram to go to the Catering school which was in the city centre. First of all we saw a little play about Easter.

Then we started to make some traditional Easter dishes while the students in the school were helping us. Then we tried the appetizers. There we said goodbye to our friends from Spain.

When they left we went to the school restaurant where we had our lunch. When we finished our meals we went to one of the many shopping centres where we played bowling. We played on teams. In the first time we were all the Bulgarian students and in the other the teachers from Italy and Greece. We had great fun and we couldn‟t find a winner. After the bowling we went to another Mall. There we watched a 5D movie. Despite having a 5D cinema in Bourgas we enjoyed it. Then we parted from the teachers and stayed at the Mall to do some shopping .

There we found an interesting football game with robots. We thought it was really interesting so we spent a big part of the evening on it. Then we went back home.

The 16th of April Saturday That day we had more time to sleep. We with Lukasz traveled to Pavel‟s house to meet him and Evgeni. Then we went to the teacher‟s hotel where we joined the teachers. The Polish parted from us to go to theirs school. We travelled to the Wilanow district. There everything was incredible. First of all we entered the magnificent palace. Many people say it is the Polish Versailles. There was a big museum inside it. We spent several hours to get through it. When we left it we were already late so we didn‟t have time to see the famous Wilanow gardens.

However we went on the place of our meeting- the Golden Terraces Mall. Our hosts were waiting for us there. We had lunch and then we went to the many shops around. We also went to the famous Hard Rock café where Evgeni wanted to go from the beginning. Our walk lasted few more hours. We went to another shopping centre and it was time to go home because we had to pack our luggage. We went back earlier than normal. We had dinner and we talked with Lukasz. We talked mostly for football. Then we watched a football match with his cousins. I packed my luggage and went to sleep.

The 17th of April Sunday The last day of our meeting came. After breakfast Lukasz‟s uncle gave us a lift to the Sobieski hotel. While we were waiting everybody to come Stoyan‟s host Marius showed us his rally car. He was talking a lot about it so we were very interested to see it. After we took a look at it Marius offered us to take a ride with it. We accepted at the moment. There was only one passenger seat so we took turns. In the end we were very happy and amazed by his driving.

We wanted to continue with the test drive but there was no time so we fast went to the hotel.

We said goodbye and promised to our hosts to meet again in the future. We entered the minibus that was organized for us. We waved to the our Polish friends until we left. After a moment we saw Marius‟s car driving past us. He came with us to the airport and he was waving all the time. When we reached the airport he hit the horn of his car and left. From then on nothing really interesting happened. We waited for our flight and flew to Bulgaria. When we landed at the Sofia airport there was another minibus that took us to the bus station. While we were travelling we noticed the differences between the scene in Bulgaria and the one in 112

Poland. However no one said anything about it because we didn‟t want to spoil our mood.

After a short wait we went on the bus and travelled to Bourgas. During the trip we mentioned some of the great moments we had during the meeting and we laughed. After the long trip we arrived at Bourgas . Our parents were waiting for us and we back home. The meeting in Poland will be a lifelong memory for me.

11th April I got up early and went to the bus station where a bus was waiting to take us to Sofia. After a 5 hour trip with only two stops in between we arrived at the central bus station of the capital.

Then we got on a bus which took us to the airport from where after an hour or so we departed for Warsaw. When we arrived it was raining and Janina was waiting for us with a van which took us to their school. There we met the Spanish group and discussed what we were going to do the next few days. After that everyone went to their hosts‟ homes. I settle in the room which was prepared for me and had dinner with Mariusz‟s family. Then we went to a pizzeria with the others where we ate again and finally we went home to sleep.

12th April The next morning I got up early, had breakfast and went with Mariusz to the school. There the teachers showed us around and we met their principle. After that we went to Arkadia which is one of the biggest malls in Warsaw but we didn‟t stay there long so we didn‟t have that much time to look around. Then we went home, had dinner and went to bed.

13th April The third day started out with the usual getting up early and having breakfast. Then we went to the hotel to meet up with the teachers. After they were finished with their breakfast we got on a coach and went to the Museum of Motorization. We looked around the old cars and the remaining vehicles from World War II and went on our way to the house of the greatest composer in Polish history – Chopin. The museum definitely left an impression with its beautiful gardens which we didn‟t have a lot of time to look around but still managed to take a few pictures. After that we went to have lunch in a restaurant where we tried some traditional Polish dishes. Then we went to the clearing where the bonfire was supposed to be but before that we had an open carriage ride around the forest. At the bonfire we sang and ate and had a lot of fun until it started raining and we had to head back to Warsaw. We were really tire when we finally arrived home so we went straight to bed.

14th April The next day we went to the World War II museum where we saw a full size replica of a German bomber and watched a short 3D about what Warsaw looked like after the 113

bombardment. Then we went to the palace in the Old City of Warsaw where we had a tour guide show us around. After that we had some free time in the Old City and most of us went to eat outside. Then we joined up with the teachers and on our way to the bus we passed by the Supreme Court. With the bus we went to the highest building in Warsaw where we climbed to the very top and took some pictures. Then we were off to dinner with the teachers where we were given certificates for the project, saw some traditional Polish dances and played a few games. After dinner we went straight home and to bed.

15th April In the morning we gathered at their school and went to the local catering school. There we had to help prepare the food for the degustation. After we were done we had to say goodbye to our Spanish friends because they had a flight to catch. After that we had lunch at the schoolâ€&#x;s mess hall and some free time before we went to the bowling which was on the other side of the city so we had to travel for at least an hour. When we got there we played some bowling and other arcade games. Then it was time to go to the 5D cinema. After the cinema everyone went home.

16th April In the morning we had a meeting at the hotel. We were going to go to Wilanow palace but our hosts couldnâ€&#x;t come because their teacher wanted them back at the school. We took a lot of pictures at the palace and then we went to the Golden Terraces Mall where we had lunch at and Italian restaurant. After that me and Mariusz went to a motorbike festival and then he took me to a lake with his race car. Then his father gave me a ride back to Warsaw with his Porsche. After dinner Mariusz took me to the mall so I can buy presents for my parents and my friends.

17th April We got up early in the morning and went to the hotel. We waited there for a cab from the hotel to take us to the airport. After landing in Sofia we had to make our way to the bus station but when we got there we had to wait for the second bus because the earliest one didnâ€&#x;t have enough free places for all of us. After a 6 hour trip in the bus we finally got to Burgas late in the night.

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Day 1 05.02.2011 We arrived at Madrid airport before noon. Settling in the hotel, then we went out to explore the city. We caught pan pickups and toured part of Madrid with it. After little more than an hour we descended from pickups and entered the Prado palace.

After the tour we headed back to the city centre, where we had free time.

Day2 06.02.2011 We woke up early to catch the train to Toledo. Almost all day we were there, in the ancient capital of Madrid. We visited the cathedral of the city and saw the most important of its attractions. We visited the museum of armour, then we went back to Madrid .There we had free time until evening.

Day3 07.02.2011 In the morning we walked around the centre of Madrid. It was our last day there.

Around noon we got on the airplane to Valencia. At the airport there greeted us our hosts. They picked us up in Algemesi where we spent our first night together.

Day4 08.02.2011 The next morning we and our hosts went to school. We spent an hour in their classes.

Then the headmaster leaded us to look around the school. Later we went for a walk in Algemesi. We visited the city cathedral. Then we had to visit the mayor in the municipality. We went for lunch. Later we went to a factory for oranges, where we had the opportunity to see the technique for sorting oranges. In the evening we went back home and had dinner with our hosts.

Day5 09.02.2011 In the morning we caught the train to Valencia. There examined the main attractions in the city center. We had lunch at a restaurant in the city center. Then we continued our tour of the attractions in Valencia. We had free time to browse the city and walk around the centre. Later we went back to Algemesi, where our hosts waited for us. We had free time with them in the city. In the evening we went back to our hosting families houses.

Day6 09.02.2011 On the sixth day we were again in Valencia. We visited the largest aquarium in Europe. We had a show with dolphins and browsed the aquarium almost all day.

Then we had free time for shopping in the shopping centre near the aquarium. Bus brought us back to Algemesi where we had some free time to get ready for the

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COMENIUS PARTNERSHIP Diary of everything happened in the Project VISIT in Algemesi, Spain

From 4th to 14th February 2011 DAY

MORNING

AFTERNOON

th

Friday 4

Saturday 5th

We caught our plane for Madrid

Landed in Madrid safely and went for a walk in the city. Going to different museums .

We were hanging out in Toledo saw a lot of interesting places and a huge Cathedral.

Sunday 6th

We got up early and caught a train for Toledo.

Monday 7th

We got up and went shopping and hanging out.

We left for the airport to catch our Plane for Valencia.

Tuesday 8th

We got up at 8 o’clock and went to school with Danny.

Wednesday 9th

We had to get up early in the morning in order to get to the school

We had a tour in the school in Algemesi and after that we had a look of one of the biggest “Naranjas” factory. And after that we went to the City Hall.

We took the train for Valencia where we enjoyed our staying. We saw a beautiful

EVENING

NIGHT

We left for Sofia with a bus.

We were very tired from our walking and fell asleep.

Returned to Madrid and had free time for shopping and looking the city centre.

Arrived in Valencia safe and sound and going in the family houses.

We went out for a walk with Ruben and Anny where we had a lot of funny moments.

Went to an Irish bar to have some fun with the colleagues.

After all we returned in Algemesi with the train.

In the evening I told the family about my day.

I had a lot of talks with the family.

We went back home and dinner with the family after which we had a lot of talks about Bulgaria and Spain.

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on time.

We had our breakfast and our sandwiches and went to school.

Thursday 10th

We had to get up early in the morning in order to get to the school on time.

We had our breakfast and our sandwiches and went to school.

Friday 11th

Saturday 12th

We got up at 9 o’clock and went in a local museum after which we went in Valencia where we stayed in the train station in waiting for our train for Barcelona Got up at 9 o’clock and went to a conference with out teachers.

Then decided to go to Nou Camp.

buildings and a lot of museums.

We arrived in Valencia with a bus where we visited the biggest aquarium in Europe. We spent our whole day in the Oceanografic.

In the evening we had a dinner with the family and after that we took a lot of pictures of ourselves.

We arrived in Barcelona and had a quick look of the city centre.

We had a dinner in a fast food restaurant and went to sleep.

In the early afternoon we had a quick nap and preparing for shopping therapy.

We had a dinner in a fast food restaurant and got back home.

Went to an Irish bar to have some fun with the colleagues.

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Sunday 13th

Got up at 9 o’clock and went to a conference with out teachers.

After which we decided to go to Sagrada Familia.

We prefered to sit at a coffee and had some fun.

After which went to the see and packed our luggage.

In 7 o’clock we flew off Barcelona and arrived in Sofia’s airport.

Took a minibus to Burgas and arrived in 5:30 in our school.

Unfortunately that’s the end of the whole story

Saturday 09.10.2010 In the morning we gathered at school and left for Pomorie , where we picked up the foreign teachers.After we picked them up from the hotel we went in Medovo.We walked around the ethnographic complex.We had lunch in the restaurant, where we enjoyed a special performance including traditional Bulgarian songs and dances.We all joined the traditional Bulgarian ring dance.Everyone liked the performance especially our guests.After the lunch we went to Nessebar , where we visited the museum and walked around the ancient city.We had some free time and after that we went back home.

Sunday 10.10.2010 In the morning we gathered at school and then we drove off for Ropotamo River.There we had a boat trip along the river.After that we had a lunch in a cosy restaurant on the river cost.We went to Sozpol.We visited the museum of Sozopol and the South Wall.After that we visited the “St.george” church.We had free time for walk and photos .After thet we went back in Burgas.At 7 o`clock we tool the meals at school and prepared the tables.The Hawaiian party started at 8 o`clock.The guests tried the traditional Bulgarian meals and they liked them a lot.The evening continued with dancing and partying until 10 o`clock.After thet we went back home.

Monday 11.10.2010 On Monday we were at school with the guests.During the break we all had meeting in the staff room.All of the foreign teachers made speeches.They were thankfull for the hospitality and the perfect organization.

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Tuesday 12.10.2010 We left for Etara in the morning.We walked around the craft complex where had a special lecture.After that we had lunch in the restaurant in the complex.Then we went to Veliko Tarnovo , where we visited Tzarevetz.We had free time and then we went to Arbanasi.There we ahd a break and after that we went to the hotel.We had a dinned and after that we were at the party in the hotel`s lobby bar.

Wednesday 13.10.2010 We went to Sofia airport in the morning where we lwft the groups from Italy and Pland.After that we spent 3 hours in one of the malls in Sofia.We had lunch , went shopping and had a lot of fun together in the Playground.Then we said “Goodbye” to the group from Greece and went back to Burgas.

COMENIUS PARTNERSHIP Diary of everything happened in the Project VISIT in Bourgas, Bulgaria

From 7th to 13th October 2010 DAY

MORNING

AFTERNOON

Thursday 7th

Friday 8th

Saturday 9th

7.30 – we had breakfast and went to school and everybody get acquainted with Bartlomiej.

9.00 – we had breakfast and a cup of tea.

We had lunch at home and after that we visited a few museums in Bourgas.

After that we went to the Mall of Burgas and had a lot of fun there.

Left fot Nesebar , an over 30 centuries old city, included in the

EVENING

NIGHT

Dinner with my family.

Exchanging some presents.

Dinner with my family and talking a lot about both Bulgaria and Poland.

Went out for a walk in my neighbourhood.

Dinner with my family and listening to some

Went out to a caraoke, had a lot of singing, laughing and dancing.

Went out to play billiards and some darts.

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Sunday 10th

After that we went to school and left for Medovo - walk around ethnographic complex and had lunch.

8.00 – we had breakfast and some juice.

After that we went to the meeting point in school and left for Ropotamo river where we had boat trip along the river.

Monday 11th We had breakfast after that went to school where Bartlomiej saw my classmates for last time and took some pictures with them.

Tuesday 12th

We had to get up early in the

UNESCO list of the World Heritage.

Sightseeing, walk around with a guide.

Free time We had lunch for all by the river for a couple of hours.

Then we left for Sozopol – a 2620 year – old town.

Sightseeing,walk around,visit to the church and the museum after that we had free time.

We went back to my home and had lunch after which we went to the Town Hall.

After the visit we went to the sea garden took some pictures and walked around.

And got back home.

We went to the Etara had a tour

music.

17.00 - 19.00 preparation for the party settling up the audio system and all the stuffs about the party.

We had Farewell dinner with Bartlomiej in a restaurant and my family had their last chance to ask him something.

Spain and their hosting

After that went to a cocktail-bar and spent a great time together and catch some beautiful moments with the camera.

19.00-Traditional food contest at the school attended with traditional Bulgarian music.

20.00 – disco for the guests and the students in the school gym with free snacks and soft drinks.

After that went to a coffee and had some conversations.

Everybody talked about himself and there were a lot of questions for everyone. However, when we went back to homes we were satisfied and delighted.

After the dinner we went to a coffee with almost all part of the group and the guests gave an account of their staying in Bourgas.

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morning in order to get to the school on time.

We had our breakfast and our sandwiches and went to school.

Wednesday 13th

After breakfast we departured for Sofia where Italy and Poland departured by plane for their homes.

in the complex with a guide and after the lecture we went to have lunch.

After that we departured for Veliko Tarnovo (the capital of the Second Bulgarian Kingdom) where we had a look at Tzarevetz.

Bulgaria and Greece went sightseeing Sofia (the present capital of Bulgaria).

students departured by minibus to Burgas.

Poland,Greec e,Bulgaria and Italy went sightseeing and walk around Arbanasi.

At 21.30 we arrived at Burgas safe and sound but very exhausted.

our hotel in Arbanasi.

After that we had dinner and from 21.00 to 23.00 we were dancing in the hotel’s disco.

Everybody had a dinner and went to sleep and refresh their powers.

And after 3 hours the guests from Greece leaved Bulgaria and we were back in the bus for Burgas.

Unfortunately that’s the end of the whole story Thursday 7th: At about 21:00h I, my sister and my father were waiting for Ines at airport “Burgas” along with other excited parents and students. When they came out of the terminal I was waiting with a self-made poster with her name. We met the girl and it was about time to go home, but first we had to drive one of the teachers to her hotel in Pomorie.

Since she realized that my father knows Italian they were talking all the way to the hotel.

When we got there we wished the teacher good night and went back home.

When we first got home I showed Ines all the rooms of our apartment. Asked her what she wants to eat and had dinner. After that she connected her mother on the internet and went to bed.

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Friday 8th: We got up about 6:00h and got ready for school, ate our breakfast & took our bags. My mother drove us to school with our family car. Spent 6 hours at school classes.

At 13:30h we were home again, eating lunch. Got ready, Salut and Liubliana got home so my mother drove all of us to one of the museums we were about to visit. All the foreign students and their teachers visited two museums in my town. Then we had free time so all the group went to the MALL of Burgas.

At 20:00h I and Ines were home again for dinner. Ate , she contacted her mother and went to bed.

Saturday 9th: At about 8:00h we got up, got ready for this day‟s little excursion. Went to Liubliana‟s home so her father could drive us to school, where we were waited by a buss.

For lunch we were in Medovo village where we all saw Bulgarian folklore dances and listened to traditional music. After that we had a little time to take a walk around, so we did It. Some of us bought sweets, so we were ready to go to Nessebar. We were there about 14:30h, visited an old church and again had a little free time. I and Liubliana took the Polish boys to the sea, because we had made promises earlier this day.

At about 19:00h we were back in Burgas. I and Ines got back home and got ready for tonight‟s party in the local karaoke club. We were there at 20:00h and the event began. We all were singing together and dancing, having fun.

At 22:00h we were back home, Ines connecting her parents and friends as usual, preparing for bed.

Sunday 10th: At about 8:00h we got up, got ready for this day‟s little excursion. Went to Liubliana‟s home so her father could drive us to school, where we were waited by a buss.

About 10:00h we were at the Ropotamo river. Preparing for a little boat trip. At 13:30h we had lunch at a restaurant by the river. Had great time with our new friends. At 14:30 we left for Sozopol – a 2620 year-old town. Visited the church and the museum there then we had a free time and took a walk.

At 18:00h I and Ines got home preparing for Traditional food contest at the school before other big school party- Hawaii Party. Salut and Liubliana got home and my mother drove us to school. I brought a big cookie cake to the contest. All of the guests were happy to try our traditional dishes.It was 20:00h and the second party was about to begin. A lot of music, dances and people merged into one. Great party.

At 22:00h we were back home, Ines connecting her parents and friends as usual, preparing for bed.

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Monday 11th: We got up about 6:00h and got ready for school, ate our breakfast & took our bags. My mother drove us to school with our family car. Survived in school .

At 13:30h we were home again, eating lunch. Got ready, Salut and Liubliana got home so my mother drove all of us to the center of the city. At 14:30h we had to visit the Town Hall where we received our certificate about taking part in the Comenius project.

After that we had free time so all the group went to the side sea garden. To the old Burgas‟ bridge, took a lot of photos there. Later I, Ines, Liubliana and Salut went to a coffee to have a hot chocolate or whatever we want. Two hours later we were back home preparing for bed.

Tuesday 12th: We got up about 6:00h and got ready for school, ate our breakfast & took our bags. My mother drove us to school with our family car. There was waiting a buss , which had to took us to Gabrovo and then to Veliko Tarnovo.

Etara is a working museum of old bulgarian trades. Some of them are still being practiced. It is located near the city of Gabrovo, north of the Balkan mountain. We had lunch in the near restaurant and got in the buss, which took us this time in Veliko Tarnovo. Tsarevets is a medieval stronghold located on a hill with the same name in Veliko Tarnovo in northern Bulgaria. It served as the Second Bulgarian Empire's primary fortress and strongest bulwark from 1185 to 1393, housing the royal and the patriarchal palaces, and is a popular tourist attraction.

After Tsarevets some of us which had a Spain guest had to go back in Burgas, so we said goodbye to the others of the group and took the buss. At 22:00h we were back home. Ines was connecting her mother and friends and I was making my bed, because we had to get up early the next day. We went to bed and fall asleep right away.

Wednesday 13th: I and Ines had to get up at 4:00h because her plane was leaving at 6:40h.Took her luggage and my father took us to the airport, where we waited for the other for 15 minutes. When it was about time to go we said goodbye. I left there waving for 5 minutes, till they were out of my sight, hoping I‟ll see them in future. Because when you make new friendship you have to keep it like it is the only one you have.

October 7 – Thursday Late at night, at 21:00, we arrived at the Burgas Airport to welcome the Spanish people. It was very cold and quiet and everything happened very quickly. We took the kids and went to Burgas. When we arrived home after a silent trip I helped Juan to unpack and we welcomed him with a big dinner. He was very tired from the long trip, so we went to bed immediately after dinner.

October 8 – Friday We woke up early and began to prepare for the first day of school. Again it was cold and it was difficult for Juan to get used to the climate. At 7:00 we were in the classroom and Juan 126

was meeting my classmates. The Spanish kids sat on one desk so that they don‟t get too bored. In Bulgarian class the teacher made us made us throw paper balls at each other and it was very fun. After school I took Juan to have lunch and went to the ethnographic museum.

Once done there we took them to exchange money and went to the Archeological Museum.

After all foreigners, including the teachers had visited museums we decided to take the children to the mall. There we had dinner and came home very tired. We went to bed almost immediately after we came back because the next day we had a trip to Medovo.

October 9 – Saturday At 10:00 am we were on the bus and ready to go. First we went to Pomorie to get the teachers and then we went to Medovo. While traveling, some of the students read lectures on the various sites which we passed by. We arrived in Medovo and entered the restaurant. While having lunch there was a performance with traditional Bulgarian dances and songs, and then we had some free time to walk around the complex. We departed for Nessebar. There we entered the museum in the Old City and went to one of the many ancient churches there. Then we had free time which we used to have a walk to the sea. Most of the time groups were separate because the Spanish kids preferred to travel with their teachers. After about an hour we gathered and departed for Burgas. At 20:00 we had a Karaoke where we had a lot of fun although not many people decided to sing. At 22:30 we went back home awfully tired and went to bed quickly because we had to get up early the next day.

October 10 – Sunday At 10:00 am we were already on the bus and ready to depart for Ropotamo and Sozopol.

When we arrived at the Ropotamo River most of us got on the boat for a boat trip down the river but some remained in the restaurant, where we were also going to go after the trip. After lunch we went to Sozopol where we visited the museum “Fortress Wall and Tower” and we had a walk around the city. Meanwhile in Burgas the gym was being prepared for the tasting of traditional Bulgarian dishes and the Hawaiian party. When we came back to Burgas we had some time to take a breath and then went to the Hawaiian party where everyone was carrying something for degustation. Many of the guests liked the party and remained in the gym the whole time. In 22:00 everything was over and we started to clean the gym. We again went home very tired and immediately went to bed.

October 11 – Monday We woke up very early in the morning because we had to go to school again. School was normal and nothing interesting happened. Once done, we went to eat and in 14:00 we went to the municipality where we met the deputy Mayor of Burgas. After the meeting we had free time that we used to visit the seaside and the bridge and then we went to the mall again where we had dinner and then came home and went straight to bed.

October 12 – Tuesday At 6:00 we were in front of the school and we were waiting to go to Etara and Tsarevets. The Spanish kids and their hosts were in a small minibus because we would return to Burgas the same day and everyone else was in a big bus. We had a long trip stopping only in Shipka before we entered the pass. While waiting to go some of the people went to see the monumental church. We went through the pass fairly quickly and went to Etara. There we looked at the old houses and shops, we bought sweets from pastry shop and then we went to the restaurant where we were going to have lunch. After lunch we left for Veliko Tarnovo and Tsarevets. When we arrived there we visited the fortress and went back down where we, the other Spanish kids and their hosts got into the minibus and departed for Burgas while the others went to Arbanassi, where they would sleep. We arrived in Burgas in the dark and very 127

tired. We went home, had dinner and went to bed as soon as we could because WE had to get up at 5:00 in the morning to drive the kids at the airport.

October 13 – Wednesday We woke up at 5:00 but getting ready was very difficult because we had hardly slept. We left for the airport but when we arrived we were one of the first people there. After about 15 minutes almost everyone was there and the Spanish people were checking in their luggage.

We took a few photos and we sent them away.

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РЕЧНИК ( DICTIONARY) Български

полски

Да Не Благодаря Благодаря ви много Моля Ако обичате Извинете Здрасти Довиждане Доскоро Добро утро Добър ден Добър вечер Лека нощ Не разбирам

tak nie dzie, kuje serdecznie dzie,kuje nie ma za co, Prosze prosze przepraszam adios do widzenia na razie dzien' dobry dzien' dobry dobry wieczor dobranoc nie rozumiem

Как ще кажеш това на български Говориш ли... Английски Френски Немски Испански Китайски аз ние ти вие те как се казваш

jak to sie, mowi po [polsku] czy mowi pan po angielsku po francusku po niemiecku po hiszpan'sku po chin'sku my ty pan wy oni jak masz na imie

приятно ми е

mil/o mi cie, Pana Pania, poznac' jak sie, masz? dobrze zle tak sobie zona maz corka syn matka ojciec gdzie jest toaleta?

как си добре зле/лошо горе-долу съпруга съпруг дъщеря син майка баща къде е тоалетната

испански

италиански

гръцки

si no gracias muchos gracias de nada por favor disculpeme hola adios hasta luego buenos dias buenas tardes buenas noches no entiendo ¿Cómo se dice esto en [Español]? habla usted

si no grazie grazie mille prego per favore mi scusi salve, ciao arrivederci addio buon giorno buon pomeriggio buona sera buona notte non capisco

ingles frances aleman espanol chino yo nosotros tu usted ustedes ellos como se llama usted? encantado de conocerle como estas? bien mal mas o menos la esposo la hija el hijo la madre el padre el amigo donde esta el bano

parla inglese francese tedesco spagnolo cinese io noi tu lei essi come ti chiami?

nai ohi efharisto efharisto poli parakalo parakalo signo'mi gia'sou andi'o sas gia' hara' kalimera kalomesimeri kalispera kalinihta den katalaveno pos to leta sta mila'te agglika gallika germanika ispanika kinezika ego emis esi esis afti pos se lene

piacere

hero poli

come sta buono cattivo cosi cosi moglie marito figla figlo madre padre dove e il bagno

ti kanete kala ashima etsi ke etsi I sizigos o sizigos I kori o gios mitera pateras pu ine I tualeta

come si dice questo in

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