Bulgaria
Routes from Sofia to the Black Sea coast take you through the mountainous terrain of central and northern Bulgaria - a gruelling eight- or nine-hour ride that's worth interrupting to savour something of the country's heartland. For over a thousand years, the "Old Mountain" (Stara Planina) - known to foreigners as the Balkan range - has been the cradle of the Bulgarian nation. It was here that the Khans established and ruled over the feudal realm known as the "First Kingdom". Here, too, after a period of Byzantine control, the Boyars proclaimed the "Second Kingdom" and created a magnificent capital at Veliko Tarnovo - which remains one of Bulgaria's most impressive cities. Closer to the capital, the Sredna Gora (Central Range) was inhabited as early as the fifth millennium BC, but for Bulgarians this forested region is best known as the "land of the April Rising", the nineteenth-century rebellion for which the highly picturesque town Koprivshtitsa will always be remembered.Bulgaria is rich in mineral wells and spas. Very little, if anything, is known outside the country of the healing effects of its baths. Bulgaria is blessed with more than 500 mineral water wells and sources, both hot and cold. Mostly, they have high alkalinity and a low level of mineralisation. Mineral water is usually drinkable and is therefore indispensable in the production of soft drinks. The Black Sea coast presents an abundance of healing mud alongside with providing the visitor with excellent opportunities of its sea-side resorts, already known to many holiday makers in UK. Equal to those are the facilities offered by Bulgaria's ski resorts where skiers can find value for money in the easy access to the winter resorts two of which, those in Borovets in the Rila mountain and Pamporovo in the Rhodopes, have become extremely popular with British tourists.