Greetings from Eastern Europe!
Last month, I had the pleasure to spend some weeks in Sofia, city numero 4. I was impressed, and to be honest surprised, at how beautiful and nice Bulgaria is. Here's a recap of what went down that month.
Hindsight: Morocco
Oh, Maroc! Its dusty haze was the background for the big finale of my first trimester on the road: the peak of the emotional turmoil and some deep transformation that came so gently, it was almost as if it knew I already had enough. Now, with a clear head and some room to breath, I can say "shukran, Morocco."
Last month, I had the pleasure to spend some weeks in Sofia, city numero 4. I was impressed, and to be honest surprised, at how beautiful and nice Bulgaria is. Here's a recap of what went down that month.
Hindsight: Morocco
Oh, Maroc! Its dusty haze was the background for the big finale of my first trimester on the road: the peak of the emotional turmoil and some deep transformation that came so gently, it was almost as if it knew I already had enough. Now, with a clear head and some room to breath, I can say "shukran, Morocco."
Alexandar Nevsky cathedral, my favorite building in Sofia.
Top of Vitosha mountain. That's Sofia at the bottom!
August 28 - September 8
Reset in Sofia.
I spent the first week in Sofia just chilling. I skipped the welcome parties, the city tours and didn't really go drinking or dancing. I focused on work and establishing a routine. Shortly after settling in my one bedroom apartment (no roommates!), I started sleeping better, eating better and walking everywhere, which was nice after barely doing so in Rabat. I also found a yoga and dance class I really enjoyed, so it was as close to being "home" as it's gotten since I left NY. Nice, right?
My favorite thing about Sofia is that it is very close to nature. For example, on my first weekend there, I went to Vitosha mountain, which is only about a 20-minute cab ride from the city center. You can hike all the way to the top, through well defined albeit steep trails, or you can do as I did and pay 2 dollars to take a lift. The lift is really nice and relaxing, so I didn't feel one ounce of FOMO from the full hike. Plus, once you get to the top, there's more hiking to do through fields of wild flowers and brisk air. It's a dream. I hiked for about an hour, then took the lift back down to enjoy some soup and chicken liver at a traditional Bulgarian restaurant at the bottom.
Since it was Labor Day Weekend, I had an extra day to "get crazy" in Eastern Europe. That meant taking a "rave" train to a party in Bov. Now, I don't like raves, but I figured if I'm going to go to a rave party in the mountains, might as well do it in Bulgaria. We got there around 4 PM when the party was just getting started. There was a DJ playing mostly house (thank God) and a few people setting up their tents by the river. The remotes I went with and I grabbed some beers and sat by the water, talking and deciding whether we were going to head back to Sofia while the party is still mellow or stay and see how crazy it gets. The temperature started dropping around 7 PM and as much as I love stars and dancing and booze and "getting out of my comfort zone", I decided it was time to go. Me and another girl ditched the group and ran to the train station to catch the last train out of town only to find out we missed the only train I ever saw be on time in Bulgaria. After an hour of searching the web for a way out and multiple "no English" from the locals, I found a young Bulgarian couple that helped us get a cab to the nearest city with train service. Nice people make the world go 'round.
I got home just before midnight, happy to sleep in my bed and not have to worry about mosquitoes or hypothermia.
Reset in Sofia.
I spent the first week in Sofia just chilling. I skipped the welcome parties, the city tours and didn't really go drinking or dancing. I focused on work and establishing a routine. Shortly after settling in my one bedroom apartment (no roommates!), I started sleeping better, eating better and walking everywhere, which was nice after barely doing so in Rabat. I also found a yoga and dance class I really enjoyed, so it was as close to being "home" as it's gotten since I left NY. Nice, right?
My favorite thing about Sofia is that it is very close to nature. For example, on my first weekend there, I went to Vitosha mountain, which is only about a 20-minute cab ride from the city center. You can hike all the way to the top, through well defined albeit steep trails, or you can do as I did and pay 2 dollars to take a lift. The lift is really nice and relaxing, so I didn't feel one ounce of FOMO from the full hike. Plus, once you get to the top, there's more hiking to do through fields of wild flowers and brisk air. It's a dream. I hiked for about an hour, then took the lift back down to enjoy some soup and chicken liver at a traditional Bulgarian restaurant at the bottom.
Since it was Labor Day Weekend, I had an extra day to "get crazy" in Eastern Europe. That meant taking a "rave" train to a party in Bov. Now, I don't like raves, but I figured if I'm going to go to a rave party in the mountains, might as well do it in Bulgaria. We got there around 4 PM when the party was just getting started. There was a DJ playing mostly house (thank God) and a few people setting up their tents by the river. The remotes I went with and I grabbed some beers and sat by the water, talking and deciding whether we were going to head back to Sofia while the party is still mellow or stay and see how crazy it gets. The temperature started dropping around 7 PM and as much as I love stars and dancing and booze and "getting out of my comfort zone", I decided it was time to go. Me and another girl ditched the group and ran to the train station to catch the last train out of town only to find out we missed the only train I ever saw be on time in Bulgaria. After an hour of searching the web for a way out and multiple "no English" from the locals, I found a young Bulgarian couple that helped us get a cab to the nearest city with train service. Nice people make the world go 'round.
I got home just before midnight, happy to sleep in my bed and not have to worry about mosquitoes or hypothermia.
September 9 - September 14
Once a writer...
On our second weekend in Bulgaria, I went to Samokov, a town about 2 hours south east of Sofia, for a writer's retreat. Writer's retreat? Yep. While I ain't no professional writer, writing was one of my early creative outlets. I stopped a while ago, but when I was younger, I used to write short stories for my own enjoyment (nerd!). Plus, a weekend of writing in the mountains, surrounded by 7 "solid, decent people" as a friend of mine calls them, sounded great. I didn't do much writing on day one of the retreat. I worked normal hours, then made dinner (two soups: one with meat, one vegan) for the group. I grew fonder of this group of writers as we ate and shared stories by the fireplace that night.
Day two was where the sausage was made. We had a flexible writing schedule that allowed for two blocks of writing followed by review sessions where we shared what we worked on and provided feedback/criticism (if we wanted to). I wrote a few things during the first block, including the beginnings of a short story about an unexpected visit. It was alright, but to be honest, I just wrote it to kill time.
We had our second review session after dinner. I wrote another short piece about an hour before after spending most of the writing block napping. I didn't think much of it as I wrote it. The piece came out of nowhere and felt light as I typed, but it surprised my audience (and myself) when I read it that night. It was an unintentional "drop the mic" moment that earned me a spot among the writers of the group and reminded me how good it feels to create something. Now I'm signed up to do the Vietnam one next month. Hope I keep it up!
Once a writer...
On our second weekend in Bulgaria, I went to Samokov, a town about 2 hours south east of Sofia, for a writer's retreat. Writer's retreat? Yep. While I ain't no professional writer, writing was one of my early creative outlets. I stopped a while ago, but when I was younger, I used to write short stories for my own enjoyment (nerd!). Plus, a weekend of writing in the mountains, surrounded by 7 "solid, decent people" as a friend of mine calls them, sounded great. I didn't do much writing on day one of the retreat. I worked normal hours, then made dinner (two soups: one with meat, one vegan) for the group. I grew fonder of this group of writers as we ate and shared stories by the fireplace that night.
Day two was where the sausage was made. We had a flexible writing schedule that allowed for two blocks of writing followed by review sessions where we shared what we worked on and provided feedback/criticism (if we wanted to). I wrote a few things during the first block, including the beginnings of a short story about an unexpected visit. It was alright, but to be honest, I just wrote it to kill time.
We had our second review session after dinner. I wrote another short piece about an hour before after spending most of the writing block napping. I didn't think much of it as I wrote it. The piece came out of nowhere and felt light as I typed, but it surprised my audience (and myself) when I read it that night. It was an unintentional "drop the mic" moment that earned me a spot among the writers of the group and reminded me how good it feels to create something. Now I'm signed up to do the Vietnam one next month. Hope I keep it up!
Shades of grey on our way to Samokov.
September 14 - September 21
It doesn't get better than Italia
This may sound crazy, but I actually planned a full-blown vacation in the middle of all this traveling. At first, I wanted to do a solo trip to Greece because I've never been and getting there from Bulgaria couldn't get any cheaper or easier. However, one of my friends in the group casually mentioned Rome while we were having coffee and within minutes, we were planning a trip to Italy instead. Both of us studied abroad in the Lazio region and had an idea of what we wanted to do and where to go. We ended up booking three days in Rome and three in San Feliciano, a small lake town in Umbria, to escape the tourist madness. Best. Idea. Ever.
Another great idea? My friend suggested renting a car and driving to the lake instead of relying on trains. At first, I was apprehensive. The Italian countryside is full of hills, curves and the drivers are insane. Plus, I only drive automatic. My friend, however, convinced me and told me she'd drive up and down the hills if I could drive us out and into Rome. City driving? Sure! I can do that.
We spent three lovely days in Rome, eating like queens, then headed to San Feliciano on a Saturday morning, with a plan to stop in Orvieto on our way there. I drove us out of Rome as promised, but forgot to give up the wheel before getting to the countryside. I almost had a heart attack driving up the hill to Orvieto, but I got us there in one piece and in time for lunch. I don't know if it was the altitude or the glass of wine I had with lunch, but I felt confident I could drive us out of Orvieto and into San Feliciano. Bad call. The drive to San Feliciano was pure torture. I couldn't imagine how the people who live in that area drive in the rain, at night, or in the snow. When we finally got to the lake house and told our host where we came from he made a "yikes" face and said: "eeeeehhhh... brava".
The lake house was amazing. Our host, an architect, designed it and what a great job he did. Not only is the house sustainable, but it has the perfect balance of rustic and modern, plus breathtaking lake views. It was the perfect place to come to after a day of driving--which we did a lot of since our location was so closed to Tuscany. In two days, we went to Florence, Montepulciano, Siena and Cortona.
We headed back to Rome on Tuesday for one last night. Dinner was bittersweet as my friend and I recounted our favorite moments of the trip and how little Rome has changed since the last time we came--and that's a good thing. The city is as beautiful and magna as ever.
September 22 - October 2
Last days in Sofia
Keeping up with the "Bulgarian nature" theme, I asked a group of climbers in the group if I could join them on their last climbing trip. They welcomed me with open arms despite my non-existent climbing experience and took me to another Bulgarian mountain. Now, you hear me talking about climbing and hiking and all the fun stuff, but I'm terrified of nature. I still go out there, but all I think with every step I take is "where are the snakes?". Bananas. Luckily, I encountered no snakes, but I also didn't climb... because I was scared I was gonna see a snake in the limestone cracks. One day, my friends. One day!
I had my last banitsa and kissed Sofia goodbye on October 2nd. Now I'm in Belgrade! Another underrated Eastern European city. I really like it here. I'll tell you why on my next post. In the meantime, here are more pictures of Bulgaria.
<3