Talking on Cell Phone While Sledding Down a Hill


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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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The “Pogacha”

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Pogacha is a traditional, round bread which is used in many Bulgarian ceremonies and celebrations. This was also the name for the celebration that we were invited to by one of my colleagues, Luca, and his wife Iva, in honor of the birth of their son, Nicola. Although the customs surrounding the birth of a baby had their origins many centuries ago, and most of them have not survived, there are still some customs which have made it to modern times and are generally followed by all women after giving birth. When a baby is born, the baby is not taken out of the house for a period of 40 days. During this time, only close family members are allowed to visit and to see the baby. In ancient times, this was due to the fact that a woman was considered “unclean” and as a result, she and her baby were at great risk from evil spirits. Today, it is more of a feeling of protecting the baby from germs and keeping him safe. At the end of the 40 days, there is a celebration, which only the women family...
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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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