GIACOMO  IN BULGARIA

When I arrived in Bulgaria in the middle of February there was still snow everywhere. However things quickly changed and spring was finally here with lots of good mood and games! I attended one of the most favorite spring festivals in Bulgaria – BABA MARTA.

The children here look forward to it all year.
The whole “Saint Sofia” school was decorated with art work in red and white. These tokens of good luck and health are called “MARTENICHKI” and are usually made of yarn or wool. Many children create them by themselves. They decorate with them their homes and schools and wear them around their wrists, necks or attached to their clothes.

On the 1st of March the children give each other and their teachers martenichki wishing everyone health and luck. As you can see they gave me martenichki too and the festival was real fun! I am continuing my trip to Greece now but the tradition says that when you see the first swallow or stork in spring you should put your martenichki on a blossoming fruit tree to ensure plentiful crops for the whole year.

HOW GIACOMO RECHARGED HIS MOBILE IN BULGARIA

In Bulgaria the children used nuclear energy to recharge my mobile. They attached it to a model of an atom.

In the nucleus of the atom there is a lot of hidden energy which is released when the nucleus splits. The energy released in the nuclear reactor is used to heat some water and the steam turns the turbines of the generator. This way the nuclear energy is turned into electricity.

In Bulgaria 40% of all the energy production come from the Nuclear Power Plant Kozloduy.  It is on the bank of the Danube river and has been producing energy since 1974. This energy is cheap and does not pollute the atmosphere with carbon dioxide. However, there is a risk of radioactive pollution in case of an accident and also there is a problem with the disposal of the radioactive waste.