Bulgaria's Black Sea Coast

Mile after mile of golden beaches, inviting bays and thickly forested mountains, the Bulgarians call their country “God’s front garden”. The film explores Bulgaria’s Black Sea coast from Sozopol to the Romanian border, from Sunny Beach to Golden Sands. Erstwhile sailor, Georgi took the “God’s front garden” saying quite literally: after weighing anchor for the last time on the Black Sea coast in the Bay of Sozopol, he took over a bar. There he planted an array of exotic plants, souvenirs of his sea journeys. Now his "Bar Tropical" is like the Garden of Eden. 24 hours a day, Georgi tends to his cacti, lemon trees and Chinese roses. The documentary also visits the Bulgarian Orthodox monastery of Pomorie, the only one still inhabited on Bulgaria’s coastline. Perhaps the monks have prevailed to this day in this typical coastal resort because the conditions here are so optimal for viticulture. With their grape schnapps, grozdova rakija, and their traditional Bulgarian hospitality they have been keeping their heads above water commercially speaking. Once upon a time, villagers on the rocky coast of Kamen Brjag, near the Romanian border, used the nearby caves to hide from pirates. Nowadays, it is “flower children” from all over the world who take to the caves; with their sea views they are an ideal place for parties, for free-climbing or for just lazing around.

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