Tour Information

GLOBENET 2004
LIBRARIES, GLOBALIZATION, AND COOPERATION
A PRE-CONFERENCE TOUR
October 25 through November 1

Emporia State University, Emporia, Kansas, USA and Sofia University, Sofia, Bulgaria are sponsoring their 4th biannual conference in Sofia, Bulgaria, November 2-7, 2004. Balkan Connections, with principal leader Nancy Bolt, Colorado State Librarian, is sponsoring a pre-conference to visit key archeological and cultural sites in western Bulgaria with the opportunity to visit public, academic, and medical libraries.

Trip highlights include:

• Visit Neolithic, Roman, Greek, and Turkish ruins
• Visit two Eastern Orthodox Monasteries
• Visit 5,000 year old Thracian tombs not open to the public in the Valley of the Kings
• Visit the folk arts town of Etura and see ancient and traditional Bulgarian crafts being made
• City tour of Sofia, Bulgaria's capitol
• Visit to Bulgarian libraries as desired by travel participants

Logistics

• A maximum of 15 people will be accommodated so that we can go to places large groups cannot visit
• Transportation to and from the airport regardless of when you arrive or depart
• All lodging is included in 3 and 4 star Bulgarian hotels
• All breakfasts and dinners are included and lunch on most days. Lunch is often "on your own" so our schedule can be flexible.
• Order anything you want from the menu in local Bulgarian restaurants. Traditional Bulgarian brandies, beer, and wine are included with the evening meals. (Wait till you taste the amazing rakia!)
• Visit the best places to shop with discounts arranged for amber, silver, and crafts.
• Land transportation is by comfortable busses
• Accident insurance is included (but we urge you to get your own as well)

Costs

Land cost:

• $934 for double occupancy
• $998 for single occupancy

Includes:

• Pick up and delivery back to the airport
• All lodging (conference hotel in Sofia)
• All breakfasts and dinners and most lunches
• All entry fees
• English translators
• All ground transportation
• A surcharge of $100 will be added if less than 10 people register for the pre-conference tour. Registration for the pre-conference tour is separate from conference registration. 5% discount for full payment of tour costs by September 1. $100 deposit holds a place on the tour. Final payment due October 1

Airfare

• Not included. We will meet you in Sofia at the airport. However, we can put you in touch with a travel agency that specializes in trips to Bulgaria.

ITINERARY
LIBRARIES, CIVIL SOCIETY, AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
PRE-CONFERENCE TOUR

Monday, October 25: Leave US

Tuesday, October 26: Arrive Sofia, Bulgaria. Be picked up at airport and driven to conference hotel. You will receive conference rates for your pre-conference stay. Evening dinner at a local restaurant and orientation for the trip. Overnight in Sofia

Wednesday, October 27: Drive to Plovdiv. Visit the spectacular 2nd century Roman Theater, 18th century houses, local churches, pottery demonstration, and local vendors. Visit to Bachekovo Monastery, second largest in Bulgaria. Dinner in local restaurant. Overnight in Plovdiv.

Thursday, October 28: Drive to Stara Zagora. Visit an ancient site of Neolithic people and a museum that houses the pottery and goddess statures found at the site. Visit Stara Zagora Public Library. Lunch in Stara Zagora. Drive to Kazanluk. Overnight in main hotel in downtown Kazanluk.

Friday, October 29: Tour Kazanluk, center of the Valley of the Kings and the Valley of the Roses.. Visit public Thracian tomb and Rose Institute and Museum. Weather permitting, visit Thracian tombs not open to the public. Visit Shipka Church, built in honor of the Roman soldiers who helped defeat the Ottoman Turks. Overnight in Kazanluk.

Saturday, October 30: Drive over Shipka Pass to Etura, folk art town, and on to Veliko Turnovo, a town that tumbles down the hillside. Visit to Veliko Turnovo Public Library for dedication of new Foreign Language Reading Room. Visit Tsarevets, magnificent 12th century ruin of the 2nd Bulgarian kingdom. Overnight in Veliko Turnovo.

Sunday, October 31: Visit old town of Arbanassi with walled complexes and 17th century houses. Visit the Holy Nativity Church where every inch of wall space is covered with painted stories of the Bible. Driving toward Sofia, visit Troyan Monastery where truly terrible punishments happen in hell to rich people who do not give money for education and libraries! Visit folk town of Oreshek where craftspeople reproduce traditional designs and create their own modern crafts. Return to Sofia. Overnight in Sofia at conference hotel.

Monday, November 1: City tour of Sofia, the Capitol of Bulgaria. Visit ancient Roman Serdica Gate, St. George's church from the 5th century, Nevski Cathedral, and the Icon Museum in downtown Sofia. After lunch, travel by car to Boyanna Church in Vitosha Mountains, and National History Museum with lecture by the Director of the Museum. Return to Hotel. Tour ends and you may register for the Globenet Conference upon your return to the hotel.

A Day in Sofia

International Conference participants are invited to take a one-day tour of Sofia and its surroundings on Monday, November 1. This tour is free to those participating in the pre-conference tour. The cost is $65 for those not on the pre-conference tour.

Schedule

• 8:30 am Meet in lobby of Hotel Rodina
• 9:00 am Walking tour of Serdica Gate, ancient Roman ruin, St. Georges Church dating from the 5th century, Archeological Museum, Nevski Cathedral, Icon Museum, time to shop at vendors at Nevski Cathedral
• 1:00 pm Lunch (included in price)
• 2:00 pm Travel to Boyanna Church in Vitosha Mountains.
• 3:00 pm National History Museum, overview of Bulgarian History led by Director of the National History Museum
• 5:00 pm Return to hotel in time for conference registration.

Cost (including lunch and transportation): $65 per person

Includes:

• Pick-up and delivery back to the airport
• All lodging (confrence hotel in Sophia)
• All breakfasts and dinners and most lunches
• All entry fees
• English translators
• All ground transportation
• Day tour of Sophia
• A surcharge of $100 will be added if less than 10 people register for the pre-confrence tour. Registration for the pre-confrence tour is seperate from confrence registration. 5% discount for full payment of tour costs by September 1. $100 deposit holds a place on tour. Final payment due October 1.

City-tour is free to pre-conference tour participants
To register, see registration form.

Tour Leaders

Nancy Bolt is the Colorado State Librarian. She has made 10 trips to Bulgaria, serve as a guide for librarians, municipal officials, and fun-seeking tourists. She served as host to Iskra Mahailova during her working visit to the Colorado State Library in 1995. Nancy has worked with the Colorado Association of Libraries to establish 12 cooperative partnerships between Colorado libraries and Bulgarian libraries. She has also worked with the Colorado Municipal League to develop relationships between governing officials of Colorado and Bulgarian cities and towns.

Iskra Mahailova is currently Director of the Information Center for Senator Alhmet Dogan, head of the Party of Rights and Freedom, and a Senator in the Bulgarian Parliament. While head of staff development at the National Library of Bulgaria, Iskra spent four months at the Colorado State Library. She has served as head of Information Services at the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture and Senior Expert in the United Europe Education Program of the European Union. Iskra will accompany the tour and serve as the primary local leader and translator.

Alex Palichev holds a Doctor of Science degree in Management of Cultural Institutions. From 1971 to 1997 he worked at the Bulgarian Ministry of Culture in the field of preservation of historical and cultural monuments, culminating as Deputy Minister of Culture during 1996-97. In 1997, he became Executive Director of a private company. It is because of Alex that we receive special tours of historical and cultural monuments not usually open to the general public.

REGISTRATION FORM

You may use this registration form for both the pre-conference and the one-day tour of Sofia on November 1. Conference registration will be available at the end of the one-day tour. Pre-conference tour members receive the one-day tour of Sofia as part of their tour pre-conference tour.

Libraries, Civil Society, and Social Development Pre-Conference Tour

Name ______________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________
City, Zip ____________________________________________________
Phone: _________________Fax: ___________E-mail: _______________

Please reserve a double room ($934) ___ Roommate __________________
Please reserve a single room ($998) ____

• A surcharge of $100 will be added if less than 10 people register for the pre-conference tour.
• Registration for the pre-conference tour is separate from conference registration.
• 5% discount for full payment of tour costs by September 1.
• $100 deposit by September 1 holds a place on the tour.
• initial payment due October 1.

Cancellation Policy:

• Land costs not already committed will be refunded in full until October 15.

One-day tour of Sofia, November 1

Name ______________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________
City, Zip ____________________________________________________
Phone: _________________Fax: ___________E-mail: _______________

Please reserve me a place on the one-day tour of Sofia. Cost $65
Enclosed is my check or money-order for $65. ___________
I will pay you the day of the tour (space available) __________

Make checks or money orders payable to:

Balkan Connections, Inc.
9018 Ute Drive
Golden, CO 80403

For more information contact:

Nancy Bolt, Colorado State Librarian
303 642 0338 (work phone)
nancybolt@earthlink.net