This Week's NATIONAL ETIQUETTE AWARD goes to.... Bulgaria

Bulgaria Page in Wikipedia

Bulgaria.com

Welcome to Bulgaria

I hereby grant the National Etiquette Award to Bulgaria, because it is the norm in that country to remove shoes when entering homes.

Bulgaria is seeking membership of the European Union. However, it may be a long time before it is accepted into the paper curtain; it has been given pretty big targets to meet in terms of dealing with corruption. Bulgaria suffers froma good deal of organised mafia-style crime.

Most British people know nothing about Bulgaria; they are moree likely to associate the name with the Wombles than with the country of that name. However, Bulgaria is acheiving some popularity as an inexpensive ski resort.

Bulgaria geographically corresponds with parts of the Thrace and Macedonia of New Testament times. Its people speak a Slavonic language, but their ethnic orign lies primarily in Central Asia.

Bulgaria was under Turkish rule for hundreds of years. When it was freed from Ottoman Turk rule, it became the centre of much diplomatic feuding between the Great Powers of the 19th century.

The former king hopes to reclaim his throne. He has been actively involved in the country's politics and served as prime minister until 2005, when a Socialist government was voted into power.

I met a Bulgarian girl who was doing a PhD in economics. I think she found me thoroughly patronizing. I knew a former private school pupil who was a bit of a fantasist. When he was at university he claimed to be dating a Bulgarian princess, though he often told similar tall tales.