Rila Monastery, BG - Рилски манастир -

The Rila Monastery, BG 

The Church Within the Monastery 

We were lucky with the weather; it was windy but no rain. To get to the Rila Monastery we had to drive towards Sofia and the easiest way was the Highway. There is no need for a Vignette for Motorcycles in Bulgaria, so we had a good ride and made good miles today. All went well; even the ring road around Sofia was OK, much, much better than Bucharest and our GPS, soon after the Ring Road, directed us off into more rural areas.

We met wonderful roads, twisted and a bit up and down hilly territory until…..we came to the worst construction site you could ever imagine. What are those people thinking? How can anyone work like this? For about 3 or 4 miles the road was torn up. There was mud all over the roads about a foot deep. Cut up sections with sharp edges, filled with sand. In some spots we had to ride over the sidewalk but had to ‘jump’ the curb at a wrong, shallow angle, which you normally avoid like the plague. We had no choice once committed to this road. We started riding into the construction site and there was no place to stop, no place to turn around. We were committed to continue or crash. And crashing was just not an option, we were in nowhere land, the ‘workers’ were not around, the area was abandoned. Mud spattered on us, the tires slipped a few times, the rear trying to break out. It was with the greatest concentration, with eyes peeled straight ahead, with me saying "Keep on looking up, go straight, breath evenly, keep on going, steady," to myself. It was horrendous! I could hear Carol on the intercom hyperventilating. All I could do was tell her what I kept telling myself, steady, slow but steady. Keep the bike straight, look straight ahead. Hang on! I could hear her saying: “I don’t want to do this anymore", but once committed, there is just no way out. It was absolutely terrible. I have been in tight spots but this spot was the worst. We expended a lot of energy getting through this section. I am not sure if my past experience helped, it might have, but it sure was a doozy. We made it through; albeit our adrenaline was still pumping after we got out of this hell-hole section. Phew! I would not want many of those spots ever again.  We could not believe the sloppy way this construction was laid out, or the lack of warning signs, or how people could work under these conditions, even on foot. With a heavy bike it was a suicide mission. We ran into it by accident, and it left a mark on me. Never again if I can help it!

The Monastery Is Within This Forested Area

As fast as the construction started, it suddenly ended and from then on it was an OK ride but I felt drained and still on edge until we found our hotel. 

The hotel was a bit difficult to find since even our GPS had no clue as to where it was on the long road leading to the Monastery. I asked a honey vendor and he pointed in the direction we were traveling so we kept on going but buildings were only sporadically seen along the route. Close to the actual Monastery, we finally found our spot for the night. It was a more-or-less 'normal' house behind a high wall with a restaurant sign that turned out to be the spot we were looking for.

Old Cobblestone Streets, Narrow Gates To Go Through 

We were in the middle of a forest. This is the only road leading in and out; hardly any traffic. It felt like the end of the world. Lucky for us the Hotel Pchelina had a Restaurant; there was nothing around to get any food. We ate and drank well, actually. The specialty was ‘rainbow trout’ and it was excellent. Never had better.

The bikes were safely parked on the cobblestones within the walls, the food was good, we were safe and sound and I had the good feeling we had survived day unscathed, but the construction experience overshadowed all. I still cannot understand how easily we got trapped into this huge mess of a road.

Larger Than I Thought It Would Be, Happy Colors 

We slept well and the next morning we took the self-guided tour of the actual Rila Monastery. This Monastery is at, or near, the end of the road and deep inside the mountains. It is a wild looking neighborhood; forlorn looking, surrounded by fog and mountains and a perfect spot if you are a hermit.


Exactly how this Monastery got started, Ivan of Rila, the hermit, lived here and became a Saint.

A Bit Of History 

Gilded Inside Of the Church 

Elaborate Frescoes Inside and Outside the Church

The Monastery, the way it is now, was rebuilt after a fire in 1840 or so, but was rebuilt beautifully. The Moorish looking façade only helps the general appeal. Naturally, the Church itself is full of icons, full of gilded items, full of Christian Orthodox regalia but I was impressed by the look of the Rila Monastery. We took some pictures where we were allowed to do so and I was glad we took this long (dangerous) ride just to see ‘another’ church or monastery. This is a UNESCO spot and it well deserves its’ nomination as the most visited Monastery of Bulgaria. It simply is a classic, well-hidden, gem. We were not swamped by tourists, which helped too. The Rila Monastery has my yes vote for a visit.

Kazanluk, BG - Казанлъ̀к -

  Kazanluk, BG  -  Казанлъ̀к  -    

An 'Old' Picture Showing How the Tomb Looked 80 Years Ago 

Thracians, a name I have heard seldom enough, but most times the name gets overshadowed by the Greeks. Thracians are many times called Greeks, but they were not really Greek. Thracians had their own culture, their own Kings and their own way of living. The area they controlled in Anno BC was large and included part of Romania, Bulgaria, Moldova and yes, Greece. There are only a few traces of these ancient people left in the world and the town of Kazanluk has a Thracian Tomb for us to look at. Well, not the real grave, that one is by appointment only and you need to get a tour guide and you need to pay a hefty fee. But almost next door to it is a ‘reconstruction’, a copy if you will, of what is in the original.We looked at the copy.

A Grand Entrance To the Burial Site 

At Least I Could Read Some Of It

Water Damage, Even In the 'Copy' Of the Burial Site 

Part Of the Round Cupola Of the Actual Grave 

But before we could get to Kazanluk we had to battle rain, fog and traffic. I already said that leaving V.T. was a bit of a hassle; rain on cobble stones is never a good thing. The fog did not help when I am trying to find my way visually and I cannot see too far ahead. We were soaking wet when we arrived in Kazanluk but luckily the hotel had a large, covered outside area and we could slip under that, strip off the wet stuff and then enter the hotel. The bikes were put near the front door, with a security camera watching over our steeds. The rain did not abate for some time leaving everything wet and puddled. 

Interesting Burial Rituals 

We were only a 5 minute walk away from our hotel to the ancient grave site, but the road did not have a sidewalk, so walking was awkward and again, going to the grave, it was all ‘uphill’.

The Cupola 

Stairs, No Matter Where We Go

It felt like a weird day to me, we really just rode to this town to see the Thracian Tomb and that was it. There is not much else in Kazanluk. And really, even the Tomb (copy) itself was for experts only. I did not get much out of this excursion. Maybe I did not understand the rarity of what I saw, it was a grave site. The ‘round temple’ within the ‘cave’ was painted in murals and depicted funeral rites with a very Hellenistic overtone, Hellenistic meaning Greek. Scientists dated this site to the 4^th Century BC but are very clear that it is of Thracian origin. I guess having Greece so close, so nearby, some of the looks or ideas were transferred. The dress, the general look to me looked Greek, yet what is the difference between Greek and Thracian?   Something I have to look up on the internet!

Day 2 - Velico Tarnovo, Bulgaria (BG) - Велико Търново -

Velico Tarnovo, Bulgaria (BG) - Велико Търново -  Day 2 

Eliza, Our Tour Guide 

Today, after our breakfast of baloney and cheese, still sore from the previous day’s climbing and walking, we took the ‘city’ tour. This day was a Sunday (Sept. 27/15) and we read that the town of V.T. gives free walking tours of the old merchandise streets. Kind of like a historic walking tour. We met a young woman, Eliza, in front of the Info Center. It took us 40 minutes to walk to this spot, so we already felt tired when we got there. Besides Carol and I, we had one more guy on this tour.  Eliza’s English was wonderful. She was our free tour guide for a few hours (3) on this Sunday and she knew her town and the right people and the right stores to go into. Eliza started off by giving us some insight into a few customs Bulgarians have that I did not know about. Here is one of the stories.

In a Magnolia Tree 

Along time ago during a battle, a General received a messenger pigeon that had a white cotton string attached to its leg with a message. During its flight the pigeon was attacked and blood had seeped from its body and mottled the white cotton string with flecks of red, giving the string a red/white, candy-cane stripped look. After receiving this pigeon with the red and white stringed message, the General won this deciding battle and thought that the red and white string brought him luck. He kept this string during all of March and April of every year  and he gave red/white strings to all his friends because he wanted to share his luck with them. Out of this story came the custom, just before May 1^st of every year, to give to your many friends red/white cotton string. Eliza said she wears them around her wrists and literally has both arms full on May 1^st.  Then on May 1^st, this ‘luck’ gets transferred or hung, into flowering trees so that the ‘good luck’ can transfer to nature and grow along with the trees. While we were standing under a magnolia tree I could still see here and there some red/white amulets hanging off branches. It made me smile when Eliza gave me a bracelet even though it was Sept., but I have had nothing but good luck since. I looked the story up on the internet and Wiki tells it a little differently. Still, its a good story. (Red and White Strings)

Eliza took us to an old street in town, still occupied by local artists making ceramic, copper, silver or other artistic items. She gave each of us an herbal mint, said to be good for cold sores and sore throats. This mint was used a lot during the communist era when medicine was scarce. It seems to work.

Turkish Coffee Making 

Our next visit was into a traditional candy shop where sugary treats were made and sold and homemade, original Turkish coffee was brewed. The coffee was thick as mud, brewed on top of the stove and the brew was heated in a sand box on top of a wood fired stove; an original way to heat the room, cook and make tea and/or coffee. We had a cup of coffee, of course and also some sweets, which were very sugary but sooo good. When the coffee was drunk, we were shown how to tip the coffee grinds onto the saucer plate so that from the grinds one’s fortune could be read. Some say, one can see the health of the individual, too. Unfortunately we did not have a ‘coffee grind reader’ at the store at the time, so I cannot tell you what my fortune will be or how long I will live, but so far I am healthy.

The Whole Town Is Built On Hills

Staircases Wherever We Went 

Traditional Balconies On Bulgarian Houses

Telephone Switch Boxes, Transformers, All Decorated 

More and More Stairs 

A Silversmith At Work 

And This Is His Monstrance 

 We chatted with the pottery woman, who sat at her wheel molding bowls and plates.

Making Plates and Bowls, Mostly

I Found It Difficult To Walk On  These Cobblestones

We stopped in at a Silversmith who was working on a monstrance for a church, very elaborate. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Monstrance








 We walked cobble stone alleys, stone stairs and saw old churches, some of them abandoned. At one church we could only see the unusual layout and building techniques from the outside since it was Sunday and services were going on.

Each Color, Each Part Of the Dress Had It's Own Meaning 

We were shown traditional clothing; were told that a man’s mustache shows his status in society and his virility, too.

We were shown and yes, we danced in the streets, 2 or 3 traditional dance steps. All had a giggle and the mood was fun and we felt free and a little smarter.

Dancing In the Street With the Laughter Of People Around Me

We said good bye to Eliza and then found a small restaurant we had passed earlier, half way up a hill, that had a terrace overlooking the roofs of V.T. and it felt nostalgic and the food was wonderful.

But then………we went back to the hotel and had a nap. Phew, this town, V.T. has a lot to offer and it wore me out.

A Nice Spot For a Meal

For dinner we had Chicken Kavarma, it was served in an earthen pot, sealed tight so it can stew and cook in its own juices. It was delightful and a new experience. 

We slept like babies that night and after our 'breakfast' of baloney and cheese the next day, we left the garage but not without first 'walking' the route we would have to take to get us onto the main street. The exit was worse than the entrance. From a dead stop inside the flat garage, it was up a steep hill, make a sharp right, miss the potholes, avoid the traffic and don't slip on the cobblestones, through a tight stop avoiding the parked car, along an uphill alley into the busy main street. Phew, we made it.

Other than that, V.T. was a fun town, a good stop for anyone who visits BG.

 

Day 1 - Velico Tarnovo, BG - Велико Търново -

Velico Tarnovo, Bulgaria (BG) - Велико Търново - 

Look at the Cyrillic again, at least you can read ‘novo’ (hobo), right? And the 4^th letter и is an “I”, remember? By the way, novo in translation means ‘new’ and Velico means ‘Great’.

The Yantra River gorge gives this town its character. The river loops around itself a few times and within those large loops the town was built. I found the old town to be very hilly; all the streets were alongside steep hills that made ‘parking’ a challenge.

 Twists of the Yantra River 

Luckily we booked a hotel (Silver Star Hotel) near the center of the old town and the hotel had its own parking garage. Getting into the garage however was almost like an off-road ride. The curves were steep and the bends off-camber. I was glad to be parked inside the garage. Some spots were ‘iffy’ to get through, but we made it to the back of the hotel and into the garage. Getting out will be the other experience.

Rough Road Surface On Your Feet But Also When Riding Your Bike

We booked this hotel for 2 nights knowing we could not even touch on all there is to see in Velico Tarnovo and I am glad we did that. Carol put on her best walking shoes, walking up and down the hills on cobble stone streets sure would be a work out. There were stairs everywhere. The people here must be in great physical shape, everything is built on hills.

Dominating the old town is the Tsarevets Castle, the old Royal Palace. VelicoTarnovo (V.T.), in the time between the Byzantine Empire and the Ottoman Empire, was the Royal Capital. The powers that led Bulgaria at that time must have been strong, because the Bulgarian Empire reached way north and included part of today’s Romania.  I am always amazed how the borders between countries change. Just because countries today have an established ‘border’ means little when looking back through history; the lines between what is and what was, shift in seemingly random ways. Nothing is black and white; there are many tones of gray and even blotches where I expect pure white to be. So it is with V.T., once the capital of a powerful King, now a tourist attraction that brings income and new ideas from all over the world. V.T. at her height of power was as advanced as any other European city. The 400 houses, 18 churches and fortifications starting in the 5^th Century and growing until the 14^th Century, show it was a stronghold. The buildings also show that the defensive ideas were great, were well thought out, etc. Some part of the walls surrounding the Tsarevets Castle were 10 meters (30 feet) thick and up to 12 meters high (36 feet).

Bird's Eye View of Old Tarnovo

Carol and I ate up the historic part of town, however not the new part of the city. Bulgaria ‘recreated’, ‘fixed up’ or made explorable the old castle, the Tsarevets. This fortress and town had a very pleasing, very grand looking location. It was dreamlike and made me feel warm and comfortable, just looking at it from afar. 

The Church In the Foreground Is the Center Of the Tsarevets

 


Tsarevets gives you a very good idea how life used to be, how big and organized the society was and that good people were in charge. Ruins still abound and there are no real living sections within the old city walls but you do get the idea when you are inside the historic quarter of the castle. The castle (Tsarevets) occupies the pinnacle of a hill and at the very top is the “Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of God”.  To get to this Cathedral is a struggle. We made it after about one hour of going uphill and when we entered the Cathedral we were in for a shock. 

Inside the Cathedral After 'Improvements' 

The Style Screams Communism

Sad, Dull Colors, Primitive Painting

This was not what I expected. The whole interior of the church was ‘re’-done during the Communist era and now exhibits frescoes and decorations in a ‘modern’ style, bleak, with scary colors and execution. I did not like it; the church felt like it was ‘raped’ of its essence. It was more like a museum, done in a ‘bad’ way.

Stairs, Stairs and More Stairs 

We spent most of the afternoon exploring the Tsarevets and the ruins of the Royal Palace. Twenty-two successive kings ruled Bulgaria. The palace ruins showed it was huge (4500 square meters = 42,000 sq. feet). Our feet were sore and our calves ached from climbing all those stairs.

Colorful Light Show 

Massive Lights In All Kinds Of Hues

For dinner we went to a restaurant that had a fantastic view over the whole historic Tsarevets and while we ate, a sound and light show started. We could not hear the sounds, we did not buy a ticket to be in the right spot, but we did see the light show and it was stunning and colorful and Carol’s dinner turned cold while she was outside shooting pictures. 

Ivanovo, BG - Иваново -

Ivanovo, BG   

The Rock Church of Ivanovo

Not far from Ruse is the very small town of Ivanovo, a UNESCO site of Rock Churches. Never heard of a rock church? Well, I wanted to see what this was all about and since it is a UNESCO site, they are usually pretty good. We were not disappointed. 

 We took our time leaving the Hotel near the Border north of Ruse and idled our way to Ivanovo (Иваново). Please read the Cyrillic part! Иваново is not that easy to read, is it? But you can see that the letter “И” sound like an ‘I’, right?  And “ново” sounds like ‘novo’, so if I kept on writing those letters down and made my own alphabet at least I got a sense of sounds. Every time a name started with ‘И’ I now knew it was the letter I. Yes, I could also read the man’s name Ivan (Иван). Well you get the idea, it still is a struggle to read Cyrillic, only constant practice and doing it daily will improve my reading. It is also a mental challenge and I look at it as ‘fun’ while being in Bulgaria. Sure I get stuck and call myself names when I don’t remember some sounds, but then, that is what learning is all about.

There are 2 rock church sites near Иваново, and I saw a small sign on the main road, at the end of town, that told us go this way; when we rode into the street it turned, after a mile or two, into a mud road with lots of big puddles. Thinking about riding through mud and muck and potholes filled with (how deep?) water made me cringe! Carol and I looked at each other and turned around, asking and answering for ourselves “is it worth riding through this bad road and maybe getting stuck or in an accident just to see another church?”  So we rode back to the main road towards our booked hotel and then saw the ‘other’ sign for a rock church. Sure, we will try seeing ‘that’ church instead, and off we went. 

The ride was nice; the road was in fairly good shape but where was this church? We first stopped in a large parking lot near a building from which a walk way started to meander through meadows towards a cliff in the distance. Was that it? I am looking for a sign to ‘read’, and ‘reading’ a sign, it became clear this is the wrong walk. It’s just a nature walk. So I let Carol stay where we were and rode along a road that was not in such great shape along a small river and after a mile or two came to a dead end. Yes, there is a booth for tickets and yes, this is it. So, back I went to pick up Carol and now we are officially on the right road, going to the official Rock Church site mentioned on the UNESCO list. I know this all sounds a bit convoluted, but when you cannot read the writing and you want to make sure you are on the right road, finding things in remote areas is a bit difficult.

A Nice Hike Up to the Church 

Up and Up, One Step At a Time 

We parked the bikes and they looked a bit lonely in the parking lot, there were not a lot of people around. After we paid the admission fee we were off to climb 140 stone stairs, chiseled out of an almost sheer cliff to get to the church, 38 meters (120 feet) above us.

Entrance to the Church, 120 Feet Above the Forest Floor 

The Altar Is Now Used to Sell Stuff 

Old Frescoes, In Their Original State 

While it is obvious the origin of this church was a natural cave, it had been enhanced by monks, even decorated with frescoes. The frescoes we saw were the originals stemming from the 14^th Century. The colors were still vivid despite being exposed to nature’s whim. There was no heat in this (cave) Rock Church and only a small ‘window’ to allow some light to come in. The floor had been chiseled out in one piece but now looks like ‘paved’ with some big boulders and an upright stone serving as an altar, another as a baptismal font.

A Monk's Living Cave 

Looking out from the entrance, I could see a large, forested valley totally ringed by steep cliffs. We were told that in the Middle Ages around 100 monks lived in this lonely valley and devoted their life to prayer and religious life. These monks only talked when they prayed. Each day they would walk from their small living-quarter caves along the valley to this church and pray or celebrate a mass. I cannot fathom this kind of existence, this kind of strong belief in the hereafter, in a God.

He Gave Us the Fresco Tour 

A guide gave us a rehearsed explanation in English of the nuances of each of the frescoes, but I blanked out on that. I am not an art major; I thrive on the big picture, not on the minute details. Still, it was what we paid for with the admission ticket and this guy took his job very seriously.

The Valley View From the Church Entrance 

The Whole of the Valley; It Might Have Looked Like This 700 Years Ago 

Here we are, 40 meters up, hanging on the side of a cliff somewhere in Bulgaria and time seems to have stopped. There is nothing around but nature, nothing but definite signs of a religious cult of Christianity at a time when the Ottomans ruled this area. What were those people made of then? They bucked the trend for years to stay true to their belief in the face of imminent danger and persecution. The hardship, just finding food, finding warmth in the winter must have driven them mad. This area is rugged. Bulgaria is a very, very rugged country in some sections and this is one of those valleys where it might seem wonderful in the summer months, but I am sure it is cracking cold in the winter. Those monks lived in caves. They ate what? There were no fields to harvest from, there was just what Mother Nature offered, wild animals, nuts and greens found in the woods. And to have built this church in (on) the rocks is amazing.

Original 'Monk' Path 

When we left the church we had the choice of descending the way we had come or climbing some more and then walking the ‘old’ paths some of the monks took. We opted to go a bit higher and then find our way back from the top of the cliff. The views we had were amazingly beautiful, we had a true bird’s eye view all around us. No houses were visible; it must have looked like this when the monks lived here.

The path back was not cultivated; it was a rough path and was, more or less, as it was nearly 700 years ago. It took an around-about route but we did get back to our bikes. Both bikes still stood lonely in the parking lot and nobody took stuff off them, a fear you always have in the back of your mind when you park in a ‘lonely’ spot some place.

Our Hotel For the Night 

Bikes Were Stored Near the House, You Can Almost See Them!

It was time to find our hotel for the night and we did OK. The food was really, really good. It was all home-made by the owner’s wife. To store our bikes safely for the night, we parked them in the hotel owner’s back yard, a few houses along the same street as our Hotel. Iron gates were opened for us, blankets were used to cover our bikes and we were even driven back to the Hotel in their personal car. What a nice way to be treated by Bulgarians. The room was OK, nothing special but they did all they could to make us feel comfortable. Even if the room was not ‘world’ class, the food, the disposition of the proprietors and the people in the town definitely made up for it. Sure there were many dilapidated houses, signs of former communist neglect and some disorganization but never did I feel threatened.

Иваново was a good stop. I recommend it as an experience.

Pick up Bikes, Bucharest, RO

Pick up of Bikes, Bucharest, RO

We called BMW in Bucharest (Otopeni) and made arrangements to pick up our bikes the day after we were in Snagov. We were close to Bucharest and so we were at the BMW dealership early. We took the wrong turn onto the A-3 highway and were going North in error. It took us 37 KM until we could get to the next exit. Is that a way to design a highway, just outside of Bucharest, the Capital of Romania?  To make exits 37 KM apart? All of this in hindsight did not matter, really, because at 11.00 AM at the BMW dealership, we learned that Carol’s bike is not ready for pick up, maybe tomorrow. 

No need to get upset. I told you, it’s a different clock in RO and I kind of anticipated this kind of customer service from this BMW dealer by now. We, again, booked into Hostel Taxi, and spent the time getting my bike out of storage, getting our suits lined up for tomorrow, etc. When I picked up my stored bike, the bike-cover was ripped to shreds. I can only guess a cat used my bike as shelter and when the cover moved in the wind it used its paws. The cover is a total loss, U.S. $80.-!

We just floated along, ate pizza in our room, did nothing because we had originally planned to be in Bulgaria today.

The following day started off great; our pick up taxi at the Hostel came on time and picked us up at 9.30 AM. We arrived at the BMW dealer as prearranged at 10.00 AM. The bike was not ready! They forgot a few things on the checklist, like the oil change we wanted. It took them 45 minutes to change the oil on Carol’s bike. While we waited we packed our luggage into the saddlebags (we had taken them off and had them in the waiting room). Finally, at about 11.00 AM, the bill came and Carol paid it. We were all set to leave when Romeo, the BMW service representative came running and told Carol he forgot to add the price for the new battery to the invoice. With all the back and forth, it was noon before we left the BMW dealer. 

By now, the ‘Ring’ road around Bucharest was totally jammed up. For the next 2 hours it was 1^st gear only. We moved along very, very slowly with lots of stop and go. The whole trip distance is just about 100 KM long for the day, but it took us close to 5 hours to make the distance and the Bulgarian border in Ruse, BG. The Ring road around Bucharest is the pits!

The border crossing was uneventful; just show your passport, the paper work for the bike and that was it. We needed to exchange our Romanian money (Leu) into Bulgarian money (Lev) and we did this immediately after the border crossing. I always take all the money of the country I am leaving and turn it into the money of the new county at the border. At each border crossing there is a whole lot of stuff to remember or to plan. Wherever the gasoline is the cheapest, get it on the correct side of the border. Try not to have ‘coins’ when crossing a border, the new country will never exchange coins; they will only exchange paper money. (I just give the coins away to anybody who stands around on either side of the border). Make sure you stow the paper work away properly, after you cross the border. Find out at the border if you need vignettes (toll stickers) for your vehicle. Write down the speed limits for highways, rural roads, and town or city streets. A lot of times those speed limits are not posted often enough for you to remember but they sure are reinforced, especially near the border areas. Each border crossing, no matter how ‘harmless’ the 2 countries are, always give me a new set of ‘rules’ to live by. Now we have Bulgarian rules and language which means I cannot read a thing. Everything is written in Cyrillic. 

To acclimatize myself to the new ‘rules’ and to see how Bulgaria is in a way I ask and find a Hotel near the border and just quit for the day. No, nothing special, just hanging out, watching traffic, watching how people interact, just watching. I do this a lot actually; just watch how people do things in a country I have never been to. It is different when I have been to a country before and I get back to it, but in Bulgaria, this is my first time in Bulgaria and I just hang back and watch for all kinds of things. Do the people smile?  Are they friendly enough? Do the obey traffic rules? Stop at a stop sign, make a right on red? Things I take for granted, things I am used to and take as a given are not always the norm in another country.

Teodora Palace, Our First Hotel in Bulgaria

Here is an example:

We found this hotel, like I said, very close to the border and it turned out to be a very nice hotel. The price was 38 Euro per night for 2 people. They had a restaurant, but the restaurant was not very busy at all. When we checked in for dinner, at about 6.30 PM we were the only guests in the place. Yes, they were open, the lights were on and the service personnel were ready for anybody who would eat there. We started off with a beer each and ordered from their menu card by pointing at each item we wanted for dinner. I pointed to what I liked (a pork dish), and then Carol pointed what she wanted (a chicken dish). All of this is very simple, right?

My dinner came and I waited a few minutes, thinking Carol’s would come, too. But then, Carol said: “Go ahead and eat, my food will be here shortly, there is no need for you to let your food get cold”. OK, so I ate. I was nearly finished when Carol had a chance to call the server again and ask for her order. But how do you ask politely in Bulgarian what happened to my food?  With a lot of sign language and shoulder shrugging we think a mistake was made. Carol’s order was never put in. Now, was that intentional? Do I, as a man, have to order for both? What is the right way to order food in a restaurant in Bulgaria? It could not have been that the waitress forgot, there were no other customers in the place, and she picked up orders at our table and then forgot half the order?  NO! Somehow there was a misunderstanding. Such small details can ruin your day. I was finished with dessert already when finally Carol’s chicken dish was served. Now we are guessing, does it only count when a ‘male’ orders? I have no clue, but we found out a few more times that I was served and then Carol had to wait or we had to ask for Carol’s dish. Those idiosyncrasies, those different ways is why I stop and try to get a handle on local customs. These local customs need to be observed before I dash through or into a new country.

Well, we are now in Bulgaria; let us see what this country has to show me.