REASONS WHY TO CHOOSE SOFIA, BULGARIA FOR YOUR NEXT EVENT...
1. THE PRESENT TURBOLENT TIMES MAKE YOU TIGHT YOUR BUDGET -THEN SOFIA IS THE ANSWER
Short distance from Europe - reduced costs for transportation
Low cost carriers - Wizzair, Easy Jet, My Air, Fly Baboo, Sky Europe
Very good value for money on spot
Official name: Republic of Bulgaria - the newest member of EU
Population: 7,973,671 inhabitants /2005/
Capital: Sofia /appx. 2 million inhabitants/
Language: Bulgarian, but many people, and particularly young people, speak English, French or German.
Currency: Bulgarian Lev /BGN/, 1 euro = 1.96 BGN
Time: GMT + 2 hours (GMT + 3 hours during daylight savings time)
Visa: None required for EU, US, or Canadian citizens. For a detailed list of countries and visa requirements see http://www.mfa.bg/en/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4794&Itemid=243
How far to Sofia by plane?
| Amsterdam - 3h | Geneve -2h 10min | Paris - 3h |
| Athens - 1h 15min | Istanbul - 1h 20min | Prague - 1h 50min |
| Barcelona - 3h | Kiev - 2h 05min | Rome - 2h |
| Berlin - 2h 20min | London - 3h 30min | Vienna - 1h 20min |
| Brussels - 3h | Madrid - 4h | Warsaw - 2h |
| Bucharest - 1h | Milan - 2h 10min | Zurich - 2h 30min |
| Budapest - 2h | Moscow - 3h | |
| Frankfurt - 2h | Munich - 2h | |
2. SOFIA - A PLACE WHERE YOU HAVE NEVER BEEN BEFORE...
- Discover still little known incentive destination...
- Be one step ahead the competition and offer gorgeous hotels at fabulous prices...
3. SOFIA - A CITY WITH 4 VIVID SEASONS
4. SOFIA IS THE ONLY EUROPEAN CITY WITH A MOUNTAIN WITHIN 30 MINUTES FROM THE CITY CENTER
ACTIVITIES:
- Snow-related activities
- Outdoor team-building activities
- Paintball
- Biking
- Trekking
- Chair lift trip
- Panorama view of Sofia
5. SOFIA WINE & DINE - do you remember the flavor and taste of the real food?
Traditional food:
- The Bulgarian food is prepared out of ecologically pure and natural products.
- Typical characteristic of Bulgarian cuisine is seasonality.
- Generous use of vegetables and aromatic spices and herbs is one the peculiarities of Bulgarian cuisine.
- Traditional meat dishes are: Kapama, Kavarma, Kepab, Sarmi made of stuffed cabbige or wine leaves, Gyuvech, Shopska salad
6. SOFIA - A CITY THAT NEVER SLEEPS
All night fun lovers can unwind taking part in crazy DJ parties at the bets discos, karaoke or piano bars, night clubs and music halls...
Or just have a break in a pub, tavern or local restaurant.
7. HIGHLIGHTS OF YOUR VISIT
VISIT TO THE FILM STUDIO /behind the scene/
- Nu Boyana Film Studios is the largest film production facility in Bulgaria offering several standing sets on its grounds. Just a ten minute walk can take you from the ancient Rome to modern day New York, the Middle East and the Orient.
- Some of the actors shot movies here are: Jean Clod Van Dam, Scarlet Johansen, Josh Harnett, Antonio Banderas, Morgan Freeman, Aaron Eckhart, Hilary Swank, Steven Segal, John Cusack, Val Kilmer, Dolph Lundgren, Wesley Snipes, etc.
VISIT TO TV STUDIO /behind the scene/
- You'll see into the studios, visit the News and be shown around by well-informed, entertaining guides.
THEME MASK BALLS
- /scenic costumes can be provided as well as necessary props and equipment/: Medieval costumes;
- Costumes from the end of 19th century till 30's of the 20th century; Bulgarian folklore national costumes
- Military uniforms: Bulgarian Army dated 1st World war, 2ndWorld war and contemporary uniforms; German 2nd World war uniforms; US Army uniforms;
VISIT TO KOZLODUY NUCLEAR POWER PLANT /distance: appx.200 km north from Sofia, duration: 3 hours one-way/
Kozloduy NPP plc is the only nuclear power plant in Bulgaria and it's also the main electricity generating company in the country. The annual share in the overall national electricity generation for the last years was more than 40 %. This determines the significant position the company holds - being a factor of economic sustainability both nationally and regionally. Kozloduy NPP generates the cheapest electricity in the country, thus ensuring and maintaining affordable price of electricity for Bulgarian end-consumers. This visit provides possibilities for direct introduction to the nuclear power plant facilities.
In the halls of the Information center you can see:
- Mock-ups of the main facilities of the nuclear power plant;
- Poster exhibition "Kozloduy NPP - safety and clean nature";
- Collection of photographs from different plant facilities;
- Multimedia interactive system on the history and technological process for the production of electricity, with a special animated department;
- Videos with summarized information on the Kozloduy NPP history and activities.
N.B. Visits can be organized only during workdays /Monday-Friday/ with a special notice at least 20 days prior to the date planned. A specific program is developed for every visit depending on the interests of the visitors. The visits on-site end at 15:30.
RETRO-TRAM JOURNEY ALONG SOFIA STREETS /upon request street musicians can play in the tram during the journey/
TRANSFER WITH RETRO-CARS TO YOUR GALA DINNER
DID YOU KNOW:
- Bulgaria is one of the oldest European countries and is the only one that hasn't changed its name ever since it was founded in 681 AC.
- In 716 AD, the Bulgarians saved EUROPE from islamization. In 716 AD, the Bulgarians under the command of Kanasubigi Tervel came forward at the gates of Constantinople to help the Byzantines against the Muslim threat. This blow put an end to the Muslim Arabs attempting to penetrate into the Old Continent through the Balkan Peninsula.
- The recognition of the autocephalous Bulgarian Patriarchate by the Patriarchate of Constantinople in 927 AD makes the Bulgarian Orthodox Church the oldest independent Slavic Orthodox Church in the world.
- Bulgaria and Denmark were the only European countries to save their Jews during the Holocaust.
- The oldest processed golden treasure in the world was found in Bulgaria near the town of Varna (In 294 graves were discovered more than 3000 golden objects dating back 6000 years).
- According to the statistics, Bulgaria ranks third in Europe only after Greece and Italy for the number of its valuable archaeological monuments.
- The Cyrillic alphabet - in the second half of the 9th century the brothers Cyril (Constantine the Philosopher) and Methodius created and disseminated the Cyrillic alphabet. From Bulgaria the Cyrillic script spread to other Slavic lands as well - present-day Serbia and Russia.
- With the accession of Bulgaria to the European Union on January 1, 2007, Cyrillic became the third official alphabet of the EU. ( Bulgaria is the second EU country, after Greece, that use a non-Latin alphabet and the first to use Cyrillic, which originated in the medieval Bulgarian Empire.)
- The Bulgarian Army is the only force in the world which has never lost a single flag , although it actively participated in all major wars in Europe since the end of the nineteenth century.
- The first air-dropped bomb in military history was developed by the Bulgarian Air Force during the First Balkan War, and used on 16 October 1912 by Lieuts. Radul Milkov and Prodan Tarakchiev.
- Rayna Kasabova was the first woman ever to take part in a combat air mission, accomplished on 30 October 1912.
- The first wrestler in the world with 1500 wins and only 2 lost matches is the Bulgarian -- Dan Kolov .
- World's first digital wristwatch was developed by the Bulgarian Peter Petroff.
- Bulgaria is second in the world in international IQ tests and SAT scores and fourth in the world in per capita university education after the U.S., Japan, and the United Kingdom.
- The only nations in the world that use the bagpipe as a typical national instrument are Bulgaria, Ireland and Scotland.
- As a Consultative Party to the Antarctic Treaty, Bulgaria takes part in the governing of Antarctica (since 1998 ).
- The 'Voyager I' spacecraft launched in the 1970s on a voyage to meet and communicate with other planets, carried a laser disc of ten songs believed to be representative of 'Earth'. One of these songs was the Bulgarian tune "Izlel e Deliu Haidutin" from the Rhodope region, performed by Valia Balkanska.
- The inventor of the first electronic computer John Vincent Atanassoff is of Bulgarian origin. Professor John Atanassoff, together with graduate student Clifford Berry, built the world's first electronic, digital, computer, at Iowa State University, between 1939 and 1942.
- Elias Canetti was born in Bulgaria. 1981 Nobel Laureate in Literature for writings marked by a broad outlook, a wealth of ideas and artistic power.
- The famous football player Hristo Stoichkov was born in Bulgaria. He was the man who led FC Barcelona to their first European Champions' Cup. Stoichkov is the first Bulgarian who has won the Golden Ball for best European football player.
- Rita Wilson - The American actress and wife of Tom Hanks is the daughter of a Bulgarian immigrant to USA.
- The renowned developer of the combined oral contraceptive pill Carl Djerassi, is of Bulgarian descent.
- On 1st March, every year, Bulgarians give each other 'martenitsas' - small figures made of white and red threads. These figures are believed to be a symbol of the awakening - of spring, health and happiness.
- Most importantly remember that shaking your head means "yes" and nodding means "no". It can cause great confusion and it is best always to say the word.
- Yoghurt - Lactobacillus Bulgaricus, the bacterium that is responsible for giving Bulgarian yoghurt its unique flavour and consistency, can only be found in Bulgarian air.
- Bulgaria produces half of the rose oil in the world. The famous Bulgarian rose-oil, produced in the region of Kazanlak is a component of French and other world-famous perfumes.
- Bulgaria has sent two astronauts into space. This happened in 1979 by sending the former military pilot, Georgi Ivanov, followed by Alexander Alexandrov in 1988. Thus Bulgaria became the sixth nation on the planet to send a man into a space.
