Sofia, Bulgaria – President Bush returned to Washington on Monday night with the cheers from his European trip still ringing in his ears.
Bulgaria, once the most loyal Soviet ally during the Cold War but now an American friend, was Bush’s last stop on a six-country journey.
Thousands of Bulgarians lined the cobblestone main street through Nevsky Square as Bush and President Georgi Parvanov watched troops goose-stepping to military music.
Bush prayed before a wreath at an eternal flame that marks Bulgaria’s tomb of the unknown soldier.
There was just one glitch in the Bulgarian visit: While the Bulgarian capital was aflutter with American flags, every second flag was facing the wrong way along Bush’s motorcade route.
Traditionally, American flags are flown with the blue field of stars in the upper left corner. These flags were hung so the blue field was reversed to the right.
Officials in charge of the Bulgarian presidency’s state protocol told local media they had received assurances by the company that put up the flags that everything had been coordinated with the U.S. Embassy.
An embassy spokeswoman declined to comment, and by midday Monday, most of the flags seemed to be properly displayed.
