Useful Info

Location:

The meeting will take place at Hotel Rila in the town of Borovets, Bulgaria. Borovets is a mountain resort, situated on the highest mountain in Bulgaria, Rila (2925m). It is located about 60-90 mins journey away from the Sofia International Airport (approx. 70km) by car.

Hotel Rila Borovets - Borovets, 2010 Borovets, Bulgaria (+359 75 032 295 / http://www.rilaborovets.com/en)

Please note: there is a different Hotel Rila in Sofia so please do not mistake the two when making your arrangements.

Meals:

We will be providing all participants with meals during the meeting:

• Thursday 31 May (Pre-meeting programme): There will be a drinks reception with canapes on the evening of 31 May. This will also act as an opportunity for you to meet with the college staff.
• Friday 1 June (Day 1) & Saturday 2 June (Day 2): On Friday and Saturday you will be served lunch and dinner (at the venue) and we will also provide snacks and beverages during coffee breaks throughout the day.
• Sunday 3 June (Day 3): On Sunday you will be served lunch and coffee break snacks.

Please note that breakfast is included in the accommodation fee. In addition, we have taken into consideration all dietary restrictions that you indicated on your registration forms. However, if there are any other requirements or allergies, please let us know. Also, if you are coming with a partner and you haven’t indicated it on the registration form, please tell us as we are counting the final numbers for the catering.

Dress Code:

Please dress in a smart casual manner.

Throughout the day there will be a number of different settings ranging from workshops during which you may be crouched on the ground through to evening dinner. There will be very limited time for people to change outfits so please dress in a manner that will be comfortable throughout the course of the day.

Please also note that although the weather is looking to be warm and pleasant, the meeting will occur in air conditioned rooms so please bring a light sweater in case you get cold.

Weather:

The forecast is temperatures between 10° - 20℃ with couple of showers expected on Thursday (31 May) and Friday (1 June), but Saturday (2 June) and Sunday (3 June) will be mostly sunny.

Please pack a raincoat or umbrella to use for your own comfort during free time.

Emergency Numbers:

• Ambulance, Police and Fire: 112 (Nearest Police station and Hospital located in Samokov)
• Pharmacy On-Duty: 178
• Rila Hotel: +359 2 937 9130

Currency:

The Bulgarian currency is Lev (Лев or лв) or plural Leva (Лева or лв) which has a fixed exchange rate of €1 EUR : 1,95 BGN (Lev). Transactions will mostly be carried out in Lev although some more touristy areas may also accept Euro or Pound Sterling. Money can easily be exchanged in banks and there are several ATMs in Borovets. Both are highlighted on the map above.

Sofia is Bulgaria's most expensive city but it is still one of the cheapest European capitals. Taxis and eating out will likely strike you as particularly cheap.

Estimated costs in Sofia (as of May 2018):

• Water bottle (1.5 liter bottle) - 0.88 лв
• Cappuccino (regular) - 2.20 лв
• Domestic Beer bottle (0.5 litre) at restaurant - 1.20 лв
• Taxi fare: airport - Rila Hotel Borovets (approx. 70km) - 70.00 лв
• Taxi fare: Sofia centre - airport (approx. 15km) - 11.00 лв
• One-way Ticket (metro) - 1.60 лв
• One day card for all Sofia public transportation lines - 4.00 лв

Plug Type:

In Bulgaria the power sockets are Type F and the standard voltage is 230 V.

Language:

Bulgarian is the country's only official language. It's spoken by the vast majority of the Bulgarian population and is written with Cyrillic, which shares some similarities with Russian. Sofia is a popular tourist destination for Russians so if you have a basic knowledge of Russian, it can be quite useful to get around. Otherwise, English should be ok to communicate in general.

Some Useful Bulgarian Phrases:

Basic

Hello - Doh-bur dehn! (Добър ден!)

Thank you - Blah-goh-da-rya! (Благодаря!)

Excuse me - Eez-vee-neh-teh (Извинете/Eez-vee-neh-teh)

Do you speak English? - Govorite li anglijski? (Говорите ли английски?)

I can't speak Bulgarian - Az ne govorya balgarski (Аз не говоря български)

Direction

How can I go to......? - Kak da sti’g-na do......? (Как да стигна до......?)

Airport - Leh-TEE-shteh-toh (летището)

City centre - TSEHN-tuh-ruh (центъра)

Rila Hotel Borovets - Rila Hoh-TEHL Boh-roh-vetz (Рила хотел Боровец)

Purchases

How much is it? - Kol-koh stroo-vah? (Колко струва?)

Do you accept credit cards? - Priyematye li kryeditni karti? (Приемате ли кредитни карти?)

Can I have a receipt, please? - Moze li belezka (Може ли бележка)

Food

Can I look at the menu, please? - Moh-GUH lee duh vee-DYAH vuh meh-NYOO-toh, moh-LYAH?(Мога ли да видя в менюто, моля?)

I am allergic to..... - Alergichen sum kum … (Алергичен съм към ...)

(For vegetarian) Does this dish have meat in it? - ima li meso v nego? (има ли месо в него?)

Bill please - smetkata molja (Сметката моля)

Local customs/ Law:

• Tipping customs;
  • Restaurants - A 10% tip is customary. Staff in Bulgaria receive a minimum wage with tips boosting their income.
  • Cafes - Your bill will often be rounded up to the nearest lev. You can leave a lev or two extra, but only if you are happy with the service.
  • Taxi drivers - Taxi drivers will round up the fare to the nearest 50 stotinki or 1 lev. In the rare occasions when you are exceptionally happy with the service, you can leave an extra lev as a tip.
  • Hotels - Hotels in Bulgaria do not charge an extra service fee. Hotel porters/bellhops will expect about 2 lev per suitcase if they help with your luggage. In hotel restaurants and bars tip at 10%, as you would in any restaurant or bar. Tippin other service staff is discretionary.

• “Here, Have Some Candy” - Offering sweets to everyone around is said to be an ancient custom of celebrating special occasions like birthdays, name days, weddings and births in the family. If offered, feel free to take the candy and offer your congratulations as refusing it can be seen as rude and offensive.

Religious observations:

The country is a parliamentary republic with no state religion, although the Bulgarian constitution designates Eastern Orthodoxy as the “traditional” religion in the country. If entering any places of worship please be respectful and ensure that shoulders and knees are covered.