The best country I have visited is...

The best country I have visited is... Bulgaria! It took me a while to think about it to be sure that the choice is the closest to the truth. This week's Weekend Engagement comes with this suggestion - question: The best country (?).

The choice wasn't hard because I'm a big traveler and have a rich list of countries visited. There were only a few, some of them on the run.

I had to choose between Bulgaria and Greece!

Two Balkan countries, the first neighboring Romania, the country where I live, and the second neighboring Bulgaria.

The choice was hard because Greece has always been a dream for me, a place with a unique climate, landscape, and way of life, from what I could see live so far. Just the fact that I don't know the country very well, I have only been three times, to the same place, from one of the thousands of islands of the Greek archipelago made me unsure of my choice. I want to be as objective as possible, although this choice can only be subjective.

On the other hand, I have been to Bulgaria dozens of times and I think that this helps me get to know the country and its inhabitants better. Even when I traveled to Greece I had to cross Bulgaria.

The main interest that made me travel to these two countries was the sea. Seaside holiday! For those who live far from the sea, the fascination for it is common, I think. I say this when I think that all my friends are attracted to the sea.

I think I chose Bulgaria both as compensation and as a desire to be forgiven. Why am I saying this?

Because during school, as a teenager, in the 1970s, I had a deep and unjustified aversion to Bulgaria and its inhabitants. An influence probably received from the environment, a somewhat general disregard. Bulgarians were characterized as having wide necks (probably because they were athletic) and as vegetable growers. I, like a stupid child, thought the same as the others, believing what was said then in Romanian society, which probably believed itself to be superior.

My surprise was great when I traveled to Bulgaria for the first time. Suddenly I discovered some pleasant and hardworking people. Friendly and relaxed. I am referring first of all to those in the tourism sector, with whom I interacted the most, given that the reason for the trip was always related to vacation. Seaside holiday. I found then and in all the following years that my compatriots were under the Bulgarians. Me too probably. Thus I suddenly changed my opinion and became an admirer of these people. I told friends and acquaintances at home about my new perception of our neighbors, many did not believe me but then, slowly, slowly they had to prove me right.

Bulgaria, which is a small country, about half the size of Romania, has a wonderful and varied relief. Mountain, sea, plain, hills... just like in Romania, which is also a very beautiful country, but it has something more.

I mean, it doesn't have... It doesn't have that many inhabitants!

It is a pleasure to drive on the roads of Bulgaria. Few cars, even fewer people, and almost deserted villages. Driving in these conditions is pleasant, and relaxing and you can admire the quiet landscape. Of course, big cities are also crowded here, but as my goal has always been the sea, my journey has always been unforgettable. Unlike in Romania, where the coast is similar in all the resorts, in Bulgaria we found different reliefs and landscapes in different places on the coast.

Places are still far from the transformations made for tourists. Wide, wild beaches, are sought after by those who love the sea and less comfort.

A place where I would have loved to grow up!

The first place I traveled to, a place I usually go to every year, is Balchik. A quiet place, with a special light, given by the white hills that surround it, a place sought by painters, a place where the former Queen of Romania, Maria, had her summer residence.

This is what a queen's residence looked like in the 1930s!

And this is what the same queen's garden looks like.

I think I was coherent enough to make it clear that the most important queen of the Roman kingdom had her summer residence in Bulgaria, in Balchik. If a queen and most painters loved this place, how can I not love it?

I admit that I still have a lot to visit in Bulgaria and I hope I can. Certainly, it is the best country I have visited. I can also say that the cost of living is quite cheap, and the quality of food, is still good. There were some problems with crime but it seems to have been solved. Bulgaria is a country I wanted to move to when I was more active. Now, family obligations prevent me but, depending on life expectancy, who knows what the future holds?

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