Tis the Season...

Winter is fast approaching here in Bulgaria. The temperatures have dropped drastically – at night and early morning, they seem to hover around the 0-2 range, and even the warmer days take a long time to warm up. The skies are greyer, we’ve had rain, and one day of light snow (fortunately, I was in Israel for that day, but I got reports from Ellis!) The top of Mt. Vitosha is getting a light cover of snow, which is starting to stick.

Most of the trees have lost their leaves and are looking very bare. The ground is still covered with a layer of leaves, but at this point they’re all wet and soggy and not very attractive. It’s a sharp contrast to Israel, where the country becomes green and blooms in the winter when the rains come (if they come), and here everything is stark and bare and grey.

Another sharp contrast to Israel is the arrival of Christmas decorations and displays. While walking around the city center on Friday, I noticed many shops have started putting up Christmas decorations. There was even one shop that was devoted entirely to Christmas balls and wreathes. I remember this from my childhood in the States, but living in Israel, Christmas comes and goes with very little mention. Since this is one of the major holidays celebrated here in Bulgaria, it will be interesting to see how they continue to prepare for the holiday.

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