After two years, Kate and I returned to Roma during our Thanksgiving vacation. Although it rained ninety percent of the time we were there, the colors of the city stood bold even in the bleakness of fat raindrops and an endless gray. Our baristas, the coffee makers who made our daily cafe latte, sold the bar and moved on - this put
us in sad spirits early on, but we hoped they found something more fulfilling in their lives; we still ordered our cafe latte and it tasted so good. It is always baffling how they can make it THAT much better than anyone else outside of Italy; there is no comparison. Of course this applies to the food too - one amazing meal after another, from lunch to dinner, Thursday through Saturday, pastas and pizzas, foccacia and gnocchi, with bottles of red and Aqua Panna, and then an Old Bridge gelato to top it all off - best food in the world.
My words have failed me, but the pictures I take type into beautiful stanzas:
Hard to imagine that someone, at the age of 33, has not experienced a first snow. Well, the time has finally come - yesterday Sofia experienced its first true snowstorm, and it was quite impressive: various reports of four to five inches of snow fell. I have never lived somewhere where the snow falls and stays for more than ten minutes. My cat (his first snow too) and I sat at the window and enjoyed Mother Nature's beauty.
For a few hours the cityscape was transformed, and the white blanket that covered the cement blocks, the garbage, and the grey tinge of winter provided a new perspective in which we could appreciate our home.
Unfortunately, in the city, the beauty of the snow fades fairly quickly into nasty ice, brown slush, and mild chaos as drivers and pedestrians alike try to negotiate the various challenges.
However, the ACS campus was a joy. As ACS is closer to the mountain, it seemed as if a few more inches of snow fell out there. I wanted to frolic and shoot pics all afternoon, but was inside talking with parents on a Saturday for the second four-hour stint of conferences.
Oh well, I was able to get some good shots from my window, and a few as I made my way to a friend's Lada to get a ride home.
Main Walking Path at ACS
The Garden at ACS
Tw0 earthquakes hit Sofia in the last 24 hours.
The first, a 4.0, hit at 10 pm - but I was bobbin' my head at the Buddha Bar and did not feel it. The second, a baby 3.5, hit at 7 in the morning and shook me awake. I thought it was the cat, but he was sound asleep on the bed.
Made me feel right at home.
Going back to Cali...
Last weekend, a number of us from ACS, including Kate and I, took a one day trip to the small Bulgarian village of Koprivshtitsa. It was just another in a series of beautiful, traditional villages that we've had the chance to visit. Koprivshtitsa is famous for its 19th century home architecture, and offers a visitor the chance to see seven or eight museum houses offering a glimpse into the life of Bulgarians during that time. I was particularly impressed by the color that the town celebrates - blues, greens, yellows, and more paint the town. It was a treat to get out and shoot this place early Sunday morning, when the sun was just coming up over the hills and a heavy mist saluted the early morning rituals of its inhabitants.
The following is my impression through images of this wonderful spot:
Koprivshtitsa Town Square
Dawn
Our Hotel
View From the Porch
Morning Fire
Morning Dew
For Sale
Morning Sun
The Dead
Work
Tradition
Shade and Shadow
Lada
The Morning Road
Remembering
Playground
The Hills
Sunday
