Hot news! Sofia is going to "sister" with Chicago.
Don’t know about you, but this puts a huge smile on my face.

Ok, ok, Chicago has come a long way since the roaring 20s, but...
I wonder what they are making of this at the Twinning Commission in the European Parliament, if such an august body actually exists. "Never guess what the boys on the Black Sea have gone and proposed now, fellow comfy backbenchers."

"What? Que? Quoi? Was? Che? Wat?

"Well, are you all sitting down? Especially those with dodgy tickers and big expense accounts? Good, it’s like this then..."
"Oh no, next they’ll want to rename Varna as "Capone-on-Sea", or twin Bansko with Baghdad and maybe Montana with Mogadishu."

"Indeed, we must vote against this! But how? Their argument is that Chicago is the capital of the Bulgarian diaspora abroad. Pretty strong case." "Then why is Liverpool not twinned with Torremolinos?" pipes up a sharp member from Madrid.

"Hmm, good point, señor, but not stout enough." "What about this tack, then. Usually two twin cities must have lots in common, and apart from all the Bulgarian blood, what has Chicago got that Sofia also has?"

A ribald comment comes from the back. "Chewing gum!"
"What? Explain yourself!" "Sure. Chicago’s Magnificent Mile is the home of Wrigley’s and apparently Sofia’s magnificent miles are, too. The only difference is that the stuff in Sofia has already been chewed." "Damn it! That just strengthens their cause. Come on, citizens, think of something negative. Please!" "Hmm, what about Chicago being home to Quaker Oats?" "Nice one, surely Sofia hasn’t got anything in the porridge line, has it?"

An MEP from London murmurs. "Umm, not currently, ladies and gentlemen. But as to the future, well, perhaps in a manner of speaking, yes. Especially if we get our way on corruption. Porridge is a slang term in the UK for jail time, you see."

"Merde, I see what you are getting at. Best not to go there."
"Oh I’ve got it," squeaks an Irish lass suddenly. "The Windy City is on the Great Lakes and yet what great lake is Sofia near?"
"You have obviously never been there when it rains," retorts an honourable member from Munich. "All the potholes fill up to such an extent that..."

"Ok, we get the point, kind Herr. Look, there must be one mere negative reason, for God’s sake. What about music? Chicago has a musical named after it, but who has ever even written a song about Sofia?" "Are you tone deaf, boss? A quick search on the net will show you approximately 2 500 000 answers." "Cripes, then the vote is lost." "That might be good news, though, commissioner." "Huh? Whaddyamean?" "Maybe this ‘sistering’ is only the first step to a full takeover bid. I mean, their new president is from where, exactly?"

"Of course. Chicago! Wow, fantastic thought! Ok quick, let’s take a vote. Should Sofia sister with the Windy City? A show of hands. "Unanimous it is then! The boys in finance will be pleased."