The Rhodope - An introduction

This is a short blog post to introduce a new series which I have been planning for a fair while but not got round to starting.

A map showing different dialects in Bulgaria

I want to talk about the Rhodope (the region of Bulgaria which I am moving to) and its history, culture and what makes it so special and why I love it so much.

This could be a long and ongoing thread through the blog and hopefully, when I am there, I can actually visit some of the historic sites and tell you about this experience as well.

One of the best things about Bulgaria is just how central it has been in the History of Europe and the East; its location has made it central to such climactic changes as the end of the Roman Empire and its position during the World Wars and the ensuring Cold War is also fascinating.

An example of early Russian script

From a cultural point of view Bulgaria also has a lot of influence. For example did you know that the Cyrillic script was actually invented and developed by the Bulgarian Empire. The next time you see Russian remember that the letters originated in Bulgaria.

So as I say, this is a short update, mainly as I'm struggling to write today. Now I have started this series I will hopefully start to write the rest of the entries.