Bulgaria report pp 0317

BULGARIA ERASMUS PROGRAMME

Byala BulgariaMarch 1 to March 6BULGARIA ERASMUS PROGRAMME

Local History; Traditional Song & Dance Workshop




Local History; Craft Workshop



Art & Craft Display

Art & Craft Display

Art & Craft Display

Art & Craft Display

Art & Craft Display

Art & Craft Display

Bulgarian Language Lesson


We learned that the Bulfgarian for Rooster =

//petel


Irish Team on Byala Bridge

Byala Bridge

Byala Bridge Belenski most( )The bridge was constructed between 1865 and 1867 by Bulgarian architect and master builderKolyu Fichetoon the order ofTurkishstatesmanMidhat Pasha. While other architects were willing to build it for 2 to 3 million liras, Kolyu Ficheto was willing to build it for 700 thousand. When asked to confirm this sum, he replied that Midhat Pasha could take his head if he didn't succeed doing it for this sum.

Italian Team

Claudia; Nic; Francesca; Claudia!

Byala Library

Orthodox Church Byala

Orthodox CatholicsThe majority of Eastern Orthodox Christians live inGreece,eastern Europe, theCaucasusandRussia,In addition to these fasting seasons, Orthodox Christians fast on every Wednesday (in commemoration of Christ's betrayal byJudas Iscariot), and Friday (in commemoration of Christ'sCrucifixion) throughout the year.The head of the Russian Orthodox Church is Kirill, Patriarch of Moscow

Orthodox Catholics

Churches are like our Catholic Churches but people do not sit; they stand unless they are very old or infirm

There are lots of holy pictures called icons throughout the church

People bless themselves just as they do in Catholic churches

The priest very often has a big beard and is allowed to get married

Gifts at an Icon Altar

Inside the Church

Inside Another Church

Christening Party in Bulgaria

Bulgarian Wedding Cakes

Remembering the Dead in Byala

Russia v TurkeyTurkey Controlled Bulgaria and much of Eastern Europe for 500 years until the late 19th centuryThis empire was called the Ottoman EmpireGreece, Bulgaria, Croatia, Romania, Serbia, parts of Russia were controlled from the Capital City of the Ottoman EmpireThis city was called Constantinople, now IstanbulThe Emperor was known as a SultanTheRusso-Turkish War (187778)ended with a decisive victory for Russia. As a result, Ottoman holdings in Europe declined sharply;Bulgariawas established as an independent principality inside the Ottoman Empire,Romaniaachieved full independence. TheRusso-Turkish War (187778)ended with a decisive victory for Russia. As a result, Ottoman holdings in Europe declined sharply;Bulgariawas established as an independent principality inside the Ottoman Empire,Romaniaachieved full independence.

Original Guns from the War in 1877

Childrens Interpretation of the War

Childrens Interpretation of the War

Uniforms from Russian-Turkish War

Byala War Museum-- Swords

War Museum in Pleven

War Museum Pleven

Gatling gun manufactured in Manchester! The first machine gun

War Museum Pleven

Religious medals to protect the soldiers during the war

War Museum Pleven

Velika Tarnova Historical Walk

Giant Catapult & Arrow Launcher

Velika Tarnova Historical Walk

A pair of Crusaders

Velika Tarnova viewing point

Byala School Building

Bulgarian Loos can be Different!

Bulgarian Teaching Staff

Baroness Yulia Petrovna Vrevska

The memorial to the volunteer nurses Baroness Yulia Petrovna Vrevska and Maria Neelova in the park of the Historical Museum. The Baroness was a woman of interesting fate. She became a widow at 17 and came to Bulgaria at 36. At one time her husband was a friend to the world- famous Russian poet Mihail Lermontov; among her friends were the great Russian writer Ivan Turgenev, and the most popular French writer of the 19th century - Victor Hugo. Yulia Vrevska died of typhus in Byala in 1878. A simple monument to the Baroness was erected in the centre of the town, near the clock tower, in 1965.

Time Capsule; check out the date!!

Time Capsule

Time Capsule

Time Capsule

Time CapsuleWe buried a Time Capsule in the garden of the war museum.Each school included information, facts and tokens from the school and local community. We also placed information about our Erasmus project.The Bulgarian school provided a suitable plaque inscribed in Bulgarian with the burial date and the opening date.The capsule was buried on March 2nd 2017It will be opened again on March 2nd 2037We will be all a little older then

Time Capsule

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Municipality

Project Planning Meeting

National Day; March 3rd



Orthodox Priests attended

National Day; March 3rd Few holidays are as close to Bulgarians hearts as Bulgaria National Day, celebrated on March 3rd. A sovereign nation with its own distinctive culture, government and way of life, Bulgaria became part of the Ottoman Empire at the end of the 14th century and spent hundreds of years under its rule. In 1878, following the end of the Russo-Turkish War and the signing of the Treaty of San Stefano on the third day of March, Bulgaria began making inroads toward independence.In 1888, March 3rd was recognized as the official day of Bulgarias liberation from Ottoman domination, and generations later, in 1978, it was declared a national holiday.

Typical Accommodation from Communist Era; Ruse, Bulgaria

Blocks of flats would accommodate all the people in Julianstown quite easily!

Communism BulgariaI was 9 in 1989 so I remember a lot of that dark era. The majority of people were equal in terms of income; 200 old levs on average which was equal to 50 USD a month on the black exchange market. There was no legal way to buy dollars. Money were enough for food and bills only. You had to wait 10 years for a flat, another 10 for a car, 5 for a personal computer but only if you were able to afford them. Automatic washing machines were so rare too. It was a miserable life. We had access to bananas only for a few days before Christmas and its not a joke! Our shops offered only bread, milk, sunflower oil, sugar, salt, cheese, meat, vegetables and canned foods. Impotred foods were unseen till the fall of the regime. It was the ultimate luxury to have a BMX bike or a color TV. Its funny but the richest people were the sailors and the TIR truck drivers. Their kids were the most popular, we had parties at their homes, watching US movies on their AKAI VHS players and SONY TV sets what a luxurious experience at that time! Imagine you only have 1 TV channel, 1 daily newspaper, both managed by the communist party. Imagine you have no freedom of speech and expression. Imagine you have the same dictator for decades. Communists were trying to manage just about everything in your life, unfortunately by the worst possible way. Imagine you cant go abroad, except to some of the other socialist countries and only if you have a special reason and permit to go there. Visiting Odessa in Ukraine was my mums best trip and visiting Crimea as a marine was my fathers only experience abroad. Now think of North Korea. Communism was the worst time for me, I hate it from the bottom of my heart. Bulgaria is an entire different country now. If I had a time travel machine in 1989 and was able to visit Bulgaria in 2016 I would have definitely cried of joy and amazement seeing the freedom and the abundance Bulgarians have today. The grey Soviet bloc buildings are the only ugly remainings of that era, but they wont ruin the beauty of Bulgaria for much longer.

Weddings in old Bulgaria

River Danube

River DanubeOne of the worlds long navigable riversSecond longest river in EuropeYou can take a large barge/boat on the river all the way from Germany to the Black SeaThe river flows through Austria,Slovakia,Hungary,Croatia,Serbia,Romania,Bulgaria,MoldovaandUkrainebefore emptying into theBlack Sea. Itsdrainage basinextends into nine more countries.It is 2800 km long and passes through 4 capital cities

National Day Bulgaria

No Problem Climbing Trees

The Team + Bulgarians

Second Dance Workshop

The Erasmus Team

Education

Bulgaria report pp 0317