here we are again with a few reports and stories...
I spent the last days, having the best of times in Sofia, Bulgaria.
I arrived by the nighttrain I took from Belgrade, it took me another 20 euros and I'm starting to realise my money supply isn't endless. Especially after buying a computer... I will try to put it to more and better use though.
I arrived in Sofia early in the morning, it was fresh, even cold. Immediately I was struck with the lack of fanciness or luxury. It had a strong backwards communist feel to it, but I liked the air very much.
Although at first I found myself very much an outsider and getting noticed in the crowd. And I didn't speak the language or read the alphabet... Very estranging.
I pulled through and got myself a coffee, stuff was cheap here again, what did me good!
I walked direction town and checked my emails for the number and adress of the people I had contacted through couchsurfing. I got Elli on the phone and we agreed to meet at Hotel Pliska at 2 o'clock . I walked further downtown and really started enjoying the different atmosphere, the cheaper old European cars, the people and the coolness of fall.
Nikki and ElliI met Nikki and Elli at the hotel Pliska that afternoon. They're 2 amazingly sweet and gentle people, a couchsurfers dream. They're both software programmers and they decided to work from home that friday afternoon, so I wouldn't have to be out in the cold the whole afternoon. The invited me to go with them to Nikki's mom's villa out in the country, close to the Serbian border. Ofcourse I agreed to such a wonderfull proposal.
I cooked for them that evening and we enjoyed a few beers and some warm conversation...
Nikki in the kitchenI had one of the best sleeps in their couch I had had for a while and the morning was sunny and clear. We had a great breakfast Nikki cooked and packed to go out to the country with two good friends of theirs; Toni and Ivan.
Around noon time we left, picked up the keys at Nikki's moms and head out.
On the way out of the city we passed a junkyard settlement of gypsies, ironically with satelite dishes. Elli told me some striking stories about the gypsies, how they play the minority card way too often... and get away with it. They seem a special bunch!
streetview...
the gypsies of Sofia
We drove through some of the prettiest countryside and landscapes I've ever seen, and had to walk a while on a dirt road to get to the villa. The house was simple, small but nice. We lit the woodfire as soon as we entered and I discovered some real Bulgarian ingenuity (I don't know if we have this in Belgium, but I've never heard of it): a central heating system where the water for the pipes is heated on the woodstove... awesome!
We started with a salad and some great homemade rakija. A friend of Ivan made it, and his dad too... he told us some stories about it, how you could go blind from the bad stuff, and how they used to distill the good alcohol out of the denatured stuff you get from the pharmacies, haha, wild stuff!
Night came setting on and Ivan lit the barbecue outside and baked us some porkchops and onions in the fire, Nikki made another one of his awesome salads, and we hade a great dinner with rakija :D.
After dinner we passed the guitar and banjo, I played some country music. They played and sang all together, some of the most beautifull songs I'd heard live... bulgarian folkmusic mixed with some popsongs. It just struck me as beautifull cause I couldn't understand a word and so was very perceptive of the behaviour and tonalities in the music. And of course a lot less prejudiced then one would be towards his own culture ;).
After a few hours of playing talking, drinking and crochetting a hat for Elli ( one of my masterpieces I must say, the combinations of white and leftover colours worked really well..)
which she liked even more than I did, I went out with Nikki and Elli.
Toni and Ivan had gone to bed already and we walked out in the cold and dark night. It felt so gentle and peacefull though.
Nature here has nothing of the frustration and stress towards the human race as it has in our west.
Here there is still peace between man and nature, and you could feel it in the air...
We were so exalted under the stars and the moon, we started doing somersauls and saltos in the high grass, and it catched us soft as a pillow. Cheering and laughing like mad children we lay in the grass, ridiculing the strange behaviour of modern life, not understanding it from our beautifull viewpoint, high on that mountain, under the fading clouds, starlight and the moon.
Pressing our bellies to mother earth, hoping to grow back our umbellical cords and feel all the warmth and grounded nurturing she gives and gives and gives...
Some say nature is hostile, but she has her own ways, she's not hostile anymore than she is loving.
I guess she has her rules, and for those that are happy with what they have, and know her, she is a sweet as a loving mother. We create our own demons I reckon...
Anyways, it felt so good to be out there, not cold anymore at all... we rested and felt healthy.
And went to bed.... sweet dreams, under starlight and moonshine, rainbowhued visions of myth and story...
woke up hung over hahahaha :D
had coffee and some of the best tasting sheep yoghurt ever(yoghurt is supposed to have originated in bulgaria, because those bacteria are indigenous here and in the air), but had to visit the bathroom for some other purpose than excreting the useless... anyways.
the awesome banitsva or burek
a typical bulgarian childrens plate :DNikki showed me how to bake the local breakfast dish 'Banitsva', also known in the Yugos as Burek and probably every region has it's version of it... I love it and it's so cheap to buy in the bakeries... mmm nice stuff made of dough(millefeuille , or bladerdeeg in flemish, cheese, yoghurt and eggs.
If anyone wants me to post the recipe, just ask! Anyway it's great and it made me feel so much better!
a local flowerWe went for a walk in the mountains and I got to take some really cool pictures of landscapes and old rustic houses, that were probably not used any more. The Bulgarian border police stopped us and asked for our passports, apparently there's a lot of smuggling and stuff around here, they were very nice though :D.
Then we headed back to town and had an easy evening and a movie.
NIkki and Elli
Ivan and the caterpillar
Tomorrow we're going into town, I really wanna see the town!
Okay, buddies that's all for tonight, take care and sweet dreaming, always!
Much love,
xxx
steven
some more pics:
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