1936 On the Continent

occasion of this kind is hardly ever formal. Mostly it is a homely, friendly, cheerful affair, which often ends with a little singing and dancing.
    The question of social etiquette hardly arises. It is true that hand kissing and bowing are just as customary in Bulgaria as in other continental countries, but English visitors cannot possibly make a
faux pas
if they behave in exactly the same way as they would in similar circumstances at home.
Night Life
    There is no night life in Sofia in the same sense as in Paris or Vienna, but music and dancing can be enjoyed at any of the better class hotels and restaurants until the early hours. The cabarets—variety theatres—give excellent performances, and the audience, who sit at small tables, can obtain drinks and other refreshments. There is a theatre and an opera house, and although the language difficulty is naturally present, in this case a visit to a musical show should be quite enjoyable.
    As regards sport, tennis and football are popular games in summer, and tennis is sometimes a good means of making social contacts in Sofia.
Excursions from Sofia
    If town amusements are not plentiful in Sofia, there are many magnificent places for excursions. One of these is Beiana, some six miles from Sofia, on the slope of Mount Vitocha, with a beautiful waterfall. Another is Bankia, the smartest watering place in the country. Bankia is some ten miles to the west of the capital and can be reached by road or rail. This watering place is beautifully situated on Mount Lulin, and apart from the curative properties of its springs it offers every modern comfort to the visitor. There are smart—yet to the English visitor, inexpensive—hotels and restaurants, and the sporting requirements of visitors are also catered for.
    Vrania, the country seat of the Royal Family, is also within easy distance of Sofia.
    The Rila Mountains, similarly within comfortable reach of the capital, are as beautiful as any in the world. There are scores of glacier lakes at altitudes up to 6,000 feet, while some of the snow-capped peaks are nearly 8,000 feet high. Those who are interested in ancient monuments may care to visit the Rila Monastery, which is the largest and oldest in Bulgaria and resembles the famous monastery on Mount Athos in Greece.
Provincial Cities
    Next to Sofia, Philippopolis is the largest town in the country, with 100,000 inhabitants. It is easily reached from Sofia by rail, and is, if anything, even more picturesque than Sofia owing to its retention of Turkish influences in architecture, costume and customs to a more marked extent.
    But perhaps the most marvellous place in the whole of Bulgaria, and perhaps even in the whole world, is the Valley of Roses in the Balkan Mountains. In summer the whole valley is filled with the colour and fragrance of roses. There are roses, roses everywhere—red roses, white roses, yellow roses. It is a sight that the visitor will carry away with him and store among his or her most beautiful memories.
    The town of Kazanlik is in the centre of the Valley of Roses, and it is from here that the trade in attar of roses is carried on.
    Tirnovo is undoubtedly the most picturesquely situated town in Europe. The town is built in the form of an amphitheatre over the Yantra River, which flows some 300 feet below it. That brief description is sufficient to indicate the beauty of Tirnovo, but it would be vain to attempt to convey its wonderful reality. Tirnovo must be seen to be believed, and it can be seen at little cost, for like all Bulgarian towns it is easily accessible by rail from any point of the country.
Varna
    Varna is Bulgaria’s biggest Black Sea port and also the playground of the well-to-do. As a seaside resort it has no equal in the Balkan Peninsula. It possesses all the modern amenities to be expected in a first-class resort—hotels on the most up-to-date Western lines, a Casino where a little mild gambling may be indulged in, cafés, restaurants, and up-to-date means of locomotion. But over and above all this Varna—generally known as the Queen of the Black Sea—has a great deal to offer that is characteristic of itself. Its fine sandy beach is saturated with iodine, and sun-bathing at Varna has the treble advantage of sun, a health-giving atmosphere and a glorious view of the sea, which is incredibly blue in spite of its name. Running along the edge of the beach there are bathing cabins possessing ultra-modern appointments which may be hired at