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The Bulgarian Adventure Continues in Valley of Thracians

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During the two years that Jodie and I lived and worked in Bulgaria, we traveled extensively around the country. We learned about Bulgaria's history and culture, we visited its villages, and climbed its mountains. We studied the Bulgarian language and made many friends. It was truly an adventure, as witnessed in the many posts and pictures on this blog. Just over two years after our departure from Bulgaria, I am proud to announce that my novel, Valley of Thracians , has been published and is now available for Kindle, with other formats to follow. In Valley of Thracians , the Bulgarian adventure continues, only this time it's a fictional account. The novel is a tale of suspense as the characters make their way across beautiful Bulgarian landscapes in their pursuit of a missing American and buried treasure. While the story is fictional, the places, customs, and traditions of Bulgaria I describe are very real. Bulgaria is an off-the-beaten track destination. This fascinat...
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Top 15 Favorite Bulgarian Places

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At a distance of one month, it's sometimes hard to believe that we spent two wonderful years living in Bulgaria. We look back with fond memories at the many places we visited, the many people we met, and the many things we learned about Bulgaria, its culture and history. This started as a Top Ten list, but there were too many places to list, so it became a Top 15 list, and still, some of the colorful destinations we visited are not included. The list is presented in alphabetical order. Balchik . On the Black Sea coast, this town was the summer home of Queen Marie of Romania . We enjoyed walking around the botanical gardens, seeing the old style houses and the simple palace that captured the heart of the Romanian queen. Belogradchik . Belogradchik is a town in northwestern Bulgaria and also the name of a fortress and nature reserve of bizarrely shaped sandstone, limestone and other rock formations. The Belogradchik Rocks were Bulgaria's candidate in the campaign for N...
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Farewell to Bulgaria

When Ellis and I came to Bulgaria two years ago, we had no idea what awaited us. We just had a long-standing desire to try living in a different country for a limited, set period of time and to experience something else. So, when Ellis was approached by his company to relocate, we jumped at the chance. Most people's initial reaction to our announcement was "Bulgaria? What's in Bulgaria?" I admit that I was wondering the same thing, and asking myself, "why not England, or Spain, or Gibraltar?" Today, after living here for two years, I can tell you what is in Bulgaria. It is a country with friendly people, who are interested in the strangers living amongst them, and are happy to talk to you, even when you tell them that you don't understand their language. As Israelis, we never felt uncomfortable talking about where we come from - most people had a warm and positive feeling toward Israel. This can even been seen at government level - Bulgaria was one of th...
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A Healthy Lunch

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We still had the time to try out one more restaurant in Sofia, so today for lunch we headed to Cru , the city's healthy alternative. Cru is located on Tsar Assen Street, and it's quite a small boutique restaurant, with only about five tables. The waiter was very friendly and the service was excellent. We both started with the Pea Soup, which was spiced with curry and served in a very large bowl. It was made from fresh peas and was extremely tasty. Jodie had the Organic Adzuki Beans Croquette with fresh salad and sprouts. I had the Tortilla Pizza with roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese. The food was very good. The only thing unhealthy about Cru is that the prices are a bit high. The lunchtime meal for the two of us came to 42.50 Leva, which was more expensive than we usually pay.
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Sofia's Synagogue in the Snow

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Bulgarian Lion in Winter

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Happy New Year 2011

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Happy is the name of a chain of Bulgarian fast food restaurants. This sign was seen in downtown Sofia. We had lunch at a Happy restaurant on Sunday. None of the waitresses were smiling, so maybe they weren't too happy to be working in the New Year.
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