Bulgaria is a republic in southeastern Europe. The capital and largest city is Sofiya. Bulgarian culture has been influenced successively by Byzantine, Greek, Russian, and Western cultures.

San Simeon is a small coastal community on California’s Central Coast, set along the Pacific Ocean between Cambria and Big Sur. The area is known for rugged shoreline, coastal grasslands, forested hills, and offshore rocks, with the Santa Lucia Mountains rising inland.

Konya has served as a spiritual center for centuries. Every December, the Şeb‑i Arûs festival marks the passing of Rumi, the Persian mystic, and draws Sufis and visitors from around the world to witness the Sema. Whirling dervish dance is performed to the sound of ney flutes and drums. In one of the country's most hushed and vivid traditions, performers spin in unison in flowing white skirts, a scene that blends meditation with graceful motion in a way found nowhere else.

Located 75 miles south of San Francisco, Santa Cruz is a vibrant and laidback city on the central coast of California. Settled by Spanish Missionaries in the late 18th century, Santa Cruz has become a coastal paradise for surfers, students, and lovers of nature. Nestled between Wilder Ranch State Park and Henry Cowell Redwoods State Park, University of California, Santa Cruz, is the city’s leading research institution.

A resort town with a 14th century castle that has a magnificent view of the Danube Bend and the Borzsony Mountains.