Tayrona Natıonal Park South America’s

Our final destination is Tayrona National Park, also on the

Caribbean coast – and getting there is an adventure in itself! After a

four-hour drive to Santa Marta and a quick change from local bus to private

transfer, we’re driven another hour and a half to the entrance of Tayrona.

We’re dropped as far as the van is permitted; at a dusty horse station. Now we

have a 45min walk through the bush to get to Arrecifes beach. For 17,000

Colombian Pesos (approx. $9 AUD) we hire a horse to take our big bags. The bags

are put into sacks and we’re pointed in the direction of the trail. The path is

well worn and we pass other walkers with varying accents – one of whom appears

on a ridge above us and warns of a pack of horses bearing down on us!

We quickly climb up off the path and sure enough, a porter

and five or six horses appear, moving at substantial pace along the narrow

trail. A tourist is sitting atop a horse so it would appear walking is optional

(for a price). We enjoy the hike, although even in the shade of the forest it’s

still very humid. The trail is not flat and thus challenging, but it’s scenic

and peaceful and the effort heightens the anticipation of arrival.

We make it to Arrecifes without our horse catching up, so we

can only assume (and hope!) he’ll appear with our bags in due time. We’re shown

to our bungalow and the sight of a large hammock on the porch makes me very

happy. The spacious 2-storey hut promises a relaxing end to the trip (…and our

bags do eventually arrive).

We walk to the beach, passing a colourful juice bar and

campsite for tents, and it’s quite a sight, surrounded by mountains, forest and

towering palm trees. However the waves are formidable and warning signs

indicate that it’s not safe for swimming, so we study our map and discover that

further down the beach, disguised by huge rocks, is a safe little cove.

The sun is setting so we head back to our bungalow, with

plans for a morning swim. We enjoy a delicious dinner at the on-site restaurant

(three courses, no less) and the next couple of days pass in a contented blur

of sleep-ins, hammocks reading, good food, walks along the beach and swims in

the cove, which has a bar and a couple of cute juice and ceviche stands.

All too soon it’s time to book a horse, saddle up the

backpacks and hike on out of there. 

Tayrona National Park is stunningly beautiful, peaceful and remote; a

perfect end to our Colombian adventure. We’re picked up by the van and driven

to Santa Marta airport, where we fly back to Lima. Colombia is a fabulous

country of diverse landscapes and charming people; it’s South America’s

best-kept secret… go before everyone else catches on!

VIENNA COFFEE HOUSE TRADITION

An ancient, still popular Vienna coffee house tradition known far beyond Austria’s borders dictates that the honoured guest of the establishment should always, and automatically, be served a small glass of water on the small silver tray beside his or her melange, kleiner Brauner or grofier Schwarzer.

This glass of water should not just be free of charge, of course. It should also be replaced with a fresh one the moment it has been imbibed by the guest, certainly in those coffee houses which keep to the old coffee house traditions, even if the guest has since ordered another coffee. And in really, really good coffee houses, this water will, should need be, continue to be served all afternoon, as the guest reads one newspaper after another or chats away to other customers.

And this is why the struggle over the price of water in Viennese guesthouses has become not so much a question of profitability and commerce as a true cultural battle. In Vienna, that small glass of water is a symbol of hospitality. An outmoded, almost anticapitalistic, egalitarian expression of the idea that, even if you are not blessed with a bulging wallet and can only afford the smallest of small black coffees today, you remain as welcome at a Viennese coffee house as a better-off guest.

Real coffee house

The coffee house, after all, is supposed to be a place to bring all in the community together, young and old, rich and poor. This water symbolises the idea that a real coffee house is more than just a gastronomic business oriented to nought but profit; rather, it is a communal meeting place, a place to be together. And it is a nonchalant nicety, because such a glass of water, which comes out of the tap and so has to be paid for by the coffee house owner through his rates whether served to customers or not, might just as well be served to a thirsty guest as used to wash the dishes.

Which is why it is really, really getting up the noses of the people of Vienna that simply because they have poured it into a small glass and put it on the guest’s table, some restaurateurs are now demanding money for a product they will quite happily waste by leaving their dishwashers on, and gallons of which they pour on their floors. In Vienna, that just isn’t on. The Viennese don’t like it. The only ones who buy it are tourists who are used to nothing else. In Vienna, however, it is not normal -and hopefully never will be.

Source: https://tour.ephesusday.com/vienna-coffee-house-tradition/

Myanmar Vietnam Indoesia

Spanning few

countries, thousands of islands, and hundreds of traditional cultures and

unique natural wonders, the region of Southeast Asia could take a lifetime to

fully explore. These few destinations each offer something different for the

most discerning travellers.

Bagan, Myanmar

Move over, Angkor Wat. While the ancient Khmer ruins are

undeniably beautiful, the towering Buddhist monuments of Bagan retain a rare

magic unsullied by droves of tour groups. Some 10,000 Buddhist temples,

pagodas, and monasteries sweep across a 42 square kilometre desert-like plain

encircled by the misty Bago Yoma mountain range in the distance. Each of the

structures were built nearly a century ago – between the years 1057 and 1287, at

which point the kingdom fell to invading Mongols – and have been since restored

and protected by Unesco.

Today, the best way to experience this step back in time is

by renting a bicycle or one of Bagans signature electric bicycles to tour the

enormous grounds at your own pace, joined only by passing tourists on their own

routes, groundskeepers and local villagers going about their day, and the

occasional monk.

Sa Pa, Vietnam

High in the Hoang Lien Son mountains of Northern Vietnam is

the remote village of Sa Pa, itself more reminiscent of the South Asian

trekking hotspots than of regional jungles and beaches. Aside from the

breathtaking beauty of the highlands, the culture that has developed over time

in the Lao Chai Province of Vietnam is unlike the rest of the country, home to

several ethnic tribal groups that settled in the region generations ago and

have since established their autonomous identities after decades of strife

among Vietnamese independence fighters and French imperialists. Today, Sa Pa’s grandest

attraction is its crowning peak,

Fan Si Pan – the highest mountain in Vietnam at 3,143 meters

above sea level. For the casual hiker, however, Haong Lien National Park offers

the picturesque mountain landscape sprinkled with valleys of terraced rice

paddies, and a unique forest ecosystem home to several endangered species and

small tribal villages.

Kuta Lombok, Indonesia

Not to be confused with Kuta Bali, this quiet little surfing

town has all the beachy vibes and coastal charm of its Balinese cousin, but

without the heavy commercialisation and curated tourism industry – at least for

now. Instead the area still retains its legacy as a fishing village, rather

uninterrupted by any uptick in tourism, but has designed itself nicely to

adjust to accommodating its small numbers of visitors.

Surfers of all levels will find it hard to move on from this

world-class destination, with several hotspots offering surf cresting toward

stunning white sand or volcanic rock beaches. Kuta’s coast also is a great

jumping off point to explore deeper into Southern Lombok and nearby Sumbawa. Coron,

Five sous he had his hair curled

They assumed, however, an air of great dignity on those days when a newcomer was brought in among them, at first entertaining him gravely as a citizen, but on the morrow using him with affectionate familiarity and calling him by his nickname. Great words were used there: Corporation, Responsibility, and phrases quite unintelligible to Jean Francis such as this, for example, which he once heard imperiously put forth by a frightful little hunchback who blotted some writing-paper every night:

“It is done. This is the composition of the Cabinet: Raymond, the Bureau of Public Instruction; Martial, the Interior; and for Foreign Affairs, myself.”

Fashion of cockchafers

His time done, he wandered again around Paris, watched afar by the police, after the fashion of cock chafers, made by cruel children to fly at the end of a string. He became one of those fugitive and timid beings whom the law, with a sort of coquetry, arrests and releases by turn—something like those platonic fishers who, in order that they may not exhaust their fish-pond, throw immediately back into the water the fish which has just come out of the net.

Without a suspicion on his part that so much honor had been done to so sorry a subject, he had a special bundle of memoranda in the mysterious portfolios of the Rue de Jerusalem. His name was written in round hand on the gray paper of the cover, and the notes and reports, carefully classified, gave him his successive appellations: “Name, Leturc”; “the prisoner Leturc,” and, at last, “the criminal Leturc.”

He was two years out of prison, dining where he could, sleeping in night lodging-houses and sometimes in lime-kilns, and taking part with his fellows in interminable games of pitch-penny on the boulevards near the barriers. He wore a greasy cap on the back of his head, carpet slippers, and a short white blouse. When he had five sous he had his hair curled.

He danced at Constant’s at Montparnasse; bought for two sous to sell for four at the door of Bobino, the jack of hearts or the ace of clubs serving as a counter mark; sometimes opened the door of a carriage; led horses to the horse-market. From the lottery of all sorts of miserable employments he drew a goodly number. Who can say if the atmosphere of honor which one breathes as a soldier, if military discipline might not have saved him?

S: https://tour.ephesusday.com/the-substitute-part-3/

The guts of the Balkan Peninsula

Bulgaria occupies a territory of 111,000 sq.

kilometres, has a inhabitants of 9 million and is located within the coronary heart of the Balkan Peninsula. It’s a nation of roses, staunch

revolutionaries, well-known singers and dancers. Its

persons are well-known for his or her industriousness and hospitality.

A land of Historic

Civilizations

The Bulgarian state was based within the yr 681. Bulgaria just isn’t solely one of many oldest European states, but

in addition a land through which man has

appeared very early – some 150,000 years in the past.

Not removed from the town

of Stara Zagora, Central Bulgaria, the world’s oldest and

largest copper mines have been found. They had been exploited within the

late fifth and early 4th millennium B. C. Metallic instruments ensured a

labour productiveness which was 30 instances greater than that of

stone instruments, and their look

led to a veritable revolution within

the growth of human society. Moreover, beneficial weather conditions made attainable

the comparatively early look of animal husbandry and

plant-growing, which enriched the weight loss program

and made surer the existence of primitive man. Wheat was grown within the Balkans as early as the top

of the seventh millennium B. C. and it was from right here that it was unfold

to the remainder of Europe.

The nice climatic and materials

circumstances decided the looks on the territory of present-day Bulgaria of a few of the earliest civilizations in historical past. Just lately a

gold trove was unearthed close to the town of Varna, courting

from the top of the fifth

and early 4th millennium B. C. It’s a proof not solely of a excessive degree of growth of the crafts but in addition of a complicated

stage of social stratification. The clay tablets with written indicators on them discovered close to the city of Vratsa,

North-western Bulgaria, date again to roughly the identical interval.

You ask me in regards to the things

to do in Bulgaria? I can inform you a few of them. You’ll be able to

have enjoyable walks within the

nature, you can also make buddies,

get pleasure from adventurous excursions,

be taught historical past…

Shall I stick with it?

The Thracians had been the

primary inhabitants inhabiting the territory

of present-day Bulgaria, identified to science. Within the works of the traditional

Greek authors they’re described as a quite a few individuals, and

Thrace – as a land of abundance and merriment. Thrace was the place of birth of the legendary

musician Orpheus and of Spartacus, the chief of the

slaves’ rebellion which shook the Roman Empire early

in our period. Throughout the

previous few many years

Bulgarian archaeologists have unearthed imposing tombs with magnificent

frescoes, impregnable strongholds, workshops and beautiful

gold jewels and vessels.

After the seventh century B. C. a substantial variety of colonies

of the Greek poleis (city-states) had been based alongside the Thracian

Black Beach. They began

an animated commerce and cultural change with the hinterland, thus making

a second cultural layer on the present-day Bulgarian territory – of one other sensible historical civilization – that of the Greeks.

Photo safari Aladag Mountains

1 Timber give approach to daisies above 2,000 meters.

2 Delicate species of carnation might be discovered within the Hacer Forest environs.

We by no means hesitate when the invitation to affix a photograph safari in theAladag Mountains is obtainable yearly on the finish of July. Greater than making the summit, our objective is to get gorgeous pictures. The very best level to which we’ll climb is Yedigoller Highland at three,100 meters. With nationwide park standing since 1995, theAladag vary is residence to fox, lynx, wolf and bear. The vary lies primarily in Kayseri province, the remaining spreading into Nigde and Adana, and the area is flooded with 1000’s of nature buffs and mountaineers Turkish and international alike yearly.

From Kapuzbasi to Hacer

Our photograph safari begins at Kapuzbasi Falls close to the Kayseri city of Yahyali, the place a mighty river seems to have been minimize off by steep rocks. The rainbow created by one of many waterfalls dazzles the attention. A bit additional forward at Elif Falls, the move is rather less. In accordance with others, this cascade, the place the water falls from the next elevation, is used to function a mill. The native individuals come right here with sacks of wheat and depart with freshly floor flour. The world across the falls are a veritable nation fairground. Braziers are arrange alongside the banks of the icy stream, watermelons are chilled, and kids play fortunately.

It’s not straightforward to tear oneself away from this breathtaking sight. However the Aladag Mountains await us with all their surprises, and we nonetheless must climb a great thousand meters to achieve our night campsite. We hand our heavy gear over to muleteers ready for us simply exterior the village of Ulupmar and set off. On the primary leg, we take a nice highway that runs from from Hacer Forest to the campsite at Soguksu. Large cedars and colourful butterflies are our companions alongside the best way. In the direction of night the bushes skinny out and an impressive view spreads earlier than our eyes. The solar’s final rays stain the rugged mountain slopes myriad shades of gold and crimson, and we now respect even higher why the Ala (which means variegated) Mountains are so named.

Camping on the mountain

The tenting enjoyable begins when the solar goes down. Throughout us the mountains are utterly enveloped in darkness. Lined up aspect by aspect, our tents await us. Regardless of their heavy masses the mules have arrived far forward of us, and our camp mates have even lit a fireplace and made tea. We’re too drained to take one other step. Those that know the route say that tomorrow’s leg can be much more tough. I sigh inwardly and ask myself if I ought to flip again. Remembering that if all else fails I can at all times journey on the again of a mule, I calm down once more and drift off right into a restorative sleep within the overpowering silence of the good mountains…

The subsequent morning we’re up earlier than dawn. Right this moment we’re going to cross Hacer Go and climb precisely 1,400 meters. The primary two kilometers run over nearly flat floor terrain via fabulous vegetation. Then the valley regularly narrows and mountains appear to bear down on us from all sides. On the finish of the valley the vast majority of our group select a zigzag path over a steep slag heap. The others select a path on the south slope. Lastly the final bushes have been left behind and we’re left going through rocky terrain and the deep blue sky. The flowers peeking out from between the rocks are astonishingly good in colour. The snow and ice-covered areas that at the beginning appeared solely sporadic are regularly greater now.

An individual can’t assist however really feel awed by the splendor of nature. Finishing our exhausting climb close to sunset with our final shred of energy, we attain the Yedigoller (Seven Lakes). Like a large wall, the Direktas is mirrored within the waters of Buzul Gold, a glacier lake. Actually, the lakes massive and small within the environs quantity greater than seven. Already dozens of tents have been pitched on these lake-dotted highlands. After a deep sleep now we have breakfast and start our descent. Our path runs alongside the shores of quite a few lakes, every extra stunning than the final. After we attain our campsite on the fringe of the forest, we will resist shouting: “Farewell, Oh nice Aladag Mountains! ”

S: https://private.tourguideensar.com/photo-safari-aladag-mountains/

Latitude of motion exceeding

The Ministry, in a lot the identical means, possess a latitude of motion exceeding that accorded to their fellows in additional extremely organized societies. As long as they administer public affairs in such a means as to fulfill the Prince on one hand, and the mass of their fellow-countrymen on the opposite, they haven’t any nice want to bother themselves as as to whether their modes of administration are precisely in accordance with their constitutional powers.

They could, and do, affect the elections in a means which isn’t precisely constitutional; they might, and do, disregard at occasions the rights conceded by the constitution to all residents; they might, and do, sometimes administer public affairs in a high-handed and autocratic style; however of their case, as in that of the Prince, their energy of appearing arbitrarily is proscribed by the situation that this energy have to be employed in conformity with, or at any charge not in opposition to, the final sentiments of the nation.

Being of the identical class because the inhabitants whose affairs they direct, being imbued with the identical concepts, aspirations, and prejudices, they aren’t very prone to favour a coverage or undertake a measure flagrantly in opposition to common opinion. However, even when they have been so minded, I overlook how they may perform their objective. In all grave points they must take account of the feelings of the Sobranje and of the military; and these sentiments should, by the character of issues, be, as an nearly common rule, in accord with the need of the nation.

Parliamentary

establishments

The Sobranje, no matter its theoretical authority could also be, doesn’t as

but possess the complete powers of a constitutional Legislature. Parliamentary

establishments have been completely unknown in Bulgaria until a only a few

years in the past; and I fancy that, in so far as the Bulgarians, on the time

of their liberation, had any distinct thought of their very own as to the

correct features of a Parliament, that concept was primarily based upon their

expertise of the previous Turkish Meglis. In accordance with this expertise,

they’d naturally look upon Parliament as a physique designed, not a lot to

nominate or overthrow Ministries, and even to .take the initiative in laws,

however as one supposed to advise upon and watch over the final administration

of public affairs.

The issue is to get the electors

to vote

Besides within the giant cities little or no curiosity is taken in politics. To the nice mass of the voters it’s a matter of utter indifference who their representatives could also be.

The issue is to get the electors to vote in any respect; and within the majority of cases the representatives are nearly nominated by the Authorities of the day. The constituencies pay no consideration to the very fact whether or not their members do or don’t take any lively half within the debates. As long as no new taxes are imposed upon the staple trade of the nation, the peasants, I collect, are in ignorance as to what’s performed within the Sobranje, or as as to whether the Sobranje is or is just not in session.

If that is so, it’s simple to grasp why the nationwide Legislature has not hitherto assumed an significance corresponding with the facility it possesses or may possess. Nonetheless, as issues are, no Ministry may stay in workplace, supposing the Sobranje refused to vote the estimates, with out an overt violation of the Structure ; and, underneath current circumstances, neither the Prince nor the Ministry are probably even to dream of resorting to a step which could, and possibly would, furnish a pretext for international intervention.

The Long Exile

When he had gone about twenty-five miles, he stopped for the horses to be fed. AJcsionov rested awhile in the passage of the inn, then he stepped out into the porch, and, ordering a samovar to be heated, got out his guitar and began to play.

Fellow Merchant

Suddenly a troika drove up with tinkling bells and an official alighted, followed by two soldiers. He came to Aksionov and began to question him asking him who he was and whence he came. Aksionov answered him, fully, and said, “Won’t you have some tea with me?” But the official went on cross-questioning him and asking him, “Where did you spend last night? Were you alone, or with a fellow-merchant? Did you see the other merchant this morning? Why did you leave the inn before dawn?”

Aksionov wondered why he was asked all these questions, but he described all that had happened, and then added, “Why do you crossquestion me as if I were a thief or a robber? I am traveling on business of my own, and there is no need to question me.”

Then the official, calling the soldiers, said, “I am the police-officer of this district, and I question you because the merchant with whom you spent last night has been found with his throat cut. We must search your things.”

They entered the house. The soldiers and the police-officer unstrapped Aksionov’s luggage and searched it. Suddenly the officer drew a knife out of a bag, crying, “Whose knife is this?”

Aksionov looked, and seeing a blood-stained knife taken from his bag, he was frightened.

“How is it there is blood on this knife?”

Aksionov tried to answer, but could hardly utter a word, and only stammered: “I don’t know not mine.”

Then the police-officer said: “This morning the merchant was found in bed with his throat cut. You are the only person who could have done it. The house was locked from inside, and no one else was there. Here is this blood-stained knife in your bag, and your face and manner betray you! Tell me how you killed him, and how much money you stole?”

Aksionov swore he had not done it; that he had not seen the merchant after they had had tea together; that he had no money except eight thousand rubles of his own, and that the knife was not his. But his voice was broken, his face pale, and he trembled with fear as though he were guilty.

The Long Exile

Third of Stambours seven hills

On the third of Stambours seven hills stands the Mosque of Suleiman the Magnificent, all glorious without, as Santa Sophia is not, but disappointing within, despite its beautiful windows of jeweled glass from Persia, and the plaques of wonderful tiles which cover the wall on either side of the mihrab. Somber and dark, earth colored and gray, dark- green and gold, it has a poorly painted cupola and much plastered stone which is ugly.

But there is fascination in its old dimness, in its silence and desertion. More than once I was quite alone within it, and was able undisturbed to notice its chief internal beauty, the exquisite proportions which trick you at first into believing it to be much smaller than it is.

When seen from without it looks colossal. It is splendid and imposing, but it is much more, for it has a curiously fantastic, and indeed almost whimsical charm, as if its builder, Sinan, had been a playful genius, full of gaiety and exuberance of spirit, who made this great mosque with joy and with lightness of heart, but who never forgot for a moment his science, and who could not be vulgar even in his most animated moments of invention.

Massiveness and grace are blended together in this beautiful exterior. Round the central dome multi-tudes of small domes airy bubbles thrown up on the surface of the mosque are grouped with delightful fantasy. Four minarets, the two farthest from the mosque smaller than their brethren, soar above the trees. They are gray, and the walls of the mosque are gray and white. In the forecourt there is a fine fountain covered with a cupola; the roof of the cloisters which surround it is broken up into twenty-four little domes. A garden lies behind the mosque, and the great outer court is planted with trees.

Suleiman the Magnificent and of Roxalana

In the garden are the turbehs, or tombs, of

Suleiman the Magnificent and of Roxalana, “the joyous one,” that strange

captive from Russia, who by her charm and the power of her temperament subdued

a nation’s ruler, who shared the throne of the sultan, who guided his feet in

the ways of crime, and who to the day of her death was adored by him. For Rox-

alana’s sake, Suleiman murdered his eldest son by another wife, and crept out

from behind a curtain to look upon him dead; and for Roxalana’s sake that son’s

son was stabbed to death in his mother’s arms. Now the fatal woman sleeps in a

great octagonal marble tomb near the tomb of her lord and slave.

Alanya Turquoise Blue

Alanya Turquoise Blue meets autumns entirely different experience…The average air temperature never falls below 19°C here in this town blessed with sunshine 300 days of the year. What’s more, getting there is as easy as pie thanks to Alanya Gazipasa Airport. Just 135 kilometers east of Antalya, Alanya has a history going back thousands of years. Home to the tribes dispersed to Anatolia after the Trojan War, the city was known as Kolodorus, meaning beautiful mountain, in the Byzantine period.

Enjoying a golden age in the medieval period, it grew and developed inside one of Anatolia’s most impressive castles. A small fishing community surrounded by orange orchards until just half a century ago, Alanya today looks like a city where life revolves around tourism. We begin our tour from the Old Town. Rising on a steep headland behind the harbor, Alanya Castle at 250 meters above the sea recalls an eagle’s eyrie. Exactly 33 meters tall, the Red Tower is one of the most imposing aspects of this castle encircled by 6.5 kilometers of defense walls.

At the left end of the tower the stone structure reminiscent of a five-arch bridge is the sole surviving Seljuk dockyard. The interior of the castle is a virtual open air museum with dozens of Roman, Seljuk and Ottoman artifacts standing side by side. The New City meanwhile spreads out in both directions from the headland with the castle. The 70-kilometer coast, stretching from Ulas Burnu right up to the city limits of Gazipasa, forms the main axis of the settlement. But this town is determined not to expand further but to undergo a facelift.

Golden sand beaches

And the buildings freshly repainted in pastel colors have given it a new lease on life. The green areas that cover more than half the township are also carefully tended. But perhaps Alanya’s real attraction is its golden sand beaches. Among the best not just in Turkey but in the entire Eastern Mediterranean, they are designated by the blue flag, international symbol of order and cleanliness.

Rumor has it that the Egyptian Queen Cleopatra even came to these beaches on her private ship. Not only that but the sea at Alanya is also safe for children and non-swimmers since it only begins to deepen some 50 meters from shore. A boat cruise in Alanya’s waters will acquaint you with the mysterious world of sea caves that once provided refuge to pirates. Going inside these caves, which radiate powerful light even in the daytime thanks to the phosphorescent stones on their floors, is an inimitable experience. Who knows? You might even get a chance to spot a Mediterranean seal as you cruise these cave-dotted shores.

The Dim Valley is another of the area’s stunning beauty spots. This earthly paradise covered with forest and rare plant species lies just 15 kilometers from the town. And the stream flowing through it is one of Turkey’s most popular rafting routes. Rustic restaurants take refuge in the shade of century-old plane trees along its banks. Going up into the highlands is another must if you come to Alanya.

Rising to 3,000 meters, the Western Taurus is the home of nomadic communities with traditions going back thousands of years. These Yoruks go up into the mountains every spring to find fresh pasture for their flocks, living in goat hair tents until winter comes and weaving colorful kilims from the wool of their sheep. A large number of travel agents now organize jeep safaris into the highlands, where the air is refreshingly cool on even the hottest summer days.

Source: https://private.ensartourguide.com/alanya-turquoise-blue/

Visited many countries passed through Bulgaria

Thomas J. Clayton who visited many countries passed through Bulgaria also. Going from Varna to Ruse and then on to Romania Clayton was “surprised” to discover that both Bulgaria and Romania were “such fertile countries.” He wrote that he “never saw better pasture lands or wheat fields” anywhere else in the world. These lands reminded him of the prairie lands of Illinois. He was also surprised to find that there were no farm houses like in America.

The lands, he stated, were “tilled by peasants who live in misserable little huts, or in villages. . . Our route lay through a spur of the Balkan Mountains and was very picturesque. . . very beautiful and entertaining. . . The scenery of these mountains is soft and has a soothing rather than a stirring influence upon the beholder.” The author believed that if peace prevailed in these parts of the world, Bulgaria and Romania “will soon become rich and prosperous.”

By Americans on Bulgaria

There are few more accounts by Americans on

Bulgaria. However, they are not much more different than those presented. Many

a time what Americans said

T. J. Clayton. Rambles and Reflections: Europe from Biscay to the Black Sea and from Aetna to the North Cape with Glimpses of Asia, Africa, America and the Islands of the Sea. Chester, Pennsylvania, about the Bulgarians or for that matter about other peoples, reflected on their own personal character or how they valued American culture and way of life. The descriptions presented by these travellers on a variety of topics, like national character and even the history of Bulgaria are hardly scientific or correct accounts.

Almost all of these travellers present

nothing but cliches. They did not have the necessary expertise to carefully

analyze the Bulgarian personality, their ethnic typicalness in terms of common

national cultural values. The frame of reference these travellers used was

founded on their perspective of American history and culture as the

repositories of values of liberty, freedom, democracy, justice, religion,

discipline, industry and progress.

Almost all of the authors sympathized with

the plight of the Bulgarian people under Ottoman domination. They all condemned

the alien system of despotism and many a time showed their preference for

republicanism. The Ottoman system did not permit the development of the

individual, the arts and crafts as well as agriculture and industry. The

authors were aware that the Ottoman state was in its stages of disintegration.

Those who visited Bulgaria before 1878 believed that the Bulgarians would

become free and those who travelled after the liberation of the country praised

the attempts of the Bulgarians to preserve their independence.