B ugarska je lepa zemlja, ta- mo sam rođen, ali sam zbog fudbala već sa 11 godina oti- šao u inostranstvo. Zbog to- ga sam se ponekad u rođenoj zem- lji osećao kao stranac, ali, na sreću, ti trenuci bili su retki. Sofija je grad koji je uvek u mom srcu i za njega sam posebno vezan jer u njemu žive moja deca, sin Vale- ri i ćerka Nikol. To je grad u kom ži- vim kad sam u domovini, iako sam rođen u Gornjoj Orahovici, koja je od bugarske prestonice udaljena oko 250 kilometara. Sofija je najlepša u proleće, u apri- lu i maju, i jedan je od retkih gradova u čijem centru postoje neoborivi do- kazi drevnih istorijskih korena. Buga-
ri brižljivo čuvaju nasleđe, ali je moto Sofije „Stalno u usponu – nikada star“. Tokom duge istorije svaki period je grad obogatio brojnim tragovima, pa u Sofiji ima više od 250 arhitek- tonskih, arheoloških i istorijskih zna- menitosti. Među najznačajnijim zna- menitostima je Nacionalni arheološki muzej, u kom su izloženi eksponati iz drevnog antičkog i srednjovekovnog perioda, riznice, oružje i figure klesa- ne u kamenu. Impresivni Hram Sve- tog Aleksandra Nevskog zaštitni je znak Sofije. Kao patrijaršijska katedra- la Bugarske pravoslavne crkve, jedan je od najvećih pravoslavnih hramova u svetu. U sklopu crkve je i muzej iko- na, za koji kažu da je najveća zbirka pravoslavnih ikona u svetu.
Ipak, ja sa decom najviše volim da odem na obližnju planinu Vitošu, na čijim padinama je i smešte-
na Sofija. To je pravi raj i zelena oaza s koje se pruža veličanstven po- gled na grad, a tu se nalazi i istoime- ni nacionalni park. Zanimljivo je da me u ovo doba godine moji prijatelji iz inostranstva uvek pitaju za savete u vezi sa zimovanjem u Bugarskoj – koji skijaški centar je najbolji, gde je dobar provod, šta da jedu kad dođu u moju zemlju... Mnogi od njih se iznenade kad čuju da je musaka jedno od naših naj- popularnijih jela, iako u suštini Bu- garska ima hranu sličnu onoj koja se jede u Srbiji i Turskoj.
BUDITE ZVONAR U PARKU ZVONA Ako ste ikada maštali o tome da sami pokrene- te crkvena zvona, poseti- te Međunarodni park de- ce sveta koji Bugari zovu jednostavno Kambanite, što znači „zvona“. Nalazi se nedaleko od Sofije i širi se oko visokog betonskog tornja, još jednog spome- nika u megalomanskom maniru bivših vremena. Oko tornja, nadohvat ru- ke, poređano je 135 zvo- na, svako iz druge zemlje. Ideja je bila da bude ono- liko zvona koliko je drža- va u svetu.
BE A BELL- RINGER IN THE PARK OF BELLS If you’ve ever dreamt of ringing church bells for yourself, visit the Interna- tional Park of the Children of the World, which the Bul- garians simply call the ‘Kam- banite’ or ‘the bells’. Located not far from Sofia, it spreads around a high concrete tow- er that is yet another mon- ument made in the mega- lomaniacal style of former times. Around the tower and arranged at arm’s length are 135 bells, each from a differ- ent country. The idea was for there to be as many bells as there are countries in the world.
Valeri Božinov is a Bulgarian striker with an impressive football career. He has played for some of the biggest clubs, such as Juventus, Manchester City, Lecce and Fiorentina, but also for Serbian club Partizan, to which he is particularly connected
Valeri Božinov je bugarski napadač s impresivnom fudbalskom karijerom. Igrao je za najveće klubove, kao što su Juventus, Mančester siti, Leće, Fjorentina, ali i za srpski Partizan, za koji je posebno vezan
B ulgaria is a beautiful country. I was born there, but I moved abroad due to football at the age of 11. That sometimes made me feel like a stranger in my home country, but, for- tunately, such moments were short-lived. Sofia is a city that’s always in my heart and I’m particularly attached to it because my children, my son Valeri and daughter Nikol, live there. That’s the city I live in when I’m in my homeland, though I was born in Gornja Orahovica, which is locat- ed about 250 kilometres away from the Bulgarian capital. Sofia is at its most beautiful in spring, during April and May, and it’s one of the rare cities in which the centre possesses unmistakable evidence of ancient histori-
cal roots. The Bulgarians carefully preserve their heritage, but the motto of Sofia is: “constantly growing – never aging”. During its long history, man periods have enriched the city and left traces, so in Sofia there are more than 250 architec- tural, archaeological and historical sights. Among the most important is the Nation- al Archaeological Museum, which exhib- its finds from ancient antiquity and the medieval ages, treasures, weapons and stone figures. The impressive St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is a trademark of Sofia. As the patriarchal cathedral of the Bulgarian Or- thodox Church, it is one of the world’s larg- est Orthodox churches. Within the church is also a museum, which is said to pos-
sess the world’s largest collection of Or- thodox icons. Still, with the children I most enjoy go- ing to nearby Vitosha Mountain, the slopes of which are home to Sofia. It’s a true para- dise and green oasis which provides mag- nificent views of the city, while there is al- so a national park of the same name there. What’s interesting is that at this time of year my foreign friends always ask for advice on Bulgaria for their winter holidays - which ski centre is the best, where they can have a good time, what to eat when they visit my country... Many are surprised when they hear that moussaka is one of our most popular dishes, though Bulgaria essentially has food similar to that which is eaten in Serbia and Turkey.
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