THINGS TO DO IN YAMBOL AND VELIKO TERNOVO

Many people that are moving to rural Bulgaria, or buying holiday homes in the Bulgarian countryside, are doing so attracted by the pleasant landscapes and unhurried pace of life. However, the notion of "peace and quiet in a rural surrounding" should not discourage fun-seeking expats and holidaymakers, or those worried about the kids getting bored. Guaranteed good weather, value for money, and an expanding and diverse leisure industry, allow for an array of relaxation and recreational pursuits.

BARS AND RESTAURANTS

Eating out in most local restaurants, bars and beer gardens is enjoyable and inexpensive. A three course meal for two, with plenty of wine costs in the region of 15-20 Euros, and a draft beer as little as 50 Euro cents.

Many establishments resemble the traditional "mehana" (Bulgarian tavern), with wooden interiors, red table cloths, and ceramic plates. Others are more modern in appearance, or decorated according to the ubiquitous American diner/ Irish bar themes, and are popular with foreigners and young Bulgarians alike.
Those with gardens or terraced areas often have a barbecue or a traditional wood-burning oven, and during the summer months will remain open well into the early hours, as night-life inevitably moves outdoors.
Pizza, kebab, "banicharnitsa" (traditional bakeries selling warm savory and sweet pastries) and other fast food outlets seem to be on most major streets in the larger towns and provincial capitals; and every village will have a small "kruchma" serving beer and chips, as well as kiufte (Bulgarian burgers), kebapche (an elongated form of the later) and "lukanka" (local dried sausage/salami).

Traditional Bulgarian cuisine consists primarily of grilled or roasted meats, some fish dishes, loads of dairy products, fruit and vegetables (fresh, cooked or preserved), beans and pulses, and cereals generally in the form of breads or pastries; and it is not heavily spiced as they prefer to enhance the flavours of their dishes with herbs (dill, mint, parsley and Bulgarian chubritsa) making it quite acceptable to the western palate; fresh or marinated chili peppers (Liuti chuski), are however popular and optionally served as a side dish.
It is also worth pointing out that, many small privately owned provincial hotels and restaurants often supply their kitchens with produce from their own farm or vegetable gardens, as a result what you get on your plate just seems to taste better.
Pork (svinsko), chicken (pileshko) and lamb (agneshko) are perennial in Bulgaria cooking, a decent steak on the other hand, is hard to find as beef (teleshko) is generally minced to form part of meat balls, sausages, etc.
Hare, wild boar, quail, pheasant and other forms of game, are on the menu in many traditional restaurants, especially during the hunting season.

Most fish dishes in rural areas are prepared with fresh water fish, grilled or baked trout (pasturva) in the mountain regions, and fried carp (Sharan) in the warmer parts of the country. Saltwater fish like sole (kalkan), mackerel (skumria) and sprats (tsa-tsa), together with certain types of shell fish (midi) are brought in from the Black Sea coast; while cod, tuna, salmon, calamari, and octopus are generally imported frozen from abroad.
Dairy products are exceptionally good, as cattle graze on green grass for most of the year. Milk from cows, sheep, goats or buffalo is used to make sirene (feta cheese), Kashkaval (a mild cheddar like cheese) and yoghurt (kiselo mliako), which seem to pop up, one way or another, in most Bulgarian dishes.
Shopska salads consisting primarily of locally cultivated cucumbers, tomatoes, peppers, and a topping of black olives and grated feta cheese are omnipresent especially during the summer months; and "turshia or trushia" (pickled green tomatoes, peppers, cauliflower, cucumber, carrot, etc) are the main components of winter salads.
Chips (purjeni Kartofi), boiled potatoes (vareni k.), roast potatoes (pecheni k.), rice, and fresh or cooked vegetables constitute many garnishes; and ice cream, creme caramel, yogurt with honey and walnuts, together with traditional sweets of Turkish origin such as baklava, halva, or tulumbichki are standard desserts.

Eating out, especially if done in the company of Bulgarians, is an informal and protracted experience that can go on for hours (in spite of the fact that there seems to be no waiting for everybody else to be served, dishes are consumed at a very leisurely pace, often allowing what is put in front of them to go completely cold). Bulgarians tend to start their meal with a salad and a small glass of rakia (brandy), and then slowly work their way through the main courses accompanied with soft drinks, wine (vino:), or beer (bira).
Bulgarian beers are a slightly bitter brew, with generous doses of hops www.bulgarianbeer.com ; imported beers like Heineken, Amstel, Carlsberg or Staropramen, are also widely available.
Most restaurants will have a large selection of domestic (and foreign) wines, given that Bulgaria is one of Europe’s most prolific wine producers, and for centuries its consumption has been an integral part of local culture. www.bulgarianwines.org
Both the Tundja valley and Veliko Tarnovo regions have a number of prominent vineyards (vinaria), some of them offering wine tasting tours (like "Lyaskovets" winery near Tarnovo and "Sinite Kamani" in Sliven), which should appeal to the more hedonistic expats and visitors. Other wineries include, Yambol: www.vinpromyambol.com www.windyhills-bg.com Sliven: www.vini.bg Sungurlare: www.vinexbg.com Suhindol: www.loviko.net

Additionally, and in view of the well-known fact that for many holidaymakers, spending the day next to the pool (basein) often embodies the idea of a break in the sun, foreign visitors will be pleased to know that during the summer months considerable numbers of restaurants, local recreational facilities and aqua parks, in the interior of Bulgaria, cater for this. Places like the aqua park in Sliven (above), offers a welcome escape from the summer heat in the Tundja valley.

For the more proactive expats and holidaymakers, on the other hand, the Bulgarian interior offers a myriad of outdoor activities.

FISHING

A profusion of lakes, reservoirs, rivers, streams, and ponds inevitably means fishing is a popular local pastime among many of the locals, as well as a way of providing the dinner table with extra grub (catch and release seems to be an alien concept). The fertility of the Bulgarian countryside, and better climatic conditions allow indigenous fish species to grow significantly larger than their northern European counterparts.
Fish species in Bulgaria: www.blowfish-bg.com/?page_id=140
General info on fishing in BG and statistics: www.worldwildlife.org/bsp/publications/europe/bulgaria/bulgaria11.html

In the provinces of Yambol and Sliven, anywhere along 100km of the Tundja you can try your luck, for wild carp, pike and immense cat fish; and some of the small streams and rivers of the Strandja mountain region next to the Turkish border, together with those of the southern slopes of Stara Planina mountains, north of Sliven, with their considerably cooler and fast running water, are ideal settings for trout fishing.
www.waderson.com/1518-204-Trout-Fishing-Strandja-Mountain.html
In the Veliko Tarnovo region, the offer is even greater, as a number of rivers make their way down from the peaks of the Stara Planina Mountains to the Danube. The Rositsa, Yantra, and Osum rivers (and their alpine tributaries), combined with large reservoirs such as the Stambouliiski Dam, and of course the Danube, provide anglers with a broad range of options in relative proximity to one another.
www.waderson.com/1427-204-Bulgaria-Personal-Fishing-Guide.htm
www.youtube.com/watch?v=69W3fyVnArU&featute=related

Fishing permits (billet za ribolov) can be picked up, for a token fee of around 15 Euros, at the local "Darjavna Agentsia po Gorite" or State Forestry Agency offices (though you will have to decipher the Cyrillic script the following link provides their locations throughout Bulgaria www.nug.bg/cgi-bin/index.cgi?Unit=Structora&Level=2&ing=en).
Please note that during the spawning season at the end of spring, fishing is not allowed (the exact dates can be enquired on when collecting fishing permits).
Tackle and rods can be purchased in hunting and fishing outlets, many sports shops, and markets; www.vidrax-fishing.com/network.html in Yambol, is a major Bulgarian manufacturer of fishing gear.

In addition, every town and village seems to have at least one "microyazovir" (small reservoir) nearby. Their primary purpose, traditionally has been to act as water reserves, but inevitably they double up as privately run fish farms, and are generally stoked with carp. For a small fee (payable to person taking care of the lake) they can in many cases be fished, without the need of obtaining a fishing permit. www.carpfishinginbulgaria.com

HORSE RIDING

There is no shortage of horses and donkeys in rural regions of Bulgaria, however equestrian sports as we know them, appear still to be perceived as a somewhat elitist pursuit, and tend to be practiced on a private level by a few keen (and wealthier) Bulgarians, and a number of foreign enthusiasts that brought their horses with them from their home countries. Bulgarian Equestrian Federation : www.horsesportbg.org
Nevertheless, stables (konna baza) open to the public, do exist in central and southeastern Bulgaria. Anybody interested in horse riding in the Veliko Tarnovo area can contact
www.horseridingholidaysbulgaria.com/index.html or www.ridingbasebalkan.com ; and in the Tundja Valley, the villages of Kabile (5 min north west of Yambol) and Alexandrovo (20 min east) have stables with dressage and show jumping arenas.
Horse ridding holidays are also offered in other parts of the country.
www.horse-riding.net/vacations/Bulgaria/,
www.horseridingbulgaria.com,
www.horse-riding-bg.com,
www.silvena.com/news.html

Additionally, anybody considering purchasing a property with the intention of keeping horses on it, or setting up a horse-riding related business can rest assured, rural BG is a horse-friendly-environment. Pristine landscapes, large extensions of open fields, and quiet country roads provide the ideal surroundings for both horses and riders; and the working interdependency that, to this day, exists between the local Bulgarians and their horses, means that many villages have a resident vet (veterinaren lekar) and a shop selling veterinary supplies, black smiths (podkovach) are never far away, and hay and oats can be bought locally.
Moreover, the overwhelming majority of rural properties for sale in Bulgaria, inevitably come with a number of outbuildings, which have in most cases been specifically constructed to house farm animals, and can easily and cheaply be upgraded into adequate stables, tack-rooms and storage areas. Alternatively, larger stables (complete with paddocks, barns, and grazing areas) can be constructed and maintained for a fraction of what it would cost in Western Europe.

GOLF

Golf in Bulgaria is still in its infancy, but following similar development patterns as it did in Spain and other popular southern European holiday destinations. The attraction of golf is increasingly been seen by many Bulgarian and foreign businessmen as a viable way to promote tourism and further property development; and courses have inevitably appeared near the coastal and ski resorts, and the capital, Sofia.
http://www.golfbg.com/en/golf_courses.php

Golf has arrived to the Tundja valley, in the form of the Sliven Golf course (above centre), a small unassuming 18 hole course, to the west of the city. http://www.en.golf-bg.com/modules/news3/article.php?storyid=95 ; and the area around the village of Alexandrovo, (20 min east of Yambol), is said to have a large golf project on the drawing boards http://www.sofiaecho.com/article/business-briefs/id_24308/catid_23. Visitors and expats in the Veliko Tarnovo region will soon be able play a round of golf in Pravets www.harradine-golf.com/z-bg-pravets.thml (one hour west, towards Sofia), but for the moment the most feasible option is probably to drive east to the Varna, where they will be rewarded with a number of decent golf courses (golf igrishte) to choose from. http://www.lighthousegolfresort.com/en/golf_course.php ,
http://www.blacksearama.com, http://thraciancliffs.com , alternatively they can head south over the mountains, and challenge their counterparts in Sliven.

OTHER SPORTS AND OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES

Traditionally most countries in Eastern Europe take their sport seriously, and Bulgaria is no exception. The preoccupation of the former socialist regime to fill the ranks of its Olympic teams is evident in sports complexes all over BG. Though in many cases, maybe not as "lavish", as those that might be found in other parts of Europe, all provincial capitals and most larger towns will have an ample supply of athletic grounds (sporten complex), gyms and fitness centres, tennis courts (tenis kortove), and football pitches. Expats in Bulgaria are also contributing their bit, and setting up bowling greens, cricket and rugby teams www.pitchero.com/clubs/yambolrfc/ .

In recent years the Bulgarian interior has also seen the arrival of clubs and businesses providing for the needs of thrill seeking locals and visitors; and a number of action packed recreational activities such as paint ball, quad biking, off-road driving, motor-cross, mountain biking, hiking, canyoning, caving can be practiced in the Tundja valley and Tarnovo regions. www.outdoor-teambuilding.com Quad track and safari Yambol www.alifeinbulgaria.com/quadbiking1.htm , paint ball club Sliven: www.paintball.sliven.net (in Bulgarian), Power kites Sliven: http://www.kitebg.com/. Motor-cross Sevlievo: www.motocross-sevlievo.com , cycling central Balkans: www.cyclingbulgaria.com/?page=tours&in=north-bulgaria-cycling
Caving: www.hinko.org , http://bfs.hit.bg/speleo.htm
In addition, bungee jumping, rock climbing and paragliding are popular extreme sports practiced by young Bulgarian adrenaline junkies in the mountains, that lie between the Veliko Tarnovo and Yambol.
www.extremebulgaria.com Paragliding: www.skynomad.com/Bulgaria_flying_sites.htm, Climbing: www.climbingguidebg.com/cdb.php , www.bfka.org/en/fbac.php ,
The Stara Planina mountains, also have a number of rudimentary skiing areas. During the winter months, places like Uzana www.bulgariaski.com/otherresots/uzana.shtml (close to Veliko Tarnovo) or Shivachevo (near Sliven) are popular with local snowboarders and skiers, and a convenient option to the 3 hour drive to Borovets or Pamporovo ski resorts. Alternatively, cross-country skiing can practiced in many parts of Bulgaria in the winter as there is plenty of snow, and no need for drags or slopes.

Surprising as it may seem, water sports are also high on the agenda in the interior of Bulgaria, as copious snow fall in the mountains, feeds the numerous rivers, lakes and reservoirs of the Bulgarian countryside.
Canoeing or rafting down any of the larger rivers, such as the Tundja or Yantra www.river-adventure.com/index.php?page=dospat_dam is an exiting and alternative way to explore the area.
Sailing, wind and kite surfing, wakeboarding and jet skiing on many of the major reservoirs and lakes, is also possible if you have your own equipment or join one of the local clubs.

NATURE LOVERS/BIRD WATCHING

Bulgaria’s varied topography comprising high and low mountain ranges, fertile valleys and coastal regions; combined with large extensions of forest (30% of the country), agricultural land, and inland water sources, allow for diverse forms of flora (about 10.000 species) and fauna (over one hundred species of mammals, 383 varieties of birds, 207 kinds of fish, 36 types of reptile) to thrive. http://imagesfrombulgaria.com/v/Animals/
In addition, the Bulgarian government has set aside certain areas of natural beauty, as protected nature reserves www.bulgariannationalparks.org/en/index.phtml, a number of which are to be found in and around the Veliko Tarnovo and Yambol regions.

In the mountains to the north of Sliven, you will come across the Sinite kamani (blue boulders) national park www.bg-parks.net/main.php?act=parks&park=skamyni&file=1.html
Located in an elevated setting, with sheer cliffs, streams and a profusion of conifers, it can be accessed using a gondola, that on a good day provides breathtaking views of the Thracians plains.
To the south-east of the Tundja valley, where the borders with Bulgaria and Turkey meet, you will find the Straldja mountains www.bg-parks.net/main.php?act=parks&park=stranja. A low lying mountain range with an abundance of deciduous trees, that has the added peculiarity to have been part of the infamous iron curtain. What were once vast "restricted areas", on both sides of the border, have given relative peace and quiet to the ecosystems for decades. Besides obsolete bunkers and the odd border patrol,… deer, wildboar, wolves, jackals, imperial eagles and Egyptian vultures inhabit the region.
An hours drive east of Yambol, the brackish waters of the Burgas lakes, are host to a variety of unusual species such as the Dalmatian pelican www.burgasbirdsanctuary.com; and if you continue south from there, down the coast, the Ropotamo reserve http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ropotamo is a quiet river estuary, offering boat tours to birdwatchers and nature lovers.

Closer to Veliko Tarnovo, you will find three important protected areas. The central Balkan national park, www.centralbalkannationalpark.org/en/index.phtml, lies in the geographical centre of Bulgaria, amid the forests and meadows of the Balkan mountain range. Unsurprisingly it exhibits a clearly alpine character, and is home to the third largest peak in the country, Mt Botev (2,376m). In addition to its 3-D terrain, and wildlife species (imperial eagle, chamois, wolf, European brow bear, etc), it is also of ethnographic significance.
Persina www.bg-parks.net/main.php?act=parks&park=persina is an area of wetlands and islands, along the Danube river north-west of Veliko Tarnovo, that is soon to receive the official status of national park; and the Russenski national park www.lomea.org close to Ruse, comprises the 3 main tributaries of the Rusenski Lom, and is highlighted by the caves and interesting canyon formations that skirt these rivers, as they meander north towards the Danube.

Bird watching in the Bulgarian countryside constitutes a main attraction for wildlife enthusiasts; and apart from the resident ornithological species, its worth mentioning that central and south-eastern Bulgaria are strategically placed on the migratory rutes of many wild birds that anually travel between northern Europe, central Asia and Africa; and the ample supply of crops, and water sources of these regions, make them an attractive pit stop for large flocks on the move.
http://bspb.org/index.php , http://www.birdwatchingbulgaria.com
http://birdsinbulgaria.org/about.php (good pictures and taxonomy, but the index however, appears to only be in Bulgarian)
Nature conservation in Bulgaria, despite encountering the usual problems such as illegal logging, poaching, the pesticides of the large agro-businesses, etc is promoted. What is known as the "red book" clearly establishes what species are to be respected; and all birds of pray, for example, are protected by law, to the extent that even falconry is illegal.
Local folklore also plays its part in helping to preserve wildlife, as is the case with species like stalks and swans that are revered, and harming them is considered to bring bad-luck to those who do.
Eco-warriors:
www.testuto.hit.bg/index_en.htm,
www.danubeday.org/Bulgaria,
www.natura2000bg.org/natura/eng/index1.php,
www.greenbalkans.org,
http://www.moew.government.bg/index_e.html .

HUNTING

Hunting, though not everybody’s cup of tea, is a well established tradition in rural Bulgaria, as all farming communities inevitably have livestock and crops to protect; and hunting forms part of the process of balancing the needs of rural people with those of wild habitats.

Ducks, quail, partridges, pheasants, hares, and wild boar are abundant in the Bulgarian countryside, often living in relative proximity to the villages, and in the early mornings can frequently be seen feeding on the maze, wheat, sunflower and other crops that grow in the surrounding fields.
Foxes, jackals and other carnivorous species, as a result of been at the top of the food chain, inevitably prey on most of the creatures above-mentioned, as well as on domestic animals, making them somewhat unpopular with farmers.
Among many of the local Bulgarians there is an informal approach to hunting, small groups will head out to the fields or woodlands with their dogs, and spend the best part of the day roaming the countryside.

On the other hand, hunting for larger quarry is possible in the more remote areas, by getting in touch with the State Forestry Agency, and a number of private companies (web sites listed bellow). Row deer, red deer, fallow deer, mouflons, chamois, wolf and other species are popular with both Bulgarian and foreign trophy hunters from around the world.
www.huntingbg.com/en/index.htm (For Yambol check left index: Topolovgrad and Tundzha. For Tarnovo area check: Bukovets, Rossitsa) www.shootinginbulgaria.com
Veliko Tarnovo region: www.bultours.com/bulgaria/HuntingGrounds/
Other areas in Bulgaria: www.hunting.beta-bg.com
www.huntbg.eu

With regards to issuing hunting permits, the Bulgarian authorities unfortunately have a somewhat unclear policy, when it comes to non-Bulgarians. For foreign hunters visiting BG, the procedure seems to be a standard and relative straight forward one www.huntingbg.com/en/page/information.htm ; in contrast resident expats (those holding fulltime Bulgarian residency permits), that want to hunt in Bulgaria are faced with a somewhat awkward situation. If they have a foreign gun license it appears that it has to be validated in BG, which might involve getting a Bulgarian one; and in order to obtain a local hunting permit (Loven Billet), they will have to study a book, take a practical course, and subsequently pass 2 exams (a hands-on one, and a multiple-choice theoretical test) all of which are in Bulgarian. Apparently certified interpreters are allowed to assist candidates during the examinations, but how to get around the 300 pages of the "knigata na mladia lovets" text book, if you don’t speak very good Bulgarian, let alone read it, is a mystery. Anybody with more specific information regarding this topic, is welcome to contact us and help clarify this situation.

HISTORY AND CULTURE BUFFS

Bulgaria’s geographical location, at the cross roads between Europe and Asia, results in a rich cultural history. Inhabited since ancient times, the Bulgarian countryside hides the sites of numerous prehistoric and Neolithic settlements; and the legacy of Thracians, Greeks, Macedonians, Romans, Byzantines and Ottomans is omnipresent. www.archaeology.archbg.net ,
www.baa-tours.archbg.net

It is widely accepted that some of the oldest human remains in Europe are to be found in the Balkan regions (a cave in Rumania been the excavation site of bones dating back 42.000 years); and the relative proximity of the middle east, where many early human developments took place, additionally means that as the new ways were transmitted into Europe, the regions of the southeast of the continent where in most cases the first to be influenced.
During the Neolithic period, farming spread into the southern Balkans, aided by the apparent fact that the last glacial period did not have the impact it did elsewhere in Europe, and replaced the indigenous nomadic hunter-gatherer societies.
Settlements like those in the villages of Drama www.uni-saarland.de/fak5/physgeo/drama/CDstarten.htm, Kabile, and Mogila in the Yambol region; and Smardesh http://cat.inist.fr/?aModele=afficheN&cpsidt=200240688 in Veliko Tarnovo are well documented examples of this transitional period.
The subsequent development of iron smelting which is believed to have started in what is now Turkey, by the Hitites, means that the south east of Europe was also exposed early to iron age technology.
During these periods the Thracian culture (a corner stone of modern Bulgarian identity) emerged and flourished in Bulgaria as a result of the merging of native populations with migrating Indo-European tribes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thracians.
The Greeks, to the south, rational and practical as they were, chose not to come into conflict with the resident Thracians, and opted as they did thought the Mediterranean, to establish trading outposts along the Black Sea coast, especially in places like Nessebar, Sozzopol and Varna.
Following this the Macedonians, passed through in their pursuit of global domination (Kabile, just outside Yambol, was colonized by Philip II); and Alexander the Great recruited many of the avid Thracian horsemen of the region into his armies.
The Romans had a bit more trouble trying to subdue the proud indigenous population, taking them nearly two hundred years to do so. The free spirit and independent mindedness of the Thracians is embodied in the person of Spartacus (as in Spartacus from the 1960 Kirk Douglas film), who is said to originated from the southeastern regions of the Balkans, and led the slave revolt between 74-71 BC). The Romans naturally enjoyed building (or improving) things, and practically every major town and city has some sort of roman ruin to boast about, Tsarevets fortress in Veliko Tarnovo been a prime example.
As the Roman Empire fell into decline, the capital was moved from Rome to Byzantium (Istanbul), and the Eastern Roman Empire became the predominant force.
Goths, Vandals, Huns, and subsequently Slavs and Proto-Bulgarians (ethnic groups of Turkic origin) entered the region, and over time mingled with the Thracian communities, greatly weakening Constantinople’s control. In 681 the First Bulgarian Kingdom was established, and had a somewhat uneasy relation with its eastern neighbour for many centuries.
What is known as the Erkisia wall (a defensive construction, sections of which can still be identified in some Yambol villages, and practically cuts the Tundja valley in half), defined during certain periods the border between the Byzantine Empire and the Bulgarian nation.

Throughout the middle ages the adoption of Christianity led to the establishment of numerous monasteries, Veliko Tarnovo been in a league of its own in this respect www.bulgarianmomastery.com/veliko_tarnovo_monasteries.html , Yambol having more modest examples like Sveta Troitsa, near Ustrem (above, right), that is a quiet off-the-beaten track functioning convent.
The crusaders past through these regions on their way to more wars; and the "push and shove" between Christianity and Islam continued until the expansion of the Ottoman empire in 1490, which led to 500 years of what many modern day Bulgarians consider as a era of subjugation, but contributed to the cultural and ethnical diversity of Bulgaria, and most of the Balkans. This period finished in 1878 when aided by the Russian army, the Bulgarians pushed back the Turks as far as doors of Istanbul.
Subsequently they were to be "betrayed" by the prevailing western powers (us), and the traditional borders where moved back from the Aegean coastline, inland; mentioning the words "Belomorska Trakia" or Thracian white sea, to the inhabitants of the Yambol region ,will often get you a passionate and nostalgic response, as many are the immediate descendants of those driven out (ethnically cleansed) of what are now western Turkey and north-eastern Greece.
For those interested in more contemporary history, its worth mentioning that during the second world war, German military bases (Luftwaffe) where set up in Yambol; and during the cold war period the southern regions of the province, formed part of the iron curtain. Numerous runways and hangars, obsolete radar stations, as well as bunkers and artillery positions can be seen peppered around the countryside.
Museums in central and southeastern Bulgaria:
Veliko Ternovo: www.museumvt.com ,Yambol: http://yambol.government.bg/museum/cabile.htm ,Sliven: www.museum.sliven.net/e01.htm ,Burgas: www.burgasmuseums.bg/FamesEng/Contacts.htm
www.go2bulgaria.com/go2bulgaria/bourgas/inland/museums.html