A Story From Bulgaria by Jesse Calame

"the museum of earth and man" (Sophia, Bulgaria)

258351_4 — 2024-02-09 12:51:05 UTC

This place is a true time capsule not just of the wonders of the natural world but also a sneak peek back in time due to the building in which the museum is located. Just one great example of the old communist architecture from when Bulgaria was still occupied. This occupation is more recent than one might think, only becoming independent in 1989. Many of the residents who are over the age of 50 spent a lot of their lives under this foreign oppression and it is still a sensitive topic for some. Who knew there could truly be so much history in one building not only the millions of years of mineral history but also the past of the place itself?

(Pernik, Bulgaria) at a festival called "Surva"

258351_4 — 2024-02-09 12:52:17 UTC

Surva is a highly traditional Bulgarian festival that consists of elaborate and colorful costumes, and lots of decorative, yet functional, bells that serve the purpose of scaring away the demons or evil spirits who would tamper with their harvest. This festival's history stretches back to before the Christian period. Some of the displays and activities that I had the fortune to observe in person were: various theatrical performances and dances, lots of traditional music, a great deal of authentic cuisine, and a deep sense of history and culture. I was rather surprised by the sheer number of people who came out to join in the performances as well as to watch this amazing spectacle, which happens once a year. It was evident that the Bulgarians present felt happiness and pride in continuing this ancient tradition through the modern age.

(Seuthes III) bronze bust

258351_4 — 2024-02-09 19:51:31 UTC

This is an image of Seuthes III, who was a Thracian king back around the year 330 BCE. I had the opportunity to see this amazing sculpture at the Archaeological Museum in Sofia, Bulgaria. The Thracian were a society which had precedence over the geographical area which is now known as Bulgaria, from around the 5th c. BCE until the 6th c. CE., which is more than 1,000 years of dominance in this region. Seeing such a clear face of someone who ruled and lived thousands of years ago is a somewhat disorienting experience. This is because you feel like you are almost looking through a wormhole of time at the near-living likeness of a person so long dead. It is very rare for statues of this period to have the separately-crafted stone eyes -- often made from precious materials -- intact. Even examples at museums like the Metropolitan are often missing this feature. This part of the statue almost transfixes you, when you stare at the face and it responds with such a clear look back.

Derelict Engines

258351_4 — 2024-02-16 19:49:56 UTC

"Подуяне" Locomotive Depot 

One day last week, my father and I were on an innocent mission to buy groceries when we noticed across the street from the store an abandoned train yard.  I decided to return with my camera and with a little investigation was able to find this magical building.  It contained 1950s era train engines, gutted and graffitied.  Through personal deduction, I assumed that the last stop of these engines was in this old repair building.  The mechanics' trenches you see on the right side are mirrored on the left and one can assume that the sand was meant to soak up spilled oil and grease at the time when it was active.  The building itself is quite interesting, with its trussed wooden frame, which is rare to see still standing to this day.

Canary in a coal mine

258351_4 — 2024-02-23 23:02:03 UTC

Pernik, Bulgaria, inside a historic coal mine.

I had the opportunity to visit this historic mine which extended hundreds of meters into the side of a mountain. In the photo above, we see a small section of the side tunnels within the mine, which were curated to illustrate different aspects of mining through several generations. In this instance, in the middle right hand portion of the photo, hanging from the ceiling we see an example of a canary in a coal mine, which was turned into a well known pop culture metaphor. In reality, its morbid function was a to be a warning device for miners to determine whether the air within the mine or not. If the canary died or fainted in its cage, then they would know to leave the mine because it was no longer safe. It was a unique experience to observe this "time capsule" of a dangerous and grim industry.

Tram #12

258351_4 — 2024-03-01 21:03:17 UTC

This is the "Grafa" pedestrian street in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. This is a unique place to be as an American, because it is rare to have a street solely devoted to pedestrian travel and interests. It is a street lined with fashion and food stores up and down its length, which makes it popular for natives of the city as well as tourists. Due to the fact that there are no cars, and the streetcars are on fixed tracks -- coming only intermittently -- it allows people to relax and slow down in an urban environment, free from the normal risks of traffic. All these things combined allow for a fun and one-of-a-kind experience in a foreign city.

Revolutionary light show

258351_4 — 2024-03-08 21:30:05 UTC

Last weekend I had the opportunity to visit the historic town of Veliko Tarnovo in the northeastern part of Bulgaria. This town used to be the capital of the country as well. Our trip there coincided with the Liberation Day national holiday, which involved the Bulgarians' revolution against the Ottoman occupation of their country in 1878. The image above is a part of the celebration which involves the entire fortress complex at the top of a mountain which overlooks the town. The lights you see above are not ordinarily visible. On this one day of the year, the entire fortress lights with many different colors in various waves and patterns which tell a silent tale of one of the final battles which took place on that very mountain.

All Signs Point to Prague

258351_4 — 2024-03-19 20:01:37 UTC

During my visit to Prague last week, I had a realization that was new to me. As someone who is used to American cities and architecture, being in a place where a scene like this is somewhat normal was eye-opening. The experience of being in a historic city and staying with locals makes being a visitor a lot smoother and allows a person to see more -- beyond the various tourist traps -- than one could without such comprehensive assistance. In the photo above, we see what appears to me -- an to most Americans, I believe -- is an extremely grand and fancy historic street. For the city of Prague, this is a typical residential street in the urban center, with apartment buildings on both sides. Another aspect of this place which differs from my personal experience is the street plan's asymmetrical pattern, with respect to which an image like this, looking down a wide street, never appears boxy or repetitive. Rather, it folds in on itself and displays more character and visual detail than a more regular, symmetrical arrangement of streets. These views carry the eye along the surface of the buildings, as opposed to just straight down the street.

The Face of the Sky

258351_4 — 2024-03-29 21:57:53 UTC

This is the Prague astronomical clock (or Pražský orlojis), installed in 1410, a medieval astronomical clock attached to the Old Town Hall in Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic. It is a unique experience to explore a city and find such an extraordinary timepiece affixed to the side of a building in a somewhat unassuming location, almost tucked into a corner of a public square. When I first laid eyes on the face of this wonderful clock, I was amazed by the color and detail that were put into its design and construction. The craftsmanship to make such an intricate device is remarkable; it is capable of calculating a multitude of different readings at once, which include: the time, the date, sunrise, sunset, eclipses, twilight, something called “ancient Czech time”, the houses of the zodiac, the lunar cycle as well as the positioning of the planets. Looking at a clock of this mechanical magnitude makes a person almost feel as if technology has not moved so far, especially considering its date of manufacture …. more than 600 years ago.

The Ugly Entrepreneur

258351_4 — 2024-03-29 22:15:58 UTC

This is the Žižkov TV tower, built between 1985 and 1992, has been voted the ugliest building in the world. My first glimpse of this abomination was on the train arriving in Prague, because its bulbous and ungainly profile is visible from nearly any point within the city. I later got the somewhat unfortunate opportunity to walk right up next to it, and was able to get a more detailed view of this construction as well as learn a small bit of its history. Quite outrageously, its construction involved the demolition of half of a Jewish graveyard – the other half of which is still maintained in the shadow of this incomprehensible building, and is a truly important destination and location for many Orthodox Jews as well as just a very mesmerizing space to walk though.

Window to a Different Age

258351_4 — 2024-04-05 20:42:00 UTC

In the heart of Sofia, there is a bathhouse derelict of its intended function. Its modern use is as a Museum of the City of Sofia. Somewhat tragically underwhelming, in my opinion. However, getting a glimpse of this masterpiece of an interior is worth the ticket price on its own. One unexpected feature of our tour was the framing of the Banya Bashi Mosque, visible in the image above, which was built in 1566, in the main window. It is sort of magical to be wandering through this orphaned building, and discovering what must be an intentional connection to such a beautiful structure, almost paying its own homage to this wonderful place of worship.

Ribbons of a new season

258351_4 — 2024-04-15 20:03:55 UTC

In Bulgaria they have celebrated for centuries the annual Spring festival day of “Baba Marta”. The tradition is to give friends red-and-white interwoven string bracelets – martenitsi – that are later tied onto the branches of the first-blooming trees. Baba Marta (“Granny March” in English) is associated with the founding of the Bulgarian state in 681. It is a purely pagan ritual by origin and one of the oldest continuing traditions in Christian Europe.This is a really festive holiday to be a part of and experience; you not only sense the history behind it, but also a lot of the pride Bulgarians have in their country. It is also a very comforting tradition, to see before the Spring really hits, everyone wearing these cheerful bracelets, and then later to slowly see them hanging from the branches of trees. When Bulgarians exchange these bracelets and tie them onto the other person’s wrist, they offer blessings and good wishes for the coming year.

Decorations for the Dead

258351_4 — 2024-04-22 16:53:55 UTC

The other day while wandering through the center of Sofia, we came across a rather unassuming brick church. We were curious so we went inside, unaware that there was a funeral happening at the same time. Not wanting to disturb the people in mourning, we followed a staircase headed into the crypt. Going underground, we found a museum attendant who sold us tickets to the necropolis. Without any knowledge of what to expect, we discovered a miraculous time capsule. Underneath this modest but historic church, there was an even more ancient necropolis. Walking through this excavated level was quite mesmerizing, as we were literally crawling over tombs to examine other aspects of the site. It is magical to be in a place where you can wander into a building, down a flight of stairs, and find such historic treasures without even intending to be there.

Train Check

258351_4 — 2024-04-22 17:22:20 UTC

There are so many little mysteries tucked away in Sofia. Even on a simple grocery errand, you can find a mysterious abandoned train yard. This is one of the more special places that I have found in Bulgaria. There is a feeling of melancholy that hangs over the whole area. This picture is taken from within an abandoned train car. This is only possible because the entire area is somewhat like a no-man’s-land, covered with brambles, bushes, and abandoned train tracks and cars. It is a place I feel is foreign to America, in the way that it has been entirely left to its own devices after its days of use were over, rather than becoming reabsorbed or reconstituted into the larger city. It has just been left untouched, it seems, almost as if the last train departed and no one ever came back.

Painted Pillars

258351_4 — 2024-05-07 15:39:04 UTC

On a road trip in Bulgaria, one of our main stops was this 15th c. monastery. This kind of monastery was built somewhat like a fortress, in that it has high perimeter walls and several layers of buildings before you get to the main quadrangle, which is where this church stands. These defensive measures were necessary due to the fact that the monasteries in Bulgaria were often quite rich in money and art treasures, and so they attracted the attention of robbers and looters. This monastery, like many others from the same period, is painted in a way that is somewhat unique among Christian churches, and is a traditional form of decoration in the Balkans. It is quite impressive to be in an active monastery with such a broad history. The construction of the monks’ dorm was notable because of the sturdy wooden construction of the buildings.

Living Graveyard

258351_4 — 2024-05-07 17:14:52 UTC

While walking during a visit to Prague, I came across a 15th century Jewish graveyard in the center city. You could sense the age in the gravestones as well as the fact that they were, in some cases, piled together very closely due to the fact that historically the Jewish community in Prague had been oppressed and not given adequate burial grounds.1 The most striking thing about this experience was a group of Orthodox Jews who visited the grave of a famous rabbi, and were singing a prayer of hymn around the headstone in order to honor that ancestor. There was a window through history that almost seemed to form when all these factors fell together in an unintentional way. Had we arrived thirty minutes earlier or later, we would have missed the whole thing. It is interesting, while traveling, to be able to almost stumble into so many different worlds, and have so many experiences, which often are entirely not what you had in mind.