Christo Bakalski:

It was 2007. Getting out of my front door in Berlin I saw a poster on a street pole saying “Bulgarian Stories”. It was an advertisement of a new documentary which was just starting in the cinemas. Being highly interested in that film I organized some friends and we went to the film release. That is how I met Kornel Miglus.

Kornel Miglus:

I’ve been travelling with a friend in the Rhodopi mountains for some weeks and that’s how we took the first shots of the film. Shortly before the end of my journey my travel mate convinced me to leave our route and go a bit astray. Somewhere near the city Assenovgrad we got off the bus. Apart from the nonexistent bus stop there were only some goats in dried out meadows dispersed in the non fertile rocky area. “Over there” said my travel mate pointing out towards a hill. I saw only a narrow cow road winding up among the rocks. We climbed up that hill nearly an hour on the uneven road. At once we held our breath at the view of the stately monastery wall of “St. Petka”. The gate was wide opened. “Who are you”- a voice got us out of our numbness. Behind us stood a woman, some meter and a half tall. That was the 80 years old abbess. She looked as if she was not from this world with her thick horn-rimmed glasses, standing up ears and crooked teeth. After a careful examination of my female travel mate her eyes brightened up and she greeted us enthusiastically. And then we were taken to the monastery kitchen and fed abundantly.