by Dr. Yan | Sep 17, 2021 | Civilization, Nature
In my first week in Sofia, my colleague had already pointed out the Linden tree to me. I was told that the Linden tree blossoms smelled really good in spring. It is easy to identify a Linden tree as the stems of the seeds are connected to the center of a leaf-like...
by Dr. Yan | Sep 15, 2021 | Civilization, Culture
September 15th is the day when all the K-12 schools start their winter semesters. Although I knew the date, I didn’t expect what this date meant. On my way to my office on September 15th (I didn’t even notice what date it was), I could immediately tell...
by Dr. Yan | Aug 30, 2021 | Civilization, Culture, History
About eight or nine thousand years ago (6 or 7 millennium BC) , there was already civilization in Bulgaria. The unique patterns on their potteries were distinct from later civilizations (Greek, Roman, or Ottoman, etc.). Bulgaria’s Varna Gold Treasure is...
by Dr. Yan | Aug 22, 2021 | Civilization, Culture, History
My family arrived in Sofia later on Sat, and we took a stroll around town on Sun. They liked Sofia at once. They think that Sofia is full of layers from various periods, and it is very vibrant with colors. I finally entered the Cathedral Saint Aleksandar Nevski but...
by Dr. Yan | Aug 17, 2021 | Civilization, Culture, Food, History
For some reason, in my mind, I had always assumed Rome to be like those ancient capitals such as Xi’An, Kyoto, or somewhere in the temperate climate. It never crossed my mind that Rome is actually subtropical, with palm trees and all kinds of cactus, like in...
by Dr. Yan | Aug 1, 2021 | Civilization, Culture, Food, History
Istanbul is the biggest city in Turkey, being the economic center and where the Sultans of the Ottoman Empire used to reside, sitting across the boundary between Europe and Asia along the Bosporus strait. It has seen the history and the transition of Turkey into...
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