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Back in the days when VARNA was a cholera-ravaged Ottoman garrison town, British troops passed through on their way to the Crimean War; one of them, Major General J R Hume, described the town as "no paradise ? a wretched place with very few shops". Not so long ago many foreign visitors may have said the same, but in recent years Bulgaria's third city has struggled more than most to Westernize. Signs of change are everywhere, from the giant advertising hoardings splashed with Western brand names to the numerous street traders, hawking all kinds of touristry knick-knacks. The streets are lined with fashion boutiques, exchange bureaux, Japanese car showrooms, video-rental stores, and fast-food outlets staffed by mini-skirted waitresses, while baseball-capped youths practise skateboarding manoeuvres in the main square, or stroll along the main boulevards in a range of pseudo-designer summer threads more reminiscent of west coast USA than some far-flung eastern outpost of Europe. Varna still has its problems - loss-making shipyards southwest of the centre give the place a hard industrial edge - and most of the consumer goods on sale in the town centre are well beyond the means of those who inhabit the high-rise suburbs. Nevertheless, the self-confident riviera-town swagger of the place comes as a breath of fresh air after the more austere appearance of much of inland Bulgaria. It rivals Sofia and Plovdiv in providing a wide range of sights and museums , from the outstanding treasures in the Archeology Museum to the off-the-wall ghoulishness of the Museum of Medical History. Of its cultural attractions, most notable is the annual Varnensko Lyato (Varna Summer), which celebrated its 75th anniversary in 2001 - a summer-long festival of classical music, folklore and jazz, which attracts world-class performers. As well as being a beach resort in its own right, Varna offers access to the purpose-built tourist complexes of Sveti Konstantin (formerly "Druzhba") - now swallowed up by Varna's suburbs - Sunny Day, Golden Sands and Albena to the north. Also within easy reach are quieter seaside villages like Kranevo , and popular day-trip destinations such as the nature reserve at Kamchiya , the rock monastery of Aladzha , and Queen Marie of Romania's former palace at Balchik .
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