Ukrainian and Bulgarian Scouts: cultures meet and hearts connect

During our recent visit to Varna, we had the honour of meeting the wonderful “Albatros” Scout Club — one of the four active scout groups in the city, founded in 2021 and home to 50 scouts and 10 dedicated leaders.

Each of us introduced our country and shared a bit of our scouting story. In return, our Bulgarian friends welcomed us with incredible warmth — literally and figuratively.

We were greeted with traditional bread dipped in honey and salt with spices — an unusual but memorable taste of Bulgarian hospitality.

They told us about local treasures — not only dairy products, beaches, and roses — but how those roses are used in soap, perfume, and cosmetics production. Practical and fascinating!

Then came the dancing: they showed us a traditional Bulgarian folk dance, and we tried our best to keep up. Let’s just say… some of us will need more practice!

We were also treated to sweet cookies symbolising ancient coins — a tribute to gold treasure once discovered in Varna. A beautiful nod to history!

They showed us photos and videos of how they work with kids — full of fun, care, and scout spirit.

In return:

We shared our Plast traditions, including opening ceremonies for younger and older scouts.

We played two different scout games together — laughter guaranteed!

We exchanged scout scarves and gifted each Bulgarian scout a blue-and-yellow heart made of beads — a symbol of friendship from Ukraine to Bulgaria.

Thank you, dear Bulgarian scouts, for the friendship, the stories, the food, and the joy.

We look forward to meeting again — somewhere under the stars of our shared scout world!