KOPRIVSHTITSA, Bulgaria -- Bulgaria may be one of the worst places to visit in Europe if you're looking for an advanced level of economic development, but it is a great place to go if you want a music festival where you can take off your shirt.
One of the biggest and rarest of them is the Festival of Koprivshtitsa that happens once every five years, deep in the Sredna Gora mountains near the Valley of the Roses (in the center of the country, slightly to the west). It is a massive jamboree, Balkan-style: haphazard, political, natural and lots of fun.
Tens of thousands of people come from all over the country carrying their favorite instruments and dressed in traditional costumes with a bewildering array of adornments.