Happiness

I’m a happy girl. Easy to say, sometimes difficult to mean. This past weekend, although I didn’t have any crazy foreign adventures, was pure happiness.

After a fun night out Thursday and a relaxing Friday in which my friends and I hiked our favorite little mountain and sat on a peak overlooking our city, I spent the next two days in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, an almost 2 hour bus ride away. On Saturday, our school organized a trip to the opera in Sofia. We spent the middle part of our day shopping in the Mall of Sofia, grabbing mocha lattes here and there, and simply enjoying being in a mall, which I haven’t since I left the States back in the beginning of January. When nighttime rolled around, we made our way to the opera house, which was stunning. We enjoyed a glass of champagne before the show and some conversation, being the sophisticated ladies that we are ;) I had never been to an opera before so I was beyond excited to experience it, and it truly was a beautiful performance.



St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia



National Historical Museums backdropped with beautiful mountains



On Sunday, we boarded a bus for the second day in a row to Sofia. This time, we were taking a history field trip to the Boyana Church and the National Historical Museum. Nestled on the outskirts of Sofia in snow-covered woods, the Boyana Church is a medieval Bulgarian Orthodox church, dating back to the 11^th century. It is known for its frescoes from the year 1259, a total of 89 scenes and 240 human figures. We got the special opportunity of going inside and learning about some of the ancient artwork (unfortunately, no photos allowed). Next stop: National Historical Museum. This place was gorgeous. It is the largest museum in Bulgaria, and it has the largest archaeological and historical archives in all the Balkans. It displayed wonderful artifacts and history along the timeline of the existence of civilization in Bulgaria, beginning with the Neolithic Period around 9000 BC. The building in which the museum is currently housed used to be the headquarters of the Communist leaders of Bulgaria, before the fall of the Communist government in 1989. Perhaps one of the most beautiful artifacts was the Golden Treasure of Panagyuzishte from the Thracian Period. All 24-karat gold, the treasure is dated from the 4^th-3^rd centuries BC. It was not discovered until 1949. A beautiful sight to look at.



Golden Treasure of Panagyuzishte from Thrace



I had the opportunity to adventure on another field trip this past week. For my environmental science class, a topic which I truly am passionate about, we ventured to the recycling center here in Blagoevgrad. Though I know this may not sound like the most exciting or beauteous of sites to see, it was truly eye opening to see the working conditions for these people and to actually watch a day in the life of a Bulgarian. Even more interesting was the massive amounts of garbage that can be recycled, yet we rarely take the time to do. The center was no small place and the amount of garbage and recycled material was no small number, and this is from one city in Bulgaria, one of the few countries in our world in which population rates are decreasing. I can only imagine the amount of garbage that other overpopulated parts of the world generate, and our entire world? Well, those numbers are almost unimaginable. I know this isn’t the loveliest of topics, but it is an overwhelming bit of knowledge that shows the human impact on our world.

On a different note. TOMORROW. SPRING BREAK. Even in capital letters, this doesn’t denote how incredibly thrilled I am to be taking off tomorrow from Sofia airport. First stop, Barcelona until the 28^th. Then to Rome until the 2^nd, then Florence, Bologna, and Milan to round out the last five days of our break. Food, sites, history, new oceans, new shores, new lands waiting to be discovered...did I mention food? Spain and Italy, you better be ready to welcome us with open arms.

36 Hours in Istanbul

The whole journey to Istanbul was an interesting one, to say the least, however, I wouldn’t trade in a minute of it. At 5:30pm on Thursday evening, my three friends and I boarded the bus, thinking we were prepared for a 12 hour bus ride through the night…but boy, were we in for an adventure. The majority of the ride was through Bulgaria, so we arrived at the Turkish border around 1:00am, groggy and exhausted from what distressed sleep we had gotten so far, sprawled across the bus seats in every which way, trying our best to get comfortable. The process to cross the border was a little more intense than we had originally imagined. First, our passports were taken and checked. When our passports were returned to us, we were left waiting on the bus for the next step. Being that it was the middle of the night, the border wasn’t exactly a hopping joint, so it was hard to imagine what exactly could have taken so long, and being tired out of our minds didn’t really help the situation much either, I suppose. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, an official came on the bus and looked at our passports one by one. When he got to us four Americans, he realized that we didn’t have visas yet, so our bus “steward” (I guess you could call him) took us off the bus and we followed him through two parking lots to the only open office at this crazy hour. Finally, 20 leva later, we had Turkish visas. Our journey across the border was not yet complete, however. We had to go through a customs search, in which everyone on the bus had to stand outside behind a table with their entire luggage while the bus was searched. The officers then moved down the line checking each passenger’s luggage, but when they got to us, our steward friend pointed, uttered “Americans,” and they moved on without a search. Interpret that how you want, because I have no answers whatsoever.



Our hostel and the Sea of Marmara in the distance



After a total of nearly two hours, our bus crossed into Turkey. We arrived in Istanbul at about 5:40am, and I have to say, I am very proud of the job us four American girls did navigating a completely foreign city in the dark (don’t worry Mom and Dad, I may have been a tall, blonde American girl in Istanbul, Turkey, but I had my backpack snapped on, my purse wrapped around my body a few times, and a headscarf that hopefully covered most of my blond hair, so I was trying my hardest to blend in). In order to get to the Sultanahmet section of the city from our bus stop, we had to take two trams, which was not the first thing that we wanted to do at that early hour after getting close to no sleep, but the moment we stepped off the tram, we were pleasantly surprised by the beauty of the morning. It was sunrise and the infamous Hagia Sofia and Blue Mosque were silhouetted against the sky. Suddenly, the crazy transportation maze we experienced to get to this beautiful, cultured city was worth it a million times over…and heck, we got another stamp on our passports, which made us feel like we were all the more true world travelers.

Once we arrived, we stopped by our hostel to drop off some of our luggage in the lockers provided and met our new Turkish friend, Raddy for the first time! After a quick nap on the couch, with Raddy making fun of us (see picture below), we headed out for the day, or at least until 11:30am when our room would be ready. We found a great little café on the second floor overlooking a beautiful park and a mosque. It was the perfect place to watch Istanbul transform from quiet sidewalks to a bustling busy day.



Erin and I asleep with Raddy making fun!



Hagia Sofia

We spent the next few hours walking the streets, exploring the shops, and experiencing the craziness of the Grand Bazaar. Returning to our hostel, we cleaned up, relaxed for a bit, and were on the move once again. We got some lunch and made friends with the owners (which proved to be beneficial when we were in a rush to get dinner the next night before our bus home), then we explored the beautiful Hagia Sophia in all its glory. The Hagia Sophia is a gorgeous sight, brimming with culture and history all the way back to 360 A.D. It began as an Orthodox basilica, and then was made into a mosque in 1453 when the Ottomans conquered the city, and it is now a museum. It was another one of those unreal feelings to be in a place with such a deep history and meaning, and I know I am a pretty lucky girl when I have seen too many sights in the past month in which this unbelievable vibe is present.



Inside the Hagia Sofia



After crossing the adorable park filled with fountains, palm trees, vendors with roasted corn and chestnuts, and happy people, we walked around the grounds of the beautiful Blue Mosque, which got its name from the blue tiles on the walls of the interior. Istanbul is in the prime location, right on the edge of the European continent. Our hostel is situated only a few streets up from the Sea of Marmara, so we walked down, sat on the rocks for a bit, and simply tried to overcome the fact that we were looking across the water and seeing the Asian continent staring back at us. Another one of those unreal moments. Heads up, I may be pointing those out quite frequently.

That night, we had a delicious dinner at a Turkish restaurant, grabbed baklava from one of many sweet shops, and had a cocktail with our Turkish friend Raddy in the lounge of our hostel.

The following morning, Saturday, after a great breakfast on our hostel’s rooftop terrace overlooking the sea, we checked out and spent the day exploring Istanbul. First stop: Topkapi Palace. We walked the beautiful grounds and saw the amazing palace, which was the residence of Ottoman Sultans during the years of 1465-1856. After some souvenir shopping, we found an adorable “hole in the wall” restaurant for lunch, where I got a delicious cheese and potato filled pancake (and not the traditional pancake all you Americans are picturing). Let’s just say our next stop also involved food: Turkish delights and more baklava. I couldn’t help myself. I was in Turkey, after all!




View from breakfast



Hundreds of fishermen

 We had an 8:30pm bus back to Blagoevgrad, so we found ourselves for the rest of the day down by the sea (again, couldn’t really help myself…the sea, after all, is one of my favorite places). This time we were on the bridge that connects Europe and Asia, and it was an amazing sight. You look down and fishing poles, hundreds, line the railing; the way of life for these people. After more exploring, photo taking, and taking in all we could, we headed back to our restaurant owner friends, grabbed yet another great meal, and navigated our way back to the bus station. Another long ride and we were back in Blagoevgrad at 8am Sunday morning, and boy was I thankful it was a Sunday because I climbed immediately into my bed and fell asleep within seconds.

But Istanbul...worth every lost second of sleep.



The Blue Mosque



Heading into the Grand Bazaar




Pretty windows in Hagia Sophia



Sea of Marmara, separating Europe and Asia



Tombs of Sultans from the Ottoman Empires



Jen, Erin, Emily and I





Istanbul tomorrow? Sure, why not!

Spur of the moment trip. We had no plans for this weekend. Kind of thought "let's get out of Bulgaria and go see the freaking world!" So we bought our tickets for the overnight bus this afternoon and are being shipped out of here tomorrow night!

Istanbul, show me a good time.

Plovdiv: A Jem

Once again, Bulgaria has surprised me with its beauty, and I mean really. Plovdiv really is one of Europe's hidden jems.

After catching a very early morning bus and a four hour bus ride, which I slept through most of, a group of seven of us arrived in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. After a bit of confusion about where in the world our hostel was located in the city, we finally found the Plovdiv Guesthouse, and boy, were we surprised. When I hear the word hostel, usually I am not expecting too much, but we got lucky. We were staying right in the Old Town of Plovdiv, with beautiful cobblestone streets and all the sights, and our hostel was very pretty.

Our hostel



mmm my delicious dessert!

 After throwing our bags down in our room real quick, we went out to explore the city. First stop: food! We were all starving for lunch so we had a delicious meal at a traditional Bulgarian mehana. The food was incredible, but my dessert was especially phenomenal. Once we were all completely satisfied, we wandered out into the streets, visited a gorgeous Eastern Orthodox Church, at which we found our friend Tiger (a dog) who followed us around for the next hour or so. We found the Memorial House for Hristo G. Danov, the founder of contemporary book publishing in Bulgaria, saw an old printing press, and wandered up the hill farther to a beautiful view of Plovdiv.



Djumaya Mosque



We then walked toward the center of Old Town, saw Djumaya Mosque, one of the biggest and oldest mosques in Bulgaria, and explored the square that was built on top of a 2^nd century Roman stadium. Eventually, we made our way to another hill where we finally came across the site we had all been anticipating: the beautiful Roman Amphitheater built in the 2^nd century. The seven of us looked like a group of kids at recess, climbing all over and exploring the gorgeous ruins. We spent a good hour just sitting in the stands, the sun pouring in. It was unreal to be sitting upon such an ancient site. That night, we ate out at a Mexican restaurant, ordered some mojito’s and enchiladas, and went dancing for a bit.



The next morning, Saturday, after our free breakfast by our hostel, we went back out into the city and explored the sites we hadn’t seen the previous day: St. Constantine & St. Helena Church, the National Geographic Ethnographic Museum, and Hissar Kapiya (the best preserved gateway of the six-meter-tall fortress walls, built around the 2^nd century). We then climbed the Nebet Tepe hill atop which lies the ruins of a Thracian settlement from around 3000 BC. It also provided a breaktaking view of all of Plovdiv. Again, a sort of magical site.

After we rounded out our sightseeing, we went into town for a cup of coffee on a cute balcony overlooking the main square. The weather was beautiful the whole weekend, so it was nice to sit and relax in the sun. For dinner that night, we decided to try Italian, and boy, did we hit the jackpot. We all ate a bit too much, but for less than $15, it was definitely worth it. Sunday morning was an early one, as we had to catch a 7:30am bus back to Blagoevgrad. I slept a little bit, but I wanted to enjoy the scenery that I had missed on the way there. The landscape was amazing. One minute we’re driving through gorgeous green plains, and the next we’re in snow-covered mountains. It made me appreciate Bulgaria even more.



2nd Century Roman Amphitheater



Plovdiv is without a doubt a place I would love to return to. It made me feel even more indebted to this area of the world. Ask a typical westerner and Plovdiv will strike no gold, but Eastern Europe has hidden jems like this place all over, waiting to be discovered, but in the meantime, the value and enjoyment they offer grows exponentially.

A few more snapshots from Plovdiv!

Courtney, Erin, and I with Plovdiv in the background



2nd Century Roman Theater with the city square built on top



Disbelief at the beauty



Beautiful architecture



Thracian ruins/modern Plovdiv



The world is my playground

As I mentioned previously, my friends and I had originally planned to escape to Thessoliniki, Greece this coming weekend. Well, after taking a look at the weather, we decided to push our weekend trips to Greece to a later date in the semester when we can completely enjoy everything the warm climate and beautiful place has to offer. So, at 6:50am on Friday morning, we will be on a bus to Plovdiv! It is the second-largest city in Bulgaria, about a four hour bus ride from Blago, and its history dates back about 6000 years. Being an anthropology major, this is one of the exact reasons why I chose to study for a semester in Eastern Europe. It has some of the greatest, oldest, and most beautiful sites in the world. Plovdiv, here we come.

More exciting news. Spring break - booked! Since a few of my friends have their spring breaks planned out with visiting family members and friends, it will be four of us girls enjoying the 10 day break from the stressful part of college life! We will be flying first to Barcelona and spending three days there basking in the warm weather and seeing the sights. Then we are off to tour Italy! We fly into Rome, will spend a few days there, take a train up the coast to Florence and a couple other sights, and then end up in Milan for our final day where we will catch our flight back to Sofia! Now let's just hope I don't burn through my bank account. I have gotten completely used to the great value of the American dollar here in Bulgaria.

And now I get a little philosophical... oh boy. The world is my playground (as you may have noticed my title of this post). I'm one of those crazy people that believe that the world does not belong to us as humans, and in a way, we as a species have made this planet so much worse than it was before our existence. But I have to say, that as of right now, I'd have to agree with this saying a little bit. I am getting these amazing opportunities to see and experience places many people only dream of going to... and I have to admit, what I have seen so far does reassure me that there is good in people and what we are doing. We just have to watch out for the bad because we will regret it if we don't.

Oh, shoutout to everyone back home... stay warm, Connecticut, and it's okay to be jealous of the 50⁰F weather I'm having :)