While France and the other Europe is facing a bikini-top backlash and new healthy priorities, Bulgaria is still full of topless girls and women, getting tan on the sandy beaches. What is this – a new wave of Bulgarian feminist struggle or a belated fashion?

The French are credited with many great inventions, such as the bicycle, pasteurization, the barometer and, more recently, the 36-hour work week, but one cultural contribution that rarely makes it into the history books is sunbathing au naturel.
Of course, the French were not the first people to frolic on the beach in a state of semi-undress--the Polynesians after all have been doing it for millennia. But what the French did was popularize it, to make it, as they make so many things, chic.
This laissez-faire attitude towards topless tanning is largely due to French actress Brigitte Bardot, who came to embody (pun intended) the sexy, laid-back spirit of Saint-Tropez on France's Cote d'Azur. In 1952, a two-piece bathing suit that would be considered modest by today's standards was then seen as being controversial, but Bardot and other young starlets such as Ursula Andress would pose for photographers at Cannes wearing the tiniest bikinis imaginable.
By the 1960s, it was common to see starlets tanning topless on the beaches and yachts in and around the Riviera. Today, even though many people still prefer to keep their suits in place, practically every beach along Europe's long Mediterranean coastline is clothing-optional.
With a few exceptions, one place where bikini tops remains firmly in place is the U.S.

American beaches have a tradition of keeping their visitors' best parts covered in skimpy spandex. But are usually clothing-optional European sand-and-surf hot spots following suit by actually wearing swimsuits?
REGULARS on the beaches in St. Tropez have noticed fewer naked breasts this summer than ever before. It looks like going topless has gone out of fashion . Men are whining that everywhere you turn there are no more bare boobs on the beach. This is stunning news considering that topless sunbathing on public beaches got its start at La Voile Rouge beach club in St. Tropez some 40 years ago. Is it because of threats of skin cancer? Or is Europe turning as conservative as the United States?

Five centuries subjugated to Ottoman rule and, more recently, four decades locked very firmly behind the Iron Curtain turned Bulgaria into a distant, enigmatic country in the eyes of much of the rest of the world. Images of cheap wine downed at student house parties, budget ski holidays and umbrella-wielding Cold War assassins were once among the popular stereotypes, but Bulgaria today is a vastly different country from what it was even 10 years ago.

A fully paid-up member of NATO and (since 2007) the EU, Bulgaria has the feel of a nation at a very important crossroads. Massive foreign investment has created a construction boom, not just around the larger beach and mountain tourist resorts, but in the cities, too. More tourists than ever are discovering this country and an ever-rising number of foreigners are investing in property here.

Russians also love Bulgaria, and Bulgaria has always loved Russians too. In the center of Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, there is a monument to the Russian Tsar Liberator Alexander II. It was erected in honour of Russian Emperor Alexander II who liberated Bulgaria of Ottoman rule during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-78. There are over 400 other monuments to Russians in Bulgaria.

The Russian appetite for foreign real estate is still in its infancy, particularly compared to the overseas buying frenzy among the British. Yet there is every sign that Russian buyers are on the move, aided by a flourishing domestic economy and an ever-widening choice of overseas bargains.
Russians started to buy real estate abroad about a decade ago, beginning in Spain and Cyprus. About five years ago, somewhat tentatively at first, they gravitated towards Bulgaria. Over the few years, however, Bulgaria has been one of three leading target countries for Russians.

Russians are drawn to Bulgaria by its climate and the closeness of the two cultures. Both countries are Slavonic and Orthodox with a history, culture and language similar to Russia's. So when Russians come to Bulgaria they feel at home. They also prefer Bulgaria to potential rivals - such as Poland or Serbia - because of its superior climate and relatively lower prices.

Rafting or whitewater rafting is a recreational activity utilizing a raft to navigate a river or other bodies of water. This is usually done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water, in order to thrill and excite the raft passengers. The development of this activity as a leisure sport has become popular since the mid 1970"s.

Whitewater rafting can be a dangerous sport without a special equipment and experienced guide. Rafting is not akin to an amusement park ride, though strictly following the instructions of the guide thousands of people safely enjoy raft trips every year. And the emotions and drive of rafting are undescribable!

Nearly all Russian girls like travelling very much. Everything is appreciated by Russians -sea resorts, ski resorts, sightseeing, visiting museums, castles and palaces. And wherever we go we always take pictures!