Discover an original idea for an enjoyable vacation Pomorie Lake Volunteer Brigade! For a one-week bird-watching vacation on Pomorie Lake (Bulgaria), I helped to transfer about 2 tons of sand, got a present from the local rubbish, made new friends and connected to the citizen science social movement via the iNaturalist app. Half-Time Holidays with Full-time Fun I learned about the ‘Green Balkans Volunteer Brigade at Pomorie Lake’ during a bird-watching excursion on the lake in June. Pomorie Lake is one of the best bird-watching spots in Europe with over […]

 The new experimental educational project LOVE AM by Syuzi Hakobyan, has been added to the list of alternative art classes at Yerevan special school for visually impaired children. Using the artificial musical language Solresol, the award-winning artist makes art accessible to visually impaired children and helps them to develop communication skills. Applying the musical language to art classes The classes are designed for students from 11 to 16 years old. The course consists of workshops and performances that help participants to explore different social topics by explaining them to each […]

The new hits by George Vasilev The Bad Radio, Got the Secret, Knowledge, Room to Breathe and More Sugar, have energized my summer workout playlist and boosted my mood during long-distance jogging.  The Bad Radio’s experimental projects are at crossroads of popular and progressive musical cultures, so it’s not easy to attribute them to certain genres. The post is a must-read for those who love great music and new discoveries! ‘Your stuff is so refreshingly good! How do you achieve those sounds?’ George Vasilev is a Bulgarian Dj, music producer, performer, […]

For the last decade, the Bulgarian art project FIRETER has participated in the most prestigious European events: Plovdiv – European capital of culture 2019 (Bulgaria), Glastonbury Festival (England), Rudolstadt-Festival (Germany), STF Athens (Greece), International Fair Izmir (Turkey), Sochi Amusement Park (Russia), Magic Festival Sibiu (Romania). Plamen Ivanov, Creative Producer & Founder of Shade and Fire Theatre FIRETER, shares curious details that shape the project.  1 Bulgarian traditions Several years ago, we explored the hottest part of Bulgarian culture nestinarstvo by learning its mystical roots that date back to the Thracian […]

It’s a great opportunity now for birdwatchers to see a lot of different species on Pomorie Lake where they come for a breeding season. Green Balkans has announced July the Sandwich Tern’s month. The Visitor Centre is the main bird-watching spot. It works from 10.00 to 18.00, Monday – closed. I spent about two hours there observing different species through binoculars, a live video feed and learning about them on an exciting guided tour with a great guide and passionate birdwatcher Alexander Dobrev.  The sandwich tern is a seagull-like seabird […]

A unique self-management volunteer model of Plovdiv 2019 assisted 300 events. But many Bulgarians were too irritated about the failures of the foundation Plovdiv 2019 to notice positive achievements of their compatriots. This post offers more insights from the recent report on the Legacy of Plovdiv 2019 Volunteers. In the Deafening Silence of Information Isolation Plovdiv was the first Bulgarian city that became the European Capital of Culture. It had the smallest budget comparing to the rest of the Cultural Capitals. So, the city relied on free labour more than […]

Galway 2020 has just extended the cultural programme of this Year into 2021. During my recent volunteering at this year’s European Capitals of Culture Galway 2020, I revealed incredible places that are a vital part of the region’s heritage and where the deeply-rooted traditions naturally weaved into everyday life. And those places can be visited at any time regardless of the Galway 2020 programme. A Conversation in a Traditional Thatched Cottage The trip to Menlo, an Irish village in about 5 km away from Galway, was part of my volunteer programme. […]

Get insights into must-visit attractions in Galway, the new European Capital of Culture! Together with volunteers of Plovdiv 2019, Matera 2019 and Galway 2020 we found 5 ways to make work the logo of Galway 2020 Let the magic in! It guided our exploration of city diversity after the official ceremony was cancelled due to the changing weather. My volunteering in Galway (Ireland), the European Capital of Culture – 2020, has become the logical continuation of the Plovdiv internship. I was selected to represent Bulgaria in the framework of the […]

It is the first post of this blog. Like a puzzle, it is made up of my volunteer experiences at European Capitals of Culture: Plovdiv 2019, Matera 2019, Galway 2020, Kaunas 2022 and Veszprem 2024 that inspired me to create this blog. With each volunteer project, we have tried to improve, support, create. Not everything was as expected, but as a puzzle it is possible to re-do everything in other places. But let’s start by taking notes! The opening of Plovdiv2019 in collaboration with Matera2019 It all started in January […]