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Things are starting to wind up around here. Finally! Doesn’t it seem like forever ago that we went to one of these things? Let’s tell this June gloom to get off and go to a good party.

Prepare your tents and direct yourselves to the 9th annual d’n'b summer festival, organized by HMSU!

It is extremely easy to go there since it has direct public transport to the village where the event is going to be.

After the rainy days, we all need lots of sunshine and massive sounds so that we could feel at last what is the summer season all about. The event promises various electronic styles, all rooted in the tradition of drum and bass. Moreover, the festival has no analogue in the Balkans! Yey!

I fully support dubstep, so I cannot wait to feel how my organs tremble at the power of sound. 40 hours in a row. Last year, the organization was perfect and you should have seen the wall of loudspeakers. It produced this wow effect we all needed.

There’s no point resisting, so don’t bother. And don’t forget your freezebees, badminton rackets, heks, balls and hats because fun is what matters!

Find more information on  http://fest.hmsu.org/en

I have been observing the transformation of this place for some time. When it became clear that it would be a coffee and/or eating place, I was not even thrilled.

However, I was wrong not to show any curiosity because Park Bar & Restaurant opened doors (and windows) with a full determination to be outstanding and noteworthy. I have always been impressed when conventional elements are displayed in an unusual perspective that makes you contemplate on how this is achieved. For example, we see the pattern called hounds tooth decorating some of the walls in dark purple and green, making different animal shapes, while the furniture is a variant of artistic creation and interior design which is adapted to the needs of contemporary living - comfortable, clear-cut and stylish. I like the idea of sitting on the rims on the windows - there are numerous pillows for that aim.

The coffee is strong and has many variants, the fresh juices are as fresh as they can be but I have not tried the food yet.

The address is 30 Shipka str., right before the Russian Cultural and Science Center if you come from Sofia University.

If you want to keep it classy, Alma Mater restaurant is just the place for you.

Situated in Sofia University, the restaurant is designed to correspond to the venerated building, thus it gives the impression that it is an inherent extension. The high ceilings add a dramatic visual effect but at the same time make the space cozy and inviting. The furniture and the bar are made from massive wood that clearly outline the overall conception - seriousness, elegance and academic formalism. One can surely indulge in long conversations.

The food menu is detailed and ranges from traditional and familiar meals to sophisticated European cuisine. The vine collection is quite impressive as it occupies a whole wall.

Find Alma Mater restaurant in the covered passageway which leads to the inner yard of the university. It is just next to the parade entrance.

A lunch for two would be about 35 - 40 leva (20 Euro)

The concept of Bio Cafe inevitably distinguishes it from the rest of the cafes, firstly with the fact that all products offered (except for the alcohol)  are organic, nature friendly and not easy to find. Secondly, smoking is forbidden inside which is a bold decision indeed, however it’s high time we start thinking in this direction.

In a small cafe like this, lots of things can be done like checking your e-mail because of the wi-fi, reading magazines that reveal the latest innovations in the environmental area, enjoying a cup of tea, served with imagination and tracing the passing trams through the window. Their last or first stop appears to be there, so they do a kind of circle in order to change the direction.

Spending time in Bio Cafe has an revitalizing effect maybe because of the rustic interior, the smoothing music or maybe we needed a place like this long ago. Moreover, it is attached right next to a Bio Shop and now the picture gets completed. Everything that you need for your organic meal could be found there.

Bio Cafe is on Zhurnalist square (Journalist square), right next to Bio Shop.

The big fuss has started. Actually it has started long ago or longer than you think it takes a student to plan his or hers graduation party. The night of the prom should always be like a blowout.

If you aren’t intentionally included in the process, you will get involved anyhow if you happen to be here between 20th and 30th of May. It is not so Sofian but rather a national event that literary reorganizes the current situation both in the afternoons and during the nights because the graduates party hard.

The whole procedure has certain steps starting with a massive gathering of relatives, parents and their friends so that everyone can greet you for the end of school and ascertain how beautiful you are. No, before that is the meeting with the hairdresser and all that jazz. Then lots of things happen, including a wild trip to the school where everyone is waiting for you to proceed with the restaurant and after that who knows…

Meanwhile, you can learn to count to 12 in Bulgarian - the number that stands for the years spent in school. Find out for yourselves why.

For the seventh time Plovdiv International Airport will be hosting the Bulgarian International Air Festival (BIAF) on 23rd and 24th May 2009 under the patronage of the Prime Minister of Bulgaria.

What is important, however, are the spectacular tricks that would be performed in the air with the speed of light! Apart from the solid international presence, the Bulgarian Air Forces are preparing to show their achievements as well!

Lets take over the skies and to observe how professionalism and art are combined!
For more information, visit organizer’s website: http://www.airshow-bg.com/en/

This year our city zoo celebrates 120 years since it first opened doors. The beginning was initiated by Tzar Ferdinand who issued a royal decree and on 1st of May 1888 the zoological garden welcomed visitors. The same year, Sofia University also was established, so you could imagine how big the excitement of the people was.

Initially, the zoo was situated in the very center of Sofia, but the space soon proved to be insufficient for the growing animal collection and it had to be moved on the place of a former botanical garden which was then situated in the outskirts of Sofia. The main reason for moving the zoo was the lack of space for a pair of bears.

The new location made our zoo the biggest in Bulgaria and provided many opportunities for new inhabitants coming from various corners of the world.

Nowadays, Zoo Sofia is more than just a park for animals. It is actively involved in environmental protection programs by taking part in various national and international projects for reproduction and breeding of endangered species like rare monkeys, tigers, and antelopes. There is also an Ecological Science Center where different educational programs are conveyed either for the youngsters or for scientists.

It is nice to visit the zoo - this is a funny way to spend half of your day. Though lots of concrete and metal surround the animals and despite that the space is not like it is in the savanna, the creatures look satisfied and curious to the visitors. The same applies to the latter too.

A suitable time to go is during the week and in the afternoons of the weekends, otherwise you risk to be run over by mothers pushing baby-carriages or flocks of children with bicycles.

Admission: 2 Leva (less than 1 Euro).

Open everyday from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

The traditions of Middle East have gathered here - from the menu to the interior, this restaurant offers a long oriental journey. In some of the evenings it gets even more intense because while you are eating, oriental dancers invade the space with veils and cymbals and you literary forget the rest.

The food is actually Lebanese, delicious, diverse and spicy, served in colourful traditional Bulgarian plates, so only here we have this mixing of cultures that I find so charming.

The names of the dishes are really hard to pronounce, thus hard to remember but the menu is in both Bulgarian and English languages. When finally the order is served, you immediately notice that they are decorated masterfully but this is only the first few seconds, then you waste no more time in contemplation.

What is very useful is that they offer a home delivery. The number is 9293641, the same on which you can make reservations as well.

A dinner for two would be about 35 Leva (18 Euros)

Phoenicia restaurant is on Zona B-5, Osogovo Str., next to block 5 - not a very central location but the place is near Mall of Sofia, so you could combine them perfectly.

It is so sad but true - lots of people in our country live in misery. Especially the Roma people who seem forgotten in those cabins which appear to be their personal space, home or shelter.

Some of those people’s main occupation might be to drift around the streets, checking out what’s in the trash bins. Since we don’t recycle, they appear as a kind of recyclers - always picking out what might be of some worth. The strayed dogs are their friends and accompany them in their ventures, always waiting for a treat.

The above-mentioned scene is so often seen and from such a long time that we have got used to it, almost thinking that it is normal but not quite.

It is always useful to know how to ride a horse. The numerous aspects of this activity bring excitement, joy, adrenaline even. When I first tried it, I couldn’t take off the smile of my face a whole week, explaining everyone how regally I felt on the animal’s back.

The world seemed different from there - as if the sounds changed, the colors too, and the instructions of the trainer were dully reaching my ears - I was too busy contemplating everything else around. Well, as for the latter - this was not a good idea having in mind that riding is by no means an easy task as there are details for consideration before even approaching the animal. When you finally appear on its back, however, the feeling of insecurity disappears and what follows is a natural process of getting used to your new position.

For the ones who are not very keen on horses, there are super cute ponies.

Time in my case was my enemy as it passed with the speed of light.

The equestrian base is at the very center of Sofia - in the Borisova Garden and it is open every single day from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Half an hour ride will cost you 30 Leva, while an hour one - 50 Leva.