March 20th 

The first impression of a place is not always honest.

As I travelled by train, the experience was quite rich, full of spontaneity and uncertainty, as it was not fully planned. I took the train from Bucharest in the morning and crossed the border through Ruse around noon. I decided to stay two nights in Ruse to see the city and to taste the Bulgarian spirit gradually.

The city is situated on the right bank of the Danube River and its eclectic architecture is quite beautiful. Behind the monumentality of the buildings in the city centre, you can find little areas which are more intimate and picturesque- excepting the communist insertions in the urban tissue.

At first sight, Ruse is a representation of a place where different layers of the past beautifully managed to coexist.  As so, the lived experience of the city becomes very rich.

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March 22nd

At six o’clock in the morning, I was already on the train to Stara Zagora. I shared some stories and the little piece of chocolate that I  had with a man that helped me with the luggage. We continued to talk for the next few hours until we reached Gorna Oryahovitsa, his last stop.

The snow outside and the Balkan Mountains together created beautiful landscapes all the way to Stara Zagora.

Around one I arrived in Kazanlak, the centre of Bulgaria, the place from where you can reach, in no more than two hours, the mountains and the sea.

Kazanlak becomes now my home for the next 10 months. Months in which I will work as a volunteer with the YDCMA organization, I will document the beautiful places of Bulgaria, help with the Eco Festival and collaborate with the museums of Kazanlak.

Iulya Tudosie