SEO/Birdlife is the oldest conservation NGO in Spain, focusing on the preservation of birds and nature through volunteering activities, scientific monitoring of species, ecological restoration and outreach programs. As an ESC volunteer, I’ve got to accompany the staff in their day-to-day work, which has been anything to bird ringing and census, invasive plants removal, raptor pellets analysis, document translation, as well as checking nest boxes, cleaning beaches and much more! Everyday is different here and all staff members are very supportive and kind.

Thanks to this opportunity, I’ve been able to do things I never thought I’d do. I’ve ringed an owl chick, climbed to the top of churches to collect data on kestrels, been vomited on by carraca chicks, seen great tit chicks only a few hours old, seen the king fisher up close and observed many endangered birds such as the marbled duck, white-headed duck, pin-tailed sandgrouse and osprey.

I’ve been living in Almonte, a typical Andalusian village about half way between El Rocio and the beaches of Matalascañas, and an hour from Sevilla. In my free time, I got to experience the local culture, which is mainly centered around horses: la Saca de las Yeguas, an event during which the semi wild mares from Doñana and their foal are taken in the village for sale and vet treatments; la feria de Sevilla; and of course the general “Western” vibe from El Rocio, where bars have very high tables for people who want to enjoy a beer and some tapas while riding their horse. It seems like here people learn how to ride a horse before they learn how to walk!

Besides, whenever I have the time, I don’t miss a chance to give a hand at the local animal shelter, where I get to take care of (and get a lot of love from) many dogs, cats, pigs, horses, goats and more!

And, of course, part of this experience is to visit the nearby places. I went to the beautiful cities of Sevilla and Córdoba, and I got the chance to visit Ronda – a charming historical Andalusian town – as well as hiking the stunning mountains of Sierra de Grazalema and Sierra de las nieves.

But what I’ll remember from this experience is mostly the beautiful, authentic and passionate people I’ve met along the way. This involves the other ESC volunteers I’m living and working with, the staff members, as well as the local friends I’ve made during my stay.

I’m so grateful I’ve got to a be a part of this project and community, I will only cherish wonderful memories of this experience and it has made me grow both personally and professionally. If you’re reading this because you’re considering becoming an ESC volunteer yourself, I can only recommend you to go for it!!

Translated by Konstantin Pchelinski

My room floor is cool, of 12 square metres,

And, humpback and mute, supports firmly my bed;

Above, through the window, the rising dawn scatters

Gold o’er the azure sky. But what of that?

What of that, outside, the dew brightly glistens

With drops like small coins all silver and clean,

All flowers are dressed up in colourful laces,

And trees boast their crowns all emerald-green?

What of that women have taken much care

To make their lips ruby-red, with lipstick,

And neatly to comb their reddish-brown hair,

Each hoping to touch her beloved man unique?

When I wake, with my eye-lids half-open, again

Dense fog does veil my eyes thoroughly.

I don’t let my soul cry hotly with pain

For that it this beauty will fail to see.

I surely remember the three questions’ answer

The French pilot’s book full of wisdom imposes

Revealing the truth very simple and clear:

‘Each visible beauty’s but pollen of roses.’

Should I need things, each in various colours,

Now that a rose grows in bloom in my mind,

And, in my head, I’ve a hangar of rockets

All ready to fly to stars and dreams bright?

I don’t think the long workday full of vain matters

Would ease me with sympathy and love for me too.

I leave the protecting-me edge of my mattress,

Inspired by thinking of what I must do.

My cheerful smile reveals my elation.

It’s my kept-up trademark, my medal hard-won

That shows that I, though blind, to Exhaustion,

Will never surrender but fight on and on.

This poetic work was awarded 1st prize in the 14th edition of Sighted Hearts annual competition in poetry broadcast on Hristo Botev Programme of the Bulgarian National Radio on 29 May 2023.

After making sure we had everything we needed, we set out for Valencia in Spain by train, our first destination. After a long journey of numerous connections involving countries like Germany, Belgium and France, we finally arrived in Valencia, tired but in high spirits. Let me mention a few interesting facts about Valencia before going into the details of what we did there. Valencia is a popular tourist destination with a vibrant nightlife, colorful cuisine, beaches and rich cultural heritage. The city’s name is of Latin origin and actually means “valour” or “bravery”. I will also add that the region is famous for oranges and rice, which are reflected in its traditional dishes.

Our days in Valencia passed with sightseeing, touring the famous squares of the city, trying its traditional cuisine, and enjoying its vibrant night life in tapas bars. We also participated in a free walking tour with a local guide to get to know the city better. During our three days of stay, we extensively tasted the Valencian cuisine, which included delicacies like paella and horchata. We particularly enjoyed the orange juice made from Valencian oranges, which can only be found in the area. We even claim that we have never tasted sweeter orange juice than the one we tried in Valencia. Ceyda was particularly impressed and enthusiastic, so much so that she managed to get a glass of orange juice for free.

Our next stop was Madrid. In Madrid, we spent most of our time bar hopping, where we indulged in the city’s famous sangria and tapas culture. We visited several bars and tried different types of sangria, each with their own unique twist on the classic recipe. Along with the sangria, we also tried a variety of tapas dishes such as tortilla española (Spanish omelet). One of the highlights of Madrid was munching on churros at a well-known place, where we enjoyed the traditional Spanish doughnut-like pastry that were crispy on the outside and warm and fluffy on the inside, accompanied by a rich and decadent chocolate dipping sauce. It was a short but amazing experience that allowed us to immerse ourselves in Madrid’s culture and food scene.

Perhaps it was fitting that the best highlight of our time in Spain came last and we found ourselves in Barcelona, but with one tiny problem. We had not reserved accommodation and we were without a place to stay for our first night. We spent nearly the whole time of our Madrid to Barcelona train ride to find a roof for our heads with no success. Only upon arriving in Barcelona were we able to secure a place, but it came with a catch. The last minute AirBNB room we found was located in a coastal town 50 minutes away from the Barcelona city center where we had hoped to stay. Luckily, it wasn’t all bad and this mishap presented us with an opportunity to stray off the beaten path to explore a town with a sandy beach less frequented by tourists. It ended up being a memorable experience, as well as a nice chance for us to prepare for the next few days in Barcelona’s crowded streets.

When we finally arrived in Barcelona, we found that it lived up to the hype. Despite the scorching summer sun, we began with a tour of the historic part of the city, where we strolled through the narrow streets of the Gothic Quarter, taking in the historic architecture and lively atmosphere. We also got to swim in Bogatell, a local beach with fine, soft sand, and clear waters. On a previous trip to Paris, we had had some unfortunate experiences, so we had decided to skip visiting complex museums or architectural structures while planning this trip. However, we made an exception for the Sagrada Familia, the famous basilica designed by architect Antoni Gaudi. What had piqued our interest and ultimately changed our minds about visiting here was the fact that they offered a mobile app with a downloadable audio guide that taught us about the history of the church and its ongoing construction.

Expecting disappointment, we were pleasantly surprised when we arrived at the sight and someone met us at the entrance to assign us a staff member who regularly checked in on us and guided us through the complex as we listened to the audio guide. The audio guide consisted of several sections, each about a different part of the structure, and at the end of each section, we had the chance to touch-examine the elements mentioned in the audio guide thanks to the sighted guide given to us in the beginning. The same staff member also helped us navigate the place and go from point to point. Perhaps the cherry on top was a small, fully accessible museum where we could get more information about the architecture and touch three-D replicas of different parts of the structure with Braille text to accompany. We devoured everything about this place and left happy, having finally experienced a good example of accessible sightseeing.

The next half of our trip took us to Italy in a way we had never anticipated. As the term “interrail” suggests, we had initially planned to only use trains, but with a last-minute change of plan, we instead booked a ferry from Barcelona to Rome. Up until that point, we had never traveled by ship and were unsure of what to expect. We went to a freaking port for the first time in our lives and boarded the vessel. During boarding, we heard someone saying “allora” with a melodic Italian and we knew then that we were truly on our way to Italy. After 22 hours of open seas, we landed in a suburb of Rome and reached our accommodation at midnight following a somewhat stressful episode catching the last train to the city center.

By the time we were there, Rome was already on vacation mode due to a religious holiday, and many attractions were closed. Despite this, we had plenty to do. In a new city, we often try to find vibrant neighborhoods where young crowds like students hang out. In Valencia, for example, we spent most of our time in russafa, a hipster and alternative neighborhood. We had also planned to attend a festival in Gracia, another alternative neighborhood in Barcelona, but we were too early and missed it by a few days. Similarly, we found such a place in Rome as well and headed to Trastevere on our first day there.

Trastevere is a lively pedestrian neighborhood in Rome with narrow cobblestone streets and countless spots for food and nightlife. We had our first Italian pizza and gelato here in a tiny corner and can’t wait to go back for more. Although the neighborhood can be packed with tourists in summer, it is still easy to walk from one end to the other as the area is partially closed to cars. One nice thing about Trastevere is that people you encounter here can be really friendly and outgoing. We were once stopped by a tourist couple who were sitting on the pavement eating pizza and they offered us strangers a slice.

We continued exploring Rome with a tour of the Pantheon, a former Roman temple. Uplifted by our visit to Sagrada Familia, we thought Pantheon would also be smoothed sailing but alas, it wasn’t the case. Believing it would be better to have a guide, we joined a guided group tour with 10 or 15 other people but we left feeling disappointed. For one thing, the tour was rushed with little time for us to get a tactile feeling of the place. Additionally, the tour guide wasn’t engaging enough and just repeated dry facts which could easily be found online. It was still interesting to breathe the atmosphere of the place, but we recommend you visit sights like this with a local friend or on a private tour to get better results.

We are both foodies and a natural consequence of this was the pursuit of the best pizza which took us to Naples after Rome. Our only plan for Naples was to eat the best pizza, so we immediately set out to find a spot. To reach the restaurant, we had to use the metro but it was built so deep underground that we felt we were descending to Dante’s Ninth Circle of Hell. By the time we got there, it had already been late and what met us at the spot was a long line of tens of people waiting to be served pizza. We were dismayed by the size of the crowd and thought we had no chance to eat there. Indeed, soon we were told by the restaurant that they were closing for the day and we wouldn’t be served. Not wanting to give up, we gave a last shot and asked for a takeout instead which they said yes. Thus did we have the best Neapolitan pizza of our life, on a creaking table outside overlooking one of the bustling streets of old town, eating right from the cardboard.

One thing Naples taught us was the perils of prioritizing our stomach. We were so fixated on finding the perfect pizza that we left finding a place to stay until the last minute and suffered as a result. Despite checking all available modes and places of accommodation online, we couldn’t find an affordable option and had to resort to calling hotels one by one to check for availability. Although we were fortunate enough to find a room at 1 AM, it was unfortunate that the hotel was located 10 kilometers away from the main attractions. Well, you live and you learn.

With our stomachs full, we continued making our way through Italy and arrived next in Bologna. Bologna is a city known for its many arches and porticos, which line the streets and provide shelter from the sun. Even if you have no vision, you still notice the difference when walking because of the enclosed space over your head and its echo. Another notable feature about Bologna is that it is home to the oldest university in Europe, the University of Bologna which makes the town a great spot for student life. In addition to enjoying the best gelato in Bologna, we used it as a base to travel to Ancona and return.

Our day trip to Ancona was special and unique because of the Museo Omero, a tactile museum where you can find real-size, three-D copies of classical sculptures and architectural models. We went to Ancona specifically to visit this museum  and did not regret it. The museum was the idea of two blind travelers who had become so exasperated by the “Do not touch” signs found in every single museum that they decided to create a museum in which everything could be touched. The entrance is free of charge and you even get a guide as long as you call them in advance and request one.

In our opinion, the tactile experience we got out of this place is unmatched. Upon arrival, we were welcomed by our guide who gave us a three-hour tour of the most notable pieces which included the famous David by Michelangelo, sculptures of Greek and Roman deities , and 3D models of important structures in Italy like Pantheon and Duomo. We were able to touch exact replicas of all these works and feel every detail that could be picked by hand. For example, we learned what ancient Greeks meant with the concept of the classically ideal body by examining the copies of relevant works and explored the bulky body of David as in the original. As you may remember, we had previously visited the Pantheon but were left unsatisfied. This museum rectified that issue by providing a small-scale 3D copy to help us better understand the structure’s shape.

To top it off, there were even two-dimensional replicas of artworks such as paintings that you could explore by touch and gain an understanding of. It’s worth mentioning that the museum showcased works not only from the classical era but also from contemporary artists and sculptors. We had three hours of fun and enjoyed every second with a lot to explore, but unfortunately, our time was not enough to see all the available works. However, we were not disappointed and are looking forward to returning to this museum for more. Lastly, at the end of our tour, we revised our opinion about museums and realized that we would definitely enjoy them more if they were more accessible.

After the museum visit, we continued on our way and arrived in Florence, the last city before our mini vacation by an Italian lake. During our only day in Florence, we started off with a visit of the Piazza del Duomo and stood before the impressive Duomo, but we were too lazy to climb up the 463 steps to get at the top. Next, we headed to the Piazza del Signorio, where we saw the replica of the famous statue of David. The original statue used to be in this piazza, but it is now on display at the Galleria dell ‘Accademia. Another highlight of Florence was a stroll to the Ponte Vecchio, the oldest bridge of Florence lined with shops selling jewelry and other souvenirs. Before concluding the evening, we stopped by here to listen to street music being played by local musicians in the middle of the bridge.

I saved the best part of our trip, a mini lakeside vacation, for last. Near the end of our interrail journey, we were in need of relaxation and saw it as an opportunity to fulfill our dream of swimming in an Italian lake. From the start, we didn’t want to go to the popular lakes as they tend to be crowded, so after researching online, we chose Lake Bolsena, a volcanic lake located a few hours from Rome. Another reason for choosing this lake was a conveniently located bed and breakfast nearby, just 150 meters from one of the lake’s beaches. Although the lake wasn’t far from Rome, it felt like it was in the middle of nowhere and we had to take a train and bus to get there.

The journey was uneventful until the bus ride that would take us to Lako Hostel. We hopped on a train to a small town called Viterbo, where we changed to a bus. As soon as we got on the bus, we knew that we had a problem because the bus driver seemed a bit freaked out by the fact that there were two blind tourists on his bus that he couldn’t communicate with. We tried to put him at ease by telling him that we knew where we were going, but it didn’t help. A few hundred meters before our destination, he stopped the bus and got out to seek help as we later learned. When he came back, there were a few people with him who introduced themselves as police.

It turns out that the driver went to the police to ask them what to do with us as he didn’t speak English and couldn’t communicate. Thankfully, one of the police officers spoke a little English, which allowed us to prevent a bigger incident. We explained that we were not lost and were actually on our way to a hostel nearby. In fact, if the driver hadn’t stopped for police aid on the way, we would have got off at the next stop and reached at our accommodation without any issue. Nonetheless, the police were kind enough to offer us a ride for the remaining distance and this was the story of why we took the last 300 meters to the hostel inside a police car and arrived there like VIP.

The staff at the hostel were extremely helpful and went out of their way to accommodate us. For example, the receptionist came to the beach with us on our first day and showed us around, pointing out where to find beach umbrellas, food, and suitable spots to set up camp and leave our belongings before going in the lake. Speaking of the lake, swimming in Lake Bolsena exceeded our expectations. The water was clean and the ground had more sand than stones. The beach had soft sand, even if it was not as pleasant as Mediterranean beaches. On a whim, we even tried swimming in the lake at 6 in the morning on our last day, but the waves and strong wind were too much and the water was too cold to stay in for more than a few minutes, so we had to leave.

I explained in a previous article how we swam in the lake and found our way back with the help of some tips and tech tools. If you haven’t read it yet, you can check it out for more tips on how a blind person can swim in oceans or lakes with minimal assistance. Using those tips and tools, we had three wonderful days at the lake without any significant issues. The location of the hostel also contributed to our success as it was only 150 meters from the beach.

When discussing the recipe for success, it’s worth mentioning the helpful and kind people we encountered, especially in small towns. Our journey was made smoother by their help at every step. For example, when we arrived at the Viterbo train station, the stationmaster personally greeted us and drove us to the bus stop, twice, due to a change in the weekend schedule. There was even a guy who offered to take us on a boat tour of Lake Bolsena. But the most memorable act of kindness came from the receptionist at Lako Hostel. She arranged for her parents to drive us back to the train station and even saved us from taking the same buss at 6 in the morning. Her parents even insisted on buying us breakfast before sending us off as if driving us for 35 minutes to the train station had not been enough kindness.

With this lake vacation, we brought our trip to a great conclusion and returned home after a 24-hour journey that involved nine train connections, using Swiss chocolate as fuel. Along the way, we met wonderful people and created unforgettable memories, fully enjoying every second of the trip. Of course, there were challenges and frustrations at times, but they pale in comparison to the amount of fun we had. We believe that anyone who has the means should try interrailing, and we hope that our experience as two blind people traveling alone can serve as proof that anyone can do it. We do not claim to be expert travelers, but we have gained many experiences from this trip and would be happy to share our advice with anyone who needs it. For any questions, please reach us at fardem35@gmail.com or cydpala@gmail.com. See you on our next trip!

I don’t know about you but every once in a while, I get this itch to travel, just leave everything behind and take my white cane with me and go somewhere. Sometimes I have a specific destination in my mind, sometimes I don’t. But this time the itch for travel culminated for me and my partner in a more than three-week long interrail trip that spanned over ten cities across four countries.

After such a long trip, what is left to you is loads of memories and stories that would never be forgotten and continuously retold. From missed trains and delicious pizzas to encounters with police in small towns of Italy, I have a lot to share and the purpose of this article is to make you a part of our journey by recounting our experiences that we hope can inspire you or at the minimum entertain you. While we’re at it, I will also mention tips and tricks while traveling as blind as well as accessibility related and mainstream tools that we made use of in order to plan and implement our trip.

Before starting, perhaps first it would be best to explain the concept of interrail. The Interrail Pass is a train ticket that allows you to travel on almost all trains in Europe. With it, you get access to 40 railway and ferry companies in 33 European countries. Sounds like a traveler’s dream, right? Other than a few catches, we can confirm that it is so. Except in France, Italy and Spain where you need to purchase an additional seat reservation for high-speed trains for a small fee, you can board all the trains that are part of the interrail network without paying a penny once you’ve bought the interrail pass.

We have known interrail for quite a long time and had been giving it a serious thought for this summer. We were especially restless and hungry for adventure After long-lasting covid lockdowns that had confined us in our homes for more than a year. Opportunity strikes when you’re least expecting it and this time was no exception. While we were going at it in our lives, my partner found out that all the interrail passes had been heavily discounted for the fiftieth anniversary of the program and it was a now or never moment to purchase a pass and embark upon adventure.

However, there was a problem. We had virtually no time to think about and decide because there were only a handful of hours before the discount ended. We had to act fast and oh boy fast we were. Even though we’d had no intention of going on an interrail trip this summer, we made our mind over a night and bought the pass which paved the ground for an epic and thrilling adventure.

As with any long trips, we needed to make some preparations and settle on how to carry our luggage. We have favored backpacks for a long time for the convenience and versatility that they offer. Carrying backpacks, what you lose in terms of volume you gain in terms of peace of mind. So, backpack it would be and three weeks of road and countless train rides showed us that we’d made the right call by not opting for bulky suitcases and instead choosing backpacks. For reference, I used a 40 liter and my partner used a 55-liter backpack. We both think we got the right size, so go figure.

For checking train itineraries and planning our journey, we used the official mobile apps of country specific train companies in conjunction with the official mobile app of Interrail called “Rail Planner”, the accessibility of which is mediocre at best. It requires a lot of juggling but with enough effort and sweat, you can do almost everything on the app without any major issues. I can say that we used the Rail Planner app more than any other because of its ability to show all the train connections across different train companies in one place.

Also, Rail Planner is the only platform where you can make seat reservations when needed. Talking of seat reservations, I would like to open a parenthesis here to correct a possible misconception that people often have about interrail. The fact that you purchase the interrail pass doesn’t mean that you can take any trains for free. For example, it is compulsory in France, Italy and Spain to make seat reservations for each connection of high-speed trains and prices for one seat vary between 5 Euros to 30 Euros but in average it costs 10 Euros.

This is one of the first disadvantages of interrail and not only the soul catch. There is also a quota for pass holders, meaning that there is a limited number of seats allocated to Interrail passengers and it works on a first come first served basis. In short, if you want to take high speed trains which require you to make seat reservations, it would be wise to do some planning in advance.

I think I have given you enough food for thought and I will continue to talk about my experiences in the next article of the series, which will be published in the next issue of the VIEWS newsletter. We covered the general introduction part and in next month’s article, I will go into more details and touch upon the specifics like arranging accommodation, finding directions, communication, accessible swimming and the tools to deal with all these issues.

The project partners had already started working on developing activities connected with accessible city tours for visually impaired people and organized its first learning training teaching activity in Berlin, Germany. Between June 3 – June 5, project partners came together again in Bologna, Italy to evaluate and discuss the learning points from the first LTTA (Learning, Training, Teaching Activityà and map out what needs to be done and improved for the future activities in Italy and Turkey respectively.

The project partners initiated the meeting with the reflections on questionnaires that were sent to the participants of the first activity of the project and went over the received feedback in order to assess the impact of the activity and plan improvements for the future. Based on the experiences of the coordinating organization, German Association for the Blind, the project partners discussed in detail ways to make the accessible city tours more inclusive by taking advantage of GPS technology. To this end, partners analyzed the outcomes of previous accessible city tours in Berlin and considered proposals such as making use of GPS apps and ensuring the audio quality of self-guided accessible city tours in order to increase the effectiveness of the future activities.

Following the administrative section of the transnational meeting, partners went on to contemplate new and creative ways that can immerse visually impaired tourists in a new city and for this purpose visited the International museum and library of music of Bologna to do an on-the-spot case study. The Music Museum of Bologna is home to the nine rooms of the exhibition, which illustrate about six centuries of the history of European music with more than eighty antique musical instruments most of which can be touched and explored by visitors. The project partners toured this museum and checked its accessibility to test whether it could be a suitable venue to be included among one of the possible activities for an accessible city tour.

The projects that VIEWS International is a part of not only aim to promote responsible citizenship and enshrine European values, but also offer opportunities on the cultural sphere. Thus, it could be only fitting to reserve our last words and impressions of this transnational meeting for the city of Bologna, the intersection of art, architecture and food which the project partners sampled all during their stay. Home to the oldest university in Europe and famous for its towers, churches and lengthy porticoes, Bologna was a feast on the eyes and other senses with its rich cuisine, wide arches, and iconic red Spanish tiled rooftops.

It was a delightful coincidence that the transnational project meeting took place in Bologna and after a productive reunion, project partners returned home to start working on the concrete actions that came out of this administrative gathering with the help of delicious cups of espresso and cappuccino.

The Regional Historical Museum (RHM) in Dobrich – a municipal center in the Northeastern region and the tenth largest city in Bulgaria – has developed and is about to test three accessible tours for blind and partially sighted visitors. The work on these three urban routes was carried out as part of the Museum’s cooperation for innovation and the exchange of good practices with four other NGOs – The Mediterranean Association for Local Development in Bari and Tiflo technical center in Lecce, both in Italy, Association Las Ninas del Tul in Granada, Spain, and the cultural Association ACPELIA in Cyprus. The Erasmus+ Strategic Partnership for youth project is a 2-year, € 149 414 international initiative, entitled Another Way and registered under No. 2019–IT03–KA205–016466. The project itself has three distinct stages. During the first one, information about the Italian methodology to be used and educational materials in four key areas – Neuropsychology, Ethics, Accessibility and Tourism – were shared with the four national teams in electronic format. In other words, a training course for forty youth workers – 10 participants from each country – was performed remotely. During the second stage, the team in each country had to develop 3 VI accessible city tours on different topics. The specialists, working at the RHM in Dobrich, chose theatre, grain and crafts. There are 4 stops in each of them.
The theatre route begins at the house of Adriana Budevska, who studied the art of theatre in Moscow and then returned to Sofia and married Hristo Ganchev, regarded as one of the fathers of the professional theatre in Bulgaria. A mini model of the house in approximately correct proportions was produced for the blind and partially sighted. The second stop along the route is by the building of the Yordan Yovkov Dramatic Theater. Even though Yordan Yovkov was not born in Dobrich, he had a significant contribution in presenting and preserving the field workers’ daily living through his famous collections of short stories. The other stop is by the city lapidarium – an open space similar to a Roman amphitheatre exhibiting stone archeological findings such as statues, columns, carvings and writings and fragments of them. Visitors will use paper masks like emoticons to present an emotion they feel at the moment in an artistic way of their choice there. The route ends at the House-museum of Yordan Yovkov where a part of a radio adaptation of Albena, one of the most popular dramatic literary works of the writer, will be played for the visitors.
The second route is focused on the cult toward grain as a source of life. It begins by yet another lapidarium in the city, this one exhibiting large earthenware for grain-keeping called pitos. The second stop is at the Art Gallery, where there is an exhibition hall with many topic-related paintings and sculptures. The hall is entitled The Gold of Dobrudzha, due to grain’s color similarity with gold, and Dobrudzha is a geographical term and the popular name for the Northeastern region of Bulgaria. Then, the third stop is by a special reproduction of an ancient fireplace for bread baking and a nearby bakery for traditional small and round breads with a hole in the centre. The route ends by an old stone water fountain with the rather unusual shape of a kobilitsa – two water pots, connected by a wooden stick for easier carrying over the shoulder, used in the past.
The third route follows the so called Street of crafts in the old part of Dobrich. The place offers a rich variety of opportunities for gaining an insight of the retro urban environment by means of the other four senses – hearing, smell, touch and taste. There are works of art made of wood, clay, embroidered traditional clothing, typical food and drinks by old family recipes, organic fruits, vegetables, nuts, wine, honey and many other goods available in the small workshops.
The routes’ testing is set to begin on November 15. Upon its completion, these three routes will be provided to the Italian NGO for publication in an electronic edition along nine more – three from each of the other three countries, involved in the project. That’s the third and final stage of this strategic partnership, extended for a period of six additional months until February 2022 due to the pandemic.
Desislava Hristova. an archeologist at the RHM in Dobrich and the project coordinator for Bulgaria, worked closely with Boyan Michev, a blind participant from the Black Sea town of Balchik and a well-known VIEWS International activist, in developing the theatre route. A separate interview with both of them via phone and Microsoft Teams, followed by an Internet-based desk research, served me as the main source of information for drafting this text. Hopefully, it would be useful or at least interesting for the regular VIEWS News readers, especially those in Germany and Turkey.