shape of the land

these animals fit nicely into the compact island of Taiwan,  

but, it is a special joy to receive a shaped map card

although, Bulgaria has many sticky out bits, but this card arrived in fine form

ancient

 

Plovdiv is considered the oldest continuously inhabited city in Europe. And this ancient theatre was discovered in 1970 as a result of a landslide. After a few hundred years of use it had been buried by Attila the Hun but has been painstaking reconstructed. In the summer you can attend a theatrical or musical event. I think you might want to bring your own cushion.

swimmers of the sea

 

A short beaked common dolphin. They are one of three species of dolphins in the Black Sea (the others being bottlenose and harbour porpoise).They are social animals often in pods of over 1,000. They are also fast swimmers (60km/hr) and known for their aerial acrobatics.

The Black Sea is an inland sea bordered by Bulgaria, Romania, Moldova, Ukraine, Russia, Georgia, Turkey

for Sunday Stamps - the deep blue sea

mysterious rider

A majestic life sized horseman on a near vertical cliff from around the  8th century.

Sofia

at the foot of the majestic Mt Vitosha

the miracle worker

Officially known as Church of St Nicholas the Miracle Worker, the Russian Church was built on the site of a mosque which was destroyed in 1882 after the liberation of Bulgaria from the Ottomans by the Russians. The five domes are coated in gold and the bells were donated by Emperor Nicholas II. No word if he ever worshiped there.

church map

received 2013

Bulgaria has some great map shaped cards showing everything they are proud to show off - architecture, landscapes, flora, fauna, foods ...

Here we have churches from various cities, including the capital, Sofia, with the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral which can hold 10,000 people. There are 15 churches from medieval times in Nessebar on the Black Sea coast, an UNESCO World Heritage Site. And a 21st C church, the Cathedral of St Vissarian, built 2006, in Smolyen.

for Postcards for the Weekend - places of worship

Sunday Stamps II - 88

1956, Bulgaria, Olympics

In 1956, the Summer Games were held in Melbourne and were the first to be held in the southern hemisphere as well as the first to be held outside Europe or North America. Bulgaria issued a set of 6 stamps which included this one for gymnastics. The others in the set were for boxing, discus throw, pole vaulting, soccer, and basketball. That year, Bulgaria would win a bronze in football/soccer with 3 silver and a gold for wrestling. Women's gymnastics would be dominated by the Soviet Union and Hungary while the Soviet Union and Japan would dominate men's gymnastics.

for Olympics