16 weeks!
4
16 weeks!
Joe arrived in Columbus safely after over 19 hours of travel, and is enjoying being back in the States with family. His brother John is getting married today, so they are all busy with wedding preparations.
Things are going well on this side of the Atlantic. Shannon and I are staying warm and becoming masters of the wood stove. We relaxed most of the day today, but we did make it out to the grocery store to stock up on some goodies!
Things are going well on this side of the Atlantic. Shannon and I are staying warm and becoming masters of the wood stove. We relaxed most of the day today, but we did make it out to the grocery store to stock up on some goodies!
Joe is now flying over the Atlantic from Amsterdam to Detroit and should arrive around 2pm. Shannon and I are back in Topolovo, staying warm with blankets and a fire in the wood stove. Merry Christmas to you, however unique it may be!
...and it doesn't even feel like December! To me, it seems more like mid-January. There are some Christmas lights here, but nothing like in the US. And it's not just the lights that make Christmas feel Christmas-y... It's the decorations in the store, the holiday commercials on TV, and the advent wreath at church. I'm missing the Christmas spirit that I normally am surrounded by in America; however, as my mom wisely said to me in a recent email, "this is just an unusual Christmas...and one we will all talk about some day with fond memories."
At dinner last night
The dinner show last night was interesting, although I think we were given the worst possible seat in the house. (I'm not exaggerating either, Joe agrees with me!) We couldn't see the performance floor because of a large column in front of our table, so we had to watch the live dancing and live band on a TV screen! The food was tasty though, and the atmosphere was great. Even though we couldn't see the performance from our table, I did manage to get up and take a picture...
Folklore show
We liked the traditional Bulgarian decor
We started our day today with a late breakfast and some "chill time," but we set out for our daily dose of adventure by 10:30. We went to a childrens' theater for an 11:30 showing of "Christmas Carnival" (or "Коледа Карнивал") to help fulfill one of Shannon's cross-cultural trip requirements.
Look what I remembered to get a picture of! (Can you see the car under all the dirt? It needs a bath!)
After a long lunch at Subway (they only have them in Sofia and so I try to eat there at least once every time we're in the city!), we browsed at the mall for a while. It was not nearly as busy as you would expect a shopping center to be on Christmas Eve, but it wasn't anywhere close to empty, either.
Peek-a-boo! (Looking through a statue we passed on the sidewalk)
This afternoon we finally made it to see the landmark Sofia is famous for - the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Like all the orthodox churches in Bulgaria (at least the ones we've been to, anyway), photography is prohibited inside the building. We did get pictures of the outside though!
The front entrance
Domes
Shannon outside the Nevsky
Early tomorrow morning, I'll be dropping Joe off at the Sofia International Airport for his flight back to Columbus, OH, for his brother's wedding. We're so excited that he gets to be a part of it. It will be hard to be apart, but I think the occasion is worth it.
Yours truly
At dinner last night
The dinner show last night was interesting, although I think we were given the worst possible seat in the house. (I'm not exaggerating either, Joe agrees with me!) We couldn't see the performance floor because of a large column in front of our table, so we had to watch the live dancing and live band on a TV screen! The food was tasty though, and the atmosphere was great. Even though we couldn't see the performance from our table, I did manage to get up and take a picture...
Folklore show
We liked the traditional Bulgarian decor
We started our day today with a late breakfast and some "chill time," but we set out for our daily dose of adventure by 10:30. We went to a childrens' theater for an 11:30 showing of "Christmas Carnival" (or "Коледа Карнивал") to help fulfill one of Shannon's cross-cultural trip requirements.
Look what I remembered to get a picture of! (Can you see the car under all the dirt? It needs a bath!)
After a long lunch at Subway (they only have them in Sofia and so I try to eat there at least once every time we're in the city!), we browsed at the mall for a while. It was not nearly as busy as you would expect a shopping center to be on Christmas Eve, but it wasn't anywhere close to empty, either.
Peek-a-boo! (Looking through a statue we passed on the sidewalk)
This afternoon we finally made it to see the landmark Sofia is famous for - the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. Like all the orthodox churches in Bulgaria (at least the ones we've been to, anyway), photography is prohibited inside the building. We did get pictures of the outside though!
The front entrance
Domes
Shannon outside the Nevsky
Early tomorrow morning, I'll be dropping Joe off at the Sofia International Airport for his flight back to Columbus, OH, for his brother's wedding. We're so excited that he gets to be a part of it. It will be hard to be apart, but I think the occasion is worth it.
Yours truly
Or at least mom, anyway!
Shannon arrived safe and sound on a delayed flight through Munich on Sunday afternoon. It was so wonderful to see her familiar face walk through the door exiting customs and into the arrivals area of the airport.
After a walk-through of how things work at our house, we ate a quick dinner and headed off to Lenovo for a Жива Сена (directly translated, "Live Scene"). Lamar and Pat helped to organize the live nativity with church members from three different churches. Shannon coped well with all of the Bulgarian being spoken to her and seeing so many new faces, but by the end of the evening she was ready for a rest!
Shannon checking out some surprises from her suitcase
Monday we had a laid back morning, which included celebrating Christmas together with gifts that were hidden in Shannon's luggage by Santa! In the afternoon we showed Shannon around a few nearby villages (by car) and stopped by Lamar and Pat's for a visit.
A new type of stocking - the pillowcase (travel-size, of course!)
My stocking was big enough to fit in a pair of maternity jeans, a sweater, and a giant can of SPAGHETTI'OS!
Tuesday we had a morning of packing, planning, and preparing for our visit to Sofia. In the afternoon we headed to historic Old Town Plovdiv to see the ancient amphitheater. We also found some awesome souvenir shops... Joe had to drag me away from them so that we could get back to our car before our allotted parking time was up!
Where to go?
A US city on a street sign in Bulgaria... only 8600km away!
At the amphitheater
Two extraordinary tour guides
Wednesday was quite the adventure. We drove, and drove, and drove.... and drove some more. We were on the road by 8:30am and made it to the Rila Monastery after lunch. The Rila Monastery is THE monastery to see in Bulgaria, despite the fact that it's not the easiest to get to.
The sights from the road were breathtaking
Inside the monastery
Joe and Shannon, outside the monastery church
After seeing the monastery we headed to Sofia. Little did we know that our hotel was going to be the hardest one to find in the whole city... (Ok, that may be an exaggeration, but we drove around for an hour trying to find it!)
Tourist sisters
A cross beside the road on the way to Sofia from the monastery
Today we ventured out onto the crazy roads of Sofia to see the National History Museum. After stopping for lunch we parked the car and hopped onto the metro to go downtown to see the National Art Gallery. It has been a long day, but an educational one! Tonight we have reservations at 8:00pm for a restaurant that has a nightly folklore show, which I am really excited about!
Shannon reading about an exhibit at the history museum
Do you see the resemblance?
Keep posted! There will be more to come!
Shannon arrived safe and sound on a delayed flight through Munich on Sunday afternoon. It was so wonderful to see her familiar face walk through the door exiting customs and into the arrivals area of the airport.
After a walk-through of how things work at our house, we ate a quick dinner and headed off to Lenovo for a Жива Сена (directly translated, "Live Scene"). Lamar and Pat helped to organize the live nativity with church members from three different churches. Shannon coped well with all of the Bulgarian being spoken to her and seeing so many new faces, but by the end of the evening she was ready for a rest!
Shannon checking out some surprises from her suitcase
Monday we had a laid back morning, which included celebrating Christmas together with gifts that were hidden in Shannon's luggage by Santa! In the afternoon we showed Shannon around a few nearby villages (by car) and stopped by Lamar and Pat's for a visit.
A new type of stocking - the pillowcase (travel-size, of course!)
My stocking was big enough to fit in a pair of maternity jeans, a sweater, and a giant can of SPAGHETTI'OS!
Tuesday we had a morning of packing, planning, and preparing for our visit to Sofia. In the afternoon we headed to historic Old Town Plovdiv to see the ancient amphitheater. We also found some awesome souvenir shops... Joe had to drag me away from them so that we could get back to our car before our allotted parking time was up!
Where to go?
A US city on a street sign in Bulgaria... only 8600km away!
At the amphitheater
Two extraordinary tour guides
Wednesday was quite the adventure. We drove, and drove, and drove.... and drove some more. We were on the road by 8:30am and made it to the Rila Monastery after lunch. The Rila Monastery is THE monastery to see in Bulgaria, despite the fact that it's not the easiest to get to.
The sights from the road were breathtaking
Inside the monastery
Joe and Shannon, outside the monastery church
After seeing the monastery we headed to Sofia. Little did we know that our hotel was going to be the hardest one to find in the whole city... (Ok, that may be an exaggeration, but we drove around for an hour trying to find it!)
Tourist sisters
A cross beside the road on the way to Sofia from the monastery
Today we ventured out onto the crazy roads of Sofia to see the National History Museum. After stopping for lunch we parked the car and hopped onto the metro to go downtown to see the National Art Gallery. It has been a long day, but an educational one! Tonight we have reservations at 8:00pm for a restaurant that has a nightly folklore show, which I am really excited about!
Shannon reading about an exhibit at the history museum
Do you see the resemblance?
Keep posted! There will be more to come!
...it's supposedly a symptom of pregnancy, so don't blame me!
It snowed all day on Monday, and again on Thursday. So now, cumulatively, we have about 6-8 inches of lovely white powder on the ground. It's a beautiful sight out the window, but I have to admit has slowed me down on the picture-of-the-car-getting process.
Driving toward Asenovgrad
You see, we have two streets bordering our house - one in front, one in back. The one in front of the house is on the side of the mountain (our house faces toward the mountain) and is not paved, or graveled, or anything. The other street, behind the house, is paved, though very narrow. So we park on the paved street, but we have to trek through our back yard to get to the car.
A view of Dolnoslav, a nearby village
So you can see how much effort it would take to make a special trip out in the snow to the car to get a picture... particularly for a pregnant woman who seems to be getting clumsier and more off-balance by the minute.
At any rate, I haven't forgotten you! That being said, I do keep forgetting to take the picture when I'm actually with the car. Yesterday we went out to run errands and I took several pictures of the snow, but none of the car! (Oops!)
An out-the-window snapshot driving through Topolovo
Exciting things are to come in the next few weeks! Shannon, my sister, is leaving the US today and will arrive in Bulgaria tomorrow for a three-week stay here. She will be completing some of the requirements for a cross-cultural experience with her university as well as keeping me company while Joe is gone for a week for his brother's wedding.
We have been planning her trip for a few months now and we're so excited that it's finally here. Now, I've got to go get the last few things crossed off my to-do list before she arrives!
It snowed all day on Monday, and again on Thursday. So now, cumulatively, we have about 6-8 inches of lovely white powder on the ground. It's a beautiful sight out the window, but I have to admit has slowed me down on the picture-of-the-car-getting process.
Driving toward Asenovgrad
You see, we have two streets bordering our house - one in front, one in back. The one in front of the house is on the side of the mountain (our house faces toward the mountain) and is not paved, or graveled, or anything. The other street, behind the house, is paved, though very narrow. So we park on the paved street, but we have to trek through our back yard to get to the car.
A view of Dolnoslav, a nearby village
So you can see how much effort it would take to make a special trip out in the snow to the car to get a picture... particularly for a pregnant woman who seems to be getting clumsier and more off-balance by the minute.
At any rate, I haven't forgotten you! That being said, I do keep forgetting to take the picture when I'm actually with the car. Yesterday we went out to run errands and I took several pictures of the snow, but none of the car! (Oops!)
An out-the-window snapshot driving through Topolovo
Exciting things are to come in the next few weeks! Shannon, my sister, is leaving the US today and will arrive in Bulgaria tomorrow for a three-week stay here. She will be completing some of the requirements for a cross-cultural experience with her university as well as keeping me company while Joe is gone for a week for his brother's wedding.
We have been planning her trip for a few months now and we're so excited that it's finally here. Now, I've got to go get the last few things crossed off my to-do list before she arrives!
Thanks, Aunt Sue!
Our very first package from America was sent by Joe's wonderful Aunt Sue! We were SO excited to open it we could barely take the picture!
We are SO thankful for the goodies... Today we had Kraft mac & cheese for lunch, and we're going to drink kool-aid at dinner. Yay!!
We have a car! I'll get pictures up as soon as I can. I just wanted to give you the update!
3 cubic meters of chopped, split, dry wood!
We finally have our supply of wood for the winter! It arrived just in time, too, because it has gotten quite a bit colder since the wood arrived on Saturday. This morning we woke up to a thick layer of frost covering our yard - it was white enough that at first glance it looked like snow!
Now it's time to stack the wood by the house where it is better sheltered under the roof!
A numerical summary of the past week or so...
1 ...cat getting into our trash
2 ...colors of paint purchased
3 ...cubic meters of wood to be delivered to our house
4 ...pages of typing for our Oct/Nov newsletter
5 ...cars we looked into possibly buying
6 ...degrees Celsius... tomorrow's forcasted high temp
7 ...leva paid for the hatchet Joe bought
8 ...chapters listened to so far of the audio book Joe has for when he works outside
9 ...hours I'm NOT going to spend trying to think of something for #9...it's been a half hour already, and I'm officially giving up!
10 ...days since we got home from Sofia
11 ...liters of water in the big bottles we get for drinking water
12 ...weeks along in the pregnancy!
1 ...cat getting into our trash
2 ...colors of paint purchased
3 ...cubic meters of wood to be delivered to our house
4 ...pages of typing for our Oct/Nov newsletter
5 ...cars we looked into possibly buying
6 ...degrees Celsius... tomorrow's forcasted high temp
7 ...leva paid for the hatchet Joe bought
8 ...chapters listened to so far of the audio book Joe has for when he works outside
9 ...hours I'm NOT going to spend trying to think of something for #9...it's been a half hour already, and I'm officially giving up!
10 ...days since we got home from Sofia
11 ...liters of water in the big bottles we get for drinking water
12 ...weeks along in the pregnancy!
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