On our way back home from Harmanli, we passed through a most amazing place, the mosque-church Uspenie Bogorodichno in Uzundjovo. It is one of the oldest Bulgarian churches, and has a really intense and interesting history. It really pays off to visit this inspiring place, and to listen to its keeper's devoted story.

The original church was build in 1500, then destroyed, and converted first into a kervansaray and then into a mosque. In 1906, it is again turned into an orthodox church, following a heated debate by the local people. The villagers were very resistent to the idea of praying into an old mosque. One of the ideas put forward was to destroy the mosque, and use the building materials to create a totally new church. At the end, however, a superior wisdom prevailed, and the mosque was preserved, but transformed into a Christian temple. An amazing creation of art and architecture continued its mysterious existence in the world.

 Its unique architechture and interior hold numerous symbolic meanings, revealed to the curious visitor by the incredible Bay Dencho, a devoter keper of the temple, who has spent numerous hours in deciphering the "hidden code" imprinted in the iconostasis, the wall decorations and the exterior of the church. His melodious voice will tell you an amazing story about the mosque's architect and constructor, a semi-legendary Master Lalyo (tulip), who has drawn or designed hundreds of tulips in his construction, leaving a vast deal of messages to his successors.

The master was a turk of Bulgarian origin, and the mosque he build was not turned to Mecca, but followed the Cristian canon, and the entrance was directed to south-east. In the north-western niche of the church, an incredible flower looks like the Jewish six-pointed star. On the outside, look closely on one of the semi-domes. It resembles a door knob. In a symbolic way, it represents that everyone who knocks on God's door in this temple will be allowed in, and heard. It does not matter, if visitors are Jewish, Christian or Muslim, as if Master Lalyo thought, they all pray to the same God.

Bay Dencho, a devote believer, who is not however a religious fanatic, will share his interpretation of the temple's messages - a story of religious tolerance and inclusion, a deep understanding of the singularity of god within all world religions, and a somewhat mystic totally unorthodox belief about the capacity of the human soul to reincarnate, and to expand and include clashing views and beliefs in its on-going worldly struggle for perfection. It is really amazing to listen to this man, who is definitely deeply religious, and still has a unique ability to internalize his beliefs, and make them practical, relevant and valuable for his own existence. I only wish I can claim the same degree of ownership over a clear, organized and internalized value-code and moral system to guide me and determine who I am in life.

The church features a number of first-time cultural treasures - like the first glagolic prayer in an iconostasis, or the biggest wooden iconostasis in Bulgaria. At present, this is the largest village-church in Bulgaria, and you should definitely go and see it! Being one of those places you feel earth and sky come together, it might bring some new meaning into your life.

A very important aspect of travelling to any country, at least in my opinion, is trying the typical local food. It can tell you as much about the personality of the people and places, as any other guide book. While in Tunisia, we ate mostly the international cuisine at the hotel restaurant, however, during our two-day Saharan trip, we did have the chance to try some typical specialties. Food in the desert is scarce but rich in calories, and its pillars are simple bread, Arabian couscous, and many condiments.

Here is a very simple and easy-to-make recipe for Arabian scones with minced meat, which I cooked at home, just a week after we got back from Tunisia, full of nostalgia for its colorful beauty.

What you need:

For the scones

dry yeast, 1 package (7 mg)

a bit of sugar

2 teaspoons of salt

4,5 teacups of white flour

1 table spoon of olive oil

1 teacup of warm water

For the filling

1 big onion

500 gr. of minced meat (not pork, if you want it to be Arabian-like)

50 gr of raisins

a lot of condiments (mayorana, savory, red pepper, black pepper, coriander)

cheese

How to prepare the bread?

Mix the yeast, sugar and water together with about 3 spoons of flour, and stir well. Leave the mixture, until the yeast ferments well.

Pour the whole mixture into a large bowl, and add 2 cups of four, the salt and the olive oil. Stir well. Gradually, add the rest of the flour. Hand knead the dought for at least 10-15 minutes. Leave it in bowl, covered with a clean dry towel in a warm room, until the dough doubles its size. Knead once more, and again leave until it doubles.

Place a pot (preferably one with a thick bottom) on the hot-plate and wait until it gets really hot. Then you need to divide the dough into 10 pieces. Take each of the pieces, and flatten it well with a round bottle. Each piece should turn into a circle about 5 mm thick, and 10-15 cm wide. Bake it on the pot. You should not bake any of the scones for more than 3 minutes, or else they will become too dry. You can pour some butter on each scone, and some savory, if you want to further improve their taste).

How to prepare the filling?

Place a large pot on the plate, and heat about 3 ml. of cooking oil in it. Pour the onion, cut into delicate small pieces. Now comes the hardest part, as it is a real art to cook the onion so that it does not turn brown, but instead become soft, tastly, melting on the palate, after extracting all its hidden tasty juices. The secret lies in... patience. So, the first 1-2 minutes you stir just the onion and the oil and wait until the onion turns slightly yellowish. Then you pour in some warn water, just enough to cover the onion. Place the lid on the pot, and wait some minutes until all the water evaporates. Then pour some more warm water, again just enough to cover the onion. Repeat that again, and again, and again, for about 40 minutes. I know it sounds crazy, but this will be the most deliciously cooked onion you have ever tried in your life.

After that you just add the minced meat, and the raisins (you can soak them in some hot water to make them softer). Stir well, until it acquires a delicious goden shade. Then add all the condiments you love. Serve hot on a sidedish to the cones. You can also sprinkle some cheese on top of the meat, but it will become more oily, so this is totally optional.

How to serve?

Both cones and filling should be hot, hot, hot. Place the cone in the plate, add 2-3 spoons of the filling, fold it or roll it, and simply enjoy it :) A very simple, but very nice combination of flavours will make you feel full and happy. And don't forget, together with the scones, to drink the wine that moves you as a camel moves when it's been untied, and is just ambling about.

We learned about the Festival of the Folklore Costume in Jeravna by chance. It is so exclusively nice that I believe people do not to talk about it too much so that it does not become over-exposed and commercialized.

For the entire duration of the festival, 3 hot August days, mobile phones, cameras, wrist watches, sun glasses, jeans and modern attire are strictly forbidden. You cannot use plastic cups, smoke cigarettes or listen tomodern music. All of that is not simply forbidden, it is entirely forgotten, because once you pass the entrance to the festival, you are transcended into a parallel reality, at least 200 years back in time.

The whole festival takes place in a beautiful area, called Dobromeritsa, just outside Jeravna. It is organized by the folklore ensemble Bulgare, who signed a contract with the local municipality to organize the event on this place for 30 years. It all started with a wedding, recreating all the typical Bulgarian nuptial traditions and rituals, which the newlyweds and their 400 guests enjoyed so much, that they decided to repeat the event every year.

If you love folk dances this is your place. Here you can dance almost 24/7, with occasional periods of rest when the scene is occupied by the guest performers or the wrestling fights. Various orchestras compete with each other, and keep the music going non stop. The music is from all regions, and the folk dances vary from pompously slow to wind fast. If anyone of the professional dancers sees you do not know any of the dance steps, they normally come to you and begin to show you how it is done. No one looks down on you for being an absolute beginner. From time to time, it makes sense to just stop for a while and see the professionals really give themselves entirely to the music and enjoy it with each fibre of their body and soul.

The atmosphere wraps you in, and makes you forget literally everything, transporting you back into the mythical "in illo tempore" which Mircea Eliade describes so well. Just imagine the whole field full of people in national folk costumes, sittiling around on colorful chergas, drinking rakia and wine, easily making friends with the neighbors. On one side craftsmen showcase their talens in baking bread in traditional stone ovens in the blazing ambers. Beautiful women slice cooled watermelon and pour glasses of wine. You can have a strong black Turkish coffee boiled on hot sand. Further down the pathway, some young men are preparing the cheverme, or young lamb roasted on open fire. Once the meat is ready, there is a special ritual when it is transported to the main field, accompanied by solemn music, and sliced into pieces for everyone. The home-made beans meal is also one of the most delicious I have ever tasted.

It all happens in the open air, in a cool meadow surrounded by tall fir trees. As it is still summertime, many people decide to spend the night right there, under the million trees, but for us it makes even more sense to find accomodation in one of the centuries old houses in Jeravna, which is the largest national architectural reserve Bugaria.

The program of the festival is quite packed with events to keep you entertained throughout the day. You can get a thorough glimpse of traditional Bulgarian culture - from the nestinari (dances over blazing charcoals), to the wrestlers, from the local ensembles to the hospitably welcomed guest performers, from the entrancing dance around the huge fire to the traditional noisy dinner with friends, it is all there, to make these three days totally unforgettable. And to make you crave for more, however only next summer...

One of the best places to drink the typical tunisian "thé à la menthe aux pignons" and smoke a shisha in Hammamet is the Sidi Bou Hdid cafe. Located perfectly between the walls of the old Medina and the sea, it offers a magnificent overview of the bay, which can easily erase any idea of time and space from your stress-filled soul. One of she best moments you can choose to spend there is late in the day, just before sunset, when you will see sky and water blend in together in a million shades of color.

Couples, friends, workers, tourists and locals will promenade before your eye, giving you a perfect feel of the amazing different-cultural tunisian experience. All seats and tables are arranged in such a way that you are facing the sea, and the promenade, also exemplfying the typical easthern habit of curious observation of the outside world.

Take your time and try to soak in the atmosphere. If you are a woman, you will definitely notice a lot of men staring at you. Like our Tunisian tour guide commented, Tunisian men have very "sexual eyes", you feel naked and exposed by the way they judge you all over. Here, like in most Arab countries, you will feel most at ease, if you forget about mini skits and short sleeves. Cover up a bit, both to show respect for the local culture, and to be able to fit in better. In any case, having a pretty shawl to wrap your shoulders with, is a good idea, even just to protect you from the sea breeze.

When you visit this part of the world, tasting the delicious green mint tea is a must. Be brave and order it with pine nuts or almonds. The tea is very sweet and very strong, and can give as much energy as a coffee. Perfectly complimenting its taste is an apple-tasting shisha, which is served at almost any location around Tunisia. We spent our last Tunisian hours in Sidi Boud Hdid, counting the last dinars to buy one final narguile (and as a consequence, we did not have money to buy dinner after that :).

Finally, if you ever wondered, sidi is a respectful title in arabic, equivalent to "mister". It is very commonly used in different titles, and even village names...

... is large. Viennese people like to eat breakfast, preferably not at home but at some cozy cafe around town.

In Vienna, there are two types of cafes. One is more like a fast-food outlet, where you can grab a snack and a coffee. The other is my favorite type, where you can sit around for hours, sip your coffee with a hundred refills of water, read the paper and chat with friends. This second type of coffe-house is the epitomy of the Viennese cafe tradition, and it is also the place where you crave to have your Sunday breakfast.

We chose the Mozart cafe at the Saher Hotel. This is the hotel which boasts with the oldest recipe for saher cake in the world. They say the original cake is produced there according to a 500-years-old recipe. However, we did not sit in Saher cafe, which is a bit too pompous for my taste, and chose Mozart, overlooking the Albertina and the back side of the Opera (and our favorite sausages stand).

The atmosphere is exactly what you want for a lazy, half-awake, windy, snowy morning. It has so much light, gushing in through the large windows. Added to it, is the soft yellow light of the tens of chandeliers in the cafe. The seats are comfy, the tables not too close to each other, but close enough to make you feel the warmth of people around you. It looks and makes you feel aristocratic, especially when the waiter starts calling you "sir" and "ma'am", and attending to each of your wishes.

Then comes my favorite part. The Large Viennese breakfast includes

• pot of coffee, or tea, or chocolate
• portion of butter
• jar of jam or honey
• ham, cottage and sliced cheese
• soft boiled egg
• freshly squeezed orange juice

Add to it a freshly baked croissant, and, I'm telling you, there's nothing more delicious in the whole world. A perfect blend of aromas for your palate, saturating you with warmth, food and energy for a long day ahead.

No wonder breakfast takes at least two to three hours, when you add to the act of eating the talking, reading the paper or simply drenching in the atmosphere, and enjoying the simple act of being there.

A cafe has existed at this location ever since 1794, and it is easily felt that this is a place with traditions. It is also the location where Graham Green wrote the screenplay for "The Third Man," and a tribute to this classic movie is paid in the cafe's menu :)

In the end, I can only add, it's absolutely recommended, you'll love it. Enjoy your breakfast at Mozart until 3 p.m. each day.