Dober Den (Good Day)

Sdravete to you all. It has been a busy week here in Bulgaria as Kate and I settle into our new country/city/apartment/language/culture/etc. The flights all were punctual and as comfy as one can be in today's economy seats, all thirteen of our bags arrived, and the cat made it down in one piece, albeit on meds.

After just one week of the Bulgarian experience I am beginning to think that perhaps Bulgaria is one of the more underrated countries in Europe. From Sofia's city center to the mountains and villages of southern Bulgaria, I have been blown away; this is something that I did not expect.

Now I have only been to the city center once, but it is a bustling bit of metropolis that happens to include a couple of architectural gems. The city does not overwhelm you and is quite easy to navigate on foot. Cafes abound and, in the summer, are the best spots for being outdoors. Hip restaurants are everywhere (we are told) and we have dined in one of these hip spots - a loungy-ish locale with a garden area that was a great place to hang for the afternoon. Outdoor markets sell just about everything, including stretches of fresh fruit stands selling boysenberries, strawberries, blackberrys and nectarines (there was much more, but these are my favorites). Posters are up promoting a few of the upcoming concerts incuding Snoop Doggy Dogg (for sure), The Gypsy Kings (possibly), Estrella Morente (would like to), DJ Tiesto (over it), and so much more.

Beyond the city is where the magic of Bulgaria really begins to weave itself into one's heart. Just ten minutes from Sofia and our apartment is Mount Vitosha. Although we have just driven around it, it is easy to see that this mountain, the tallest in Bulgaria, will offer days of adventure in the form of hiking, skiing, and breathtaking views. Going south, towards Greece, the scenery that unfolds is beautiful and delightful cultural experiences await: encounters with the witches found in tiny Bulgarian villages mixing their large cauldrons of boiling trouble; lots and lots of goats; cows coming in from the pastures with utters about to burst with gallons and gallons of milk; bright and colorful gardens everywhere; purple and green grapes in each yard; toothless women with enormous moles carrying large sticks who like to yell at you in Bulgarian and will come very close to smacking you upside the head with said stick because you don't speak the langauge; old men whistling at your fiance and then laughing when you turn around; meters and meters of tobacco leaves hanging to dry; fat, hairy Bulgarian men in speedos; and so much more.

I am already in love with this country and hopefully over the next two years that love will grow deeper and deeper.

I will post some pics here next.

Ciaochau,

Branch

Welcome посрещам

Welcome to Ciao Chau, a new blog about everything that Kate and I do as we continue to explore this beautiful world.

Ciao - the familiar greeting in Italian, both meaning hello and goodbye. Italian was my first foreign language learned. When I learned Spanish, I quickly picked up that they also used the word ciao. However, I was bewildered when I first saw this word in writing. In Spanish the word is written C - H - A - U. What!?! After five years of familiarity with one spelling, where I just thought the Spanish language borrowed a very handy term, it just looked wrong. Moreover, during my first days in Paraguay I continued to use the term for both hello and goodbye. Wrong. In Spanish, it is only used for goodbye. Oops. No wonder all those Paraguayans gave me a strange look when I approached them with my friendly, "Ciao!" I quickly became used to the Spanish chau.

Now we are heading back to Europe. Sofia, Bulgaria will be our home for at least the next two years. Rumor has it that the Bulgarians are fond of the term ciao. I will try to learn the word in Bulgarian - Довиждане (the English pronunciation is dovízhdane), but can guarantee nothing.

We are excited, no doubt. We hope you join us by following along with this blog. We will try to write and post pictures weekly. Feel free to put your comments on anything you see here.

Ciao, Chau
Branch

bulgaria bound

we leave for bulgaria in the am. i am pretty nervous about the flight...but mostly because gringo (our cat) is being ripped from his home for the second time in two months. i hope one day he will understand.

otherwise, i can't wait to see this country that we have been thinking about since November 2007. I know not what to expect, but I know that whatever happens...we won't be able to understand it anyway ;)

oh ye faithful readers of said blog, welcome to our bulgarian adventure!!!

kate

Engaged.

I have finally engaged Kate. Although the possibility of disengaging is there, I don't think it will happen. Kate is rather smitten with being my b-iance (she prefers this to fiance), which makes me her Jay-Z. I guess this is fitting because we did get engaged in the V to the iz A. No word yet on the details of the wedding, but that information will be hammered out in the next few weeks. I do know that I love her.

The ring belonged to her great, great grandmother and was her engagement ring more than 120 years ago (circa 1880). It is beautiful and different from any engagement ring I have ever seen, and I love it. I think she loves it too and it looks really, really good on her hand. So, a lot of great stuff to be excited about. And plenty to keep us busy over the weeks and months to come.

Ciao Chau,
Branch