SofiaMapSeptember 28–30, 2009 They use a pickaxe to open manholes in Sofia.  But they also have separate recycling containers, like in Europe.  They have no plans to stop using Cyrillic script here.  But they’re also three times as generous with the red paint for zebra crossings as Vienna.  The bakery display window has a bublik labeled with a marker hanging from a wire.  But the «Children» sign has a ball breaking past the bounds of the template (like in Croatia).  The city is full of shops operating out of basements (customers get down on all fours to buy a box of chocolates).  But every zone with special parking rules has detailed instructions, like in the US.  The post boxes look Western.  But the trash cans feel like home.  Cleanliness People in the Soviet Union used to say, «A chicken isn’t a bird; Bulgaria isn’t abroad.» But times have changed, and Bulgaria now feels somewhat like abroad.  Let’s move on to the distinctive details.  Bulgarians have been working hard on improving typography, and even invented their own form of Cyrillic lettering, also known as Bolgaritsa. For example, they write the lowercase Cyrillic «к» like the Latin «k» the «и» like a «u» and the «т» like an «m» (a straightened version of the cursive Cyrillic character). Such attention to type inevitably brings noticeable results, so even a sign as prosaic as «Well Kept Building» looks polished and aesthetically pleasing.  Here, I was able to find proof that the buildings in Dubna referred to as «Bulgarian» are actually Bulgarian: the mailbox slots next to the front entrance are unmistakable.  People also hang relatives’ obituaries on bulletin boards, trees and lampposts here (like in Montenegro, only without any clearly defined design rules).  |
