(6521,1,'2012-04-07 15:53:16','2012-04-07 13:53:16','Sunday, April 8th is Easter in the States. This year we\'re celebrating one week before those who follow the Orthodox calendar.\r\n\r\nThe Easters of my childhood included:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Pastel colors: light pink, robin\'s egg blue, mint green, pale yellow.</li>\r\n	<li>Dying Easter eggs with <a href=\"http://www.paaseastereggs.com/products.asp\" target=\"_blank\">Paas dye</a>.</li>\r\n	<li>The Easter Bunny and hunting for eggs hidden by said bunny.</li>\r\n	<li>My Easter basket usually filled with books, jelly beans and a chocolate bunny.</li>\r\n	<li>Church on Sunday morning.</li>\r\n	<li>A pretty new dress for church with plenty of ruffles and usually a bow.</li>\r\n	<li>Easter dinner with ham.</li>\r\n	<li>Family including grandmas, aunts and uncles.</li>\r\n	<li>Daffodils and tulips.</li>\r\n	<li>Lamb cake. Yes, a yellow cake made in a <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Supply-Large-Lamb-Cake/dp/B0015XX00S\" target=\"_blank\">mold shaped like a lamb </a>and covered with white frosting and shredded coconut. You know so it looks like a lamb.</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nAs a 20-something in Washington DC, Easter was a twist on my Easters growing up. I\'d email friends to join our group house for Easter brunch pastel colors and pretty dresses were encouraged. On Saturday, I\'d make up a big Easter basket with plastic eggs filled with pastel colored M&amp;Ms and jelly beans. I\'s also dye eggs. Then on Sunday, we\'d have 2 dozen friends over for Easter brunch. I\'d make make a coffee cake, a fruit platter, put on the coffee, whip up mimosas and put out a bouquet of fresh flowers. My roommates often baked a ham, make deviled eggs, french toast casserole and whatever felt brunch worthy. Friends would arrive about 1pm with plates of food to share. Brunch was served buffet style and everyone would hang out, talk and eat.\r\n\r\nOh and next week, Bulgarian Easter in 10. So stay tuned.\r\n\r\nOther In 10 Posts:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/01/learning-bulgarian-in-10/ ‎\" target=\"_blank\">Learning Bulgarian</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','American Easter in 10','','inherit','open','open','','6516-revision-4','','','2012-04-07 15:53:16','2012-04-07 13:53:16','',6516,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/07/6516-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6522,1,'2012-04-15 07:54:53','2012-04-15 05:54:53','This year Easter is a week later than the Protestant Easter. This of course has to do with some long standing calendar differences. Anyhow, this gives me a chance to write twice about Easter. Last week I wrote about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/08/american-easter-in-10/\" target=\"_blank\">Easter in my childhood growing up in the States</a> and now I\'ll write about Easter in Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nI\'ve spent Easter in Bulgaria twice now. Here\'s a link to last year\'s post on <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/04/24/easter-traditions-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Easter Traditions</a>.\r\n\r\nHere are my general impressions:\r\n<ol>\r\n	<li>Shop windows full of kozunak and people queuing up in bakeries to buy them.</li>\r\n	<li>Red Easter eggs. None of this pastel pink business. These eggs are red, red.</li>\r\n	<li>Egg fights. Basically you take your dyed hard boiled egg and hit another person\'s egg. If your egg doesn\'t crack you can then go on to fight another egg.</li>\r\n	<li>Lamb and leaf lettuce salad. (Interestingly spring is also one of the only times that Bulgarians seem to eat with any regularity left lettuce salads.)</li>\r\n	<li>Spring onions, fresh garlic sprouts, radishes and strawberries are all for sale but I don\'t think the strawberries are actually seasonal/local until later in the spring.</li>\r\n	<li>A midnight service on Saturday and throngs of people both inside and outside of the churches.</li>\r\n	<li>A staple of the service are candles. Everyone has one. They are everywhere. This is incredibly beautiful.</li>\r\n	<li>Old women selling flowers on street corners.</li>\r\n	<li>Green grass.</li>\r\n	<li>Bulgarians greeting each other with: Christ has risen! And responding with: he has risen indeed!</li>\r\n</ol>\r\nThe holiday feels much, much less commercial to me here. There are no pastel M&amp;Ms or jelly beans to be found. The Easter bunny seems not to exist. While there have been some displays in grocery stores like Billa selling egg dye they are pretty minimal. I walked by one the first time and thought: who put this shelf in such an awkward place right next to the eggs? Then I looked at it again and realized the display was next to the eggs because it was egg dye.\r\n\r\nWishing you the best wherever you are whether or not you\'re celebrating this holiday today!\r\n\r\nWant more? Maybe you should check out these past In 10 Posts:\r\n<ul>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/08/american-easter-in-10/\" target=\"_blank\">American Easter</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/01/learning-bulgarian-in-10/ ‎\" target=\"_blank\">Learning Bulgarian</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\r\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\r\n</ul>','In 10: Easter in Bulgaria ','','publish','open','open','','in-10-easter-in-bulgaria','','','2012-04-07 16:44:12','2012-04-07 14:44:12','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6522',0,'post','',1),(6523,1,'2012-04-07 16:40:03','2012-04-07 14:40:03','Sunday, April 8th is Easter in the States. This year we\'re celebrating one week before those who follow the Orthodox calendar.\n\nThe Easters of my childhood included:\n<ol>\n	<li>Pastel colors: light pink, robin\'s egg blue, mint green, pale yellow.</li>\n	<li>Dying Easter eggs with <a href=\"http://www.paaseastereggs.com/products.asp\" target=\"_blank\">Paas dye</a>.</li>\n	<li>The Easter Bunny and hunting for eggs hidden by said bunny.</li>\n	<li>My Easter basket usually filled with books, jelly beans and a chocolate bunny.</li>\n	<li>Church on Sunday morning.</li>\n	<li>A pretty new dress for church with plenty of ruffles and usually a bow.</li>\n	<li>Easter dinner with ham.</li>\n	<li>Family including grandmas, aunts and uncles.</li>\n	<li>Daffodils and tulips.</li>\n	<li>Lamb cake. Yes, a yellow cake made in a <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/Kitchen-Supply-Large-Lamb-Cake/dp/B0015XX00S\" target=\"_blank\">mold shaped like a lamb </a>and covered with white frosting and shredded coconut. You know so it looks like a lamb.</li>\n</ol>\nAs a 20-something in Washington DC, Easter was a twist on my Easters growing up. I\'d email friends to join our group house for Easter brunch pastel colors and pretty dresses were encouraged. On Saturday, I\'d make up a big Easter basket with plastic eggs filled with pastel colored M&amp;Ms and jelly beans. I\'s also dye eggs. Then on Sunday, we\'d have 2 dozen friends over for Easter brunch. I\'d make make a coffee cake, a fruit platter, put on the coffee, whip up mimosas and put out a bouquet of fresh flowers. My roommates often baked a ham, make deviled eggs, french toast casserole and whatever felt brunch worthy. Friends would arrive about 1pm with plates of food to share. Brunch was served buffet style and everyone would hang out, talk and eat.\n\nOh and next week, Bulgarian Easter in 10. So stay tuned.\n\nOther In 10 Posts:\n<ul>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/01/learning-bulgarian-in-10/ ‎\" target=\"_blank\">Learning Bulgarian</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\n</ul>','American Easter in 10','','inherit','open','open','','6516-autosave','','','2012-04-07 16:40:03','2012-04-07 14:40:03','',6516,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/07/6516-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6524,1,'2012-04-07 16:41:01','2012-04-07 14:41:01','This year Easter is a week later than the Protestant Easter. This of course has to do with some long standing calendar differences. Anyhow, this gives me a chance to write twice about Easter. Last week I wrote about <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/08/american-easter-in-10/\" target=\"_blank\">Easter in my childhood growing up in the States</a> and now I\'ll write about Easter in Bulgaria.\n\nI\'ve spent Easter in Bulgaria twice now. Here\'s a link to last year\'s post on <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/04/24/easter-traditions-in-sofia/\" target=\"_blank\">Easter Traditions</a>.\n\nHere are my general impressions:\n<ol>\n	<li>Shop windows full of kozunak and people queuing up in bakeries to buy them.</li>\n	<li>Red Easter eggs. None of this pastel pink business. These eggs are red, red.</li>\n	<li>Egg fights. Basically you take your dyed hard boiled egg and hit another person\'s egg. If your egg doesn\'t crack you can then go on to fight another egg.</li>\n	<li>Lamb and leaf lettuce salad. (Interestingly spring is also one of the only times that Bulgarians seem to eat with any regularity left lettuce salads.)</li>\n	<li>Spring onions, fresh garlic sprouts, radishes and strawberries are all for sale but I don\'t think the strawberries are actually seasonal/local until later in the spring.</li>\n	<li>A midnight service on Saturday and throngs of people both inside and outside of the churches.</li>\n	<li>A staple of the service are candles. Everyone has one. They are everywhere. This is incredibly beautiful.</li>\n	<li>Old women selling flowers on street corners.</li>\n	<li>Green grass.</li>\n	<li>Bulgarians greeting each other with: Christ has risen! And responding with: he has risen indeed!</li>\n</ol>\nThe holiday feels much, much less commercial to me here. There are no pastel M&amp;Ms or jelly beans to be found. The Easter bunny seems not to exist. While there have been some displays in grocery stores like Billa selling egg dye they are pretty minimal. I walked by one the first time and thought: who put this shelf in such an awkward place right next to the eggs? Then I looked at it again and realized the display was next to the eggs because it was egg dye.\n\nWishing you the best wherever you are whether or not you\'re celebrating this holiday today!\n\nWant more? Maybe you should check out these past In 10 Posts:\n<ul>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/08/american-easter-in-10/\" target=\"_blank\">American Easter</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/01/learning-bulgarian-in-10/ ‎\" target=\"_blank\">Learning Bulgarian</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/18/in-10-bottles/\" target=\"_blank\">Bottles</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/11/in-10-12-muffins/\" target=\"_blank\">Muffins (Self-made and Take a Cake-made)</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/03/04/in-10-martenitsi/%20%E2%80%8E\" target=\"_blank\">Martenitsi</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/26/in-10-carrefour/\" target=\"_blank\">Carrefour</a></li>\n	<li><a href=\"../2012/02/19/in-10-bulgarian-homemade/\" target=\"_blank\">Bulgarian Homemade</a></li>\n</ul>','In 10: Easter in Bulgaria ','','inherit','open','open','','6522-revision','','','2012-04-07 16:41:01','2012-04-07 14:41:01','',6522,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/07/6522-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6531,1,'2012-04-16 20:43:04','2012-04-16 18:43:04','This past week was spring break. I was gallivanting through Bulgaria and Romania. It was great fun. The weather was mostly good, the driving was okay and the sites were amazing.\r\n\r\nWe started with a stop in Veliko Tarnovo. It was a quick stop. We walked around town, ate some lunch, did some shopping and then climbed back in the car.\r\n<a title=\"Old town and new town meet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577248/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/6938577248_9ff8560de8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Old town and new town meet\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWhat I like about the city is how picturesque it is. The houses line the valley and crowd around the river. The roofs are red and the buildings a mix of yellow, white, grey and some pinks.\r\n\r\nThe look is very different from Sofia and the guide book descriptions don\'t do the city justice. I guess a huge part of this is due to the physical landscape. I think it\'s a dramatic city and I have yet to get tired to looking at it or exploring it.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nAmong other things, I love the communist era wall art which graces many of the buildings along the main street. It\'s big and bold. Angular yet attractive. The lines draw your eyes in. Are these pieces <em>beautiful</em>? Well, I am not sure but what I do know is that they are interesting.\r\n<a title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577956/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/6938577956_eff24348be_z.jpg\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938580058/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6938580058_b7a4403292_z.jpg\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nEvery time I\'ve been to Veliko Tarnovo I\'ve liked it. I am beginning to suspect that this is a city that will never disappoint me. That\'s a pretty wonderful thing to realize. Even though a couple of hours wasn\'t enough in Veliko Tarnovo wasn\'t enough, I left happy.\r\n<a title=\"Shopping by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938576564/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7230/6938576564_befab23c9f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Shopping\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI\'ll end this quick post on Veliko Tarnovo on this note: I think this city has some of the best souvenir shops in the country. They have a mix of traditional souvenirs like post cards, playing cards, magnets, tee shirts and other trinkets but they also have what I would dub modern Bulgarian souvenirs including jewelery from local artists and handmade art pottery with a nod to traditional form but very fresh and new. Now I don\'t actively seek out souvenir shops in Bulgaria but I found myself impressed by the variety and selection in Veliko Tarnovo more so that I\'ve been with most of the shops in Sofia.\r\n<a title=\"Buildings around town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938582214/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/6938582214_104f1100da_z.jpg\" alt=\"Buildings around town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Dropping in on Veliko Tarnovo','','publish','open','open','','dropping-in-on-veliko-tarnovo','','','2012-04-16 20:43:04','2012-04-16 18:43:04','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6531',0,'post','',5),(6526,1,'2012-04-09 07:18:57','2012-04-09 05:18:57','I don\'t think that this will surprise anyone. I love Sofia even though it\'s a hard city to love. At times it\'s maddening (stray dogs, uneven sidewalks, crowded buses, poor snow removal and inefficiencies of all colors and stripes both big and small) but now that the first signs of spring have emerged the city seems vibrant and energetic.\r\n\r\nWinter coats have all but disappeared and it\'s as if by shedding some of the winter layers the city also shed some of it\'s gloom. In my book, that\'s pretty magical.\r\n\r\nSo are trees in bloom. See how lovely the martenitsi are tied to the tree. Looking good, Mladost. Looking good.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://instagr.am/p/JJhDVYmubv/\"><img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Spotted in Mladost: a tree in bloom\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/7bca8928814411e1be6a12313820455d_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"490\" height=\"490\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I\'ve been reading this blog <a href=\"http://groundbeneathmyfeet.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Ground Beneath My Feet</a> for a while now and currently I\'m in love with everything she\'s writing about Sofia. I think I originally found it through another blog <a href=\"http://www.themigrantbookclub.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Migrant Book Club</a>.  Both of these blogs are written by Bulgarians in English and frankly I can\'t get enough of either one of them. They are thoughtful, insightful and well written.\r\n\r\nThese are blogs that speak to me.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThis past week, I found myself thinking a lot about a post from The Ground Beneath My Feet titled <a href=\"http://groundbeneathmyfeet.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/balancing-on-top-of-the-dash-here-there-and-in-between/\" target=\"_blank\">Balancing on top of the dash: Here there and in between</a>. She\'s writing about the push and pull that so many young Bulgarians feel about their country and the opportunities or lack of opportunities here. The tug between living here or living elsewhere and what this inevitably does to one\'s heartstrings.\r\n\r\nTwo major questions seem to dominate this post. If you can leave, do you? But what if you chose to stay or even more boldly chose to return, then what? The subtext of these two questions seems to be what does Bulgaria have to offer you and is it enough to make you feel happy and satisfied? This said, the underlying problem seems to be one of responsibility--is it more responsible to take care of yourself or do you have some responsibility to your country as well?  What if your country seems to be irreparably broken--what then?\r\n\r\nSo I\'ve found myself caught up in this web of questions where each one seems to lead back to another. I, of course, don\'t have an answer. It\'s a terribly hard place to be--to find yourself. Yet, by in large, the blog The Ground Beneath My Feet is positive in it\'s spirit and tone and that gives me hope.','Blogging Sofia','','publish','open','open','','blogging-sofia','','','2012-04-08 09:33:57','2012-04-08 07:33:57','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6526',0,'post','',3),(6527,1,'2012-04-08 08:56:05','2012-04-08 06:56:05','I don\'t think that this will surprise anyone. I love Sofia even though it\'s a hard city to love. At times it\'s maddening (stray dogs, uneven sidewalks, crowded buses, poor snow removal and inefficiencies of all colors and stripes both big and small) but now that the first signs of spring have emerged the city seems vibrant and energetic.\n\nWinter coats have all but disappeared and it\'s as if by shedding some of the winter layers the city also shed some of it\'s gloom. In my book, that\'s pretty magical.<a href=\"http://instagr.am/p/JJhDVYmubv/\"><img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Spotted in Mladost: a tree in bloom\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/7bca8928814411e1be6a12313820455d_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" /></a>\n\nAnyhow, I\'ve been reading this blog <a href=\"http://groundbeneathmyfeet.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Ground Beneath My Feet</a> for a while now and currently I\'m in love with everything she\'s writing about Sofia. I think I originally found it through another blog <a href=\"http://www.themigrantbookclub.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Migrant Book Club</a>.  Both of these blogs are written by Bulgarians in English and frankly I can\'t get enough of either one of them.\n\nI\'ve been thinking a lot about a post from The Ground Beneath My Feet titled <a href=\"http://groundbeneathmyfeet.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/balancing-on-top-of-the-dash-here-there-and-in-between/\" target=\"_blank\">Balancing on top of the dash: Here there and in between</a>. She\'s writing about the push and pull that so many young Bulgarians feel about their country and the opportunities or lack of opportunities here. The tug between living here or living elsewhere and what this inevitably does to one\'s heartstrings.  Two major questions seem to dominate this post. If you can leave, do you? But what if you stay, then what? The underlying problem seems to be one of responsibility--is it more responsible to take care of yourself or do you have some responsibility to your country as well?','Blogging Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','6526-revision','','','2012-04-08 08:56:05','2012-04-08 06:56:05','',6526,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/08/6526-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6528,1,'2012-04-08 08:57:06','2012-04-08 06:57:06','I don\'t think that this will surprise anyone. I love Sofia even though it\'s a hard city to love. At times it\'s maddening (stray dogs, uneven sidewalks, crowded buses, poor snow removal and inefficiencies of all colors and stripes both big and small) but now that the first signs of spring have emerged the city seems vibrant and energetic.\n\nWinter coats have all but disappeared and it\'s as if by shedding some of the winter layers the city also shed some of it\'s gloom. In my book, that\'s pretty magical.<a href=\"http://instagr.am/p/JJhDVYmubv/\"><img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Spotted in Mladost: a tree in bloom\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/7bca8928814411e1be6a12313820455d_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"612\" height=\"612\" /></a>\n\nAnyhow, I\'ve been reading this blog <a href=\"http://groundbeneathmyfeet.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Ground Beneath My Feet</a> for a while now and currently I\'m in love with everything she\'s writing about Sofia. I think I originally found it through another blog <a href=\"http://www.themigrantbookclub.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Migrant Book Club</a>.  Both of these blogs are written by Bulgarians in English and frankly I can\'t get enough of either one of them.\n\nI\'ve been thinking a lot about a post from The Ground Beneath My Feet titled <a href=\"http://groundbeneathmyfeet.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/balancing-on-top-of-the-dash-here-there-and-in-between/\" target=\"_blank\">Balancing on top of the dash: Here there and in between</a>. She\'s writing about the push and pull that so many young Bulgarians feel about their country and the opportunities or lack of opportunities here. The tug between living here or living elsewhere and what this inevitably does to one\'s heartstrings.\n\nTwo major questions seem to dominate this post. If you can leave, do you? But what if you stay, then what? The underlying problem seems to be one of responsibility--is it more responsible to take care of yourself or do you have some responsibility to your country as well?','Blogging Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','6526-revision-2','','','2012-04-08 08:57:06','2012-04-08 06:57:06','',6526,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/08/6526-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6529,1,'2012-04-08 08:57:33','2012-04-08 06:57:33','I don\'t think that this will surprise anyone. I love Sofia even though it\'s a hard city to love. At times it\'s maddening (stray dogs, uneven sidewalks, crowded buses, poor snow removal and inefficiencies of all colors and stripes both big and small) but now that the first signs of spring have emerged the city seems vibrant and energetic.\r\n\r\nWinter coats have all but disappeared and it\'s as if by shedding some of the winter layers the city also shed some of it\'s gloom. In my book, that\'s pretty magical.<a href=\"http://instagr.am/p/JJhDVYmubv/\"><img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Spotted in Mladost: a tree in bloom\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/7bca8928814411e1be6a12313820455d_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"490\" height=\"490\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I\'ve been reading this blog <a href=\"http://groundbeneathmyfeet.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Ground Beneath My Feet</a> for a while now and currently I\'m in love with everything she\'s writing about Sofia. I think I originally found it through another blog <a href=\"http://www.themigrantbookclub.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Migrant Book Club</a>.  Both of these blogs are written by Bulgarians in English and frankly I can\'t get enough of either one of them.\r\n\r\nI\'ve been thinking a lot about a post from The Ground Beneath My Feet titled <a href=\"http://groundbeneathmyfeet.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/balancing-on-top-of-the-dash-here-there-and-in-between/\" target=\"_blank\">Balancing on top of the dash: Here there and in between</a>. She\'s writing about the push and pull that so many young Bulgarians feel about their country and the opportunities or lack of opportunities here. The tug between living here or living elsewhere and what this inevitably does to one\'s heartstrings.\r\n\r\nTwo major questions seem to dominate this post. If you can leave, do you? But what if you stay, then what? The underlying problem seems to be one of responsibility--is it more responsible to take care of yourself or do you have some responsibility to your country as well?','Blogging Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','6526-revision-3','','','2012-04-08 08:57:33','2012-04-08 06:57:33','',6526,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/08/6526-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6530,1,'2012-04-08 09:15:13','2012-04-08 07:15:13','I don\'t think that this will surprise anyone. I love Sofia even though it\'s a hard city to love. At times it\'s maddening (stray dogs, uneven sidewalks, crowded buses, poor snow removal and inefficiencies of all colors and stripes both big and small) but now that the first signs of spring have emerged the city seems vibrant and energetic.\r\n\r\nWinter coats have all but disappeared and it\'s as if by shedding some of the winter layers the city also shed some of it\'s gloom. In my book, that\'s pretty magical.\r\n\r\nSo are trees in bloom. See how lovely the martenitsi are tied to the tree. Looking good, Mladost. Looking good.\r\n\r\n<a href=\"http://instagr.am/p/JJhDVYmubv/\"><img class=\"alignnone\" title=\"Spotted in Mladost: a tree in bloom\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/7bca8928814411e1be6a12313820455d_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"490\" height=\"490\" /></a>\r\n\r\nAnyhow, I\'ve been reading this blog <a href=\"http://groundbeneathmyfeet.wordpress.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Ground Beneath My Feet</a> for a while now and currently I\'m in love with everything she\'s writing about Sofia. I think I originally found it through another blog <a href=\"http://www.themigrantbookclub.com/\" target=\"_blank\">The Migrant Book Club</a>.  Both of these blogs are written by Bulgarians in English and frankly I can\'t get enough of either one of them. They are thoughtful, insightful and well written.\r\n\r\nThese are blogs that speak to me.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThis past week, I found myself thinking a lot about a post from The Ground Beneath My Feet titled <a href=\"http://groundbeneathmyfeet.wordpress.com/2012/03/23/balancing-on-top-of-the-dash-here-there-and-in-between/\" target=\"_blank\">Balancing on top of the dash: Here there and in between</a>. She\'s writing about the push and pull that so many young Bulgarians feel about their country and the opportunities or lack of opportunities here. The tug between living here or living elsewhere and what this inevitably does to one\'s heartstrings.\r\n\r\nTwo major questions seem to dominate this post. If you can leave, do you? But what if you chose to stay or even more boldly chose to return, then what? The subtext of these two questions seems to be what does Bulgaria have to offer you and is it enough to make you feel happy and satisfied? This said, the underlying problem seems to be one of responsibility--is it more responsible to take care of yourself or do you have some responsibility to your country as well?  What if your country seems to be irreparably broken--what then?\r\n\r\nSo I\'ve found myself caught up in this web of questions where each one seems to lead back to another. I, of course, don\'t have an answer. It\'s a terribly hard place to be--to find yourself. Yet, by in large, the blog The Ground Beneath My Feet is positive in it\'s spirit and tone and that gives me hope.','Blogging Sofia','','inherit','open','open','','6526-revision-4','','','2012-04-08 09:15:13','2012-04-08 07:15:13','',6526,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/08/6526-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6532,1,'2012-04-16 20:33:36','2012-04-16 18:33:36','This past week was spring break. I was gallivanting through Bulgaria and Romania. It was great fun. The weather was mostly good, the driving was okay and the sites were amazing.\n\nWe started with a stop in Veliko Tarnovo. It was a quick stop. We walked around town, ate some lunch, did some shopping and then climbed back in the car.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577248/\" title=\"Old town and new town meet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/6938577248_9ff8560de8_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Old town and new town meet\"></a>\nWhat I like about the city is how picturesque it is. The houses line the valley and crowd around the river. The roofs are red and the buildings a mix of yellow, white, grey and some pinks.\n\nI love the communist era wall art which graces many of the buildings along the main street. It\'s big and bold. Angular yet attractive. The lines draw your eyes in. Are these pieces beautiful? Well, I am not sure but what I do know is that they are interesting.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577956/\" title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/6938577956_eff24348be_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\"></a>\nEvery time I\'ve been to Veliko Tarnovo I\'ve liked it. I am beginning to suspect that this is a city that will never disappoint me. That\'s a pretty wonderful thing to realize. Even though a couple of hours wasn\'t enough in Veliko Tarnovo wasn\'t enough, I left happy.\n\nI\'ll end this quick post on Veliko Tarnovo on this note: I think this city has some of the best souvenir shops in the country. They have a mix of traditional souvenirs like post cards, playing cards, magnets, tee shirts and other trinkets but they also have what I would dub modern Bulgarian souvenirs including jewelery from local artists and handmade art pottery with a nod to traditional form but very fresh and new. Now I don\'t actively seek out souvenir shops in Bulgaria but I found myself impressed by the variety and selection in Veliko Tarnovo more so that I\'ve been with most of the shops in Sofia.','Dropping in on Veliko Tarnovo','','inherit','open','open','','6531-revision','','','2012-04-16 20:33:36','2012-04-16 18:33:36','',6531,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/16/6531-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6533,1,'2012-04-16 20:34:30','2012-04-16 18:34:30','This past week was spring break. I was gallivanting through Bulgaria and Romania. It was great fun. The weather was mostly good, the driving was okay and the sites were amazing.\r\n\r\nWe started with a stop in Veliko Tarnovo. It was a quick stop. We walked around town, ate some lunch, did some shopping and then climbed back in the car.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577248/\" title=\"Old town and new town meet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/6938577248_9ff8560de8_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Old town and new town meet\"></a>\r\nWhat I like about the city is how picturesque it is. The houses line the valley and crowd around the river. The roofs are red and the buildings a mix of yellow, white, grey and some pinks.\r\n\r\nI love the communist era wall art which graces many of the buildings along the main street. It\'s big and bold. Angular yet attractive. The lines draw your eyes in. Are these pieces beautiful? Well, I am not sure but what I do know is that they are interesting.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577956/\" title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/6938577956_eff24348be_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\"></a>\r\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938580058/in/photostream\r\nEvery time I\'ve been to Veliko Tarnovo I\'ve liked it. I am beginning to suspect that this is a city that will never disappoint me. That\'s a pretty wonderful thing to realize. Even though a couple of hours wasn\'t enough in Veliko Tarnovo wasn\'t enough, I left happy.\r\nhttp://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938576564/in/photostream\r\nI\'ll end this quick post on Veliko Tarnovo on this note: I think this city has some of the best souvenir shops in the country. They have a mix of traditional souvenirs like post cards, playing cards, magnets, tee shirts and other trinkets but they also have what I would dub modern Bulgarian souvenirs including jewelery from local artists and handmade art pottery with a nod to traditional form but very fresh and new. Now I don\'t actively seek out souvenir shops in Bulgaria but I found myself impressed by the variety and selection in Veliko Tarnovo more so that I\'ve been with most of the shops in Sofia.','Dropping in on Veliko Tarnovo','','inherit','open','open','','6531-revision-2','','','2012-04-16 20:34:30','2012-04-16 18:34:30','',6531,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/16/6531-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6534,1,'2012-04-16 20:37:34','2012-04-16 18:37:34','This past week was spring break. I was gallivanting through Bulgaria and Romania. It was great fun. The weather was mostly good, the driving was okay and the sites were amazing.\n\nWe started with a stop in Veliko Tarnovo. It was a quick stop. We walked around town, ate some lunch, did some shopping and then climbed back in the car.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577248/\" title=\"Old town and new town meet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/6938577248_9ff8560de8_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Old town and new town meet\"></a>\nWhat I like about the city is how picturesque it is. The houses line the valley and crowd around the river. The roofs are red and the buildings a mix of yellow, white, grey and some pinks.\n\nI love the communist era wall art which graces many of the buildings along the main street. It\'s big and bold. Angular yet attractive. The lines draw your eyes in. Are these pieces beautiful? Well, I am not sure but what I do know is that they are interesting.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577956/\" title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/6938577956_eff24348be_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938580058/\" title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6938580058_b7a4403292_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\"></a>\nEvery time I\'ve been to Veliko Tarnovo I\'ve liked it. I am beginning to suspect that this is a city that will never disappoint me. That\'s a pretty wonderful thing to realize. Even though a couple of hours wasn\'t enough in Veliko Tarnovo wasn\'t enough, I left happy.\n\nI\'ll end this quick post on Veliko Tarnovo on this note: I think this city has some of the best souvenir shops in the country. They have a mix of traditional souvenirs like post cards, playing cards, magnets, tee shirts and other trinkets but they also have what I would dub modern Bulgarian souvenirs including jewelery from local artists and handmade art pottery with a nod to traditional form but very fresh and new. Now I don\'t actively seek out souvenir shops in Bulgaria but I found myself impressed by the variety and selection in Veliko Tarnovo more so that I\'ve been with most of the shops in Sofia.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938582214/\" title=\"Buildings around town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/6938582214_104f1100da_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Buildings around town\"></a>','Dropping in on Veliko Tarnovo','','inherit','open','open','','6531-revision-3','','','2012-04-16 20:37:34','2012-04-16 18:37:34','',6531,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/16/6531-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6535,1,'2012-04-16 20:37:41','2012-04-16 18:37:41','This past week was spring break. I was gallivanting through Bulgaria and Romania. It was great fun. The weather was mostly good, the driving was okay and the sites were amazing.\r\n\r\nWe started with a stop in Veliko Tarnovo. It was a quick stop. We walked around town, ate some lunch, did some shopping and then climbed back in the car.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577248/\" title=\"Old town and new town meet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/6938577248_9ff8560de8_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Old town and new town meet\"></a>\r\nWhat I like about the city is how picturesque it is. The houses line the valley and crowd around the river. The roofs are red and the buildings a mix of yellow, white, grey and some pinks.\r\n\r\nI love the communist era wall art which graces many of the buildings along the main street. It\'s big and bold. Angular yet attractive. The lines draw your eyes in. Are these pieces beautiful? Well, I am not sure but what I do know is that they are interesting.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577956/\" title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/6938577956_eff24348be_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938580058/\" title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6938580058_b7a4403292_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\"></a>\r\nEvery time I\'ve been to Veliko Tarnovo I\'ve liked it. I am beginning to suspect that this is a city that will never disappoint me. That\'s a pretty wonderful thing to realize. Even though a couple of hours wasn\'t enough in Veliko Tarnovo wasn\'t enough, I left happy.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938576564/\" title=\"Shopping by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7230/6938576564_befab23c9f_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Shopping\"></a>\r\nI\'ll end this quick post on Veliko Tarnovo on this note: I think this city has some of the best souvenir shops in the country. They have a mix of traditional souvenirs like post cards, playing cards, magnets, tee shirts and other trinkets but they also have what I would dub modern Bulgarian souvenirs including jewelery from local artists and handmade art pottery with a nod to traditional form but very fresh and new. Now I don\'t actively seek out souvenir shops in Bulgaria but I found myself impressed by the variety and selection in Veliko Tarnovo more so that I\'ve been with most of the shops in Sofia.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938582214/\" title=\"Buildings around town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/6938582214_104f1100da_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Buildings around town\"></a>','Dropping in on Veliko Tarnovo','','inherit','open','open','','6531-revision-4','','','2012-04-16 20:37:41','2012-04-16 18:37:41','',6531,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/16/6531-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6536,1,'2012-04-16 20:37:55','2012-04-16 18:37:55','This past week was spring break. I was gallivanting through Bulgaria and Romania. It was great fun. The weather was mostly good, the driving was okay and the sites were amazing.\r\n\r\nWe started with a stop in Veliko Tarnovo. It was a quick stop. We walked around town, ate some lunch, did some shopping and then climbed back in the car.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577248/\" title=\"Old town and new town meet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/6938577248_9ff8560de8_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Old town and new town meet\"></a>\r\nWhat I like about the city is how picturesque it is. The houses line the valley and crowd around the river. The roofs are red and the buildings a mix of yellow, white, grey and some pinks.\r\n\r\nI love the communist era wall art which graces many of the buildings along the main street. It\'s big and bold. Angular yet attractive. The lines draw your eyes in. Are these pieces beautiful? Well, I am not sure but what I do know is that they are interesting.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577956/\" title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/6938577956_eff24348be_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938580058/\" title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6938580058_b7a4403292_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\"></a>\r\nEvery time I\'ve been to Veliko Tarnovo I\'ve liked it. I am beginning to suspect that this is a city that will never disappoint me. That\'s a pretty wonderful thing to realize. Even though a couple of hours wasn\'t enough in Veliko Tarnovo wasn\'t enough, I left happy.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938576564/\" title=\"Shopping by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7230/6938576564_befab23c9f_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Shopping\"></a>\r\nI\'ll end this quick post on Veliko Tarnovo on this note: I think this city has some of the best souvenir shops in the country. They have a mix of traditional souvenirs like post cards, playing cards, magnets, tee shirts and other trinkets but they also have what I would dub modern Bulgarian souvenirs including jewelery from local artists and handmade art pottery with a nod to traditional form but very fresh and new. Now I don\'t actively seek out souvenir shops in Bulgaria but I found myself impressed by the variety and selection in Veliko Tarnovo more so that I\'ve been with most of the shops in Sofia.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938582214/\" title=\"Buildings around town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/6938582214_104f1100da_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Buildings around town\"></a>','Dropping in on Veliko Tarnovo','','inherit','open','open','','6531-revision-5','','','2012-04-16 20:37:55','2012-04-16 18:37:55','',6531,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/16/6531-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6537,1,'2012-04-16 20:38:20','2012-04-16 18:38:20','This past week was spring break. I was gallivanting through Bulgaria and Romania. It was great fun. The weather was mostly good, the driving was okay and the sites were amazing.\r\n\r\nWe started with a stop in Veliko Tarnovo. It was a quick stop. We walked around town, ate some lunch, did some shopping and then climbed back in the car.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577248/\" title=\"Old town and new town meet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/6938577248_9ff8560de8_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Old town and new town meet\"></a>\r\nWhat I like about the city is how picturesque it is. The houses line the valley and crowd around the river. The roofs are red and the buildings a mix of yellow, white, grey and some pinks.\r\n\r\nI love the communist era wall art which graces many of the buildings along the main street. It\'s big and bold. Angular yet attractive. The lines draw your eyes in. Are these pieces beautiful? Well, I am not sure but what I do know is that they are interesting.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577956/\" title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/6938577956_eff24348be_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938580058/\" title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6938580058_b7a4403292_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\"></a>\r\nEvery time I\'ve been to Veliko Tarnovo I\'ve liked it. I am beginning to suspect that this is a city that will never disappoint me. That\'s a pretty wonderful thing to realize. Even though a couple of hours wasn\'t enough in Veliko Tarnovo wasn\'t enough, I left happy.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938576564/\" title=\"Shopping by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7230/6938576564_befab23c9f_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Shopping\"></a>\r\nI\'ll end this quick post on Veliko Tarnovo on this note: I think this city has some of the best souvenir shops in the country. They have a mix of traditional souvenirs like post cards, playing cards, magnets, tee shirts and other trinkets but they also have what I would dub modern Bulgarian souvenirs including jewelery from local artists and handmade art pottery with a nod to traditional form but very fresh and new. Now I don\'t actively seek out souvenir shops in Bulgaria but I found myself impressed by the variety and selection in Veliko Tarnovo more so that I\'ve been with most of the shops in Sofia.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938582214/\" title=\"Buildings around town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/6938582214_104f1100da_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Buildings around town\"></a>','Dropping in on Veliko Tarnovo','','inherit','open','open','','6531-revision-6','','','2012-04-16 20:38:20','2012-04-16 18:38:20','',6531,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/16/6531-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6538,1,'2012-04-16 20:44:08','2012-04-16 18:44:08','This past week was spring break. I was gallivanting through Bulgaria and Romania. It was great fun. The weather was mostly good, the driving was okay and the sites were amazing.\n\nWe started with a stop in Veliko Tarnovo. It was a quick stop. We walked around town, ate some lunch, did some shopping and then climbed back in the car.\n<a title=\"Old town and new town meet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577248/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7139/6938577248_9ff8560de8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Old town and new town meet\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWhat I like about the city is how picturesque it is. The houses line the valley and crowd around the river. The roofs are red and the buildings a mix of yellow, white, grey and some pinks.\n\nThe look is very different from Sofia and the guide book descriptions don\'t do the city justice. I guess a huge part of this is due to the physical landscape. I think it\'s a dramatic city and I have yet to get tired to looking at it or exploring it.<!--more-->\n\nAmong other things, I love the communist era wall art which graces many of the buildings along the main street. It\'s big and bold. Angular yet attractive. The lines draw your eyes in. Are these pieces <em>beautiful</em>? Well, I am not sure but what I do know is that they are interesting.\n<a title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938577956/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7106/6938577956_eff24348be_z.jpg\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Communist era wall art by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938580058/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7046/6938580058_b7a4403292_z.jpg\" alt=\"Communist era wall art\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nEvery time I\'ve been to Veliko Tarnovo I\'ve liked it. I am beginning to suspect that this is a city that will never disappoint me. That\'s a pretty wonderful thing to realize. Even though a couple of hours wasn\'t enough in Veliko Tarnovo wasn\'t enough, I left happy.\n<a title=\"Shopping by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938576564/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7230/6938576564_befab23c9f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Shopping\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI\'ll end this quick post on Veliko Tarnovo on this note: I think this city has some of the best souvenir shops in the country. They have a mix of traditional souvenirs like post cards, playing cards, magnets, tee shirts and other trinkets but they also have what I would dub modern Bulgarian souvenirs including jewelery from local artists and handmade art pottery with a nod to traditional form but very fresh and new. Now I don\'t actively seek out souvenir shops in Bulgaria but I found myself impressed by the variety and selection in Veliko Tarnovo more so that I\'ve been with most of the shops in Sofia.\n<a title=\"Buildings around town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6938582214/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5347/6938582214_104f1100da_z.jpg\" alt=\"Buildings around town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Dropping in on Veliko Tarnovo','','inherit','open','open','','6531-autosave','','','2012-04-16 20:44:08','2012-04-16 18:44:08','',6531,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/16/6531-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6540,1,'2012-04-17 17:10:57','2012-04-17 15:10:57','I went to Ruse ages ago with my MoM and Aunt. It was June. The weather was amazing. We drank coffee on the main square, wandered around town, popped into a house museum, checked out some ruins, drank some beer on the main square and then ate dinner at an outside restaurant/cafe along the main pedestrian zone.\n<a title=\"Big building by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940143024/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/6940143024_614f9ae7d1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Big building\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe liked the city. We took pictures of the architecture. My MoM and Aunt marveled at everyone\'s excellent English. It was exactly what one hopes for from a new city. I was charmed.\n<a title=\"Orange House in Ruse by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940153962/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6940153962_c116f5cb39_z.jpg\" alt=\"Orange House in Ruse\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nInterestingly, I haven\'t been back until this trip. I\'ve thought about it but I never made it happen. I am glad that I did.<!--more-->\n<a title=\"House in disrepair  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940152684/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/6940152684_afa2c9e0d9_z.jpg\" alt=\"House in disrepair \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWhile Ruse is a little less charming in the early spring, it\'s still awfully great. Sure the signage and myriad of one way streets around the old town/pedestrian zone is a little maddening but once you\'re there, it\'s pretty smooth sailing.\n<a title=\"Walking zone by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086217941/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7086217941_a66d685a3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Walking zone\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe arrived at dusk and after some zig-zagging through the neighborhood, a little swearing and a couple of lucky turns we made it to our hotel: <a href=\"http://www.cityarthotel.com/hotel.php?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\">City Art Hotel</a>. The hotel is really an excellent value for the money and more than this, everyone who worked there was so nice to us and very helpful.\n\nAfter checking in we, strolled through town. There were lots of lights on adding a glow to the city. We stopped for dinner at a restaurant along the main pedestrian zone. I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of it. Probably because the most exciting part of my night was about to follow. At the restaurant, I asked in Bulgarian for a table for four, non-smoking and got it. The waitress then brought us Bulgarian menus. When I asked for two English menus for the girls who were visiting us, the waitress laughed a little said to me in perfect English (<em>of course</em>): Oh, I thought you were Bulgarian based on your Bulgarian when you came in. <em></em>\n\n<em>What?! What?!</em> My Bulgarian was good enough to fool a Bulgarian. That was nice.\n<a title=\"Benches in front of the theater by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086219101/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/7086219101_c3a80d2157_z.jpg\" alt=\"Benches in front of the theater\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe next morning before crossing over into Romania, we wandered back along the pedestrian zone. We popped into a church next to the theater and snapped up a Romania map at a local bookstore. A special shout out to the bookstore because we never would have made it through Romania without it. It\'s a little worse for the wear now but that\'s okay. We\'re home.','A night in Ruse','','inherit','open','open','','6539-revision','','','2012-04-17 17:10:57','2012-04-17 15:10:57','',6539,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/17/6539-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6541,1,'2012-04-17 17:11:01','2012-04-17 15:11:01','I went to Ruse ages ago with my MoM and Aunt. It was June. The weather was amazing. We drank coffee on the main square, wandered around town, popped into a house museum, checked out some ruins, drank some beer on the main square and then ate dinner at an outside restaurant/cafe along the main pedestrian zone.\r\n<a title=\"Big building by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940143024/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/6940143024_614f9ae7d1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Big building\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe liked the city. We took pictures of the architecture. My MoM and Aunt marveled at everyone\'s excellent English. It was exactly what one hopes for from a new city. I was charmed.\r\n<a title=\"Orange House in Ruse by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940153962/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6940153962_c116f5cb39_z.jpg\" alt=\"Orange House in Ruse\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nInterestingly, I haven\'t been back until this trip. I\'ve thought about it but I never made it happen. I am glad that I did.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"House in disrepair  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940152684/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/6940152684_afa2c9e0d9_z.jpg\" alt=\"House in disrepair \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWhile Ruse is a little less charming in the early spring, it\'s still awfully great. Sure the signage and myriad of one way streets around the old town/pedestrian zone is a little maddening but once you\'re there, it\'s pretty smooth sailing.\r\n<a title=\"Walking zone by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086217941/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7086217941_a66d685a3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Walking zone\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe arrived at dusk and after some zig-zagging through the neighborhood, a little swearing and a couple of lucky turns we made it to our hotel: <a href=\"http://www.cityarthotel.com/hotel.php?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\">City Art Hotel</a>. The hotel is really an excellent value for the money and more than this, everyone who worked there was so nice to us and very helpful.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940145472/\" title=\"Along the main walking zone by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/6940145472_eeab64cf4f_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Along the main walking zone\"></a>\r\nAfter checking in we, strolled through town. There were lots of lights on adding a glow to the city. We stopped for dinner at a restaurant along the main pedestrian zone. I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of it. Probably because the most exciting part of my night was about to follow. At the restaurant, I asked in Bulgarian for a table for four, non-smoking and got it. The waitress then brought us Bulgarian menus. When I asked for two English menus for the girls who were visiting us, the waitress laughed a little said to me in perfect English (<em>of course</em>): Oh, I thought you were Bulgarian based on your Bulgarian when you came in. <em></em>\r\n\r\n<em>What?! What?!</em> My Bulgarian was good enough to fool a Bulgarian. That was nice.\r\n<a title=\"Benches in front of the theater by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086219101/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/7086219101_c3a80d2157_z.jpg\" alt=\"Benches in front of the theater\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe next morning before crossing over into Romania, we wandered back along the pedestrian zone. We popped into a church next to the theater and snapped up a Romania map at a local bookstore. A special shout out to the bookstore because we never would have made it through Romania without it. It\'s a little worse for the wear now but that\'s okay. We\'re home.','A night in Ruse','','inherit','open','open','','6539-revision-2','','','2012-04-17 17:11:01','2012-04-17 15:11:01','',6539,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/17/6539-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6542,1,'2012-04-17 17:11:17','2012-04-17 15:11:17','I went to Ruse ages ago with my MoM and Aunt. It was June. The weather was amazing. We drank coffee on the main square, wandered around town, popped into a house museum, checked out some ruins, drank some beer on the main square and then ate dinner at an outside restaurant/cafe along the main pedestrian zone.\r\n<a title=\"Big building by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940143024/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/6940143024_614f9ae7d1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Big building\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe liked the city. We took pictures of the architecture. My MoM and Aunt marveled at everyone\'s excellent English. It was exactly what one hopes for from a new city. I was charmed.\r\n<a title=\"Orange House in Ruse by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940153962/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6940153962_c116f5cb39_z.jpg\" alt=\"Orange House in Ruse\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nInterestingly, I haven\'t been back until this trip. I\'ve thought about it but I never made it happen. I am glad that I did.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"House in disrepair  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940152684/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/6940152684_afa2c9e0d9_z.jpg\" alt=\"House in disrepair \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWhile Ruse is a little less charming in the early spring, it\'s still awfully great. Sure the signage and myriad of one way streets around the old town/pedestrian zone is a little maddening but once you\'re there, it\'s pretty smooth sailing.\r\n<a title=\"Walking zone by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086217941/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7086217941_a66d685a3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Walking zone\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe arrived at dusk and after some zig-zagging through the neighborhood, a little swearing and a couple of lucky turns we made it to our hotel: <a href=\"http://www.cityarthotel.com/hotel.php?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\">City Art Hotel</a>. The hotel is really an excellent value for the money and more than this, everyone who worked there was so nice to us and very helpful.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940145472/\" title=\"Along the main walking zone by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/6940145472_eeab64cf4f_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Along the main walking zone\"></a>\r\nAfter checking in we, strolled through town. There were lots of lights on adding a glow to the city. We stopped for dinner at a restaurant along the main pedestrian zone. I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of it. Probably because the most exciting part of my night was about to follow. At the restaurant, I asked in Bulgarian for a table for four, non-smoking and got it. The waitress then brought us Bulgarian menus. When I asked for two English menus for the girls who were visiting us, the waitress laughed a little said to me in perfect English (<em>of course</em>): Oh, I thought you were Bulgarian based on your Bulgarian when you came in. <em></em>\r\n\r\n<em>What?! What?!</em> My Bulgarian was good enough to fool a Bulgarian. That was nice.\r\n<a title=\"Benches in front of the theater by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086219101/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/7086219101_c3a80d2157_z.jpg\" alt=\"Benches in front of the theater\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe next morning before crossing over into Romania, we wandered back along the pedestrian zone. We popped into a church next to the theater and snapped up a Romania map at a local bookstore. A special shout out to the bookstore because we never would have made it through Romania without it. It\'s a little worse for the wear now but that\'s okay. We\'re home.','A night in Ruse','','inherit','open','open','','6539-revision-3','','','2012-04-17 17:11:17','2012-04-17 15:11:17','',6539,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/17/6539-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6543,1,'2012-04-17 17:19:34','2012-04-17 15:19:34','I went to Ruse ages ago with my MoM and Aunt. It was June. The weather was amazing. We drank coffee on the main square, wandered around town, popped into a house museum, checked out some ruins, drank some beer on the main square and then ate dinner at an outside restaurant/cafe along the main pedestrian zone.\n<a title=\"Big building by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940143024/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/6940143024_614f9ae7d1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Big building\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe liked the city. We took pictures of the architecture. We talked a lot about the layout of the city center with a park and plenty of cafes. My MoM and Aunt marveled at everyone\'s excellent English and the way everyone apologized for their bad English (which for the record wasn\'t bad at all). It was exactly what one hopes for from a new city--easy to get around with plenty to explore.\n\nI was charmed.\n<a title=\"Orange House in Ruse by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940153962/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6940153962_c116f5cb39_z.jpg\" alt=\"Orange House in Ruse\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nInterestingly, I haven\'t been back until this trip. I\'ve thought about it but I never made it happen. It only took me the better part of three years to get back there and I am glad that I did. The city is basically as I remember it only now it has a few more western shops along the pedestrian zone. <!--more-->\n<a title=\"House in disrepair  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940152684/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/6940152684_afa2c9e0d9_z.jpg\" alt=\"House in disrepair \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWhile Ruse is a little less charming in the early spring, it\'s still awfully great. Sure the signage and myriad of one way streets around the old town/pedestrian zone is a little maddening but once you\'re there, it\'s pretty smooth sailing.\n\nI really like the architecture in Ruse--even the crumbling buildings. I suspect that this is due to the influence of Western Europe given the city\'s location on the Danube. There just such a wonderful attention to detail on many of big grand old buildings. I appreciate that.\n<a title=\"Walking zone by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086217941/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7086217941_a66d685a3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Walking zone\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe arrived at dusk and after some zig-zagging through the neighborhood, a little swearing and a couple of lucky turns we made it to our hotel: <a href=\"http://www.cityarthotel.com/hotel.php?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\">City Art Hotel</a>. The hotel is really an excellent value for the money and more than this, everyone who worked there was so nice to us and very helpful.\n<a title=\"Along the main walking zone by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940145472/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/6940145472_eeab64cf4f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Along the main walking zone\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAnyhow, after checking in we, strolled through town. There were lots of lights on adding a glow to the city. We stopped for dinner at a restaurant along the main pedestrian zone. I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of it. Probably because the most exciting part of my night was about to follow. At the restaurant, I asked in Bulgarian for a table for four, non-smoking and got it. The waitress then brought us Bulgarian menus. When I asked for two English menus for the girls who were visiting us, the waitress laughed a little said to me in perfect English (<em>of course</em>): Oh, I thought you were Bulgarian based on your Bulgarian when you came in. <em></em>\n\n<em>What?! What?!</em> My Bulgarian was good enough to fool a Bulgarian. That was nice.\n<a title=\"Benches in front of the theater by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086219101/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/7086219101_c3a80d2157_z.jpg\" alt=\"Benches in front of the theater\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe next morning before crossing over into Romania, we wandered back along the pedestrian zone. We popped into a church next to the theater and snapped up a Romania map at a local bookstore. A special shout out to the bookstore because we never would have made it through Romania without it. It\'s a little worse for the wear now but that\'s okay. We\'re home.','A night in Ruse','','inherit','open','open','','6539-revision-4','','','2012-04-17 17:19:34','2012-04-17 15:19:34','',6539,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/17/6539-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6544,1,'2012-04-17 17:20:34','2012-04-17 15:20:34','I went to Ruse ages ago with my MoM and Aunt. It was June. The weather was amazing. We drank coffee on the main square, wandered around town, popped into a house museum, checked out some ruins, drank some beer on the main square and then ate dinner at an outside restaurant/cafe along the main pedestrian zone.\n<a title=\"Big building by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940143024/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/6940143024_614f9ae7d1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Big building\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe liked the city. We took pictures of the architecture. We talked a lot about the layout of the city center with a park and plenty of cafes. My MoM and Aunt marveled at everyone\'s excellent English and the way everyone apologized for their bad English (which for the record wasn\'t bad at all). It was exactly what one hopes for from a new city--easy to get around with plenty to explore.\n\nI was charmed.\n<a title=\"Orange House in Ruse by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940153962/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6940153962_c116f5cb39_z.jpg\" alt=\"Orange House in Ruse\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nInterestingly, I haven\'t been back until this trip. I\'ve thought about it but I never made it happen. It only took me the better part of three years to get back there and I am glad that I did. The city is basically as I remember it only now it has a few more western shops along the pedestrian zone. <!--more-->\n<a title=\"House in disrepair  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940152684/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/6940152684_afa2c9e0d9_z.jpg\" alt=\"House in disrepair \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWhile Ruse is a little less charming in the early spring, it\'s still awfully great. Sure the signage and myriad of one way streets around the old town/pedestrian zone is a little maddening but once you\'re there, it\'s pretty smooth sailing.\n\nI really like the architecture in Ruse--even the crumbling buildings. I suspect that this is due to the influence of Western Europe given the city\'s location on the Danube. There just such a wonderful attention to detail on many of big grand old buildings. I appreciate that.\n<a title=\"Walking zone by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086217941/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7086217941_a66d685a3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Walking zone\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe arrived at dusk and after some zig-zagging through the neighborhood, a little swearing and a couple of lucky turns we made it to our hotel: <a href=\"http://www.cityarthotel.com/hotel.php?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\">City Art Hotel</a>. The hotel is really an excellent value for the money and more than this, everyone who worked there was so nice to us and very helpful.\n<a title=\"Along the main walking zone by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940145472/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/6940145472_eeab64cf4f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Along the main walking zone\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAnyhow, after checking in we, strolled through town at dusk-ish. There were lots of lights on adding a glow to the city. We stopped for dinner at a restaurant along the main pedestrian zone. I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of it. Probably because the most exciting part of my night was about to follow. At the restaurant, I asked in Bulgarian for a table for four, non-smoking and got it. The waitress then brought us Bulgarian menus. When I asked for two English menus for the girls who were visiting us, the waitress laughed a little said to me in perfect English (<em>of course</em>): Oh, I thought you were Bulgarian based on your Bulgarian when you came in. <em></em>\n\n<em>What?! What?!</em> My Bulgarian was good enough to fool a Bulgarian. That was nice.\n<a title=\"Benches in front of the theater by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086219101/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/7086219101_c3a80d2157_z.jpg\" alt=\"Benches in front of the theater\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe next morning before crossing over into Romania, we wandered back along the pedestrian zone. We popped into a church next to the theater and snapped up a Romania map at a local bookstore. A special shout out to the bookstore because we never would have made it through Romania without it. It\'s a little worse for the wear now but that\'s okay. We\'re home.','A night in Ruse','','inherit','open','open','','6539-revision-5','','','2012-04-17 17:20:34','2012-04-17 15:20:34','',6539,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/17/6539-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6545,1,'2012-04-17 17:23:34','2012-04-17 15:23:34','I went to Ruse ages ago with my MoM and Aunt. It was June. The weather was amazing. We drank coffee on the main square, wandered around town, popped into a house museum, checked out some ruins, drank some beer on the main square and then ate dinner at an outside restaurant/cafe along the main pedestrian zone.\n<a title=\"Big building by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940143024/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5444/6940143024_614f9ae7d1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Big building\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe liked the city. We took pictures of the architecture. We talked a lot about the layout of the city center with a park and plenty of cafes. My MoM and Aunt marveled at everyone\'s excellent English and the way everyone apologized for their bad English (which for the record wasn\'t bad at all). It was exactly what one hopes for from a new city--easy to get around with plenty to explore.\n\nI was charmed.\n<a title=\"Orange House in Ruse by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940153962/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6940153962_c116f5cb39_z.jpg\" alt=\"Orange House in Ruse\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nInterestingly, I haven\'t been back until this trip. I\'ve thought about it but I never made it happen. It only took me the better part of three years to get back there and I am glad that I did. The city is basically as I remember it only now it has a few more western shops along the pedestrian zone. <!--more-->\n<a title=\"House in disrepair  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940152684/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7211/6940152684_afa2c9e0d9_z.jpg\" alt=\"House in disrepair \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWhile Ruse is a little less charming in the early spring, it\'s still awfully great. Sure the signage and myriad of one way streets around the old town/pedestrian zone is a little maddening but once you\'re there, it\'s pretty smooth sailing.\n\nI really like the architecture in Ruse--even the crumbling buildings. I suspect that this is due to the influence of Western Europe given the city\'s location on the Danube. There just such a wonderful attention to detail on many of big grand old buildings. I appreciate that.\n<a title=\"Walking zone by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086217941/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7086217941_a66d685a3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Walking zone\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe arrived at dusk and after some zig-zagging through the neighborhood, a little swearing and a couple of lucky turns we made it to our hotel: <a href=\"http://www.cityarthotel.com/hotel.php?lang=en\" target=\"_blank\">City Art Hotel</a>. The hotel is really an excellent value for the money and more than this, everyone who worked there was so nice to us and very helpful.\n<a title=\"Along the main walking zone by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6940145472/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/6940145472_eeab64cf4f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Along the main walking zone\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAnyhow, after checking in we, strolled through town at dusk-ish. There were lots of lights on adding a glow to the city. We stopped for dinner at a restaurant along the main pedestrian zone. I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of it. Probably because the most exciting part of my night was about to follow. At the restaurant, I asked in Bulgarian for a table for four, non-smoking and got it. The waitress then brought us Bulgarian menus. When I asked for two English menus for the girls who were visiting us, the waitress laughed a little said to me in perfect English (<em>of course</em>): Oh, I thought you were Bulgarian based on your Bulgarian when you came in. <em></em>\n\n<em>What?! What?!</em> My Bulgarian was good enough to fool a Bulgarian. That was nice.\n<a title=\"Benches in front of the theater by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7086219101/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7208/7086219101_c3a80d2157_z.jpg\" alt=\"Benches in front of the theater\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe next morning before crossing over into Romania, we wandered back along the pedestrian zone. We popped into a church next to the theater and snapped up a Romania map at a local bookstore. A special shout out to the bookstore because we never would have made it through Romania without it. It\'s a little worse for the wear now but that\'s okay. We\'re home.','A quick stop in Ruse','','inherit','open','open','','6539-autosave','','','2012-04-17 17:23:34','2012-04-17 15:23:34','',6539,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/17/6539-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6589,1,'2012-04-26 06:04:01','2012-04-26 04:04:01','Last night I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa. Or near to Bistritsa or maybe Simeonovo--I never know where one city starts and stops on Vitosha.\r\n\r\nAnyhow it was intense.\r\n\r\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Romans\" src=\"http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/8bc8ef0e8f0911e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I\'d been instructed to pick either the pancakes or the waffles. Um, okay.\r\n\r\nI do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description.\r\n\r\nI dig pictures. While it\'s not classy and often rather cheesy, it makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering. And, when there are too many choices you can also eliminate based on what things look like. This it seems is sometimes the only way to move forward.\r\n\r\nThe thing is, I don\'t want to spend my whole time worrying about what to order and 9 times out of 10 this method works for me. Sometimes pickles sneak into things I\'d rather not have them in (pizza) but mostly it\'s okay. I am happy to report that this strategy served me well last night. Maybe too well.<!--more-->\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Waffles\" src=\"http://distilleryimage5.instagram.com/c6b4ca5c8f0911e1a9f71231382044a1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />It was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka), a small forest fruit waffle and a sparkling water. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake and in the process described this restaurant as the Bulgarian Denny\'s. Not <em>exactly</em> but I get it.\r\n\r\nAt first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. Ha, ha.\r\n\r\nMy pancake wasn\'t too beautiful but it was tasty filled with chicken, mushrooms, corn and a cheese sauce that featured a hint of blue cheese and I assume kashkaval. It was rich and in hindsight maybe I should have ordered a salad. Oh well.\r\n\r\nWhen my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small waffle was actually pretty big and hardly see the actual waffle because of all of the toppings. Frankly, I was intimidated by the waffle. I haven\'t eaten this much dessert in a long, long time.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I gave it my best but ultimately I ate what I could and left the rest behind because really, what\'s a girl to do? I tried. I really did but there was no way I could eat the whole dessert.\r\n\r\nIt was a sad day in dessert land.\r\n\r\nMaybe next time I\'ll just order the waffles and skip over the dinner part. It\'s not like I don\'t have a precedent. In face, sometimes when I was younger my MoM would make and serve breakfast-for-dinner when I was growing up.\r\n\r\nIn case you\'re wondering, afterwards, I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into. Then I crawled into bed to read.\r\n\r\nThis morning everything seemed like a dream.\r\n\r\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream topped off with shaved almonds.\r\n\r\nIt seems too good to be true.\r\n\r\nThe only way I know it\'s real is because I am still full this morning. Phew.','Desserts at Romans ','','publish','open','open','','desserts-at-romans','','','2012-04-26 06:04:01','2012-04-26 04:04:01','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6589',0,'post','',1),(6549,1,'2012-04-18 06:12:40','2012-04-18 04:12:40','I love coming home to Sofia after a trip.\r\n\r\nI know the best place to sit on my couch. I know the best cycle to run my washing machine on. I adore my pillow. I like opening my closet doors and being able to wear anything hanging there. I am always pleased that my neighborhood Billa is just around the corner and I can stock up on the things I want to eat after a trip--tofu, arugula, lettuce, yogurt, cheese, beans and what not.\r\n<a title=\"Church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941759420/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/6941759420_6e5c247fcd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Church\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI like unpacking, starting a load of laundry and digging through my maps, treasures and assorted souvenirs. I like reliving snippets of the trip. I love downloading my photos--usually I have thousands of them but I am crazy. Most of the time I am already writing bits and pieces of various blog posts in my head on my way home and as I\'m getting my life back in order.\r\n\r\nThe first few hours back are often a whirlwind. Then I crash. Happy but exhausted. The next day more often than not I have to go to work. There I look at the piles on my desk, my well laid plans and try to piece together what I thought I\'d be teaching on my first day back at school. Students rush in with new haircuts and new clothes inquiring about my spring break: Ms Emigh, how was your spring break? Where did you go? What did you do? <!--more-->\r\n\r\nSometimes I wonder if they pepper me with these questions just to be polite. But more often than not, I think that they ask out of genuine interest and renewed enthusiasm for school.\r\n\r\nThen without fail they lament being back at school. I certainly understand that. I\'m secretly lamenting the same thing.\r\n\r\nOh and their English is significantly worse on the first day back from a long holiday in comparison to the English they normally speak. They stumble looking for words that they never have problems finding. There are longer pauses as they listen to and process my questions. The gears are turning. <em>Slowly</em>.\r\n\r\nI understand that but I push them anyway.\r\n\r\nOn my way home I am surprised at just how little it takes to forget to pick my feet up when I am walking or I\'ll trip over uneven pavement tiles. I notice that stare a little longer at me on the bus than they should--although I am sure people do this all of the time returning makes me more aware of it. Mladost also seems a little dirty around the edges. It\'s funny how I never notice that day-to-day.\r\n\r\nAnd on this occasion, I realized that the pile of snow behind Billa is finally gone and that it seems very likely that spring has finally found us in Sofia. <em>Phew</em>. About time.\r\n\r\nStill I love coming home after a trip. I find myself looking around the city with renewed interest in details both little and big. But most of all, I love crawling into my bed, pulling the sheets up around me and snuggling into my pillow.\r\n\r\nOh, P.S., I\'ll be uploading photos from my trip to Romania all week long so <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/\" target=\"_blank\">check out flickr for more of my adventure</a>.','Why I love coming home','','publish','open','open','','why-i-love-coming-home','','','2012-04-17 20:15:12','2012-04-17 18:15:12','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6549',0,'post','',5),(6550,1,'2012-04-17 20:01:44','2012-04-17 18:01:44','I love coming home to Sofia after a trip.\n\nI know the best place to sit on my couch. I know the best cycle to run my washing machine on. I adore my pillow. I like opening my closet doors and being able to wear anything hanging there. I am always pleaMy neighborhood Billa is just around the corner and I can stock up on the things I want to eat after a trip--tofu, arugula, lettuce, yogurt, cheese, beans and what not.\n\nI like unpacking, starting a load of laundry and digging through my maps, treasures and assorted souvenirs. I like reliving snippets of the trip. I love downloading my photos--usually I have thousands of them but I am crazy. Most of the time I am already writing bits and pieces of various blog posts in my head on my way home and as I\'m getting my life back in order.\n\nThe first few hours back are often a whirlwind. Then I crash. Happy but exhausted. The next day more often than not I have to go to work. There I look at the piles on my desk, my well laid plans and try to piece together what I thought I\'d be teaching on my first day back at school. Students rush in with new haircuts and new clothes inquiring about my spring break: Ms Emigh, how was your spring break? Where did you go? What did you do?\n\nThen without fail they lament being back at school. Oh and their English is significantly worse on the first day back from a long holiday in comparison to the English they normally speak. They stumble looking for words that they never have problems finding. There are longer pauses as they listen to and process my questions. The gears are turning. <em>Slowly</em>.\n\nI understand that but I push them anyway.\n\nOn my way home I am surprised at just how little it takes to forget to pick my feet up when I am walking or I\'ll trip over uneven pavement tiles. I notice that stare a little longer at me on the bus than they should--although I am sure people do this all of the time returning makes me more aware of it. I realize that the pile of snow behind Billa is finally gone and that it seems very likely that spring has finally found us in Sofia. <em>Phew</em>. About time.','Why I love coming home','','inherit','open','open','','6549-revision','','','2012-04-17 20:01:44','2012-04-17 18:01:44','',6549,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/17/6549-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6551,1,'2012-04-17 20:02:44','2012-04-17 18:02:44','I love coming home to Sofia after a trip.\n\nI know the best place to sit on my couch. I know the best cycle to run my washing machine on. I adore my pillow. I like opening my closet doors and being able to wear anything hanging there. I am always pleased that my neighborhood Billa is just around the corner and I can stock up on the things I want to eat after a trip--tofu, arugula, lettuce, yogurt, cheese, beans and what not.\n\nI like unpacking, starting a load of laundry and digging through my maps, treasures and assorted souvenirs. I like reliving snippets of the trip. I love downloading my photos--usually I have thousands of them but I am crazy. Most of the time I am already writing bits and pieces of various blog posts in my head on my way home and as I\'m getting my life back in order.\n\nThe first few hours back are often a whirlwind. Then I crash. Happy but exhausted. The next day more often than not I have to go to work. There I look at the piles on my desk, my well laid plans and try to piece together what I thought I\'d be teaching on my first day back at school. Students rush in with new haircuts and new clothes inquiring about my spring break: Ms Emigh, how was your spring break? Where did you go? What did you do?\n\nThen without fail they lament being back at school. Oh and their English is significantly worse on the first day back from a long holiday in comparison to the English they normally speak. They stumble looking for words that they never have problems finding. There are longer pauses as they listen to and process my questions. The gears are turning. <em>Slowly</em>.\n\nI understand that but I push them anyway.\n\nOn my way home I am surprised at just how little it takes to forget to pick my feet up when I am walking or I\'ll trip over uneven pavement tiles. I notice that stare a little longer at me on the bus than they should--although I am sure people do this all of the time returning makes me more aware of it. I realize that the pile of snow behind Billa is finally gone and that it seems very likely that spring has finally found us in Sofia. <em>Phew</em>. About time.','Why I love coming home','','inherit','open','open','','6549-revision-2','','','2012-04-17 20:02:44','2012-04-17 18:02:44','',6549,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/17/6549-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6552,1,'2012-04-17 20:12:39','2012-04-17 18:12:39','I love coming home to Sofia after a trip.\r\n\r\nI know the best place to sit on my couch. I know the best cycle to run my washing machine on. I adore my pillow. I like opening my closet doors and being able to wear anything hanging there. I am always pleased that my neighborhood Billa is just around the corner and I can stock up on the things I want to eat after a trip--tofu, arugula, lettuce, yogurt, cheese, beans and what not.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941759420/\" title=\"Church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/6941759420_6e5c247fcd_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Church\"></a>\r\nI like unpacking, starting a load of laundry and digging through my maps, treasures and assorted souvenirs. I like reliving snippets of the trip. I love downloading my photos--usually I have thousands of them but I am crazy. Most of the time I am already writing bits and pieces of various blog posts in my head on my way home and as I\'m getting my life back in order.\r\n\r\nThe first few hours back are often a whirlwind. Then I crash. Happy but exhausted. The next day more often than not I have to go to work. There I look at the piles on my desk, my well laid plans and try to piece together what I thought I\'d be teaching on my first day back at school. Students rush in with new haircuts and new clothes inquiring about my spring break: Ms Emigh, how was your spring break? Where did you go? What did you do? <!--more-->\r\n\r\nSometimes I wonder if they pepper me with these questions just to be polite. But more often than not, I think that they ask out of genuine interest and renewed enthusiasm for school.\r\n\r\nThen without fail they lament being back at school. I certainly understand that. I\'m secretly lamenting the same thing.\r\n\r\nOh and their English is significantly worse on the first day back from a long holiday in comparison to the English they normally speak. They stumble looking for words that they never have problems finding. There are longer pauses as they listen to and process my questions. The gears are turning. <em>Slowly</em>.\r\n\r\nI understand that but I push them anyway.\r\n\r\nOn my way home I am surprised at just how little it takes to forget to pick my feet up when I am walking or I\'ll trip over uneven pavement tiles. I notice that stare a little longer at me on the bus than they should--although I am sure people do this all of the time returning makes me more aware of it. Mladost also seems a little dirty around the edges. It\'s funny how I never notice that day-to-day.\r\n\r\nAnd on this occasion, I realized that the pile of snow behind Billa is finally gone and that it seems very likely that spring has finally found us in Sofia. <em>Phew</em>. About time.\r\n\r\nStill I love coming home after a trip. I find myself looking around the city with renewed interest in details both little and big. But most of all, I love crawling into my bed, pulling the sheets up around me and snuggling into my pillow.','Why I love coming home','','inherit','open','open','','6549-revision-3','','','2012-04-17 20:12:39','2012-04-17 18:12:39','',6549,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/17/6549-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6553,1,'2012-04-17 20:12:44','2012-04-17 18:12:44','I love coming home to Sofia after a trip.\r\n\r\nI know the best place to sit on my couch. I know the best cycle to run my washing machine on. I adore my pillow. I like opening my closet doors and being able to wear anything hanging there. I am always pleased that my neighborhood Billa is just around the corner and I can stock up on the things I want to eat after a trip--tofu, arugula, lettuce, yogurt, cheese, beans and what not.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941759420/\" title=\"Church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/6941759420_6e5c247fcd_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Church\"></a>\r\nI like unpacking, starting a load of laundry and digging through my maps, treasures and assorted souvenirs. I like reliving snippets of the trip. I love downloading my photos--usually I have thousands of them but I am crazy. Most of the time I am already writing bits and pieces of various blog posts in my head on my way home and as I\'m getting my life back in order.\r\n\r\nThe first few hours back are often a whirlwind. Then I crash. Happy but exhausted. The next day more often than not I have to go to work. There I look at the piles on my desk, my well laid plans and try to piece together what I thought I\'d be teaching on my first day back at school. Students rush in with new haircuts and new clothes inquiring about my spring break: Ms Emigh, how was your spring break? Where did you go? What did you do? <!--more-->\r\n\r\nSometimes I wonder if they pepper me with these questions just to be polite. But more often than not, I think that they ask out of genuine interest and renewed enthusiasm for school.\r\n\r\nThen without fail they lament being back at school. I certainly understand that. I\'m secretly lamenting the same thing.\r\n\r\nOh and their English is significantly worse on the first day back from a long holiday in comparison to the English they normally speak. They stumble looking for words that they never have problems finding. There are longer pauses as they listen to and process my questions. The gears are turning. <em>Slowly</em>.\r\n\r\nI understand that but I push them anyway.\r\n\r\nOn my way home I am surprised at just how little it takes to forget to pick my feet up when I am walking or I\'ll trip over uneven pavement tiles. I notice that stare a little longer at me on the bus than they should--although I am sure people do this all of the time returning makes me more aware of it. Mladost also seems a little dirty around the edges. It\'s funny how I never notice that day-to-day.\r\n\r\nAnd on this occasion, I realized that the pile of snow behind Billa is finally gone and that it seems very likely that spring has finally found us in Sofia. <em>Phew</em>. About time.\r\n\r\nStill I love coming home after a trip. I find myself looking around the city with renewed interest in details both little and big. But most of all, I love crawling into my bed, pulling the sheets up around me and snuggling into my pillow.','Why I love coming home','','inherit','open','open','','6549-revision-4','','','2012-04-17 20:12:44','2012-04-17 18:12:44','',6549,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/17/6549-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6554,1,'2012-04-17 20:16:16','2012-04-17 18:16:16','I love coming home to Sofia after a trip.\n\nI know the best place to sit on my couch. I know the best cycle to run my washing machine on. I adore my pillow. I like opening my closet doors and being able to wear anything hanging there. I am always pleased that my neighborhood Billa is just around the corner and I can stock up on the things I want to eat after a trip--tofu, arugula, lettuce, yogurt, cheese, beans and what not.\n<a title=\"Church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941759420/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7087/6941759420_6e5c247fcd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Church\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI like unpacking, starting a load of laundry and digging through my maps, treasures and assorted souvenirs. I like reliving snippets of the trip. I love downloading my photos--usually I have thousands of them but I am crazy. Most of the time I am already writing bits and pieces of various blog posts in my head on my way home and as I\'m getting my life back in order.\n\nThe first few hours back are often a whirlwind. Then I crash. Happy but exhausted. The next day more often than not I have to go to work. There I look at the piles on my desk, my well laid plans and try to piece together what I thought I\'d be teaching on my first day back at school. Students rush in with new haircuts and new clothes inquiring about my spring break: Ms Emigh, how was your spring break? Where did you go? What did you do? <!--more-->\n\nSometimes I wonder if they pepper me with these questions just to be polite. But more often than not, I think that they ask out of genuine interest and renewed enthusiasm for school.\n\nThen without fail they lament being back at school. I certainly understand that. I\'m secretly lamenting the same thing.\n\nOh and their English is significantly worse on the first day back from a long holiday in comparison to the English they normally speak. They stumble looking for words that they never have problems finding. There are longer pauses as they listen to and process my questions. The gears are turning. <em>Slowly</em>.\n\nI understand that but I push them anyway.\n\nOn my way home I am surprised at just how little it takes to forget to pick my feet up when I am walking or I\'ll trip over uneven pavement tiles. I notice that stare a little longer at me on the bus than they should--although I am sure people do this all of the time returning makes me more aware of it. Mladost also seems a little dirty around the edges. It\'s funny how I never notice that day-to-day.\n\nAnd on this occasion, I realized that the pile of snow behind Billa is finally gone and that it seems very likely that spring has finally found us in Sofia. <em>Phew</em>. About time.\n\nStill I love coming home after a trip. I find myself looking around the city with renewed interest in details both little and big. But most of all, I love crawling into my bed, pulling the sheets up around me and snuggling into my pillow.\n\nOh, P.S., I\'ll be uploading photos from my trip to Romania all week long so <a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/\" target=\"_blank\">check out flickr for more of my adventure</a>.','Why I love coming home','','inherit','open','open','','6549-autosave','','','2012-04-17 20:16:16','2012-04-17 18:16:16','',6549,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/17/6549-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6555,1,'2012-04-04 18:16:11','2012-04-04 16:16:11','I realized recently that my tone has been rather negative on my blog recently. I\'m not usually that girl. Then again I\'m also not usually sick for three months in a row either. This said it\'s easy to get bogged down by complaining, with a case of the woe is me-s or by general moroseness when you\'ve unwell for this long.\r\n\r\nHere\'s the thing, I don\'t want to be that girl. So here goes.\r\n\r\nOn my walk to work this morning, I realized that the snow pile behind Billa that spends most of the day in the shade is now only hip high. That\'s pretty wonderful. Hello, spring! (Okay, that does sill make the snow pile fairly large considering the fact I\'m 5\'11 but that\'s still something.)\r\n\r\nWork has been tough recently but at my desk this morning I realized that I\'m more or less caught up on emails. That\'s pretty wonderful. Grades are a different thing but I am not thinking about that right now. Somehow I know that I\'ll get everything done on time for my 4pm deadline tomorrow.\r\n\r\nOne of my colleagues H. told me today during a bomb drill (yes, a bomb drill), that she really liked my outfit and she\'d meant to tell me a lunch but never had a chance. <em>Aw</em>. What a wonderful thing to say. That kind of made my day.\r\n\r\nOn the 111 bus home, I spotted a man playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. I watched him play for a couple of stops. Then I realized that he\'s an old man with a bald spot who still wears the rest of his hair long playing tick-tack-toe on his smart phone. <em>His smart phone</em>. (I don\'t even have a smart phone.) Anyhow, I thought that was pretty wonderful. Of all of the games he could be playing, he decides to stick with a classic. I think there\'s a awfully good life lesson wrapped up in that.\r\n\r\nSo don\'t mind me. I am just looking for some wonderful.','Looking for Wonderful','','inherit','open','open','','6495-revision-4','','','2012-04-04 18:16:11','2012-04-04 16:16:11','',6495,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/04/6495-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6556,1,'2012-04-22 10:28:57','2012-04-22 08:28:57','Sibiu was the first Romanian town that we visited. We crossed the boarder at Giurgiu and promptly got turned around. We righted ourselves and drove through Wallachia to Transylvania.\r\n\r\nThe countryside is beautiful and the very little if any of the architecture of the individual homes or churches bears any resemblance to homes or churches in Bulgaria. For me at least there was a sense of: we\'re not in Bulgaria any more. We drove through lots of little villages on decent but not great roads.\r\n<a title=\"Views from the Iron Bridge by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6955284328/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8017/6955284328_e287d3ee02_z.jpg\" alt=\"Views from the Iron Bridge\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSibiu was named the European Capital of Cultural in 2007 and it\'s not hard to see why. The city center is beautiful. Churches, towers, bridges, cobble stone, colorful store fronts and a couple of charming squares. The pedestrian walking zone doesn\'t hurt nor did the good weather. Everything seems nicer outlined in blue sky.\r\n<a title=\"Main square by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6955273438/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/6955273438_eba17cd041_z.jpg\" alt=\"Main square\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nMy first impression was: cute, cute, cute. It was pretty much love at first sight. Everything is so colorful and the roof-lines are so interesting. Oh and the people were so cool. <!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941764264/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/6941764264_85849b9aa6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sibiu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe main sights are all easily accessible by foot. One of the things that stood out to me in Transylvania in general were the various cultural influences both German and Hungarian.\r\n<a title=\"Biserica Evanghelica church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7101349831/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7101349831_32fa1170e6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Biserica Evanghelica church\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nOne very clear example of this was the Biserica Evanghelica church. It was closed for restoration when we were there so we didn\'t get to go inside but the outside towers and the colorful tile roof is reminiscent of <a href=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CEgQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSt._Stephen%2527s_Cathedral%2C_Vienna&amp;ei=LLSTT5vRMsL2sgaGqbCpBA&amp;usg=AFQjCNEiv2ULEBwX_2iSXidaebK1u1YDkA&amp;sig2=Rl47ukuOSECBEhdgRC0-0A\" target=\"_blank\">St. Stephen\'s in Vienna</a> and <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Church\" target=\"_blank\">Matthias Church on Castle Hill in Budapest</a>.\r\n<a title=\"Signs by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7087843457/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5119/7087843457_a53e53ab3d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Signs\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe spent most of our time wandering around, eating and taking pictures. We popped into churches, bought some post cards and generally meandered. The one serious thing we did was to visit the Brukenthal Museum--an art gallery.\r\n<a title=\"Brukenthal Museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7101342769/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8007/7101342769_6ea1e94420_z.jpg\" alt=\"Brukenthal Museum\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe museum is located on the town square. The building used to be the former Austrian governor\'s baroque palace and in 1817 it was turned into a museum. Lonely Planet says that this museum is \"the oldest and likely finest art gallery in Romania.\" The building is beautiful. The collection is small but well curated in both English and Romanian. My favorites were Romanian pieces.  If you like art, this museum is definitely worth visiting.\r\n<a title=\"Main square in Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941761606/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/6941761606_4709469881_z.jpg\" alt=\"Main square in Sibiu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Manhole cover by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941768756/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/6941768756_f7dc379847_z.jpg\" alt=\"Manhole cover\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Sibiu and the city center ','','publish','open','open','','sibiu-and-the-city-center','','','2012-04-22 10:28:57','2012-04-22 08:28:57','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6556',0,'post','',1),(6557,1,'2012-04-22 09:45:06','2012-04-22 07:45:06','Sibiu was the first Romanian town that we visited. We crossed the boarder at Giurgiu and promptly got turned around. We righted ourselves and drove through Wallachia to Transylvania.\n\nThe countryside is beautiful and the very little if any of the architecture of the individual homes or churches bears any resemblance to homes or churches in Bulgaria. For me at least there was a sense of: we\'re not in Bulgaria any more. We drove through lots of little villages on decent but not great roads.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941761606/\" title=\"Main square in Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/6941761606_4709469881_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Main square in Sibiu\"></a>\nSibiu was named the European Capital of Cultural in 2007 and it\'s not hard to see why. The city center is beautiful. Churches, towers, bridges, cobble stone, colorful store fronts and a couple of charming squares. The pedestrian walking zone doesn\'t hurt nor did the good weather. Everything seems nicer outlined in blue sky.\n\nMy first impression was: cute, cute, cute.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941764264/\" title=\"Streets of Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/6941764264_85849b9aa6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Streets of Sibiu\"></a>\nThe main sights are all easily accessible by foot. One of the things that stood out to me in Transylvania in general were the various cultural influences both German and Hungarian.\n\nOne very clear example of this was the Biserica Evanghelica church. It was closed for restoration when we were there so we didn\'t get to go inside but the outside towers and the colorful tile roof is reminiscent of <a href=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CEgQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSt._Stephen%2527s_Cathedral%2C_Vienna&amp;ei=LLSTT5vRMsL2sgaGqbCpBA&amp;usg=AFQjCNEiv2ULEBwX_2iSXidaebK1u1YDkA&amp;sig2=Rl47ukuOSECBEhdgRC0-0A\" target=\"_blank\">St. Stephen\'s in Vienna</a> and <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Church\" target=\"_blank\">Matthias Church on Castle Hill in Budapest</a>.\n\nWe spent most of our time wandering around, eating and taking pictures. We popped into churches, bought some post cards and generally meandered. The one serious thing we did was to visit the Brukenthal Museum--an art gallery.\n\nThe museum is located on the town square. The building used to be the former Austrian governor\'s baroque palace and in 1817 it was turned into a museum. Lonely Planet says that this museum is \"the oldest and likely finest art gallery in Romania.\" The building is beautiful. The collection is small but well curated in both English and Romanian. My favorites were Romanian pieces.  If you like art, this museum is definitely worth visiting.\n\n&nbsp;','Sibiu and the city center ','','inherit','open','open','','6556-revision','','','2012-04-22 09:45:06','2012-04-22 07:45:06','',6556,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/22/6556-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6558,1,'2012-04-22 09:50:54','2012-04-22 07:50:54','Sibiu was the first Romanian town that we visited. We crossed the boarder at Giurgiu and promptly got turned around. We righted ourselves and drove through Wallachia to Transylvania.\r\n\r\nThe countryside is beautiful and the very little if any of the architecture of the individual homes or churches bears any resemblance to homes or churches in Bulgaria. For me at least there was a sense of: we\'re not in Bulgaria any more. We drove through lots of little villages on decent but not great roads.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941761606/\" title=\"Main square in Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/6941761606_4709469881_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Main square in Sibiu\"></a>\r\nSibiu was named the European Capital of Cultural in 2007 and it\'s not hard to see why. The city center is beautiful. Churches, towers, bridges, cobble stone, colorful store fronts and a couple of charming squares. The pedestrian walking zone doesn\'t hurt nor did the good weather. Everything seems nicer outlined in blue sky.\r\n\r\nMy first impression was: cute, cute, cute.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941764264/\" title=\"Streets of Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/6941764264_85849b9aa6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Streets of Sibiu\"></a>\r\nThe main sights are all easily accessible by foot. One of the things that stood out to me in Transylvania in general were the various cultural influences both German and Hungarian.\r\n\r\nOne very clear example of this was the Biserica Evanghelica church. It was closed for restoration when we were there so we didn\'t get to go inside but the outside towers and the colorful tile roof is reminiscent of <a href=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CEgQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSt._Stephen%2527s_Cathedral%2C_Vienna&amp;ei=LLSTT5vRMsL2sgaGqbCpBA&amp;usg=AFQjCNEiv2ULEBwX_2iSXidaebK1u1YDkA&amp;sig2=Rl47ukuOSECBEhdgRC0-0A\" target=\"_blank\">St. Stephen\'s in Vienna</a> and <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Church\" target=\"_blank\">Matthias Church on Castle Hill in Budapest</a>.\r\n\r\nWe spent most of our time wandering around, eating and taking pictures. We popped into churches, bought some post cards and generally meandered. The one serious thing we did was to visit the Brukenthal Museum--an art gallery.\r\n\r\nThe museum is located on the town square. The building used to be the former Austrian governor\'s baroque palace and in 1817 it was turned into a museum. Lonely Planet says that this museum is \"the oldest and likely finest art gallery in Romania.\" The building is beautiful. The collection is small but well curated in both English and Romanian. My favorites were Romanian pieces.  If you like art, this museum is definitely worth visiting.\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Sibiu and the city center ','','inherit','open','open','','6556-revision-2','','','2012-04-22 09:50:54','2012-04-22 07:50:54','',6556,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/22/6556-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6559,1,'2012-04-22 10:23:52','2012-04-22 08:23:52','Sibiu was the first Romanian town that we visited. We crossed the boarder at Giurgiu and promptly got turned around. We righted ourselves and drove through Wallachia to Transylvania.\r\n\r\nThe countryside is beautiful and the very little if any of the architecture of the individual homes or churches bears any resemblance to homes or churches in Bulgaria. For me at least there was a sense of: we\'re not in Bulgaria any more. We drove through lots of little villages on decent but not great roads.\r\n<a title=\"Main square in Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941761606/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/6941761606_4709469881_z.jpg\" alt=\"Main square in Sibiu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSibiu was named the European Capital of Cultural in 2007 and it\'s not hard to see why. The city center is beautiful. Churches, towers, bridges, cobble stone, colorful store fronts and a couple of charming squares. The pedestrian walking zone doesn\'t hurt nor did the good weather. Everything seems nicer outlined in blue sky.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6955273438/\" title=\"Main square by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/6955273438_eba17cd041_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Main square\"></a>\r\nMy first impression was: cute, cute, cute.\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941764264/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/6941764264_85849b9aa6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sibiu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe main sights are all easily accessible by foot. One of the things that stood out to me in Transylvania in general were the various cultural influences both German and Hungarian.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7101349831/\" title=\"Biserica Evanghelica church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7101349831_32fa1170e6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Biserica Evanghelica church\"></a>\r\nOne very clear example of this was the Biserica Evanghelica church. It was closed for restoration when we were there so we didn\'t get to go inside but the outside towers and the colorful tile roof is reminiscent of <a href=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CEgQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSt._Stephen%2527s_Cathedral%2C_Vienna&amp;ei=LLSTT5vRMsL2sgaGqbCpBA&amp;usg=AFQjCNEiv2ULEBwX_2iSXidaebK1u1YDkA&amp;sig2=Rl47ukuOSECBEhdgRC0-0A\" target=\"_blank\">St. Stephen\'s in Vienna</a> and <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Church\" target=\"_blank\">Matthias Church on Castle Hill in Budapest</a>.\r\n\r\nWe spent most of our time wandering around, eating and taking pictures. We popped into churches, bought some post cards and generally meandered. The one serious thing we did was to visit the Brukenthal Museum--an art gallery.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7101342769/\" title=\"Brukenthal Museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8007/7101342769_6ea1e94420_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Brukenthal Museum\"></a>\r\nThe museum is located on the town square. The building used to be the former Austrian governor\'s baroque palace and in 1817 it was turned into a museum. Lonely Planet says that this museum is \"the oldest and likely finest art gallery in Romania.\" The building is beautiful. The collection is small but well curated in both English and Romanian. My favorites were Romanian pieces.  If you like art, this museum is definitely worth visiting.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941768756/\" title=\"Manhole cover by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/6941768756_f7dc379847_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Manhole cover\"></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Sibiu and the city center ','','inherit','open','open','','6556-revision-3','','','2012-04-22 10:23:52','2012-04-22 08:23:52','',6556,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/22/6556-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6560,1,'2012-04-22 10:25:58','2012-04-22 08:25:58','Sibiu was the first Romanian town that we visited. We crossed the boarder at Giurgiu and promptly got turned around. We righted ourselves and drove through Wallachia to Transylvania.\n\nThe countryside is beautiful and the very little if any of the architecture of the individual homes or churches bears any resemblance to homes or churches in Bulgaria. For me at least there was a sense of: we\'re not in Bulgaria any more. We drove through lots of little villages on decent but not great roads.\n\n<a title=\"Main square in Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941761606/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/6941761606_4709469881_z.jpg\" alt=\"Main square in Sibiu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nSibiu was named the European Capital of Cultural in 2007 and it\'s not hard to see why. The city center is beautiful. Churches, towers, bridges, cobble stone, colorful store fronts and a couple of charming squares. The pedestrian walking zone doesn\'t hurt nor did the good weather. Everything seems nicer outlined in blue sky.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6955273438/\" title=\"Main square by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/6955273438_eba17cd041_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Main square\"></a>\nMy first impression was: cute, cute, cute.\n<a title=\"Streets of Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941764264/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/6941764264_85849b9aa6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sibiu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe main sights are all easily accessible by foot. One of the things that stood out to me in Transylvania in general were the various cultural influences both German and Hungarian.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7101349831/\" title=\"Biserica Evanghelica church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7101349831_32fa1170e6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Biserica Evanghelica church\"></a>\nOne very clear example of this was the Biserica Evanghelica church. It was closed for restoration when we were there so we didn\'t get to go inside but the outside towers and the colorful tile roof is reminiscent of <a href=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CEgQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSt._Stephen%2527s_Cathedral%2C_Vienna&amp;ei=LLSTT5vRMsL2sgaGqbCpBA&amp;usg=AFQjCNEiv2ULEBwX_2iSXidaebK1u1YDkA&amp;sig2=Rl47ukuOSECBEhdgRC0-0A\" target=\"_blank\">St. Stephen\'s in Vienna</a> and <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Church\" target=\"_blank\">Matthias Church on Castle Hill in Budapest</a>.\n\nWe spent most of our time wandering around, eating and taking pictures. We popped into churches, bought some post cards and generally meandered. The one serious thing we did was to visit the Brukenthal Museum--an art gallery.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7101342769/\" title=\"Brukenthal Museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8007/7101342769_6ea1e94420_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Brukenthal Museum\"></a>\nThe museum is located on the town square. The building used to be the former Austrian governor\'s baroque palace and in 1817 it was turned into a museum. Lonely Planet says that this museum is \"the oldest and likely finest art gallery in Romania.\" The building is beautiful. The collection is small but well curated in both English and Romanian. My favorites were Romanian pieces.  If you like art, this museum is definitely worth visiting.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941768756/\" title=\"Manhole cover by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/6941768756_f7dc379847_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Manhole cover\"></a>\n\n&nbsp;','Sibiu and the city center ','','inherit','open','open','','6556-revision-4','','','2012-04-22 10:25:58','2012-04-22 08:25:58','',6556,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/22/6556-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6561,1,'2012-04-22 10:26:25','2012-04-22 08:26:25','Sibiu was the first Romanian town that we visited. We crossed the boarder at Giurgiu and promptly got turned around. We righted ourselves and drove through Wallachia to Transylvania.\r\n\r\nThe countryside is beautiful and the very little if any of the architecture of the individual homes or churches bears any resemblance to homes or churches in Bulgaria. For me at least there was a sense of: we\'re not in Bulgaria any more. We drove through lots of little villages on decent but not great roads.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6955284328/\" title=\"Views from the Iron Bridge by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8017/6955284328_e287d3ee02_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Views from the Iron Bridge\"></a>\r\nSibiu was named the European Capital of Cultural in 2007 and it\'s not hard to see why. The city center is beautiful. Churches, towers, bridges, cobble stone, colorful store fronts and a couple of charming squares. The pedestrian walking zone doesn\'t hurt nor did the good weather. Everything seems nicer outlined in blue sky.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6955273438/\" title=\"Main square by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/6955273438_eba17cd041_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Main square\"></a>\r\nMy first impression was: cute, cute, cute.\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941764264/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/6941764264_85849b9aa6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sibiu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe main sights are all easily accessible by foot. One of the things that stood out to me in Transylvania in general were the various cultural influences both German and Hungarian.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7101349831/\" title=\"Biserica Evanghelica church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7101349831_32fa1170e6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Biserica Evanghelica church\"></a>\r\nOne very clear example of this was the Biserica Evanghelica church. It was closed for restoration when we were there so we didn\'t get to go inside but the outside towers and the colorful tile roof is reminiscent of <a href=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CEgQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSt._Stephen%2527s_Cathedral%2C_Vienna&amp;ei=LLSTT5vRMsL2sgaGqbCpBA&amp;usg=AFQjCNEiv2ULEBwX_2iSXidaebK1u1YDkA&amp;sig2=Rl47ukuOSECBEhdgRC0-0A\" target=\"_blank\">St. Stephen\'s in Vienna</a> and <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Church\" target=\"_blank\">Matthias Church on Castle Hill in Budapest</a>.\r\n\r\nWe spent most of our time wandering around, eating and taking pictures. We popped into churches, bought some post cards and generally meandered. The one serious thing we did was to visit the Brukenthal Museum--an art gallery.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7101342769/\" title=\"Brukenthal Museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8007/7101342769_6ea1e94420_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Brukenthal Museum\"></a>\r\nThe museum is located on the town square. The building used to be the former Austrian governor\'s baroque palace and in 1817 it was turned into a museum. Lonely Planet says that this museum is \"the oldest and likely finest art gallery in Romania.\" The building is beautiful. The collection is small but well curated in both English and Romanian. My favorites were Romanian pieces.  If you like art, this museum is definitely worth visiting.\r\n<a title=\"Main square in Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941761606/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/6941761606_4709469881_z.jpg\" alt=\"Main square in Sibiu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941768756/\" title=\"Manhole cover by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/6941768756_f7dc379847_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Manhole cover\"></a>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;','Sibiu and the city center ','','inherit','open','open','','6556-revision-5','','','2012-04-22 10:26:25','2012-04-22 08:26:25','',6556,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/22/6556-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6562,1,'2012-04-22 10:28:29','2012-04-22 08:28:29','Sibiu was the first Romanian town that we visited. We crossed the boarder at Giurgiu and promptly got turned around. We righted ourselves and drove through Wallachia to Transylvania.\n\nThe countryside is beautiful and the very little if any of the architecture of the individual homes or churches bears any resemblance to homes or churches in Bulgaria. For me at least there was a sense of: we\'re not in Bulgaria any more. We drove through lots of little villages on decent but not great roads.\n<a title=\"Views from the Iron Bridge by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6955284328/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8017/6955284328_e287d3ee02_z.jpg\" alt=\"Views from the Iron Bridge\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nSibiu was named the European Capital of Cultural in 2007 and it\'s not hard to see why. The city center is beautiful. Churches, towers, bridges, cobble stone, colorful store fronts and a couple of charming squares. The pedestrian walking zone doesn\'t hurt nor did the good weather. Everything seems nicer outlined in blue sky.\n<a title=\"Main square by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6955273438/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/6955273438_eba17cd041_z.jpg\" alt=\"Main square\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nMy first impression was: cute, cute, cute. It was pretty much love at first sight. Everything is so colorful and the aritce<!--more-->\n<a title=\"Streets of Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941764264/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7214/6941764264_85849b9aa6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sibiu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe main sights are all easily accessible by foot. One of the things that stood out to me in Transylvania in general were the various cultural influences both German and Hungarian.\n<a title=\"Biserica Evanghelica church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7101349831/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8165/7101349831_32fa1170e6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Biserica Evanghelica church\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nOne very clear example of this was the Biserica Evanghelica church. It was closed for restoration when we were there so we didn\'t get to go inside but the outside towers and the colorful tile roof is reminiscent of <a href=\"http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&amp;rct=j&amp;q=&amp;esrc=s&amp;source=web&amp;cd=1&amp;ved=0CEgQFjAA&amp;url=http%3A%2F%2Fen.wikipedia.org%2Fwiki%2FSt._Stephen%2527s_Cathedral%2C_Vienna&amp;ei=LLSTT5vRMsL2sgaGqbCpBA&amp;usg=AFQjCNEiv2ULEBwX_2iSXidaebK1u1YDkA&amp;sig2=Rl47ukuOSECBEhdgRC0-0A\" target=\"_blank\">St. Stephen\'s in Vienna</a> and <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthias_Church\" target=\"_blank\">Matthias Church on Castle Hill in Budapest</a>.\n<a title=\"Signs by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7087843457/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5119/7087843457_a53e53ab3d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Signs\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe spent most of our time wandering around, eating and taking pictures. We popped into churches, bought some post cards and generally meandered. The one serious thing we did was to visit the Brukenthal Museum--an art gallery.\n<a title=\"Brukenthal Museum by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7101342769/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8007/7101342769_6ea1e94420_z.jpg\" alt=\"Brukenthal Museum\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe museum is located on the town square. The building used to be the former Austrian governor\'s baroque palace and in 1817 it was turned into a museum. Lonely Planet says that this museum is \"the oldest and likely finest art gallery in Romania.\" The building is beautiful. The collection is small but well curated in both English and Romanian. My favorites were Romanian pieces.  If you like art, this museum is definitely worth visiting.\n<a title=\"Main square in Sibiu by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941761606/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7092/6941761606_4709469881_z.jpg\" alt=\"Main square in Sibiu\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Manhole cover by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6941768756/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5115/6941768756_f7dc379847_z.jpg\" alt=\"Manhole cover\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\n&nbsp;','Sibiu and the city center ','','inherit','open','open','','6556-revision-6','','','2012-04-22 10:28:29','2012-04-22 08:28:29','',6556,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/22/6556-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6563,1,'2012-04-23 18:36:22','2012-04-23 16:36:22','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. A girl has got to do these things sometimes.\r\n\r\nIt is Transylvania after all.\r\n<a title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted. He also wrote it in my guidebook. That was good foresight on his part. I might have forgotten without his none too subtle reminder. Thanks, M!\r\n<a title=\"Late afternoon in town square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102322963/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7102322963_2f010e2bf9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Late afternoon in town square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.\r\n\r\nI\'d rather watch an episode of the Daily Show and eat dinner but that\'s just me.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Sighisoara--the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956246576/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6956246576_1f2f42d9ca_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sighisoara--the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\r\n<a title=\"Town  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102307581/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7102307581_0b9c68f454_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me whether Vlad was a vampire or if Stoker ever set foot in Romania. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\r\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\r\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\r\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. The bar is well decorated. The prices were pretty inexpensive and the ambiance made the whole thing. Oh and in April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco--so it was this or our hotel room.\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253408/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/6956253408_599f31787e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFor dinner we went back to Casa Wagner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\r\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','publish','open','open','','what-would-vlad-do','','','2012-04-24 05:37:33','2012-04-24 03:37:33','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6563',0,'post','',3),(6564,1,'2012-04-23 18:23:32','2012-04-23 16:23:32','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. It is Transylvania after all.\n\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted.\n\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. (Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.)\n\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\n\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\n\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\" title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\"></a>\n\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\" title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\"></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\" title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\"></a>\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\" title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\"></a>\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. In April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco.\n\nWe went back to Casa Wagner for dinner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\" title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\" title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\"></a>\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-revision','','','2012-04-23 18:23:32','2012-04-23 16:23:32','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/23/6563-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6565,1,'2012-04-23 18:24:17','2012-04-23 16:24:17','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. It is Transylvania after all.\r\n<a title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted.\r\n\r\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. (Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.)\r\n\r\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\r\n\r\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\r\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\r\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\r\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. In April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco.\r\n\r\nWe went back to Casa Wagner for dinner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\r\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-revision-2','','','2012-04-23 18:24:17','2012-04-23 16:24:17','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/23/6563-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6566,1,'2012-04-23 18:27:23','2012-04-23 16:27:23','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. It is Transylvania after all.\n<a title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102322963/\" title=\"Late afternoon in town square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7102322963_2f010e2bf9_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Late afternoon in town square \"></a>\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. (Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.)\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956246576/\" title=\"Sighisoara--the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6956246576_1f2f42d9ca_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Sighisoara--the old town\"></a>\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102307581/\" title=\"Town  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7102307581_0b9c68f454_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Town \"></a>\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. In April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco.\n\nWe went back to Casa Wagner for dinner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-revision-3','','','2012-04-23 18:27:23','2012-04-23 16:27:23','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/23/6563-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6567,1,'2012-04-23 18:28:09','2012-04-23 16:28:09','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. It is Transylvania after all.\r\n<a title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted.\r\n<a title=\"Late afternoon in town square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102322963/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7102322963_2f010e2bf9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Late afternoon in town square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. (Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.)\r\n<a title=\"Sighisoara--the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956246576/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6956246576_1f2f42d9ca_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sighisoara--the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\r\n<a title=\"Town  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102307581/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7102307581_0b9c68f454_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\r\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\r\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\r\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. In April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco.\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253408/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/6956253408_599f31787e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe went back to Casa Wagner for dinner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\r\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-revision-4','','','2012-04-23 18:28:09','2012-04-23 16:28:09','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/23/6563-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6568,1,'2012-04-23 18:35:14','2012-04-23 16:35:14','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. A girl has got to do these things sometimes.\n\nIt is Transylvania after all.\n<a title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted. He also wrote it in my guidebook. That was good foresight on his part. I might have forgotten without his none too subtle reminder. Thanks, M!\n<a title=\"Late afternoon in town square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102322963/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7102322963_2f010e2bf9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Late afternoon in town square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.\n\nI\'d rather watch an episode of the Daily Show and eat dinner but that\'s just me.\n<a title=\"Sighisoara--the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956246576/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6956246576_1f2f42d9ca_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sighisoara--the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\n<a title=\"Town  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102307581/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7102307581_0b9c68f454_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me whether Vlad was a vampire or if Stoker ever set foot in Romania. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. The bar is well decorated. The prices were pretty inexpensive and the ambiance made the whole thing. Oh and in April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco--so it was this or our hotel room.\n<a title=\"Streets of Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253408/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/6956253408_599f31787e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nFor dinner we went back to Casa Wagner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-revision-5','','','2012-04-23 18:35:14','2012-04-23 16:35:14','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/23/6563-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6569,1,'2012-04-23 18:35:28','2012-04-23 16:35:28','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. A girl has got to do these things sometimes.\r\n\r\nIt is Transylvania after all.\r\n<a title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted. He also wrote it in my guidebook. That was good foresight on his part. I might have forgotten without his none too subtle reminder. Thanks, M!\r\n<a title=\"Late afternoon in town square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102322963/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7102322963_2f010e2bf9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Late afternoon in town square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.\r\n\r\nI\'d rather watch an episode of the Daily Show and eat dinner but that\'s just me.\r\n<a title=\"Sighisoara--the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956246576/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6956246576_1f2f42d9ca_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sighisoara--the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\r\n<a title=\"Town  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102307581/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7102307581_0b9c68f454_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me whether Vlad was a vampire or if Stoker ever set foot in Romania. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\r\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\r\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\r\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. The bar is well decorated. The prices were pretty inexpensive and the ambiance made the whole thing. Oh and in April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco--so it was this or our hotel room.\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253408/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/6956253408_599f31787e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFor dinner we went back to Casa Wagner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\r\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-revision-6','','','2012-04-23 18:35:28','2012-04-23 16:35:28','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/23/6563-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6570,1,'2012-04-23 18:35:28','2012-04-23 16:35:28','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. A girl has got to do these things sometimes.\r\n\r\nIt is Transylvania after all.\r\n<a title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted. He also wrote it in my guidebook. That was good foresight on his part. I might have forgotten without his none too subtle reminder. Thanks, M!\r\n<a title=\"Late afternoon in town square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102322963/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7102322963_2f010e2bf9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Late afternoon in town square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.\r\n\r\nI\'d rather watch an episode of the Daily Show and eat dinner but that\'s just me.\r\n<a title=\"Sighisoara--the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956246576/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6956246576_1f2f42d9ca_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sighisoara--the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\r\n<a title=\"Town  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102307581/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7102307581_0b9c68f454_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me whether Vlad was a vampire or if Stoker ever set foot in Romania. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\r\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\r\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\r\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. The bar is well decorated. The prices were pretty inexpensive and the ambiance made the whole thing. Oh and in April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco--so it was this or our hotel room.\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253408/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/6956253408_599f31787e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFor dinner we went back to Casa Wagner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\r\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-revision-7','','','2012-04-23 18:35:28','2012-04-23 16:35:28','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/23/6563-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6571,1,'2012-04-24 05:36:37','2012-04-24 03:36:37','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. A girl has got to do these things sometimes.\r\n\r\nIt is Transylvania after all.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\" title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\"></a>\r\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted. He also wrote it in my guidebook. That was good foresight on his part. I might have forgotten without his none too subtle reminder. Thanks, M!\r\n<a title=\"Late afternoon in town square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102322963/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7102322963_2f010e2bf9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Late afternoon in town square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.\r\n\r\nI\'d rather watch an episode of the Daily Show and eat dinner but that\'s just me.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Sighisoara--the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956246576/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6956246576_1f2f42d9ca_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sighisoara--the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\r\n<a title=\"Town  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102307581/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7102307581_0b9c68f454_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me whether Vlad was a vampire or if Stoker ever set foot in Romania. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\r\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\r\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\r\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. The bar is well decorated. The prices were pretty inexpensive and the ambiance made the whole thing. Oh and in April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco--so it was this or our hotel room.\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253408/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/6956253408_599f31787e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFor dinner we went back to Casa Wagner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\r\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-autosave','','','2012-04-24 05:36:37','2012-04-24 03:36:37','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/23/6563-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6572,1,'2012-04-24 05:54:43','2012-04-24 03:54:43','After a day in Sighisoara we headed to Bran Castle and then on to Brasov. Hello Dracula. Or not as the case may be. No matter, this castle is impressive from the road but I have to say that the inside is much more interesting in terms of architecture than the outside.\r\n<a title=\"Me in Bran  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960662318/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/6960662318_d7d99c5e4c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me in Bran \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nBran Castle while fairly touristy was beautiful. Bran Castle for those of you not in the know is rumored to be Dracula\'s castle. In reality, it\'s just a really beautiful old castle that was strategically built to guard the countryside, protect the people and I think to tax those on the main road.\r\n<a title=\"Bran Castle from the outside  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960645574/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/6960645574_327da7975a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Bran Castle from the outside \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nToday it\'s open for tourists. You walk up the hill and then progressively make your way through much of the house. It\'s a maze of rooms, windows and views. I thought it was incredible.<a title=\"The city below Bran Castle  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960649484/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6960649484_7bd44850cb_z.jpg\" alt=\"The city below Bran Castle \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nInterestingly in the 1920\'s the castle became a royal home and the queen actually lived there. This was actually very hard for me to imagine. I am not sure why because frankly castles and princesses should go hand in hand.\r\n\r\nMaybe it\'s because the castle feels rather remote. Moreover, the rooms while interesting seem a little uninviting for actually living in and on the day we visited the wind was punishing. I thought it was great fun to visit but not necessarily the kind of place I\'d want to stay in permanently.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Archway at Bran Castle  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960650346/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/6960650346_20961e0f3d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Archway at Bran Castle \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Bran Castle from the second or so floor  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960657970/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/6960657970_cb4c638818_z.jpg\" alt=\"Bran Castle from the second or so floor \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nOne of the things I was struck by at the castle were the photos of Queen Marie at Bran. Often she was photographed in Romanian national costume even though she was not Romanian. She seems to have adopted the costume and the country.\r\n<a title=\"Light on the staircase  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106724353/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7106724353_3c3c58be7a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Light on the staircase \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nFrom Bran we drove to Brasov. But not before we stopped for a treat. It\'s important to eat enough snacks on a road trip.\r\n<a title=\"Treat!  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106732743/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7106732743_5134320c27_z.jpg\" alt=\"Treat! \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nOnce we found parking in Brasov, I found myself impressed by the town. Although the metered parking situation is a little frustrating. The machines all take coins but no one in the country ever seems to actually give change for things. Most menus have a straight price for example 3 or 5 and even the grocery store if your total is 5.17 and you give a 10 you\'ll get 5 back rather than 4 and coins. We ended up beg, stealing and borrowing enough coins but it was laughable. We spent half of our time asking people for change.\r\n<a title=\"Brasov Town Square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960676390/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/6960676390_516647fb00_z.jpg\" alt=\"Brasov Town Square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe city is young and hip. Hardly anyone seemed to be hurrying anywhere the day we were visiting. Spring seemed to have just emerged.\r\n\r\nCafes had tables and chairs outside but were still working out the issue of service but no one worried. There was a sense that everything would work itself out. We did plenty of people watching and then scouted out some restaurant options.\r\n\r\nInterestingly, everyone else seemed to have the same plan we did and when we went back for dinner sometime after 8pm most of the restaurants we\'d identified as wanting to try out were already full. None of us really expected this as it was the middle of the week. Brasov was more happening than we guessed. Serves us right.\r\n<a title=\"Town square by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962321624/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7228/6962321624_b0f582dcdf_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town square\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe never should have underestimated the town. We ended up at a little Italian place with a nautical theme. Don\'t ask. I have no idea. The pizza and pasta were both good but I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant. Later we wandered down the street for a beer at a local German beer hall.\r\n<a title=\"Church tower in Brasov by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960667476/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/6960667476_00608fb2f1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Church tower in Brasov\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThis was a little disconcerting for me. Actually the whole, a little piece of Germany in Transylvania was disconcerting for me.  Most of the towns in Transylvania have German names, Hungarian names and Romanian names. I guess that\'s just to keep everyone on their toes.\r\n<a title=\"Tower  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106736031/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/7106736031_cfdf6ffa48_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tower \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIn fact the Black Church apparently functions in German and the postcard I bought there has a description in English, Romanian and German. Inside the church many of the pews have been painted with flowers and other scenes and German. I didn\'t really hear German being spoken while I was in Brasov but then again I wasn\'t really listening for it. There were a lot of other things to take in.\r\n<a title=\"Church leader Black church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962322026/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6962322026_3db911900f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Church leader Black church\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Bran Castle and Brasov','','publish','open','open','','bran-castle-and-brasov','','','2012-04-24 05:54:43','2012-04-24 03:54:43','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6572',0,'post','',4),(6573,1,'2012-04-23 20:40:37','2012-04-23 18:40:37','After a day in Sighisoara we headed to Bran Castle and then on to Brasov.\n\nBran Castle while fairly touristy was beautiful. Bran Castle for those of you not in the know is rumored to be Dracula\'s castle. In reality, it\'s just a really beautiful old castle that was strategically built to guard the countryside, protect the people and I think to tax those on the main road.\n\nToday it\'s open for tourists. You walk up the hill and then progressively make your way through much of the house. It\'s a maze of rooms, windows and views. I thought it was incredible.\n\nInterestingly in the 1920\'s the castle became a royal home and the queen actually lived there. This was actually very hard for me to imagine. I am not sure why because frankly castles and princesses should go hand in hand. Maybe it\'s because the castle feels rather remote. Moreover, the rooms while interesting seem a little uninviting for actually living in and on the day we visited the wind was punishing. I thought it was great fun to visit but not necessarily the kind of place I\'d want to stay in permanently.\n\nOne of the things I was struck by at the castle were the photos of Queen Marie at Bran. Often she was photographed in Romanian national costume even though she was not Romanian. She seems to have adopted the costume and the country.\n\nFrom Bran we drove to Brasov. I found myself impressed by this town.\n\nIt\'s young and hip. Hardly anyone seemed to be hurrying anywhere the day we were visiting. Spring seemed to have just emerged.\n\nCafes had tables and chairs outside but were still working out the issue of service but no one worried. There was a sense that everything would work itself out. We did plenty of people watching and then scouted out some restaurant options.\n\nInterestingly, everyone else seemed to have the same plan we did and when we went back for dinner sometime after 8pm most of the restaurants we\'d identified as wanting to try out were already full. None of us really expected this as it was the middle of the week. Brasov was more happening than we guessed. Serves us right.\n\nWe never should have underestimated the town. We ended up at a little Italian place with a nautical theme. Don\'t ask. I have no idea. The pizza and pasta were both good but I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant. Later we wandered down the street for a beer at a local German beer hall.\n\nThis was a little disconcerting for me. Actually the whole, a little piece of Germany in Transylvania was disconcerting for me.  Most of the towns in Transylvania have German names, Hungarian names and Romanian names. I guess that\'s just to keep everyone on their toes.\n\nIn fact the Black Church apparently functions in German and the postcard I bought there has a description in English, Romanian and German. Inside the church many of the pews have been painted with flowers and other scenes and German. I didn\'t really hear German being spoken while I was in Brasov but then again I wasn\'t really listening for it. There were a lot of other things to take in.','Bran Castle and Brasov','','inherit','open','open','','6572-revision','','','2012-04-23 20:40:37','2012-04-23 18:40:37','',6572,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/23/6572-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6574,1,'2012-04-23 18:36:22','2012-04-23 16:36:22','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. A girl has got to do these things sometimes.\r\n\r\nIt is Transylvania after all.\r\n<a title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted. He also wrote it in my guidebook. That was good foresight on his part. I might have forgotten without his none too subtle reminder. Thanks, M!\r\n<a title=\"Late afternoon in town square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102322963/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7102322963_2f010e2bf9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Late afternoon in town square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.\r\n\r\nI\'d rather watch an episode of the Daily Show and eat dinner but that\'s just me.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Sighisoara--the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956246576/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6956246576_1f2f42d9ca_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sighisoara--the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\r\n<a title=\"Town  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102307581/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7102307581_0b9c68f454_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me whether Vlad was a vampire or if Stoker ever set foot in Romania. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\r\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\r\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\r\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. The bar is well decorated. The prices were pretty inexpensive and the ambiance made the whole thing. Oh and in April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco--so it was this or our hotel room.\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253408/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/6956253408_599f31787e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFor dinner we went back to Casa Wagner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\r\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-revision-8','','','2012-04-23 18:36:22','2012-04-23 16:36:22','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/23/6563-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(6575,1,'2012-04-24 05:35:46','2012-04-24 03:35:46','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. A girl has got to do these things sometimes.\r\n\r\nIt is Transylvania after all.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\" title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\"></a>\r\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted. He also wrote it in my guidebook. That was good foresight on his part. I might have forgotten without his none too subtle reminder. Thanks, M!\r\n<a title=\"Late afternoon in town square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102322963/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7102322963_2f010e2bf9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Late afternoon in town square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.\r\n\r\nI\'d rather watch an episode of the Daily Show and eat dinner but that\'s just me.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Sighisoara--the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956246576/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6956246576_1f2f42d9ca_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sighisoara--the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\r\n<a title=\"Town  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102307581/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7102307581_0b9c68f454_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me whether Vlad was a vampire or if Stoker ever set foot in Romania. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\r\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\r\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\r\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. The bar is well decorated. The prices were pretty inexpensive and the ambiance made the whole thing. Oh and in April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco--so it was this or our hotel room.\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253408/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/6956253408_599f31787e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFor dinner we went back to Casa Wagner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\r\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-revision-9','','','2012-04-24 05:35:46','2012-04-24 03:35:46','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/24/6563-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(6576,1,'2012-04-24 05:36:35','2012-04-24 03:36:35','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. A girl has got to do these things sometimes.\r\n\r\nIt is Transylvania after all.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\" title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\"></a>\r\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted. He also wrote it in my guidebook. That was good foresight on his part. I might have forgotten without his none too subtle reminder. Thanks, M!\r\n<a title=\"Late afternoon in town square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102322963/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7102322963_2f010e2bf9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Late afternoon in town square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.\r\n\r\nI\'d rather watch an episode of the Daily Show and eat dinner but that\'s just me.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Sighisoara--the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956246576/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6956246576_1f2f42d9ca_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sighisoara--the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\r\n<a title=\"Town  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102307581/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7102307581_0b9c68f454_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me whether Vlad was a vampire or if Stoker ever set foot in Romania. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\r\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\r\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\r\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. The bar is well decorated. The prices were pretty inexpensive and the ambiance made the whole thing. Oh and in April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco--so it was this or our hotel room.\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253408/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/6956253408_599f31787e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFor dinner we went back to Casa Wagner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\r\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-revision-10','','','2012-04-24 05:36:35','2012-04-24 03:36:35','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/24/6563-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(6577,1,'2012-04-24 05:37:21','2012-04-24 03:37:21','Part of our trip we spent chasing after Vlad and Dracula. A girl has got to do these things sometimes.\r\n\r\nIt is Transylvania after all.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956231244/\" title=\"On the way to Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8009/6956231244_4dddafd6f4_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"On the way to Sighisoara\"></a>\r\nAges ago my friend M. told me that of all of the places he went in Romania, he wished that he\'d gone to Sighisoara. So noted. He also wrote it in my guidebook. That was good foresight on his part. I might have forgotten without his none too subtle reminder. Thanks, M!\r\n<a title=\"Late afternoon in town square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102322963/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/7102322963_2f010e2bf9_z.jpg\" alt=\"Late afternoon in town square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSighisoara is known for being the birth place of <a href=\"http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vlad_the_Impaler\" target=\"_blank\">Vlad the Impaler</a> or Dracula. Vlad spent most of his time fighting the Ottoman Empire and was known for regularly impaling his enemies on large poles where they slowly, very slowly, died. He is said to have even eaten his dinner while watching his victims die. Dude, that\'s <em>crazy</em>.\r\n\r\nI\'d rather watch an episode of the Daily Show and eat dinner but that\'s just me.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Sighisoara--the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956246576/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7089/6956246576_1f2f42d9ca_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sighisoara--the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nNow Vlad was not the Dracula of popular myth as many museums and historical cites in Transylvania will make clear but that\'s okay with me. It turns out that the Dracula we know from popular culture was born of Bram Stoker\'s pen in 1897 with the publication of the Gothic horror novel Dracula. Stoker apparently never even traveled to Romania before taking the liberty to set his novel in Transylvania. Pretty amazing how these things happen.\r\n<a title=\"Town  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102307581/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8156/7102307581_0b9c68f454_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI have to say it doesn\'t matter much to me whether Vlad was a vampire or if Stoker ever set foot in Romania. Sighisoara was a beautiful little town with or without vampires.\r\n<a title=\"Me having fun by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102303729/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8150/7102303729_21899113a8_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me having fun\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe stayed in a really cute little hotel Casa Wagner in the old town and spent the better part of one afternoon and the next morning laughing, exploring, snapping pictures and otherwise doing silly things. This of course is encouraged when you buy a plastic set of your own vampire teeth.  That was a really great $1.50 that I spent. Hours of fun I tell you. <em>Hours</em>.<a title=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956247132/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7217/6956247132_cb6ebe4363_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at the Souvenir Shop with teeth\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\n<a title=\"Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102320743/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7206/7102320743_e18e7b7508_z.jpg\" alt=\"Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>After poking around the town, we decided to have a drink in Vlad\'s house. Turns out, sometime after Vlad\'s death his childhood home was turned into a bar and restaurant. I am not sure how Vlad would feel about that but we had a great time. It\'s totally cliche and totally fun.\r\n<a title=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956252620/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7091/6956252620_885cf02e5c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine in the house Vlad lived\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIn the spirit of full disclosure, This was also the place we coined the phrase: what would Vlad do? Would he have another glass of wine? Yes. Would he stay up late? Heck yeah. Would he put in his face vampire teeth for a photo shoot? You know it.\r\n<a title=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253040/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8003/6956253040_592015f840_z.jpg\" alt=\"Wine at Vlad\'s place\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nReally thought the bar was a great spot to relax for a little bit before dinner. The bar is well decorated. The prices were pretty inexpensive and the ambiance made the whole thing. Oh and in April it was still pretty cool in the late afternoons so there wasn\'t anyway that we were going to enjoy a beer alfresco--so it was this or our hotel room.\r\n<a title=\"Streets of Sighisoara by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956253408/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8018/6956253408_599f31787e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Streets of Sighisoara\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFor dinner we went back to Casa Wagner because as it turns out the hotel we were staying in also has one of the best restaurants in the old town. I ordered a sour chicken soup, stuffed cabbage rolls and the local polenta dish. I was really happy with everything that I got.\r\n<a title=\"Sour chicken soup  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7102324545/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7249/7102324545_683fe22c3e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sour chicken soup \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6956255918/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7112/6956255918_3fa5a551fd_z.jpg\" alt=\"Dinner: cabbage rolls and polenta\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI found myself impressed with the small old town perched on a hill. To some extent the location, the surrounding stone walls and the pedestrian traffic makes it relatively easy to imagine what life must have been like in Sighisoara. Sure it\'s become a tourist hotspot so it\'s by no means authentic but it\'s charming and in my book that counts for a lot.','What would Vlad do? ','','inherit','open','open','','6563-revision-11','','','2012-04-24 05:37:21','2012-04-24 03:37:21','',6563,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/24/6563-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(6578,1,'2012-04-24 05:51:23','2012-04-24 03:51:23','After a day in Sighisoara we headed to Bran Castle and then on to Brasov.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960662318/\" title=\"Me in Bran  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/6960662318_d7d99c5e4c_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Me in Bran \"></a>\nBran Castle while fairly touristy was beautiful. Bran Castle for those of you not in the know is rumored to be Dracula\'s castle. In reality, it\'s just a really beautiful old castle that was strategically built to guard the countryside, protect the people and I think to tax those on the main road.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960645574/\" title=\"Bran Castle from the outside  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/6960645574_327da7975a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Bran Castle from the outside \"></a>\nToday it\'s open for tourists. You walk up the hill and then progressively make your way through much of the house. It\'s a maze of rooms, windows and views. I thought it was incredible.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960649484/\" title=\"The city below Bran Castle  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6960649484_7bd44850cb_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"The city below Bran Castle \"></a>\n\nInterestingly in the 1920\'s the castle became a royal home and the queen actually lived there. This was actually very hard for me to imagine. I am not sure why because frankly castles and princesses should go hand in hand. Maybe it\'s because the castle feels rather remote. Moreover, the rooms while interesting seem a little uninviting for actually living in and on the day we visited the wind was punishing. I thought it was great fun to visit but not necessarily the kind of place I\'d want to stay in permanently.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960650346/\" title=\"Archway at Bran Castle  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/6960650346_20961e0f3d_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Archway at Bran Castle \"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960657970/\" title=\"Bran Castle from the second or so floor  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/6960657970_cb4c638818_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Bran Castle from the second or so floor \"></a>\nOne of the things I was struck by at the castle were the photos of Queen Marie at Bran. Often she was photographed in Romanian national costume even though she was not Romanian. She seems to have adopted the costume and the country.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106724353/\" title=\"Light on the staircase  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7106724353_3c3c58be7a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Light on the staircase \"></a>\n\nFrom Bran we drove to Brasov. But not before we stopped for a treat. It\'s important to eat enough snacks on a road trip. \n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106732743/\" title=\"Treat!  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7106732743_5134320c27_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Treat! \"></a>\nOnce we found parking in Brasov, I found myself impressed by the town. Although the metered parking situation is a little frustrating. The machines all take coins but no one in the country ever seems to actually give change for things. Most menus have a straight price for example 3 or 5 and even the grocery store if your total is 5.17 and you give a 10 you\'ll get 5 back rather than 4 and coins. We ended up beg, stealing and borrowing enough coins but it was laughable. We spent half of our time asking people for change.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960676390/\" title=\"Brasov Town Square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/6960676390_516647fb00_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Brasov Town Square \"></a>\nThe city is young and hip. Hardly anyone seemed to be hurrying anywhere the day we were visiting. Spring seemed to have just emerged.\n\nCafes had tables and chairs outside but were still working out the issue of service but no one worried. There was a sense that everything would work itself out. We did plenty of people watching and then scouted out some restaurant options.\n\nInterestingly, everyone else seemed to have the same plan we did and when we went back for dinner sometime after 8pm most of the restaurants we\'d identified as wanting to try out were already full. None of us really expected this as it was the middle of the week. Brasov was more happening than we guessed. Serves us right.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962321624/\" title=\"Town square by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7228/6962321624_b0f582dcdf_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Town square\"></a>\nWe never should have underestimated the town. We ended up at a little Italian place with a nautical theme. Don\'t ask. I have no idea. The pizza and pasta were both good but I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant. Later we wandered down the street for a beer at a local German beer hall.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960667476/\" title=\"Church tower in Brasov by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/6960667476_00608fb2f1_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Church tower in Brasov\"></a>\nThis was a little disconcerting for me. Actually the whole, a little piece of Germany in Transylvania was disconcerting for me.  Most of the towns in Transylvania have German names, Hungarian names and Romanian names. I guess that\'s just to keep everyone on their toes.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106736031/\" title=\"Tower  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/7106736031_cfdf6ffa48_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Tower \"></a>\nIn fact the Black Church apparently functions in German and the postcard I bought there has a description in English, Romanian and German. Inside the church many of the pews have been painted with flowers and other scenes and German. I didn\'t really hear German being spoken while I was in Brasov but then again I wasn\'t really listening for it. There were a lot of other things to take in.','Bran Castle and Brasov','','inherit','open','open','','6572-revision-2','','','2012-04-24 05:51:23','2012-04-24 03:51:23','',6572,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/24/6572-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6579,1,'2012-04-24 05:51:32','2012-04-24 03:51:32','After a day in Sighisoara we headed to Bran Castle and then on to Brasov.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960662318/\" title=\"Me in Bran  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/6960662318_d7d99c5e4c_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Me in Bran \"></a>\r\nBran Castle while fairly touristy was beautiful. Bran Castle for those of you not in the know is rumored to be Dracula\'s castle. In reality, it\'s just a really beautiful old castle that was strategically built to guard the countryside, protect the people and I think to tax those on the main road.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960645574/\" title=\"Bran Castle from the outside  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/6960645574_327da7975a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Bran Castle from the outside \"></a>\r\nToday it\'s open for tourists. You walk up the hill and then progressively make your way through much of the house. It\'s a maze of rooms, windows and views. I thought it was incredible.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960649484/\" title=\"The city below Bran Castle  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6960649484_7bd44850cb_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"The city below Bran Castle \"></a>\r\n\r\nInterestingly in the 1920\'s the castle became a royal home and the queen actually lived there. This was actually very hard for me to imagine. I am not sure why because frankly castles and princesses should go hand in hand. Maybe it\'s because the castle feels rather remote. Moreover, the rooms while interesting seem a little uninviting for actually living in and on the day we visited the wind was punishing. I thought it was great fun to visit but not necessarily the kind of place I\'d want to stay in permanently.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960650346/\" title=\"Archway at Bran Castle  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/6960650346_20961e0f3d_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Archway at Bran Castle \"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960657970/\" title=\"Bran Castle from the second or so floor  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/6960657970_cb4c638818_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Bran Castle from the second or so floor \"></a>\r\nOne of the things I was struck by at the castle were the photos of Queen Marie at Bran. Often she was photographed in Romanian national costume even though she was not Romanian. She seems to have adopted the costume and the country.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106724353/\" title=\"Light on the staircase  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7106724353_3c3c58be7a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Light on the staircase \"></a>\r\n\r\nFrom Bran we drove to Brasov. But not before we stopped for a treat. It\'s important to eat enough snacks on a road trip. \r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106732743/\" title=\"Treat!  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7106732743_5134320c27_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Treat! \"></a>\r\nOnce we found parking in Brasov, I found myself impressed by the town. Although the metered parking situation is a little frustrating. The machines all take coins but no one in the country ever seems to actually give change for things. Most menus have a straight price for example 3 or 5 and even the grocery store if your total is 5.17 and you give a 10 you\'ll get 5 back rather than 4 and coins. We ended up beg, stealing and borrowing enough coins but it was laughable. We spent half of our time asking people for change.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960676390/\" title=\"Brasov Town Square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/6960676390_516647fb00_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Brasov Town Square \"></a>\r\nThe city is young and hip. Hardly anyone seemed to be hurrying anywhere the day we were visiting. Spring seemed to have just emerged.\r\n\r\nCafes had tables and chairs outside but were still working out the issue of service but no one worried. There was a sense that everything would work itself out. We did plenty of people watching and then scouted out some restaurant options.\r\n\r\nInterestingly, everyone else seemed to have the same plan we did and when we went back for dinner sometime after 8pm most of the restaurants we\'d identified as wanting to try out were already full. None of us really expected this as it was the middle of the week. Brasov was more happening than we guessed. Serves us right.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962321624/\" title=\"Town square by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7228/6962321624_b0f582dcdf_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Town square\"></a>\r\nWe never should have underestimated the town. We ended up at a little Italian place with a nautical theme. Don\'t ask. I have no idea. The pizza and pasta were both good but I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant. Later we wandered down the street for a beer at a local German beer hall.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960667476/\" title=\"Church tower in Brasov by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/6960667476_00608fb2f1_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Church tower in Brasov\"></a>\r\nThis was a little disconcerting for me. Actually the whole, a little piece of Germany in Transylvania was disconcerting for me.  Most of the towns in Transylvania have German names, Hungarian names and Romanian names. I guess that\'s just to keep everyone on their toes.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106736031/\" title=\"Tower  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/7106736031_cfdf6ffa48_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Tower \"></a>\r\nIn fact the Black Church apparently functions in German and the postcard I bought there has a description in English, Romanian and German. Inside the church many of the pews have been painted with flowers and other scenes and German. I didn\'t really hear German being spoken while I was in Brasov but then again I wasn\'t really listening for it. There were a lot of other things to take in.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962322026/\" title=\"Church leader Black church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6962322026_3db911900f_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Church leader Black church\"></a>','Bran Castle and Brasov','','inherit','open','open','','6572-revision-3','','','2012-04-24 05:51:32','2012-04-24 03:51:32','',6572,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/24/6572-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6580,1,'2012-04-24 05:54:39','2012-04-24 03:54:39','After a day in Sighisoara we headed to Bran Castle and then on to Brasov. Hello Dracula. Or not as the case may be. No matter, this castle is impressive from the road but I have to say that the inside is much more interesting in terms of architecture than the outside.\n<a title=\"Me in Bran  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960662318/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/6960662318_d7d99c5e4c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me in Bran \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nBran Castle while fairly touristy was beautiful. Bran Castle for those of you not in the know is rumored to be Dracula\'s castle. In reality, it\'s just a really beautiful old castle that was strategically built to guard the countryside, protect the people and I think to tax those on the main road.\n<a title=\"Bran Castle from the outside  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960645574/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/6960645574_327da7975a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Bran Castle from the outside \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nToday it\'s open for tourists. You walk up the hill and then progressively make your way through much of the house. It\'s a maze of rooms, windows and views. I thought it was incredible.<a title=\"The city below Bran Castle  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960649484/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6960649484_7bd44850cb_z.jpg\" alt=\"The city below Bran Castle \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\nInterestingly in the 1920\'s the castle became a royal home and the queen actually lived there. This was actually very hard for me to imagine. I am not sure why because frankly castles and princesses should go hand in hand.\n\nMaybe it\'s because the castle feels rather remote. Moreover, the rooms while interesting seem a little uninviting for actually living in and on the day we visited the wind was punishing. I thought it was great fun to visit but not necessarily the kind of place I\'d want to stay in permanently.<!--more-->\n<a title=\"Archway at Bran Castle  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960650346/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/6960650346_20961e0f3d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Archway at Bran Castle \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Bran Castle from the second or so floor  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960657970/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/6960657970_cb4c638818_z.jpg\" alt=\"Bran Castle from the second or so floor \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nOne of the things I was struck by at the castle were the photos of Queen Marie at Bran. Often she was photographed in Romanian national costume even though she was not Romanian. She seems to have adopted the costume and the country.\n<a title=\"Light on the staircase  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106724353/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7106724353_3c3c58be7a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Light on the staircase \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\nFrom Bran we drove to Brasov. But not before we stopped for a treat. It\'s important to eat enough snacks on a road trip.\n<a title=\"Treat!  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106732743/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7106732743_5134320c27_z.jpg\" alt=\"Treat! \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nOnce we found parking in Brasov, I found myself impressed by the town. Although the metered parking situation is a little frustrating. The machines all take coins but no one in the country ever seems to actually give change for things. Most menus have a straight price for example 3 or 5 and even the grocery store if your total is 5.17 and you give a 10 you\'ll get 5 back rather than 4 and coins. We ended up beg, stealing and borrowing enough coins but it was laughable. We spent half of our time asking people for change.\n<a title=\"Brasov Town Square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960676390/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/6960676390_516647fb00_z.jpg\" alt=\"Brasov Town Square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe city is young and hip. Hardly anyone seemed to be hurrying anywhere the day we were visiting. Spring seemed to have just emerged.\n\nCafes had tables and chairs outside but were still working out the issue of service but no one worried. There was a sense that everything would work itself out. We did plenty of people watching and then scouted out some restaurant options.\n\nInterestingly, everyone else seemed to have the same plan we did and when we went back for dinner sometime after 8pm most of the restaurants we\'d identified as wanting to try out were already full. None of us really expected this as it was the middle of the week. Brasov was more happening than we guessed. Serves us right.\n<a title=\"Town square by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962321624/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7228/6962321624_b0f582dcdf_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town square\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe never should have underestimated the town. We ended up at a little Italian place with a nautical theme. Don\'t ask. I have no idea. The pizza and pasta were both good but I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant. Later we wandered down the street for a beer at a local German beer hall.\n<a title=\"Church tower in Brasov by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960667476/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/6960667476_00608fb2f1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Church tower in Brasov\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThis was a little disconcerting for me. Actually the whole, a little piece of Germany in Transylvania was disconcerting for me.  Most of the towns in Transylvania have German names, Hungarian names and Romanian names. I guess that\'s just to keep everyone on their toes.\n<a title=\"Tower  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106736031/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/7106736031_cfdf6ffa48_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tower \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nIn fact the Black Church apparently functions in German and the postcard I bought there has a description in English, Romanian and German. Inside the church many of the pews have been painted with flowers and other scenes and German. I didn\'t really hear German being spoken while I was in Brasov but then again I wasn\'t really listening for it. There were a lot of other things to take in.\n<a title=\"Church leader Black church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962322026/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6962322026_3db911900f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Church leader Black church\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Bran Castle and Brasov','','inherit','open','open','','6572-revision-4','','','2012-04-24 05:54:39','2012-04-24 03:54:39','',6572,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/24/6572-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6581,1,'2012-04-24 05:55:48','2012-04-24 03:55:48','After a day in Sighisoara we headed to Bran Castle and then on to Brasov. Hello Dracula. Or not as the case may be. No matter, this castle is impressive from the road but I have to say that the inside is much more interesting in terms of architecture than the outside.\n<a title=\"Me in Bran  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960662318/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7122/6960662318_d7d99c5e4c_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me in Bran \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nBran Castle while fairly touristy was beautiful. Bran Castle for those of you not in the know is rumored to be Dracula\'s castle. In reality, it\'s just a really beautiful old castle that was strategically built to guard the countryside, protect the people and I think to tax those on the main road.\n<a title=\"Bran Castle from the outside  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960645574/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/6960645574_327da7975a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Bran Castle from the outside \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nToday it\'s open for tourists. You walk up the hill and then progressively make your way through much of the house. It\'s a maze of rooms, windows and views. I thought it was incredible.<a title=\"The city below Bran Castle  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960649484/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7053/6960649484_7bd44850cb_z.jpg\" alt=\"The city below Bran Castle \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\nInterestingly in the 1920\'s the castle became a royal home and the queen actually lived there. This was actually very hard for me to imagine. I am not sure why because frankly castles and princesses should go hand in hand.\n\nMaybe it\'s because the castle feels rather remote. Moreover, the rooms while interesting seem a little uninviting for actually living in and on the day we visited the wind was punishing. I thought it was great fun to visit but not necessarily the kind of place I\'d want to stay in permanently.<!--more-->\n<a title=\"Archway at Bran Castle  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960650346/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8008/6960650346_20961e0f3d_z.jpg\" alt=\"Archway at Bran Castle \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Bran Castle from the second or so floor  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960657970/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7083/6960657970_cb4c638818_z.jpg\" alt=\"Bran Castle from the second or so floor \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nOne of the things I was struck by at the castle were the photos of Queen Marie at Bran. Often she was photographed in Romanian national costume even though she was not Romanian. She seems to have adopted the costume and the country.\n<a title=\"Light on the staircase  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106724353/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8149/7106724353_3c3c58be7a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Light on the staircase \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\nFrom Bran we drove to Brasov. But not before we stopped for a treat. It\'s important to eat enough snacks on a road trip.\n<a title=\"Treat!  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106732743/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/7106732743_5134320c27_z.jpg\" alt=\"Treat! \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nOnce we found parking in Brasov, I found myself impressed by the town. Although the metered parking situation is a little frustrating. The machines all take coins but no one in the country ever seems to actually give change for things. Most menus have a straight price for example 3 or 5 and even the grocery store if your total is 5.17 and you give a 10 you\'ll get 5 back rather than 4 and coins. We ended up beg, stealing and borrowing enough coins but it was laughable. We spent half of our time asking people for change.\n<a title=\"Brasov Town Square  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960676390/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8145/6960676390_516647fb00_z.jpg\" alt=\"Brasov Town Square \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe city is young and hip. Hardly anyone seemed to be hurrying anywhere the day we were visiting. Spring seemed to have just emerged.\n\nCafes had tables and chairs outside but were still working out the issue of service but no one worried. There was a sense that everything would work itself out. We did plenty of people watching and then scouted out some restaurant options.\n\nInterestingly, everyone else seemed to have the same plan we did and when we went back for dinner sometime after 8pm most of the restaurants we\'d identified as wanting to try out were already full. None of us really expected this as it was the middle of the week. Brasov was more happening than we guessed. Serves us right.\n<a title=\"Town square by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962321624/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7228/6962321624_b0f582dcdf_z.jpg\" alt=\"Town square\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe never should have underestimated the town. We ended up at a little Italian place with a nautical theme. Don\'t ask. I have no idea. The pizza and pasta were both good but I can\'t for the life of me remember the name of the restaurant. Later we wandered down the street for a beer at a local German beer hall.\n<a title=\"Church tower in Brasov by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6960667476/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7133/6960667476_00608fb2f1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Church tower in Brasov\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThis was a little disconcerting for me. Actually the whole, a little piece of Germany in Transylvania was disconcerting for me.  Most of the towns in Transylvania have German names, Hungarian names and Romanian names. I guess that\'s just to keep everyone on their toes.\n<a title=\"Tower  by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7106736031/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7037/7106736031_cfdf6ffa48_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tower \" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nIn fact the Black Church apparently functions in German and the postcard I bought there has a description in English, Romanian and German. Inside the church many of the pews have been painted with flowers and other scenes and German. I didn\'t really hear German being spoken while I was in Brasov but then again I wasn\'t really listening for it. There were a lot of other things to take in.\n<a title=\"Church leader Black church by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962322026/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7067/6962322026_3db911900f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Church leader Black church\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Bran Castle and Brasov','','inherit','open','open','','6572-autosave','','','2012-04-24 05:55:48','2012-04-24 03:55:48','',6572,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/24/6572-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6582,1,'2012-04-25 05:58:54','2012-04-25 03:58:54','Castles?! Right?!\r\n\r\nI doubt that the first thing that comes to mind about Romania has anything to do with castles.  Before this trip, I didn\'t associate Romania with castles either. I was busy thinking about the roads and crazy drivers, big cities and rural stretches, and the post-communist, post-industrial wasteland that was left after the deaths of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena on Christmas Day 1989. <em>Silly me</em>.\r\n<a title=\"Me at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108401141/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7108401141_11ae3a0210_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nRomania has some great castles. Well or at least two great castles. I saw Bran Castle one day and the next we went to Castle Peles. Turns out, Romanians are pretty serious about their castles. Who knew, who knew?!<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962325266/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/6962325266_26b1418239_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nPeles was built between 1875 and 1914. It\'s a large castle built in the Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival style.  Some compare it to to Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany. I\'ve never been to Neuschwanstein but I should probably go.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962329080/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6962329080_58af463826_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Tower close up Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962333740/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7108/6962333740_244375a4a5_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tower close up Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nPeles when it was build was apparently the first castle in Europe to have central heat, elevators and a central vacuuming system. Um, that\'s pretty cool.\r\n\r\nBut I guess that you can do this if your building your castle in 1875. It\'s not exactly old. Sure it\'s old enough but not old like many other castles in Europe are old. <a title=\"Statues in front of the Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334242/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6962334242_0ed57dbf63_z.jpg\" alt=\"Statues in front of the Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Statue at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334548/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/6962334548_59243012b3_z.jpg\" alt=\"Statue at Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThese days, you have to pay for a guided tour if you want to see in the castle. Photos inside the castle cost even more so I stuck to the tour and passed on taking photos. There are a number of tour options and we picked one that would allow us to see all of the main floor and a second smaller residence.\r\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962337530/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/6962337530_a1d163794e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI was really happy with this option. It gave me a sense of the place without being mired down in history or stuck on a bad tour for a long time because really, that\'s the worst.\r\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108409749/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/7108409749_d03e32d4f1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe spent about 45 minutes on the tour and it was just right. I have to say if the outside is beautiful and striking the inside is gorgeous and every detail has been attended to. I was especially impressed by the large Venetian glass mirrors. They of course came all the way from Venice but then were apparently carried through Romania on a horse drawn cart nestled in hay.\r\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962336014/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/6962336014_6548c231b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nI loved everything about Peles. The countryside is dramatic. The castle is breathtaking. The walk up the hill helps build anticipation and the inside of the castle has been well maintained. I felt very luck to have seen the castle in early spring before hoards of tourists descended on the castle.\r\n<a title=\"Stone fruit Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108409323/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7108409323_30e26dae30_z.jpg\" alt=\"Stone fruit Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIt did make me wonder for like 1o seconds why we don\'t have any really great castles in Bulgaria.\r\n\r\nThen I got over that and got back to taking pictures.\r\n<a title=\"In a courtyard Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108405793/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7108405793_e8226332a0_z.jpg\" alt=\"In a courtyard Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Romania and Castles','','publish','open','open','','romania-and-castles','','','2012-04-25 05:58:54','2012-04-25 03:58:54','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6582',0,'post','',8),(6583,1,'2012-04-24 21:38:31','2012-04-24 19:38:31','Castles?! Right?!\n\nI doubt that the first thing that comes to mind about Romania has anything to do with castles.  Before this trip, I didn\'t associate Romania with castles either. I was busy thinking about the roads and crazy drivers, big cities and rural stretches, and the post-communist, post-industrial wasteland that was left after the deaths of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena on Christmas Day 1989. Silly me.\n\nRomania has some great castles. Well or at least two great castles. I saw Bran Castle one day and the next we went to Castle Peles. Turns out, Romanians are pretty serious about their castles. Who knew, who knew?!\n\nPeles was built between 1875 and 1914. It\'s a large castle built in the Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival style.  Some compare it to to Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany. I\'ve never been to Neuschwanstein but I should probably go.\n\nPeles when it was build was apparently the first castle in Europe to have central heat, elevators and a central vacuuming system. Um, that\'s pretty cool.\n\nThese days, you have to pay for a guided tour if you want to see in the castle. Photos inside the castle cost even more so I stuck to the tour and passed on taking photos. There are a number of tour options and we picked one that would allow us to see all of the main floor and a second smaller residence.\n\nI was really happy with this option. It gave me a sense of the place without being mired down in history or stuck on a bad tour for a long time because really, that\'s the worst.\n\nI loved everything about Peles. The countryside is dramatic. The castle is breathtaking. The walk up the hill helps build anticipation and the inside of the castle has been well maintained. I felt very luck to have seen the castle in early spring before hoards of tourists descended on the castle.\n\nIt did make me wonder for like 1o seconds','Romania and Castles','','inherit','open','open','','6582-revision','','','2012-04-24 21:38:31','2012-04-24 19:38:31','',6582,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/24/6582-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6584,1,'2012-04-24 21:39:01','2012-04-24 19:39:01','Castles?! Right?!\r\n\r\nI doubt that the first thing that comes to mind about Romania has anything to do with castles.  Before this trip, I didn\'t associate Romania with castles either. I was busy thinking about the roads and crazy drivers, big cities and rural stretches, and the post-communist, post-industrial wasteland that was left after the deaths of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena on Christmas Day 1989. Silly me.\r\n\r\nRomania has some great castles. Well or at least two great castles. I saw Bran Castle one day and the next we went to Castle Peles. Turns out, Romanians are pretty serious about their castles. Who knew, who knew?!\r\n\r\nPeles was built between 1875 and 1914. It\'s a large castle built in the Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival style.  Some compare it to to Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany. I\'ve never been to Neuschwanstein but I should probably go.\r\n\r\nPeles when it was build was apparently the first castle in Europe to have central heat, elevators and a central vacuuming system. Um, that\'s pretty cool.\r\n\r\nThese days, you have to pay for a guided tour if you want to see in the castle. Photos inside the castle cost even more so I stuck to the tour and passed on taking photos. There are a number of tour options and we picked one that would allow us to see all of the main floor and a second smaller residence.\r\n\r\nI was really happy with this option. It gave me a sense of the place without being mired down in history or stuck on a bad tour for a long time because really, that\'s the worst.\r\n\r\nI loved everything about Peles. The countryside is dramatic. The castle is breathtaking. The walk up the hill helps build anticipation and the inside of the castle has been well maintained. I felt very luck to have seen the castle in early spring before hoards of tourists descended on the castle.\r\n\r\nIt did make me wonder for like 1o seconds why we don\'t have any really great castles in Bulgaria. Then I got over that.','Romania and Castles','','inherit','open','open','','6582-revision-2','','','2012-04-24 21:39:01','2012-04-24 19:39:01','',6582,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/24/6582-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6585,1,'2012-04-25 05:48:26','2012-04-25 03:48:26','Castles?! Right?!\n\nI doubt that the first thing that comes to mind about Romania has anything to do with castles.  Before this trip, I didn\'t associate Romania with castles either. I was busy thinking about the roads and crazy drivers, big cities and rural stretches, and the post-communist, post-industrial wasteland that was left after the deaths of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena on Christmas Day 1989. <em>Silly me</em>.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108401141/\" title=\"Me at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7108401141_11ae3a0210_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Me at Castle Peles\"></a>\nRomania has some great castles. Well or at least two great castles. I saw Bran Castle one day and the next we went to Castle Peles. Turns out, Romanians are pretty serious about their castles. Who knew, who knew?!<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962325266/\" title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/6962325266_26b1418239_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Castle Peles\"></a>\n\nPeles was built between 1875 and 1914. It\'s a large castle built in the Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival style.  Some compare it to to Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany. I\'ve never been to Neuschwanstein but I should probably go.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962329080/\" title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6962329080_58af463826_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Castle Peles\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962333740/\" title=\"Tower close up Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7108/6962333740_244375a4a5_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Tower close up Castle Peles\"></a>\nPeles when it was build was apparently the first castle in Europe to have central heat, elevators and a central vacuuming system. Um, that\'s pretty cool.\n\nThese days, you have to pay for a guided tour if you want to see in the castle. Photos inside the castle cost even more so I stuck to the tour and passed on taking photos. There are a number of tour options and we picked one that would allow us to see all of the main floor and a second smaller residence.\n\nI was really happy with this option. It gave me a sense of the place without being mired down in history or stuck on a bad tour for a long time because really, that\'s the worst.\n\nWe spent about 45 minutes on the tour and it was just right. I have to say if the outside is beautiful and striking the inside is gorgeous and every detail has been attended to. I was especially impressed by the large Venetian glass mirrors. They of course came all the way from Venice but then were apparently carried through Romania on a horse drawn cart nestled in hay.\n\nI loved everything about Peles. The countryside is dramatic. The castle is breathtaking. The walk up the hill helps build anticipation and the inside of the castle has been well maintained. I felt very luck to have seen the castle in early spring before hoards of tourists descended on the castle.\n\nIt did make me wonder for like 1o seconds why we don\'t have any really great castles in Bulgaria. Then I got over that.','Romania and Castles','','inherit','open','open','','6582-revision-3','','','2012-04-25 05:48:26','2012-04-25 03:48:26','',6582,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/25/6582-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6586,1,'2012-04-25 05:49:26','2012-04-25 03:49:26','Castles?! Right?!\n\nI doubt that the first thing that comes to mind about Romania has anything to do with castles.  Before this trip, I didn\'t associate Romania with castles either. I was busy thinking about the roads and crazy drivers, big cities and rural stretches, and the post-communist, post-industrial wasteland that was left after the deaths of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena on Christmas Day 1989. <em>Silly me</em>.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108401141/\" title=\"Me at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7108401141_11ae3a0210_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Me at Castle Peles\"></a>\nRomania has some great castles. Well or at least two great castles. I saw Bran Castle one day and the next we went to Castle Peles. Turns out, Romanians are pretty serious about their castles. Who knew, who knew?!<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962325266/\" title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/6962325266_26b1418239_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Castle Peles\"></a>\n\nPeles was built between 1875 and 1914. It\'s a large castle built in the Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival style.  Some compare it to to Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany. I\'ve never been to Neuschwanstein but I should probably go.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962329080/\" title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6962329080_58af463826_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Castle Peles\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962333740/\" title=\"Tower close up Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7108/6962333740_244375a4a5_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Tower close up Castle Peles\"></a>\nPeles when it was build was apparently the first castle in Europe to have central heat, elevators and a central vacuuming system. Um, that\'s pretty cool.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334242/\" title=\"Statues in front of the Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.static<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334548/\" title=\"Statue at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/6962334548_59243012b3_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Statue at Castle Peles\"></a>flickr.com/7204/6962334242_0ed57dbf63_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Statues in front of the Castle Peles\"></a>\nThese days, you have to pay for a guided tour if you want to see in the castle. Photos inside the castle cost even more so I stuck to the tour and passed on taking photos. There are a number of tour options and we picked one that would allow us to see all of the main floor and a second smaller residence.\n\nI was really happy with this option. It gave me a sense of the place without being mired down in history or stuck on a bad tour for a long time because really, that\'s the worst.\n\nWe spent about 45 minutes on the tour and it was just right. I have to say if the outside is beautiful and striking the inside is gorgeous and every detail has been attended to. I was especially impressed by the large Venetian glass mirrors. They of course came all the way from Venice but then were apparently carried through Romania on a horse drawn cart nestled in hay.\n\nI loved everything about Peles. The countryside is dramatic. The castle is breathtaking. The walk up the hill helps build anticipation and the inside of the castle has been well maintained. I felt very luck to have seen the castle in early spring before hoards of tourists descended on the castle.\n\nIt did make me wonder for like 1o seconds why we don\'t have any really great castles in Bulgaria. Then I got over that.','Romania and Castles','','inherit','open','open','','6582-revision-4','','','2012-04-25 05:49:26','2012-04-25 03:49:26','',6582,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/25/6582-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6587,1,'2012-04-25 05:54:17','2012-04-25 03:54:17','Castles?! Right?!\r\n\r\nI doubt that the first thing that comes to mind about Romania has anything to do with castles.  Before this trip, I didn\'t associate Romania with castles either. I was busy thinking about the roads and crazy drivers, big cities and rural stretches, and the post-communist, post-industrial wasteland that was left after the deaths of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena on Christmas Day 1989. <em>Silly me</em>.\r\n<a title=\"Me at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108401141/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7108401141_11ae3a0210_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nRomania has some great castles. Well or at least two great castles. I saw Bran Castle one day and the next we went to Castle Peles. Turns out, Romanians are pretty serious about their castles. Who knew, who knew?!<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962325266/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/6962325266_26b1418239_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nPeles was built between 1875 and 1914. It\'s a large castle built in the Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival style.  Some compare it to to Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany. I\'ve never been to Neuschwanstein but I should probably go.\r\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962329080/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6962329080_58af463826_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Tower close up Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962333740/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7108/6962333740_244375a4a5_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tower close up Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nPeles when it was build was apparently the first castle in Europe to have central heat, elevators and a central vacuuming system. Um, that\'s pretty cool.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334242/\" title=\"Statues in front of the Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6962334242_0ed57dbf63_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Statues in front of the Castle Peles\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334548/\" title=\"Statue at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/6962334548_59243012b3_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Statue at Castle Peles\"></a>\r\nThese days, you have to pay for a guided tour if you want to see in the castle. Photos inside the castle cost even more so I stuck to the tour and passed on taking photos. There are a number of tour options and we picked one that would allow us to see all of the main floor and a second smaller residence.\r\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962337530/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/6962337530_a1d163794e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI was really happy with this option. It gave me a sense of the place without being mired down in history or stuck on a bad tour for a long time because really, that\'s the worst.\r\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108409749/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/7108409749_d03e32d4f1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nWe spent about 45 minutes on the tour and it was just right. I have to say if the outside is beautiful and striking the inside is gorgeous and every detail has been attended to. I was especially impressed by the large Venetian glass mirrors. They of course came all the way from Venice but then were apparently carried through Romania on a horse drawn cart nestled in hay.\r\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962336014/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/6962336014_6548c231b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n\r\nI loved everything about Peles. The countryside is dramatic. The castle is breathtaking. The walk up the hill helps build anticipation and the inside of the castle has been well maintained. I felt very luck to have seen the castle in early spring before hoards of tourists descended on the castle.\r\n<a title=\"Stone fruit Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108409323/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7108409323_30e26dae30_z.jpg\" alt=\"Stone fruit Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nIt did make me wonder for like 1o seconds why we don\'t have any really great castles in Bulgaria. Then I got over that.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108405793/\" title=\"In a courtyard Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7108405793_e8226332a0_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"In a courtyard Castle Peles\"></a>','Romania and Castles','','inherit','open','open','','6582-revision-5','','','2012-04-25 05:54:17','2012-04-25 03:54:17','',6582,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/25/6582-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6588,1,'2012-04-25 05:58:21','2012-04-25 03:58:21','Castles?! Right?!\n\nI doubt that the first thing that comes to mind about Romania has anything to do with castles.  Before this trip, I didn\'t associate Romania with castles either. I was busy thinking about the roads and crazy drivers, big cities and rural stretches, and the post-communist, post-industrial wasteland that was left after the deaths of Nicolae Ceaușescu and his wife Elena on Christmas Day 1989. <em>Silly me</em>.\n<a title=\"Me at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108401141/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7273/7108401141_11ae3a0210_z.jpg\" alt=\"Me at Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nRomania has some great castles. Well or at least two great castles. I saw Bran Castle one day and the next we went to Castle Peles. Turns out, Romanians are pretty serious about their castles. Who knew, who knew?!<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962325266/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/6962325266_26b1418239_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\nPeles was built between 1875 and 1914. It\'s a large castle built in the Neo-Renaissance and Gothic Revival style.  Some compare it to to Schloss Neuschwanstein in Germany. I\'ve never been to Neuschwanstein but I should probably go.\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962329080/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6962329080_58af463826_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Tower close up Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962333740/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7108/6962333740_244375a4a5_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tower close up Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nPeles when it was build was apparently the first castle in Europe to have central heat, elevators and a central vacuuming system. Um, that\'s pretty cool.\n\nBut I guess that you can do this if your building your castle in 1875. It\'s not exactly old. Sure it\'s old enough but not old like many other castles in Europe are old. <a title=\"Statues in front of the Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334242/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6962334242_0ed57dbf63_z.jpg\" alt=\"Statues in front of the Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Statue at Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962334548/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8020/6962334548_59243012b3_z.jpg\" alt=\"Statue at Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThese days, you have to pay for a guided tour if you want to see in the castle. Photos inside the castle cost even more so I stuck to the tour and passed on taking photos. There are a number of tour options and we picked one that would allow us to see all of the main floor and a second smaller residence.\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962337530/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7222/6962337530_a1d163794e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nI was really happy with this option. It gave me a sense of the place without being mired down in history or stuck on a bad tour for a long time because really, that\'s the worst.\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108409749/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7038/7108409749_d03e32d4f1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nWe spent about 45 minutes on the tour and it was just right. I have to say if the outside is beautiful and striking the inside is gorgeous and every detail has been attended to. I was especially impressed by the large Venetian glass mirrors. They of course came all the way from Venice but then were apparently carried through Romania on a horse drawn cart nestled in hay.\n<a title=\"Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6962336014/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8163/6962336014_6548c231b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n\nI loved everything about Peles. The countryside is dramatic. The castle is breathtaking. The walk up the hill helps build anticipation and the inside of the castle has been well maintained. I felt very luck to have seen the castle in early spring before hoards of tourists descended on the castle.\n<a title=\"Stone fruit Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108409323/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7218/7108409323_30e26dae30_z.jpg\" alt=\"Stone fruit Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nIt did make me wonder for like 1o seconds why we don\'t have any really great castles in Bulgaria.\n\nThen I got over that and got back to taking pictures\n<a title=\"In a courtyard Castle Peles by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7108405793/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7125/7108405793_e8226332a0_z.jpg\" alt=\"In a courtyard Castle Peles\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Romania and Castles','','inherit','open','open','','6582-revision-6','','','2012-04-25 05:58:21','2012-04-25 03:58:21','',6582,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/25/6582-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6590,1,'2012-04-25 21:26:13','2012-04-25 19:26:13','I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa last night. It was intense.\n\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\n\nI\'d been instructed to go for either the pancakes or the waffles. Um okay. I do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description. I dig the pictures. It makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering.\n\nIt was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka) and a small forest fruit waffle. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake. At first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. But when my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small was actually pretty big.\n\nI ate what I could and left the rest behind. Then I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into.\n\nThis morning everything seems like a dream.\n\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream. It seems too good to be true.','Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-revision','','','2012-04-25 21:26:13','2012-04-25 19:26:13','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/25/6589-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6591,1,'2012-04-25 21:30:13','2012-04-25 19:30:13','I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa last night. It was intense.\n\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\n\nI\'d been instructed to go for either the pancakes or the waffles. Um okay. I do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description. I dig the pictures. It makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering.\n\nIt was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka) and a small forest fruit waffle. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake. At first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. But when my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small was actually pretty big.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I ate what I could and left the rest behind. Then I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into.\n\nThis morning everything seems like a dream.\n\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream. It seems too good to be true.','Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-revision-2','','','2012-04-25 21:30:13','2012-04-25 19:30:13','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/25/6589-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6592,1,'2012-04-25 21:31:24','2012-04-25 19:31:24','I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa last night. It was intense.\r\n\r\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Romans\" src=\"http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/8bc8ef0e8f0911e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I\'d been instructed to go for either the pancakes or the waffles. Um okay. I do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description. I dig the pictures. It makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering.\r\n\r\nIt was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka) and a small forest fruit waffle. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake. At first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. But when my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small was actually pretty big.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I ate what I could and left the rest behind. Then I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into.\r\n\r\nThis morning everything seems like a dream.\r\n\r\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream. It seems too good to be true.','Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-revision-3','','','2012-04-25 21:31:24','2012-04-25 19:31:24','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/25/6589-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6593,1,'2012-04-25 21:38:43','2012-04-25 19:38:43','I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa last night. It was intense.\r\n\r\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Romans\" src=\"http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/8bc8ef0e8f0911e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I\'d been instructed to go for either the pancakes or the waffles. Um okay. I do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description.\r\n\r\nI dig the pictures. It makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering. And, when there are too many choices you can also eliminate based on what things look like. This it seems is sometimes the only way to move forward. I don\'t want to spend my whole time worrying about what to order and 9 times out of 10 this method works for me. Sometimes pickles sneak into things I\'d rather not have them in (pizza) but mostly it\'s okay.\r\n\r\nIt was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka), a small forest fruit waffle and a sparkling water. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake.\r\n\r\nAt first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. But when my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small waffle was actually pretty big and had lots of toppings.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I ate what I could and left the rest behind.\r\n\r\nThen I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into.\r\n\r\nThis morning everything seemed like a dream.\r\n\r\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream topped off with shaved almonds.\r\n\r\nIt seems too good to be true.\r\n\r\nThe only way I know it\'s real is because I am still full this morning. Phew.','Desserts at Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-revision-4','','','2012-04-25 21:38:43','2012-04-25 19:38:43','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/25/6589-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6594,1,'2012-04-25 21:39:47','2012-04-25 19:39:47','I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa last night. It was intense.\n\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Romans\" src=\"http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/8bc8ef0e8f0911e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I\'d been instructed to go for either the pancakes or the waffles. Um okay. I do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description.\n\nI dig the pictures. It makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering. And, when there are too many choices you can also eliminate based on what things look like. This it seems is sometimes the only way to move forward. I don\'t want to spend my whole time worrying about what to order and 9 times out of 10 this method works for me. Sometimes pickles sneak into things I\'d rather not have them in (pizza) but mostly it\'s okay.\n\nIt was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka), a small forest fruit waffle and a sparkling water. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake.\n\nAt first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. But when my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small waffle was actually pretty big and had lots of toppings.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I ate what I could and left the rest behind.\n\nThen I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into.\n\nThis morning everything seemed like a dream.\n\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream topped off with shaved almonds.\n\nIt seems too good to be true.\n\nThe only way I know it\'s real is because I am still full this morning. Phew.','Desserts at Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-revision-5','','','2012-04-25 21:39:47','2012-04-25 19:39:47','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/25/6589-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6595,1,'2012-04-25 21:45:48','2012-04-25 19:45:48','I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa last night. It was intense.\n\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Romans\" src=\"http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/8bc8ef0e8f0911e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I\'d been instructed to go for either the pancakes or the waffles. Um okay. I do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description.\n\nI dig the pictures. It makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering. And, when there are too many choices you can also eliminate based on what things look like. This it seems is sometimes the only way to move forward. I don\'t want to spend my whole time worrying about what to order and 9 times out of 10 this method works for me. Sometimes pickles sneak into things I\'d rather not have them in (pizza) but mostly it\'s okay.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Waffles\" src=\"http://distilleryimage5.instagram.com/c6b4ca5c8f0911e1a9f71231382044a1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />It was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka), a small forest fruit waffle and a sparkling water. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake.\n\nAt first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. But when my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small waffle was actually pretty big and had lots of toppings.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I ate what I could and left the rest behind.\n\nThen I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into.\n\nThis morning everything seemed like a dream.\n\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream topped off with shaved almonds.\n\nIt seems too good to be true.\n\nThe only way I know it\'s real is because I am still full this morning. Phew.','Desserts at Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-revision-6','','','2012-04-25 21:45:48','2012-04-25 19:45:48','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/25/6589-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6596,1,'2012-04-25 21:52:22','2012-04-25 19:52:22','I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa last night. It was intense.\r\n\r\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Romans\" src=\"http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/8bc8ef0e8f0911e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I\'d been instructed to go for either the pancakes or the waffles. Um okay. I do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description.\r\n\r\nI dig the pictures. It makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering. And, when there are too many choices you can also eliminate based on what things look like. This it seems is sometimes the only way to move forward. I don\'t want to spend my whole time worrying about what to order and 9 times out of 10 this method works for me. Sometimes pickles sneak into things I\'d rather not have them in (pizza) but mostly it\'s okay.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Waffles\" src=\"http://distilleryimage5.instagram.com/c6b4ca5c8f0911e1a9f71231382044a1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />It was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka), a small forest fruit waffle and a sparkling water. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake.\r\n\r\nAt first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. My pancake wasn\'t too beautiful but it was tasty filled with chicken, mushrooms, corn and a cheese sauce that featured a hint of blue cheese and I assume kashkaval.\r\n\r\nBut when my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small waffle was actually pretty big and had lots of toppings. Frankly, I was intimidated by the waffle. I haven\'t eaten this much dessert in a long, long time.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I gave it my best but ultimately I ate what I could and left the rest behind because really, what\'s a girl to do? I tried. I really did but there was no way I could eat the whole dessert.\r\n\r\nIt did strike me that maybe next time I\'ll just order the waffles and skip over the dinner part. It\'s not like I don\'t have a precedent. In face, sometimes when I was younger my MoM would make and serve breakfast-for-dinner when I was growing up.\r\n\r\nAfterwards, I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into.\r\n\r\nThis morning everything seemed like a dream.\r\n\r\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream topped off with shaved almonds.\r\n\r\nIt seems too good to be true.\r\n\r\nThe only way I know it\'s real is because I am still full this morning. Phew.','Desserts at Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-revision-7','','','2012-04-25 21:52:22','2012-04-25 19:52:22','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/25/6589-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6597,1,'2012-04-26 05:48:10','2012-04-26 03:48:10','Last night I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa  (or near to Bistrits. It was intense.\n\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Romans\" src=\"http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/8bc8ef0e8f0911e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I\'d been instructed to go for either the pancakes or the waffles. Um okay. I do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description.\n\nI dig the pictures. It makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering. And, when there are too many choices you can also eliminate based on what things look like. This it seems is sometimes the only way to move forward. I don\'t want to spend my whole time worrying about what to order and 9 times out of 10 this method works for me. Sometimes pickles sneak into things I\'d rather not have them in (pizza) but mostly it\'s okay.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Waffles\" src=\"http://distilleryimage5.instagram.com/c6b4ca5c8f0911e1a9f71231382044a1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />It was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka), a small forest fruit waffle and a sparkling water. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake.\n\nAt first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. My pancake wasn\'t too beautiful but it was tasty filled with chicken, mushrooms, corn and a cheese sauce that featured a hint of blue cheese and I assume kashkaval.\n\nBut when my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small waffle was actually pretty big and had lots of toppings. Frankly, I was intimidated by the waffle. I haven\'t eaten this much dessert in a long, long time.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I gave it my best but ultimately I ate what I could and left the rest behind because really, what\'s a girl to do? I tried. I really did but there was no way I could eat the whole dessert.\n\nIt did strike me that maybe next time I\'ll just order the waffles and skip over the dinner part. It\'s not like I don\'t have a precedent. In face, sometimes when I was younger my MoM would make and serve breakfast-for-dinner when I was growing up.\n\nAfterwards, I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into.\n\nThis morning everything seemed like a dream.\n\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream topped off with shaved almonds.\n\nIt seems too good to be true.\n\nThe only way I know it\'s real is because I am still full this morning. Phew.','Desserts at Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-revision-8','','','2012-04-26 05:48:10','2012-04-26 03:48:10','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/26/6589-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(6598,1,'2012-04-26 05:49:10','2012-04-26 03:49:10','Last night I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa  (or near to Bistritsa--I never know where one city starts and stops on Vitosha). It was intense.\n\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Romans\" src=\"http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/8bc8ef0e8f0911e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I\'d been instructed to go for either the pancakes or the waffles. Um okay. I do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description.\n\nI dig the pictures. It makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering. And, when there are too many choices you can also eliminate based on what things look like. This it seems is sometimes the only way to move forward. I don\'t want to spend my whole time worrying about what to order and 9 times out of 10 this method works for me. Sometimes pickles sneak into things I\'d rather not have them in (pizza) but mostly it\'s okay.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Waffles\" src=\"http://distilleryimage5.instagram.com/c6b4ca5c8f0911e1a9f71231382044a1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />It was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka), a small forest fruit waffle and a sparkling water. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake.\n\nAt first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. My pancake wasn\'t too beautiful but it was tasty filled with chicken, mushrooms, corn and a cheese sauce that featured a hint of blue cheese and I assume kashkaval.\n\nBut when my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small waffle was actually pretty big and had lots of toppings. Frankly, I was intimidated by the waffle. I haven\'t eaten this much dessert in a long, long time.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I gave it my best but ultimately I ate what I could and left the rest behind because really, what\'s a girl to do? I tried. I really did but there was no way I could eat the whole dessert.\n\nIt did strike me that maybe next time I\'ll just order the waffles and skip over the dinner part. It\'s not like I don\'t have a precedent. In face, sometimes when I was younger my MoM would make and serve breakfast-for-dinner when I was growing up.\n\nAfterwards, I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into.\n\nThis morning everything seemed like a dream.\n\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream topped off with shaved almonds.\n\nIt seems too good to be true.\n\nThe only way I know it\'s real is because I am still full this morning. Phew.','Desserts at Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-revision-9','','','2012-04-26 05:49:10','2012-04-26 03:49:10','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/26/6589-revision-9/',0,'revision','',0),(6599,1,'2012-04-26 06:00:23','2012-04-26 04:00:23','Last night I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa  (or near to Bistritsa--I never know where one city starts and stops on Vitosha). It was intense.\r\n\r\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Romans\" src=\"http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/8bc8ef0e8f0911e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I\'d been instructed to pick either the pancakes or the waffles. Um, okay.\r\n\r\nI do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description.\r\n\r\nI dig pictures. While it\'s not classy and often rather cheesy, it makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering. And, when there are too many choices you can also eliminate based on what things look like. This it seems is sometimes the only way to move forward.\r\n\r\nThe thing is, I don\'t want to spend my whole time worrying about what to order and 9 times out of 10 this method works for me. Sometimes pickles sneak into things I\'d rather not have them in (pizza) but mostly it\'s okay.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Waffles\" src=\"http://distilleryimage5.instagram.com/c6b4ca5c8f0911e1a9f71231382044a1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />It was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka), a small forest fruit waffle and a sparkling water. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake and in the process described this restaurant as the Bulgarian Denny\'s. Not <em>exactly</em> but I get it.\r\n\r\nAt first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. Ha, ha.\r\n\r\nMy pancake wasn\'t too beautiful but it was tasty filled with chicken, mushrooms, corn and a cheese sauce that featured a hint of blue cheese and I assume kashkaval. It was rich and in hindsight maybe I should have ordered a salad. Oh well.\r\n\r\nWhen my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small waffle was actually pretty big and hardly see the actual waffle because of all of the toppings. Frankly, I was intimidated by the waffle. I haven\'t eaten this much dessert in a long, long time.\r\n\r\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I gave it my best but ultimately I ate what I could and left the rest behind because really, what\'s a girl to do? I tried. I really did but there was no way I could eat the whole dessert.\r\n\r\nIt was a sad day in dessert land.\r\n\r\nMaybe next time I\'ll just order the waffles and skip over the dinner part. It\'s not like I don\'t have a precedent. In face, sometimes when I was younger my MoM would make and serve breakfast-for-dinner when I was growing up.\r\n\r\nIn case you\'re wondering, afterwards, I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into. Then I crawled into bed to read.\r\n\r\nThis morning everything seemed like a dream.\r\n\r\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream topped off with shaved almonds.\r\n\r\nIt seems too good to be true.\r\n\r\nThe only way I know it\'s real is because I am still full this morning. Phew.','Desserts at Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-revision-10','','','2012-04-26 06:00:23','2012-04-26 04:00:23','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/26/6589-revision-10/',0,'revision','',0),(6600,1,'2012-04-26 06:03:27','2012-04-26 04:03:27','Last night I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa. Or near to Bistritsa or maybe Simeonovo--I never know where one city starts and stops on Vitosha.\n\nAnyhow it was intense.\n\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Romans\" src=\"http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/8bc8ef0e8f0911e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I\'d been instructed to pick either the pancakes or the waffles. Um, okay.\n\nI do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description.\n\nI dig pictures. While it\'s not classy and often rather cheesy, it makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering. And, when there are too many choices you can also eliminate based on what things look like. This it seems is sometimes the only way to move forward.\n\nThe thing is, I don\'t want to spend my whole time worrying about what to order and 9 times out of 10 this method works for me. Sometimes pickles sneak into things I\'d rather not have them in (pizza) but mostly it\'s okay. I am happy to report that this stragtigy <!--more-->\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Waffles\" src=\"http://distilleryimage5.instagram.com/c6b4ca5c8f0911e1a9f71231382044a1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />It was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka), a small forest fruit waffle and a sparkling water. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake and in the process described this restaurant as the Bulgarian Denny\'s. Not <em>exactly</em> but I get it.\n\nAt first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. Ha, ha.\n\nMy pancake wasn\'t too beautiful but it was tasty filled with chicken, mushrooms, corn and a cheese sauce that featured a hint of blue cheese and I assume kashkaval. It was rich and in hindsight maybe I should have ordered a salad. Oh well.\n\nWhen my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small waffle was actually pretty big and hardly see the actual waffle because of all of the toppings. Frankly, I was intimidated by the waffle. I haven\'t eaten this much dessert in a long, long time.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I gave it my best but ultimately I ate what I could and left the rest behind because really, what\'s a girl to do? I tried. I really did but there was no way I could eat the whole dessert.\n\nIt was a sad day in dessert land.\n\nMaybe next time I\'ll just order the waffles and skip over the dinner part. It\'s not like I don\'t have a precedent. In face, sometimes when I was younger my MoM would make and serve breakfast-for-dinner when I was growing up.\n\nIn case you\'re wondering, afterwards, I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into. Then I crawled into bed to read.\n\nThis morning everything seemed like a dream.\n\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream topped off with shaved almonds.\n\nIt seems too good to be true.\n\nThe only way I know it\'s real is because I am still full this morning. Phew.','Desserts at Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-revision-11','','','2012-04-26 06:03:27','2012-04-26 04:03:27','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/26/6589-revision-11/',0,'revision','',0),(6601,1,'2012-04-26 06:05:06','2012-04-26 04:05:06','Last night I went to the sweet-shop Romans in Bistritsa. Or near to Bistritsa or maybe Simeonovo--I never know where one city starts and stops on Vitosha.\n\nAnyhow it was intense.\n\nApparently this shop has been open since the 1990\'s when it was <em>the</em> place to go. I guess calling it a shop doesn\'t really do it justice. They make cakes and sweets of all varieties and sell them in a three or maybe four story tall restaurant-cafe that overlooks Sofia.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Romans\" src=\"http://distilleryimage4.instagram.com/8bc8ef0e8f0911e1a39b1231381b7ba1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I\'d been instructed to pick either the pancakes or the waffles. Um, okay.\n\nI do have to say that the cakes looked pretty good too. The menu was page after page of desserts. The kind of menu that has both pictures and a written description.\n\nI dig pictures. While it\'s not classy and often rather cheesy, it makes it that much easier to imagine what you\'re ordering. And, when there are too many choices you can also eliminate based on what things look like. This it seems is sometimes the only way to move forward.\n\nThe thing is, I don\'t want to spend my whole time worrying about what to order and 9 times out of 10 this method works for me. Sometimes pickles sneak into things I\'d rather not have them in (pizza) but mostly it\'s okay. I am happy to report that this strategy served me well last night. Maybe too well.<!--more-->\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Waffles\" src=\"http://distilleryimage5.instagram.com/c6b4ca5c8f0911e1a9f71231382044a1_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />It was dinner time-ish when we went so I ordered a savory chicken pancake (think crepe or in Bulgarian палачинка--palachinka), a small forest fruit waffle and a sparkling water. A. ordered a pressed sandwich, the large palachinka with forest fruits and a vanilla milkshake and in the process described this restaurant as the Bulgarian Denny\'s. Not <em>exactly</em> but I get it.\n\nAt first when my savory palachinka arrived I thought: this is okay. It\'s not too much food. Ha, ha.\n\nMy pancake wasn\'t too beautiful but it was tasty filled with chicken, mushrooms, corn and a cheese sauce that featured a hint of blue cheese and I assume kashkaval. It was rich and in hindsight maybe I should have ordered a salad. Oh well.\n\nWhen my dessert waffle appeared I knew that I was doomed. The small waffle was actually pretty big and hardly see the actual waffle because of all of the toppings. Frankly, I was intimidated by the waffle. I haven\'t eaten this much dessert in a long, long time.\n\n<img class=\"alignleft\" title=\"Pancakes\" src=\"http://distilleryimage11.instagram.com/19bb94888f0a11e1b10e123138105d6b_7.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"428\" height=\"428\" />I gave it my best but ultimately I ate what I could and left the rest behind because really, what\'s a girl to do? I tried. I really did but there was no way I could eat the whole dessert.\n\nIt was a sad day in dessert land.\n\nMaybe next time I\'ll just order the waffles and skip over the dinner part. It\'s not like I don\'t have a precedent. In face, sometimes when I was younger my MoM would make and serve breakfast-for-dinner when I was growing up.\n\nIn case you\'re wondering, afterwards, I spent an hour on my couch wondering why I ate so much and bemoaning the sugar comma I was slipping into. Then I crawled into bed to read.\n\nThis morning everything seemed like a dream.\n\nThe waffles and crepes with strawberries, blackberries, raspberries and sour cherries, clouds of whipped cream and even a scoop of ice cream topped off with shaved almonds.\n\nIt seems too good to be true.\n\nThe only way I know it\'s real is because I am still full this morning. Phew.','Desserts at Romans ','','inherit','open','open','','6589-autosave','','','2012-04-26 06:05:06','2012-04-26 04:05:06','',6589,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/26/6589-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6633,1,'2012-05-05 08:40:18','2012-05-05 06:40:18','I am happy to report that after a very long winter everything seems better in May.\r\n\r\nIt\'s been a long time coming.\r\n\r\nTo start with it was actually a long cold winter. The longest, coldest and most snowy that I\'ve ever experienced. Granted that\'s only four winters but that\'s got to count for something. My first winter Bulgaria ran out of natural gas in the middle of winter for something like 10 days to two weeks and let me tell you, that was cold. But this winter was longer and over all colder.\r\n\r\nOn top of this in January I got my first of four different UTIs. In the beginning I thought that it was no big deal and by number three I was pretty freaked out about the whole thing. Not to mention sick. I was really sick for the months of January, February and March but for much of this time I managed to ignore this fact or make excuses for the way that I was feeling.\r\n\r\nFor the record, this wasn\'t my best plan ever but really, who makes good plans when they are sick, sick?! I made of tour of two different Bulgarian hospitals--the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/30/an-afternoon-at-pirogov/\" target=\"_blank\">public emergency hospital Pirogov</a> and the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/02/on-to-takuda-hospital/\" target=\"_blank\">private Japanese run hospital Takuda</a>--and I did a fair amount of crying.\r\n\r\nThen I got my act together. I admitted I was sick and I gave myself a break.\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n\r\nFor the month of April, I\'ve been taking two different kinds of medicine and in five days I\'ll be completely done with the course of medicine. Fingers crossed, that everything is okay. It\'s been a long two months without coffee (well caffeine actually) and alcohol. I don\'t miss the alcohol but I do miss the coffee. A lot.\r\n\r\nIt\'s been especially hard in the mornings in my building on campus because I have to walk by Onda on my way to my classroom. I adore the smell of coffee in the morning. I also love the routine of buying a coffee and getting my day started. So it was difficult for me to recalibrate my day. I\'ve managed but it hasn\'t been fun.\r\n\r\nIn the meantime, I\'ve been drinking herbal tea with honey. This, however, is a poor substitute for coffee. Luckily, I can start introducing coffee again when I\'ve finished up my medicine. Hip-hip-horay!\r\n\r\nThe thing that I\'m most excited about is the fact that I am thisclose to being caught up with my grading. I fell painfully behind when I was sick and I\'ve found it incredibly hard to dig myself out from under it. I couldn\'t be happier about the fact that I am nearly caught up.\r\n\r\nI don\'t like being behind and as such the grading has been weighing me down both physically and emotionally. I\'ve spent a lot of time feeling guilty about it but recently there haven\'t been enough hours in the day to teach, to plan lessons, to grade and to sleep. This week though was the turning point and I am so relieved.\r\n\r\nGiven the craziness of my health and school, I\'ve also found it difficult to keep up with blogging. For a while, I wondered if my blogging had run its course and maybe I was over blogging, maybe I was done with it. It felt much more like a chore than anything else.\r\n\r\nSo I didn\'t blog as much and I spent some time reconsidering this whole thing. I\'ve been blogging almost everyday for four years. That\'s a lot. This said, I am really glad that I didn\'t make any major decisions about the blog while I was sick. Recently I\'ve even found myself contemplating a revival of my currently dead tumblr blog in Bulgarian. Crazy, huna?\r\n\r\nLast but not least, this past week in yoga my toes seemed much closer than <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/27/at-yoga/\" target=\"_blank\">they did the week before</a>. <em>Phew</em>.\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, it\'s nice to be on the mend. And I for one am glad that May is here.','Everything seems better in May ','','publish','open','open','','everything-seems-better-in-may','','','2012-05-05 08:40:18','2012-05-05 06:40:18','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6633',0,'post','',0),(6603,1,'2012-04-27 06:04:11','2012-04-27 04:04:11','Yesterday I went to yoga. I try to go every week. Frankly, sometimes this is easier to manage than other times. I feel kind of bad writing this given the fact that yoga is at 5pm on Thursdays at school. All I have to do is remember to bring my yoga clothes to school, change into them and go. It\'s the going part that has been hard recently.\r\n\r\nWe had spring break. I\'ve been sick. Class has been canceled a few times.\r\n\r\nAnyhow I made it to class this week. I felt as good as one can after not practicing yoga for three-plus weeks. My toes felt further away than I remember. My hips felt tighter than normal. I had a harder time focusing my breathing and quieting my mind.\r\n\r\nI had a really hard time quieting my mind. I like to talk a lot which doesn\'t help and on top of this, today my mind was racing.\r\n\r\nThis happens sometimes.  It\'s frustrating but I\'ve learned to just go with it. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nI was worrying about grading. Dreaming about nachos. After all, next week is our 3rd annual Nacho Competition among international teachers at school and I desperately want to win this year. Wondering if my toes are actually further away. Maybe I\'ve grown. Thinking about what I need to pack for Macedonia. Trying not to forget to charge my phone. I\'ve been out of credit for more than a week. Recently I wrote to a friend to call me at 4pm because I can\'t currently make them but I can accept calls.\r\n\r\nThen I started wondering if I couldn\'t touch my toes because I am almost 31. (What?! Where does a thought like that even come from?! <em>Really</em>.)  Maybe everything is harder because I am getting older. What if I\'ve reach a point where my toes are never going to get closer to me?\r\n\r\nNeedless to say, it\'s none to easy to keep your focus or your balance when crazy ideas are racing through your read. I tried to shut them out. To no avail. I kept coming back to the fact that I am almost 31. It\'s neither helpful nor useful.\r\n\r\nYour toes don\'t get closer, your suitcase doesn\'t get packed, your homework doesn\'t grade itself, dinner doesn\'t get made nor does your phone get recharged. I just couldn\'t stop thinking that 31 is kind of a funny number. Luckily I have 20+ days to make peace with this idea.','At Yoga','','publish','open','open','','at-yoga','','','2012-04-26 20:27:55','2012-04-26 18:27:55','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6603',0,'post','',6),(6604,1,'2012-04-26 20:25:15','2012-04-26 18:25:15','Yesterday I went to yoga. I try to go every week. Frankly, sometimes this is easier to manage than other times. I feel kind of bad writing this given the fact that yoga is at 5pm on Thursdays at school. All I have to do is remember to bring my yoga clothes to school, change into them and go. It\'s the going part that has been hard recently.\n\nWe had spring break. I\'ve been sick. Class has been canceled a few times.\n\nAnyhow I made it to class this week. I felt as good as one can after not practicing yoga for three-plus weeks. My toes felt further away than I remember. My hips felt tighter than normal. I had a harder time focusing my breathing and quieting my mind.\n\nI had a really hard time quieting my mind. I like to talk a lot which doesn\'t help and on top of this, today my mind was racing.\n\nThis happens sometimes. <!--more-->\n\nI was worrying about grading. Dreaming about nachos. After all, next week is our 3rd annual Nacho Competition among international teachers at school and I desperately want to win this year. Wondering if my toes are actually further away. Maybe I\'ve grown. Thinking about what I need to pack for Macedonia. Trying not to forget to charge my phone. I\'ve been out of credit for more than a week. Recently I wrote to a friend to call me at 4pm because I can\'t currently make them but I can accept calls.\n\nThen I started wondering if I couldn\'t touch my toes because I am almost 31. Maybe everything is harder because I am getting older. What if I\'ve reach a point where my toes are never going to get closer to me?\n\nNeedless to say, it\'s none to easy to keep your focus or your balance when crazy ideas are racing through your read. I tried to shut them out. To no avail. I kept coming back to the fact that I am almost 31. It\'s neither helpful nor useful.\n\nYour toes don\'t get closer, your suitcase doesn\'t get packed, your homework doesn\'t grade itself, dinner doesn\'t get made nor does your phone get recharged. I just couldn\'t stop thinking that 31 is kind of a funny number. Luckily I have 20+ days to make peace with this idea.','At Yoga','','inherit','open','open','','6603-revision','','','2012-04-26 20:25:15','2012-04-26 18:25:15','',6603,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/26/6603-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6605,1,'2012-04-26 20:26:15','2012-04-26 18:26:15','Yesterday I went to yoga. I try to go every week. Frankly, sometimes this is easier to manage than other times. I feel kind of bad writing this given the fact that yoga is at 5pm on Thursdays at school. All I have to do is remember to bring my yoga clothes to school, change into them and go. It\'s the going part that has been hard recently.\n\nWe had spring break. I\'ve been sick. Class has been canceled a few times.\n\nAnyhow I made it to class this week. I felt as good as one can after not practicing yoga for three-plus weeks. My toes felt further away than I remember. My hips felt tighter than normal. I had a harder time focusing my breathing and quieting my mind.\n\nI had a really hard time quieting my mind. I like to talk a lot which doesn\'t help and on top of this, today my mind was racing.\n\nThis happens sometimes.  It\'s frustrating but I\'ve learned to just go with it. <!--more-->\n\nI was worrying about grading. Dreaming about nachos. After all, next week is our 3rd annual Nacho Competition among international teachers at school and I desperately want to win this year. Wondering if my toes are actually further away. Maybe I\'ve grown. Thinking about what I need to pack for Macedonia. Trying not to forget to charge my phone. I\'ve been out of credit for more than a week. Recently I wrote to a friend to call me at 4pm because I can\'t currently make them but I can accept calls.\n\nThen I started wondering if I couldn\'t touch my toes because I am almost 31. Maybe everything is harder because I am getting older. What if I\'ve reach a point where my toes are never going to get closer to me?\n\nNeedless to say, it\'s none to easy to keep your focus or your balance when crazy ideas are racing through your read. I tried to shut them out. To no avail. I kept coming back to the fact that I am almost 31. It\'s neither helpful nor useful.\n\nYour toes don\'t get closer, your suitcase doesn\'t get packed, your homework doesn\'t grade itself, dinner doesn\'t get made nor does your phone get recharged. I just couldn\'t stop thinking that 31 is kind of a funny number. Luckily I have 20+ days to make peace with this idea.','At Yoga','','inherit','open','open','','6603-revision-2','','','2012-04-26 20:26:15','2012-04-26 18:26:15','',6603,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/26/6603-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6606,1,'2012-04-28 06:18:38','2012-04-28 04:18:38','I am heading to Macedonia in about an hour. Yep, I am not even done posting about spring break in Romania and I am already heading off on another adventure.\r\n\r\nThe First of May is a holiday here in Bulgaria and because it\'s a Tuesday the government has given us along weekend. Thanks Bulgaria. Of course nothing is free so Bulgarians worked last Saturday to make up for this upcoming Monday which they get off. I didn\'t have to work on Saturday so that was nice.\r\n\r\nIf you\'re a long time reader you\'ll remember that I\'ve been to Macedonia not <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/01/14/skopje-and-lake-ohrid-macedonia/?preview=true&amp;preview_id=1851&amp;preview_nonce=5cd73b846b\" target=\"_blank\">once</a> but twice (the second time I was suffering from a little case of food poisoning--thanks Kosovo). So you may wonder why I am going again. Well, the basic reason is this: I like it and it\'s close. And that\'s enough for me.\r\n\r\nLong or short, I hope that you have a great weekend!!','Off to Macedonia ','','publish','open','open','','off-to-macedonia','','','2012-04-28 06:18:38','2012-04-28 04:18:38','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6606',0,'post','',1),(6607,1,'2012-04-28 06:01:48','2012-04-28 04:01:48','<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09190.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1870\" title=\"Clock in Skopje\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09190.jpg?w=225\" alt=\"The Clock in Skopje\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nNumber 21 on the NYT <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/travel/10places.html?em\">31 Places to go in 2010</a> is Macedonia specifically Lake Ohrid.  I was really excited to see this show up on the list.  Bulgaria didn\'t make the list but maybe next year. Fingers crossed.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1854\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"550\" caption=\"A street in old town Skopje\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3682.jpg\"><img class=\" wp-image-1854 \" title=\"Old town Skopje\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nIt reminded me of a great trip I took this last spring/early summer to Macedonia.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1860\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"550\" caption=\"Me in Macedonia\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09358.jpg\"><img class=\" wp-image-1860 \" title=\"Me in Macedonia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09358.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nMy friend D. and I went together for a long weekend in June. We took the bus from Sofia to Skopje and spent a day there and then we went from Skopje to Lake Ohrid.  It was easy-peasy.  Which is good because that\'s how I prefer my travel to be--easy-peasy.<!--more-->\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1857\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"550\" caption=\"A Glimpse of Lake Ohrid\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09370.jpg\"><img class=\" wp-image-1857 \" title=\"A Glimpse of Lake Ohrid \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09370.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nDowntown Skopje wasn\'t so different feeling than Sofia. The streets and the sidewalks seem a little bit wider than in downtown Sofia.  I don\'t know this for sure but I  have a hunch that it must have to do with the fact that Skopje suffered a pretty serious earthquake in the 1960\'s.  The building as a whole feel pretty communist--concrete, shades of grey everywhere you turn, glass windows, balconies with laundry hanging in the wind and buildings with pealing paint.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1861\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"550\" caption=\"Church of Saint Panteleimon\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09400.jpg\"><img class=\" wp-image-1861 \" title=\"Church of Saint Panteleimon\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI liked it.  But I kind of like the underdog which is why I think I liked Skopje.  I liked the old town, I liked the modern newer section of town and I liked the clock tower that stopped at the hour of the earthquake and is still standing.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1863\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"550\" caption=\"Dinner on the lake\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09445.jpg\"><img class=\" wp-image-1863 \" title=\"Dinner on the lake \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09445.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nLake Ohrid however has a pretty serious leg-up on Skopje.  It\'s beautiful. Really beautiful. I don\' t thing the NYT blurb does it justice.\n\nThe town is a maze of little streets, churches, restaurants, shops and bars. The lake however overwhelms the town. It\'s vast and the scene is dramatic.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1865\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"550\" caption=\"Me on the boat ride home\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3800.jpg\"><img class=\" wp-image-1865 \" title=\"Me on the boat ride home\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWe ate dinner one night on the lake. Everything had been caught fresh and the owner cooked the food as we watched.  Fresh fish, wine, a salad and dessert on the lake in June.  There\'s not much better than that.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1866\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"550\" caption=\"Lake Ohrid at Night\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3804.jpg\"><img class=\" wp-image-1866 \" title=\"Lake Ohrid at Night \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3804.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWe spoke Bulgarian with the owner--his restaurant was clearly a family affair--and he spoke Macedonian in response. He laughed at us a little bit but we got through it.  FYI: for those who don\'t live in the Balkans Bulgarian and Macedonian are considered very similar languages.  This was a nice thing for us. Then after dinner the owner gave us a ride home on his little motorboat.  Um, wow.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1869\" align=\"alignnone\" width=\"550\" caption=\"Lovely, lovely Lake Ohrid\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3854.jpg\"><img class=\" wp-image-1869 \" title=\"Lovely, lovely Lake Ohrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3854.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"550\" height=\"413\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nOf course time makes the memories a little bit sweeter, a little less crisp, and the frustrations fall apart. And as I am beginning to learn a trip in the Balkans never goes off completely without a hitch.  Ours was that at the border we spent a couple of hours at the border Macedonian-Bulgarian border on our way home sitting on the side of the road waiting for our turn.  The good thing? Well, the weather was beautiful and someone was selling ice cream cones.','Skopje and Lake Ohrid, Macedonia','','inherit','open','open','','1851-autosave','','','2012-04-28 06:01:48','2012-04-28 04:01:48','',1851,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/28/1851-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6608,1,'2010-01-14 07:54:20','2010-01-14 04:54:20','<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09190.jpg\"><img class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1870\" title=\"Clock in Skopje\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09190.jpg?w=225\" alt=\"The Clock in Skopje\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" /></a>\n\nNumber 21 on the NYT <a href=\"http://www.nytimes.com/2010/01/10/travel/10places.html?em\">31 Places to go in 2010</a> is Macedonia specifically Lake Ohrid.  I was really excited to see this show up on the list.  Bulgaria didn\'t make the list but maybe next year. Fingers crossed.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1854\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"A street in old town Skopje\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3682.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1854\" title=\"Old town Skopje\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3682.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nIt reminded me of a great trip I took this last spring/early summer to Macedonia.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1860\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Me in Macedonia\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09358.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1860\" title=\"Me in Macedonia \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09358.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nMy friend D. and I went together for a long weekend in June. We took the bus from Sofia to Skopje and spent a day there and then we went from Skopje to Lake Ohrid.  It was easy-peasy.  Which is good because that\'s how I prefer my travel to be--easy-peasy.<!--more-->\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1857\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"A Glimpse of Lake Ohrid \"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09370.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1857\" title=\"A Glimpse of Lake Ohrid \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09370.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nDowntown Skopje wasn\'t so different feeling than Sofia. The streets and the sidewalks seem a little bit wider than in downtown Sofia.  I don\'t know this for sure but I  have a hunch that it must have to do with the fact that Skopje suffered a pretty serious earthquake in the 1960\'s.  The building as a whole feel pretty communist--concrete, shades of grey everywhere you turn, glass windows, balconies with laundry hanging in the wind and buildings with pealing paint.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1861\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Church of Saint Panteleimon\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09400.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1861\" title=\"Church of Saint Panteleimon\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09400.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nI liked it.  But I kind of like the underdog which is why I think I liked Skopje.  I liked the old town, I liked the modern newer section of town and I liked the clock tower that stopped at the hour of the earthquake and is still standing.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1863\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Dinner on the lake\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09445.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1863\" title=\"Dinner on the lake \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/dsc09445.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nLake Ohrid however has a pretty serious leg-up on Skopje.  It\'s beautiful. Really beautiful. I don\' t thing the NYT blurb does it justice.\n\nThe town is a maze of little streets, churches, restaurants, shops and bars. The lake however overwhelms the town. It\'s vast and the scene is dramatic.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1865\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Me on the boat ride home\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3800.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1865\" title=\"Me on the boat ride home\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3800.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWe ate dinner one night on the lake. Everything had been caught fresh and the owner cooked the food as we watched.  Fresh fish, wine, a salad and dessert on the lake in June.  There\'s not much better than that.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1866\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Lake Ohrid at Night\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3804.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1866\" title=\"Lake Ohrid at Night \" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3804.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nWe spoke Bulgarian with the owner--his restaurant was clearly a family affair--and he spoke Macedonian in response. He laughed at us a little bit but we got through it.  FYI: for those who don\'t live in the Balkans Bulgarian and Macedonian are considered very similar languages.  This was a nice thing for us. Then after dinner the owner gave us a ride home on his little motorboat.  Um, wow.\n\n[caption id=\"attachment_1869\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"500\" caption=\"Lovely, lovely Lake Ohrid\"]<a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3854.jpg\"><img class=\"size-full wp-image-1869\" title=\"Lovely, lovely Lake Ohrid\" src=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/01/cimg3854.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" /></a>[/caption]\n\nOf course time makes the memories a little bit sweeter, a little less crisp, and the frustrations fall apart. And as I am beginning to learn a trip in the Balkans never goes off completely without a hitch.  Ours was that at the border we spent a couple of hours at the border Macedonian-Bulgarian border on our way home sitting on the side of the road waiting for our turn.  The good thing? Well, the weather was beautiful and someone was selling ice cream cones.','Skopje and Lake Ohrid, Macedonia','','inherit','open','open','','1851-revision','','','2010-01-14 07:54:20','2010-01-14 04:54:20','',1851,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/01/14/1851-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6609,1,'2012-04-28 06:18:15','2012-04-28 04:18:15','I am heading to Macedonia in about an hour. Yep, I am not even done posting about spring break in Romania and I am already heading off on another adventure.\n\nThe First of May is a holiday here in Bulgaria and because it\'s a Tuesday the government has given us along weekend. Thanks Bulgaria. Of course nothing is free so Bulgarians worked last Saturday to make up for this upcoming Monday which they get off. I didn\'t have to work on Saturday so that was nice.\n\nIf you\'re a long time reader you\'ll remember that I\'ve been to Macedonia not <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/01/14/skopje-and-lake-ohrid-macedonia/?preview=true&amp;preview_id=1851&amp;preview_nonce=5cd73b846b\" target=\"_blank\">once</a> but twice (the second time I was suffering from a little case of food poisoning--thanks Kosovo). So you may wonder why I am going again. Well, the basic reason is this: I like it and it\'s close. And that\'s enough for me.\n\nLong or short, I hope that you have a great weekend!!','Off to Macedonia ','','inherit','open','open','','6606-revision','','','2012-04-28 06:18:15','2012-04-28 04:18:15','',6606,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/28/6606-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6610,1,'2012-04-28 07:02:43','2012-04-28 05:02:43','I am heading to Macedonia in about an hour. Yep, I am not even done posting about spring break in Romania and I am already heading off on another adventure.\n\nThe First of May is a holiday here in Bulgaria and because it\'s a Tuesday the government has given us along weekend. Thanks Bulgaria. Of course nothing is free so Bulgarians worked last Saturday to make up for this upcoming Monday which they get off. I didn\'t have to work on Saturday so that was nice.\n\nIf you\'re a long time reader you\'ll remember that I\'ve been to Macedonia not <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/01/14/skopje-and-lake-ohrid-macedonia/?preview=true&amp;preview_id=1851&amp;preview_nonce=5cd73b846b\" target=\"_blank\">once</a> but twice (the second time I was suffering from a little case of food poisoning--thanks Kosovo). So you may wonder why I am going again. Well, the basic reason is this: I like it and it\'s close. And that\'s enough for me.\n\nLong or short, I hope that you have a great weekend!!','Off to Macedonia ','','inherit','open','open','','6606-autosave','','','2012-04-28 07:02:43','2012-04-28 05:02:43','',6606,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/28/6606-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6611,1,'2012-05-01 20:32:40','2012-05-01 18:32:40','This year Cinco de  Mayo falls on a Saturday. Now I wont be going to Mexico to celebrate nor will I be hitting up a Mexican restaurant in Sofia now that <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/12/05/sofias-taqueria/\" target=\"_blank\">Taqueria has closed</a> but I will be participating in Sofia\'s Third Annual Nacho Competition. That\'s right the third annual competition.\r\n\r\nLast year we had <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/05/01/nacho-party/\" target=\"_blank\">a grand-old time</a>. I expect this year will be no different. The only thing that I hope will be different is that instead of earning an honorable mention for my nachos, I\'d like to win first place.\r\n\r\nThat\'s why I am stepping my nachos up to a whole new level.\r\n\r\nFirst thing first, I roped in two nacho consultants. My old roommates, dear friends, food lovers and serious meat eaters N. and S. <!--more-->\r\n\r\nThese guys love meat and cooking so much that one year when I asked to have a birthday turkey-fry in the middle of May they jumped right on board and we invited all of our friends to the fry party. The invitations encouraged everyone to bring something t fry dishes included: french fries, onion rings, pickles, green beans, oreos and twinkies to name a few. We fried food, drank beer and had a fantastic time.\r\n\r\nI figured that if these two couldn\'t help me come up with a winning nacho no one could. Luckily even State-side these two jumped at the opportunity to help me.\r\n\r\nNext I told them that this was my year. I was abandoning clever and creative to focus my energies on making a serious nacho. They asked me what I thought made the previous winners stand out. I told them: flavor.\r\n\r\nA flurry of emails later I was convinced that we were on to something great. While I wouldn\'t be making my own chips because I can\'t get my hands on any corn tortillas here in Bulgaria, I can do a lot of other things. So I am going to make my own meat rub.  I\'ll slow cook meat for 4 or so hours. I plan on putting together a creamy cheese sauce. And I\'ll dice up everything I need for homemade salsa.\r\n\r\nSo today when I got back to Sofia after spending the long weekend Skopje and Ohrid, I went to Billa. I had nachos on my mind.\r\n\r\nFor the record, I also had to pick up some groceries and toilet paper. I figured that I\'d buy chips and avocados now. The chips because it seems that Hit is no longer carrying plain tortilla chips and I figured that I need to stock up and the avocados because I wanted to make sure that they were ripe enough for my nachos on Saturday. Much to my dismay there were no avocados.\r\n\r\nI also figured that I could check out the meat. I need some pork ribs to slow cook. I basically never buy meat in Bulgaria because I don\'t cook meat at home.  This is mostly because in my life before Bulgaria, I was a vegetarian for almost four years. Now I eat meat out in restaurants or in other people\'s homes.\r\n\r\nThis said, I haven\'t spent a lot of time peering into the cooler cases at Billa. There\'s a lot of meat there. By in large I can tell pork from chicken but I know nothing about cuts of meat. At Billa, I was surprised to find that the pork ribs didn\'t jump out at me. I figured that I\'d know them when I saw them.\r\n\r\nOnly I didn\'t see them. Or I didn\'t see what I expected to see--this happens sometimes in foreign countries. I found what I thought might be pork ribs but then I figured why buy what you think <em>might</em> be right if you can come back the next day and buy the right thing?!\r\n\r\nSo I came home and looked up ribs on google translate: ребра (rebra). I emailed N. to ask him to send me a <a href=\"http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/pork_cuts.html\" target=\"_blank\">picture of uncooked pork ribs</a> (see the orange box along the side). I never imagined that I\'d have to ask a friend for this. Luckily, he\'s crazy about food and responded right away. To confirm, I tweeted the question and the link out to my loyal readers. The answer came back: ребра. Hum. Maybe I should have looked this up before I went to the store. <em>Oh well</em>. Now I know.\r\n\r\nToday begins my five day quest for a winning nacho dish. Wish me luck!','Cinco de Mayo is in 5 days','','publish','open','open','','cinco-de-mayo-is-in-5-days','','','2012-05-01 20:32:40','2012-05-01 18:32:40','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6611',0,'post','',1),(6612,1,'2012-05-01 20:32:09','2012-05-01 18:32:09','This year Cinco de  Mayo falls on a Saturday. Now I wont be going to Mexico to celebrate nor will I be hitting up a Mexican restaurant in Sofia now that <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/12/05/sofias-taqueria/\" target=\"_blank\">Taqueria has closed</a> but I will be participating in Sofia\'s Third Annual Nacho Competition. That\'s right the third annual competition.\n\nLast year we had <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/05/01/nacho-party/\" target=\"_blank\">a grand-old time</a>. I expect this year will be no different. The only thing that I hope will be different is that instead of earning an honorable mention for my nachos, I\'d like to win first place.\n\nThat\'s why I am stepping my nachos up to a whole new level.\n\nFirst thing first, I roped in two nacho consultants. My old roommates, dear friends, food lovers and serious meat eaters N. and S.\n\nThese guys love meat and cooking so much that one year when I asked to have a birthday turkey-fry in the middle of May they jumped right on board and we invited all of our friends to the fry party. The invitations encouraged everyone to bring something t fry dishes included: french fries, onion rings, pickles, green beans, oreos and twinkies to name a few. We fried food, drank beer and had a fantastic time.\n\nI figured that if these two couldn\'t help me come up with a winning nacho no one could. Luckily even State-side these two jumped at the opportunity to help me.\n\nNext I told them that this was my year. I was abandoning clever and creative to focus my energies on making a serious nacho. They asked me what I thought made the previous winners stand out. I told them: flavor.\n\nA flurry of emails later I was convinced that we were on to something great. While I wouldn\'t be making my own chips because I can\'t get my hands on any corn tortillas here in Bulgaria, I can do a lot of other things. So I am going to make my own meat rub.  I\'ll slow cook meat for 4 or so hours. I plan on putting together a creamy cheese sauce. And I\'ll dice up everything I need for homemade salsa.\n\nSo today when I got back to Sofia after spending the long weekend Skopje and Ohrid, I went to Billa. I had nachos on my mind.\n\nFor the record, I also had to pick up some groceries and toilet paper. I figured that I\'d buy chips and avocados now. The chips because it seems that Hit is no longer carrying plain tortilla chips and I figured that I need to stock up and the avocados because I wanted to make sure that they were ripe enough for my nachos on Saturday. Much to my dismay there were no avocados.\n\nI also figured that I could check out the meat. I need some pork ribs to slow cook. I basically never buy meat in Bulgaria because I don\'t cook meat at home.  This is mostly because in my life before Bulgaria, I was a vegetarian for almost four years. Now I eat meat out in restaurants or in other people\'s homes.\n\nThis said, I haven\'t spent a lot of time peering into the cooler cases at Billa. There\'s a lot of meat there. By in large I can tell pork from chicken but I know nothing about cuts of meat. At Billa, I was surprised to find that the pork ribs didn\'t jump out at me. I figured that I\'d know them when I saw them.\n\nOnly I didn\'t see them. Or I didn\'t see what I expected to see--this happens sometimes in foreign countries. I found what I thought might be pork ribs but then I figured why buy what you think <em>might</em> be right if you can come back the next day and buy the right thing?!\n\nSo I came home and looked up ribs on google translate: ребра (rebra). I emailed N. to ask him to send me a <a href=\"http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/pork_cuts.html\" target=\"_blank\">picture of uncooked pork ribs</a> (see the orange box along the side). I never imagined that I\'d have to ask a friend for this. Luckily, he\'s crazy about food and responded right away. To confirm, I tweeted the question and the link out to my loyal readers. The answer came back: ребра. Hum. Maybe I should have looked this up before I went to the store. <em>Oh well</em>. Now I know.\n\nToday begins my five day quest for a winning nacho dish.','Cinco de Mayo is in 5 days','','inherit','open','open','','6611-revision','','','2012-05-01 20:32:09','2012-05-01 18:32:09','',6611,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/01/6611-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6613,1,'2012-05-01 20:33:47','2012-05-01 18:33:47','This year Cinco de  Mayo falls on a Saturday. Now I wont be going to Mexico to celebrate nor will I be hitting up a Mexican restaurant in Sofia now that <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2010/12/05/sofias-taqueria/\" target=\"_blank\">Taqueria has closed</a> but I will be participating in Sofia\'s Third Annual Nacho Competition. That\'s right the third annual competition.\n\nLast year we had <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/05/01/nacho-party/\" target=\"_blank\">a grand-old time</a>. I expect this year will be no different. The only thing that I hope will be different is that instead of earning an honorable mention for my nachos, I\'d like to win first place.\n\nThat\'s why I am stepping my nachos up to a whole new level.\n\nFirst thing first, I roped in two nacho consultants. My old roommates, dear friends, food lovers and serious meat eaters N. and S. <!--more-->\n\nThese guys love meat and cooking so much that one year when I asked to have a birthday turkey-fry in the middle of May they jumped right on board and we invited all of our friends to the fry party. The invitations encouraged everyone to bring something t fry dishes included: french fries, onion rings, pickles, green beans, oreos and twinkies to name a few. We fried food, drank beer and had a fantastic time.\n\nI figured that if these two couldn\'t help me come up with a winning nacho no one could. Luckily even State-side these two jumped at the opportunity to help me.\n\nNext I told them that this was my year. I was abandoning clever and creative to focus my energies on making a serious nacho. They asked me what I thought made the previous winners stand out. I told them: flavor.\n\nA flurry of emails later I was convinced that we were on to something great. While I wouldn\'t be making my own chips because I can\'t get my hands on any corn tortillas here in Bulgaria, I can do a lot of other things. So I am going to make my own meat rub.  I\'ll slow cook meat for 4 or so hours. I plan on putting together a creamy cheese sauce. And I\'ll dice up everything I need for homemade salsa.\n\nSo today when I got back to Sofia after spending the long weekend Skopje and Ohrid, I went to Billa. I had nachos on my mind.\n\nFor the record, I also had to pick up some groceries and toilet paper. I figured that I\'d buy chips and avocados now. The chips because it seems that Hit is no longer carrying plain tortilla chips and I figured that I need to stock up and the avocados because I wanted to make sure that they were ripe enough for my nachos on Saturday. Much to my dismay there were no avocados.\n\nI also figured that I could check out the meat. I need some pork ribs to slow cook. I basically never buy meat in Bulgaria because I don\'t cook meat at home.  This is mostly because in my life before Bulgaria, I was a vegetarian for almost four years. Now I eat meat out in restaurants or in other people\'s homes.\n\nThis said, I haven\'t spent a lot of time peering into the cooler cases at Billa. There\'s a lot of meat there. By in large I can tell pork from chicken but I know nothing about cuts of meat. At Billa, I was surprised to find that the pork ribs didn\'t jump out at me. I figured that I\'d know them when I saw them.\n\nOnly I didn\'t see them. Or I didn\'t see what I expected to see--this happens sometimes in foreign countries. I found what I thought might be pork ribs but then I figured why buy what you think <em>might</em> be right if you can come back the next day and buy the right thing?!\n\nSo I came home and looked up ribs on google translate: ребра (rebra). I emailed N. to ask him to send me a <a href=\"http://www.amazingribs.com/recipes/porknography/pork_cuts.html\" target=\"_blank\">picture of uncooked pork ribs</a> (see the orange box along the side). I never imagined that I\'d have to ask a friend for this. Luckily, he\'s crazy about food and responded right away. To confirm, I tweeted the question and the link out to my loyal readers. The answer came back: ребра. Hum. Maybe I should have looked this up before I went to the store. <em>Oh well</em>. Now I know.\n\nToday begins my five day quest for a winning nacho dish. Wish me luck!','Cinco de Mayo is in 5 days','','inherit','open','open','','6611-autosave','','','2012-05-01 20:33:47','2012-05-01 18:33:47','',6611,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/01/6611-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6614,1,'2012-05-02 20:59:09','2012-05-02 18:59:09','On Saturday morning, I got up bright and early to drive to Skopje, Macedonia with some friends. We rented a car and decided to explore the country. Macedonia is really the perfect destination for a long weekend. In this case, a four day weekend.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"The flag in the wind by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159971/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7136159971_6f279221a1_z.jpg\" alt=\"The flag in the wind\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>The thing about Macedonia is that it\'s kind of like Bulgaria but not. The kind of speak the language but not (hi there: sirenje and rakija). The country kind of looks like Bulgaria but not. The sidewalks are kind of like Sofia\'s but not. And to really confuse matters you can also get shopska salad and french fries with cheese in Macedonia.\r\n\r\nWe left Sofia about 9am, spent an hour at the boarder and then we were in Skopje by early afternoon. It\'s not a very long drive nor is it very difficult. Sure the roads in a few places aren\'t great but we\'re in the Balkans after all. Once in Skopje we spent a little bit of time driving around the city lost-ish and looking for our hotel but these things are to be expected in a new city.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136145197/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7136145197_4ff8caa4ee_z.jpg\" alt=\"Skopje\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Walking the streets of Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158347/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7136158347_fd417a3814_z.jpg\" alt=\"Walking the streets of Skopje\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe weather this past weekend throughout the Balkans was wonderful. Skopje was amazing. The sun was shinning and it was hot out. I\'d been wearing jeans and a t-shirt in the car but once in Skopje I decided that I could no longer wear jeans and that I had to wear the single dress that I\'d packed. It was hot. I also spread on a layer of sunscreen and dug out my sunglasses. These things are important when you are as white as I am and you\'ve spent most of winter covered up.\r\n<a title=\"In front of the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158923/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7136158923_8f0cddcea1_z.jpg\" alt=\"In front of the fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159341/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/7136159341_6aae96532b_z.jpg\" alt=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSkopje is a wonderful city to wander around in. We walked down Makedonija Street towards Ploshtad Makedonija where there is a giant new fountain/statue combo in the middle of the city square. According to one taxi driver, the new addition cost 12 million Euro. It\'s a pretty serious fountain.\r\n\r\nIt might, just might, be a little over the top. There\'s a lot happening: a statue at the top, lions around the base, fierce men around the column with weapons and plenty of water features. The Macedonians know how to build a fountain that\'s for sure.\r\n<a title=\"Skopje\'s new fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136153017/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7136153017_c9ed88d632_z.jpg\" alt=\"Skopje\'s new fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Amigos Mexican food by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990073244/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6990073244_8effdae4a0_z.jpg\" alt=\"Amigos Mexican food\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nBut before we actually got to Ploshtad Makedonija we stopped at Amigos the Mexican restaurant for lunch and a beer. Yep, for anyone following along at home--Skopje has their own Mexican restaurant but Sofia does not.\r\n\r\nSo like all good expats we hit up the Mexican restaurant. Then like all good expats we debated the various merits of the food and then found ourselves wondering if our standards were falling the more time we spent out of the States or if the Mexican food in Skopje was actually pretty decent. We decided it was the second.\r\n<a title=\"Mexican food for lunch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136155807/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7136155807_2fe117c5a7_z.jpg\" alt=\"Mexican food for lunch\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThis lead to us daydreaming about a Mexican restaurant in Sofia. From here we let our imaginations run wild with visions of corn tortillas and dreams of winning the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/01/cinco-de-mayo-is-in-5-days/\" target=\"_blank\">upcoming nacho competition</a>. Yes, I\'ve been thinking a lot about Tex-Mex recently. I am not sure what this says about me but I do know what the first meal is that I want to eat upon returning to the States: taco truck.\r\n<a title=\"Mosque in the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136146841/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7136146841_d36831fe94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Mosque in the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter lunch we wandered some more. Emphasis on wandering. Slowly.\r\n\r\nWe took pictures with the new fountain. We took pictures on the Stone Bridge. We popped into a church Sevit Dimitrija and took pitcutres of Daud Pasha Baths--which apparently used to be one of the Balkans largest Turkish bath. We zig-zagged through the old town and after an hour or two found a nice place outside to settle in for an afternoon beer.\r\n<a title=\"Exploring old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990059630/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/6990059630_0869a54236_z.jpg\" alt=\"Exploring old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Stone bridge by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136142053/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7136142053_3ffb689885_z.jpg\" alt=\"Stone bridge\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThis afternoon beer lead us back to the hotel for a serious nap before dinner and that\'s what great about being on holiday. You can take a nap whenever you want. And you know what? We took serious advantage of this rule because really there\'s no point in going on holiday if you can relax when you want to.\r\n<a title=\"Fort by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136148799/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7136148799_5e72a9612e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Fort\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Spring time in Skopje','','publish','open','open','','spring-time-in-skopje','','','2012-05-02 20:59:09','2012-05-02 18:59:09','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6614',0,'post','',1),(6615,1,'2012-05-02 20:18:29','2012-05-02 18:18:29','On Saturday morning, I got up bright and early to drive to Skopje, Macedonia. Macedonia is the perfect destination for a long weekend. In this case, a four day weekend.\n\nWe left Sofia about 9am, spent an hour at the boarder and then we were in Skopje by early afternoon. We spent a little bit of time driving around the city lost-ish and looking for our hotel but these things are to be expected in a new city.\n\nThe weather in Skopje was amazing. I\'d been wearing jeans and a t-shirt in the car but once in Skopje I decided that I had to wear the single dress that I\'d packed. It was hot. I also spread on a layer of sunscreen. These things are important when you are as white as I am.\n\nSkopje is a wonderful city to wander around in. We walked down Makedonija Street towards Ploshtad Makedonija where there is a giant new fountain/statue combo in the middle of the city square. According to one taxi driver, the new addition cost 12 million Euro. It\'s a pretty serious fountain.\n\nBut before we actually got to Ploshtad Makedonija we stopped at Amigos the Mexican restaurant for lunch and a beer. Yep, for anyone following along at home--Skopje has their own Mexican restaurant but Sofia does not. So like all good expats we hit up the Mexican restaurant. Then like all good expats we debated the various merits of the food and then found ourselves wondering if our standards were falling the more time we spent out of the States or if the Mexican food in Skopje was actually pretty decent. We decided it was the second.\n\nThis lead to us daydreaming about corn tortillas and the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/01/cinco-de-mayo-is-in-5-days/\" target=\"_blank\">upcoming nacho competition</a>. Yes, I\'ve been thinking a lot about nachos recently.\n\nAfter lunch we wandered some more. We took pictures with the new fountain. We took pictures on the Stone Bridge. We popped into a church Sevit Dimitrija and took pitcutres of Daud Pasha Baths--which apparently used to be one of the Balkans largest Turkish bath. We zig-zagged through the old town and found a nice place outside to settle in for an afternoon beer.\n\nThis afternoon beer lead us back to the hotel for a serious nap before dinner and that\'s what great about being on ho','Spring time in Skopje','','inherit','open','open','','6614-revision','','','2012-05-02 20:18:29','2012-05-02 18:18:29','',6614,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/02/6614-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6616,1,'2012-05-02 20:38:51','2012-05-02 18:38:51','On Saturday morning, I got up bright and early to drive to Skopje, Macedonia. Macedonia is the perfect destination for a long weekend. In this case, a four day weekend.\n\nWe left Sofia about 9am, spent an hour at the boarder and then we were in Skopje by early afternoon. We spent a little bit of time driving around the city lost-ish and looking for our hotel but these things are to be expected in a new city.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136145197/\" title=\"Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7136145197_4ff8caa4ee_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Skopje\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158347/\" title=\"Walking the streets of Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7136158347_fd417a3814_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Walking the streets of Skopje\"></a>\nThe weather in Skopje was amazing. I\'d been wearing jeans and a t-shirt in the car but once in Skopje I decided that I had to wear the single dress that I\'d packed. It was hot. I also spread on a layer of sunscreen. These things are important when you are as white as I am.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158923/\" title=\"In front of the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7136158923_8f0cddcea1_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"In front of the fountain\"></a>\nSkopje is a wonderful city to wander around in. We walked down Makedonija Street towards Ploshtad Makedonija where there is a giant new fountain/statue combo in the middle of the city square. According to one taxi driver, the new addition cost 12 million Euro. It\'s a pretty serious fountain.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136153017/\" title=\"Skopje\'s new fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7136153017_c9ed88d632_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Skopje\'s new fountain\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990073244/\" title=\"Amigos Mexican food by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6990073244_8effdae4a0_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Amigos Mexican food\"></a>\nBut before we actually got to Ploshtad Makedonija we stopped at Amigos the Mexican restaurant for lunch and a beer. Yep, for anyone following along at home--Skopje has their own Mexican restaurant but Sofia does not. So like all good expats we hit up the Mexican restaurant. Then like all good expats we debated the various merits of the food and then found ourselves wondering if our standards were falling the more time we spent out of the States or if the Mexican food in Skopje was actually pretty decent. We decided it was the second.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136155807/\" title=\"Mexican food for lunch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7136155807_2fe117c5a7_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Mexican food for lunch\"></a>\nThis lead to us daydreaming about corn tortillas and the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/01/cinco-de-mayo-is-in-5-days/\" target=\"_blank\">upcoming nacho competition</a>. Yes, I\'ve been thinking a lot about nachos recently.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136146841/\" title=\"Mosque in the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7136146841_d36831fe94_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Mosque in the old town\"></a>\nAfter lunch we wandered some more. We took pictures with the new fountain. We took pictures on the Stone Bridge. We popped into a church Sevit Dimitrija and took pitcutres of Daud Pasha Baths--which apparently used to be one of the Balkans largest Turkish bath. We zig-zagged through the old town and found a nice place outside to settle in for an afternoon beer.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990059630/\" title=\"Exploring old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/6990059630_0869a54236_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Exploring old town\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136142053/\" title=\"Stone bridge by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7136142053_3ffb689885_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Stone bridge\"></a>\nThis afternoon beer lead us back to the hotel for a serious nap before dinner and that\'s what great about being on holiday. You can take a nap whenever you want.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136148799/\" title=\"Fort by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7136148799_5e72a9612e_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Fort\"></a>','Spring time in Skopje','','inherit','open','open','','6614-revision-2','','','2012-05-02 20:38:51','2012-05-02 18:38:51','',6614,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/02/6614-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6617,1,'2012-05-02 20:39:09','2012-05-02 18:39:09','On Saturday morning, I got up bright and early to drive to Skopje, Macedonia. Macedonia is the perfect destination for a long weekend. In this case, a four day weekend.\r\n\r\nWe left Sofia about 9am, spent an hour at the boarder and then we were in Skopje by early afternoon. We spent a little bit of time driving around the city lost-ish and looking for our hotel but these things are to be expected in a new city.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136145197/\" title=\"Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7136145197_4ff8caa4ee_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Skopje\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158347/\" title=\"Walking the streets of Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7136158347_fd417a3814_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Walking the streets of Skopje\"></a>\r\nThe weather in Skopje was amazing. I\'d been wearing jeans and a t-shirt in the car but once in Skopje I decided that I had to wear the single dress that I\'d packed. It was hot. I also spread on a layer of sunscreen. These things are important when you are as white as I am.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158923/\" title=\"In front of the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7136158923_8f0cddcea1_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"In front of the fountain\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159341/\" title=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/7136159341_6aae96532b_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain\"></a>\r\nSkopje is a wonderful city to wander around in. We walked down Makedonija Street towards Ploshtad Makedonija where there is a giant new fountain/statue combo in the middle of the city square. According to one taxi driver, the new addition cost 12 million Euro. It\'s a pretty serious fountain.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136153017/\" title=\"Skopje\'s new fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7136153017_c9ed88d632_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Skopje\'s new fountain\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990073244/\" title=\"Amigos Mexican food by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6990073244_8effdae4a0_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Amigos Mexican food\"></a>\r\nBut before we actually got to Ploshtad Makedonija we stopped at Amigos the Mexican restaurant for lunch and a beer. Yep, for anyone following along at home--Skopje has their own Mexican restaurant but Sofia does not. So like all good expats we hit up the Mexican restaurant. Then like all good expats we debated the various merits of the food and then found ourselves wondering if our standards were falling the more time we spent out of the States or if the Mexican food in Skopje was actually pretty decent. We decided it was the second.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136155807/\" title=\"Mexican food for lunch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7136155807_2fe117c5a7_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Mexican food for lunch\"></a>\r\nThis lead to us daydreaming about corn tortillas and the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/01/cinco-de-mayo-is-in-5-days/\" target=\"_blank\">upcoming nacho competition</a>. Yes, I\'ve been thinking a lot about nachos recently.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136146841/\" title=\"Mosque in the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7136146841_d36831fe94_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Mosque in the old town\"></a>\r\nAfter lunch we wandered some more. We took pictures with the new fountain. We took pictures on the Stone Bridge. We popped into a church Sevit Dimitrija and took pitcutres of Daud Pasha Baths--which apparently used to be one of the Balkans largest Turkish bath. We zig-zagged through the old town and found a nice place outside to settle in for an afternoon beer.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990059630/\" title=\"Exploring old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/6990059630_0869a54236_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Exploring old town\"></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136142053/\" title=\"Stone bridge by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7136142053_3ffb689885_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Stone bridge\"></a>\r\nThis afternoon beer lead us back to the hotel for a serious nap before dinner and that\'s what great about being on holiday. You can take a nap whenever you want.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136148799/\" title=\"Fort by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7136148799_5e72a9612e_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Fort\"></a>','Spring time in Skopje','','inherit','open','open','','6614-revision-3','','','2012-05-02 20:39:09','2012-05-02 18:39:09','',6614,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/02/6614-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6618,1,'2012-05-02 20:44:14','2012-05-02 18:44:14','On Saturday morning, I got up bright and early to drive to Skopje, Macedonia. Macedonia is the perfect destination for a long weekend. In this case, a four day weekend.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159971/\" title=\"The flag in the wind by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7136159971_6f279221a1_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"The flag in the wind\"></a>\n\nWe left Sofia about 9am, spent an hour at the boarder and then we were in Skopje by early afternoon. It\'s not a very long drive nor is it very difficult. Sure the roads in a few places aren\'t great but we\'re in the Balkans after all. Once in Skopje we spent a little bit of time driving around the city lost-ish and looking for our hotel but these things are to be expected in a new city.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136145197/\" title=\"Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7136145197_4ff8caa4ee_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Skopje\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158347/\" title=\"Walking the streets of Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7136158347_fd417a3814_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Walking the streets of Skopje\"></a>\nThe weather in Skopje was amazing. I\'d been wearing jeans and a t-shirt in the car but once in Skopje I decided that I had to wear the single dress that I\'d packed. It was hot. I also spread on a layer of sunscreen and dug out my sunglasses. These things are important when you are as white as I am.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158923/\" title=\"In front of the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7136158923_8f0cddcea1_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"In front of the fountain\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159341/\" title=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/7136159341_6aae96532b_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain\"></a>\nSkopje is a wonderful city to wander around in. We walked down Makedonija Street towards Ploshtad Makedonija where there is a giant new fountain/statue combo in the middle of the city square. According to one taxi driver, the new addition cost 12 million Euro. It\'s a pretty serious fountain.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136153017/\" title=\"Skopje\'s new fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7136153017_c9ed88d632_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Skopje\'s new fountain\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990073244/\" title=\"Amigos Mexican food by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6990073244_8effdae4a0_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Amigos Mexican food\"></a>\nBut before we actually got to Ploshtad Makedonija we stopped at Amigos the Mexican restaurant for lunch and a beer. Yep, for anyone following along at home--Skopje has their own Mexican restaurant but Sofia does not. So like all good expats we hit up the Mexican restaurant. Then like all good expats we debated the various merits of the food and then found ourselves wondering if our standards were falling the more time we spent out of the States or if the Mexican food in Skopje was actually pretty decent. We decided it was the second.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136155807/\" title=\"Mexican food for lunch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7136155807_2fe117c5a7_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Mexican food for lunch\"></a>\nThis lead to us daydreaming about a Mexican restaurant in Sofia. From here we let our imaginations run wild with visions of corn tortillas and dreams of winning the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/01/cinco-de-mayo-is-in-5-days/\" target=\"_blank\">upcoming nacho competition</a>. Yes, I\'ve been thinking a lot about Tex-Mex recently.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136146841/\" title=\"Mosque in the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7136146841_d36831fe94_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Mosque in the old town\"></a>\nAfter lunch we wandered some more. We took pictures with the new fountain. We took pictures on the Stone Bridge. We popped into a church Sevit Dimitrija and took pitcutres of Daud Pasha Baths--which apparently used to be one of the Balkans largest Turkish bath. We zig-zagged through the old town and found a nice place outside to settle in for an afternoon beer.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990059630/\" title=\"Exploring old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/6990059630_0869a54236_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Exploring old town\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136142053/\" title=\"Stone bridge by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7136142053_3ffb689885_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Stone bridge\"></a>\nThis afternoon beer lead us back to the hotel for a serious nap before dinner and that\'s what great about being on holiday. You can take a nap whenever you want.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136148799/\" title=\"Fort by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7136148799_5e72a9612e_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Fort\"></a>','Spring time in Skopje','','inherit','open','open','','6614-revision-4','','','2012-05-02 20:44:14','2012-05-02 18:44:14','',6614,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/02/6614-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6619,1,'2012-05-02 20:45:14','2012-05-02 18:45:14','On Saturday morning, I got up bright and early to drive to Skopje, Macedonia. Macedonia is the perfect destination for a long weekend. In this case, a four day weekend.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159971/\" title=\"The flag in the wind by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7136159971_6f279221a1_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"The flag in the wind\"></a>\n\nWe left Sofia about 9am, spent an hour at the boarder and then we were in Skopje by early afternoon. It\'s not a very long drive nor is it very difficult. Sure the roads in a few places aren\'t great but we\'re in the Balkans after all. Once in Skopje we spent a little bit of time driving around the city lost-ish and looking for our hotel but these things are to be expected in a new city.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136145197/\" title=\"Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7136145197_4ff8caa4ee_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Skopje\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158347/\" title=\"Walking the streets of Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7136158347_fd417a3814_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Walking the streets of Skopje\"></a>\nThe weather in Skopje was amazing. I\'d been wearing jeans and a t-shirt in the car but once in Skopje I decided that I had to wear the single dress that I\'d packed. It was hot. I also spread on a layer of sunscreen and dug out my sunglasses. These things are important when you are as white as I am.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158923/\" title=\"In front of the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7136158923_8f0cddcea1_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"In front of the fountain\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159341/\" title=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/7136159341_6aae96532b_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain\"></a>\nSkopje is a wonderful city to wander around in. We walked down Makedonija Street towards Ploshtad Makedonija where there is a giant new fountain/statue combo in the middle of the city square. According to one taxi driver, the new addition cost 12 million Euro. It\'s a pretty serious fountain.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136153017/\" title=\"Skopje\'s new fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7136153017_c9ed88d632_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Skopje\'s new fountain\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990073244/\" title=\"Amigos Mexican food by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6990073244_8effdae4a0_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Amigos Mexican food\"></a>\nBut before we actually got to Ploshtad Makedonija we stopped at Amigos the Mexican restaurant for lunch and a beer. Yep, for anyone following along at home--Skopje has their own Mexican restaurant but Sofia does not. So like all good expats we hit up the Mexican restaurant. Then like all good expats we debated the various merits of the food and then found ourselves wondering if our standards were falling the more time we spent out of the States or if the Mexican food in Skopje was actually pretty decent. We decided it was the second.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136155807/\" title=\"Mexican food for lunch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7136155807_2fe117c5a7_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Mexican food for lunch\"></a>\nThis lead to us daydreaming about a Mexican restaurant in Sofia. From here we let our imaginations run wild with visions of corn tortillas and dreams of winning the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/01/cinco-de-mayo-is-in-5-days/\" target=\"_blank\">upcoming nacho competition</a>. Yes, I\'ve been thinking a lot about Tex-Mex recently.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136146841/\" title=\"Mosque in the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7136146841_d36831fe94_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Mosque in the old town\"></a>\nAfter lunch we wandered some more. We took pictures with the new fountain. We took pictures on the Stone Bridge. We popped into a church Sevit Dimitrija and took pitcutres of Daud Pasha Baths--which apparently used to be one of the Balkans largest Turkish bath. We zig-zagged through the old town and found a nice place outside to settle in for an afternoon beer.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990059630/\" title=\"Exploring old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/6990059630_0869a54236_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Exploring old town\"></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136142053/\" title=\"Stone bridge by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7136142053_3ffb689885_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Stone bridge\"></a>\nThis afternoon beer lead us back to the hotel for a serious nap before dinner and that\'s what great about being on holiday. You can take a nap whenever you want.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136157097/\" title=\"Skopje man-hole cover by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7071/7136157097_5768d8fd46_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Skopje man-hole cover\"></a><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136148799/\" title=\"Fort by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7136148799_5e72a9612e_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Fort\"></a>','Spring time in Skopje','','inherit','open','open','','6614-revision-5','','','2012-05-02 20:45:14','2012-05-02 18:45:14','',6614,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/02/6614-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6620,1,'2012-05-02 20:56:49','2012-05-02 18:56:49','On Saturday morning, I got up bright and early to drive to Skopje, Macedonia with some friends. We rented a car and decided to explore the country. Macedonia is really the perfect destination for a long weekend. In this case, a four day weekend.\r\n\r\n<a title=\"The flag in the wind by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159971/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7136159971_6f279221a1_z.jpg\" alt=\"The flag in the wind\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>The thing about Macedonia is that it\'s kind of like Bulgaria but not. The kind of speak the language but not (hi there: sirenje and rakija). The country kind of looks like Bulgaria but not. The sidewalks are kind of like Sofia\'s but not. And to really confuse matters you can also get shopska salad and french fries with cheese in Macedonia.\r\n\r\nWe left Sofia about 9am, spent an hour at the boarder and then we were in Skopje by early afternoon. It\'s not a very long drive nor is it very difficult. Sure the roads in a few places aren\'t great but we\'re in the Balkans after all. Once in Skopje we spent a little bit of time driving around the city lost-ish and looking for our hotel but these things are to be expected in a new city.<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136145197/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7136145197_4ff8caa4ee_z.jpg\" alt=\"Skopje\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Walking the streets of Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158347/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7136158347_fd417a3814_z.jpg\" alt=\"Walking the streets of Skopje\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe weather this past weekend throughout the Balkans was wonderful. Skopje was amazing. The sun was shinning and it was hot out. I\'d been wearing jeans and a t-shirt in the car but once in Skopje I decided that I could no longer wear jeans and that I had to wear the single dress that I\'d packed. It was hot. I also spread on a layer of sunscreen and dug out my sunglasses. These things are important when you are as white as I am and you\'ve spent most of winter covered up.\r\n<a title=\"In front of the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158923/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7136158923_8f0cddcea1_z.jpg\" alt=\"In front of the fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159341/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/7136159341_6aae96532b_z.jpg\" alt=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSkopje is a wonderful city to wander around in. We walked down Makedonija Street towards Ploshtad Makedonija where there is a giant new fountain/statue combo in the middle of the city square. According to one taxi driver, the new addition cost 12 million Euro. It\'s a pretty serious fountain.\r\n\r\nIt might, just might, be a little over the top. There\'s a lot happening: a statue at the top, lions around the base, fierce men around the column with weapons and plenty of water features. The Macedonians know how to build a fountain that\'s for sure.\r\n<a title=\"Skopje\'s new fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136153017/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7136153017_c9ed88d632_z.jpg\" alt=\"Skopje\'s new fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Amigos Mexican food by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990073244/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6990073244_8effdae4a0_z.jpg\" alt=\"Amigos Mexican food\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nBut before we actually got to Ploshtad Makedonija we stopped at Amigos the Mexican restaurant for lunch and a beer. Yep, for anyone following along at home--Skopje has their own Mexican restaurant but Sofia does not.\r\n\r\nSo like all good expats we hit up the Mexican restaurant. Then like all good expats we debated the various merits of the food and then found ourselves wondering if our standards were falling the more time we spent out of the States or if the Mexican food in Skopje was actually pretty decent. We decided it was the second.\r\n<a title=\"Mexican food for lunch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136155807/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7136155807_2fe117c5a7_z.jpg\" alt=\"Mexican food for lunch\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThis lead to us daydreaming about a Mexican restaurant in Sofia. From here we let our imaginations run wild with visions of corn tortillas and dreams of winning the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/01/cinco-de-mayo-is-in-5-days/\" target=\"_blank\">upcoming nacho competition</a>. Yes, I\'ve been thinking a lot about Tex-Mex recently. I am not sure what this says about me but I do know what the first meal is that I want to eat upon returning to the States: taco truck.\r\n<a title=\"Mosque in the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136146841/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7136146841_d36831fe94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Mosque in the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter lunch we wandered some more. Emphasis on wandering. Slowly.\r\n\r\nWe took pictures with the new fountain. We took pictures on the Stone Bridge. We popped into a church Sevit Dimitrija and took pitcutres of Daud Pasha Baths--which apparently used to be one of the Balkans largest Turkish bath. We zig-zagged through the old town and after an hour or two found a nice place outside to settle in for an afternoon beer.\r\n<a title=\"Exploring old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990059630/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/6990059630_0869a54236_z.jpg\" alt=\"Exploring old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Stone bridge by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136142053/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7136142053_3ffb689885_z.jpg\" alt=\"Stone bridge\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThis afternoon beer lead us back to the hotel for a serious nap before dinner and that\'s what great about being on holiday. You can take a nap whenever you want.<a title=\"Skopje man-hole cover by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136157097/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7071/7136157097_5768d8fd46_z.jpg\" alt=\"Skopje man-hole cover\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Fort by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136148799/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7136148799_5e72a9612e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Fort\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Spring time in Skopje','','inherit','open','open','','6614-revision-6','','','2012-05-02 20:56:49','2012-05-02 18:56:49','',6614,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/02/6614-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6621,1,'2012-05-02 20:58:52','2012-05-02 18:58:52','On Saturday morning, I got up bright and early to drive to Skopje, Macedonia with some friends. We rented a car and decided to explore the country. Macedonia is really the perfect destination for a long weekend. In this case, a four day weekend.\n\n<a title=\"The flag in the wind by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159971/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7136159971_6f279221a1_z.jpg\" alt=\"The flag in the wind\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>The thing about Macedonia is that it\'s kind of like Bulgaria but not. The kind of speak the language but not (hi there: sirenje and rakija). The country kind of looks like Bulgaria but not. The sidewalks are kind of like Sofia\'s but not. And to really confuse matters you can also get shopska salad and french fries with cheese in Macedonia.\n\nWe left Sofia about 9am, spent an hour at the boarder and then we were in Skopje by early afternoon. It\'s not a very long drive nor is it very difficult. Sure the roads in a few places aren\'t great but we\'re in the Balkans after all. Once in Skopje we spent a little bit of time driving around the city lost-ish and looking for our hotel but these things are to be expected in a new city.<!--more-->\n<a title=\"Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136145197/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7136145197_4ff8caa4ee_z.jpg\" alt=\"Skopje\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Walking the streets of Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158347/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7136158347_fd417a3814_z.jpg\" alt=\"Walking the streets of Skopje\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe weather this past weekend throughout the Balkans was wonderful. Skopje was amazing. The sun was shinning and it was hot out. I\'d been wearing jeans and a t-shirt in the car but once in Skopje I decided that I could no longer wear jeans and that I had to wear the single dress that I\'d packed. It was hot. I also spread on a layer of sunscreen and dug out my sunglasses. These things are important when you are as white as I am and you\'ve spent most of winter covered up.\n<a title=\"In front of the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158923/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7136158923_8f0cddcea1_z.jpg\" alt=\"In front of the fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159341/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/7136159341_6aae96532b_z.jpg\" alt=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nSkopje is a wonderful city to wander around in. We walked down Makedonija Street towards Ploshtad Makedonija where there is a giant new fountain/statue combo in the middle of the city square. According to one taxi driver, the new addition cost 12 million Euro. It\'s a pretty serious fountain.\n\nIt might, just might, be a little over the top. There\'s a lot happening: a statue at the top, lions around the base, fierce men around the column with weapons and plenty of water features. The Macedonians know how to build a fountain that\'s for sure.\n<a title=\"Skopje\'s new fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136153017/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7136153017_c9ed88d632_z.jpg\" alt=\"Skopje\'s new fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Amigos Mexican food by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990073244/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6990073244_8effdae4a0_z.jpg\" alt=\"Amigos Mexican food\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nBut before we actually got to Ploshtad Makedonija we stopped at Amigos the Mexican restaurant for lunch and a beer. Yep, for anyone following along at home--Skopje has their own Mexican restaurant but Sofia does not.\n\nSo like all good expats we hit up the Mexican restaurant. Then like all good expats we debated the various merits of the food and then found ourselves wondering if our standards were falling the more time we spent out of the States or if the Mexican food in Skopje was actually pretty decent. We decided it was the second.\n<a title=\"Mexican food for lunch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136155807/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7136155807_2fe117c5a7_z.jpg\" alt=\"Mexican food for lunch\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThis lead to us daydreaming about a Mexican restaurant in Sofia. From here we let our imaginations run wild with visions of corn tortillas and dreams of winning the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/01/cinco-de-mayo-is-in-5-days/\" target=\"_blank\">upcoming nacho competition</a>. Yes, I\'ve been thinking a lot about Tex-Mex recently. I am not sure what this says about me but I do know what the first meal is that I want to eat upon returning to the States: taco truck.\n<a title=\"Mosque in the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136146841/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7136146841_d36831fe94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Mosque in the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAfter lunch we wandered some more. Emphasis on wandering. Slowly.\n\nWe took pictures with the new fountain. We took pictures on the Stone Bridge. We popped into a church Sevit Dimitrija and took pitcutres of Daud Pasha Baths--which apparently used to be one of the Balkans largest Turkish bath. We zig-zagged through the old town and after an hour or two found a nice place outside to settle in for an afternoon beer.\n<a title=\"Exploring old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990059630/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/6990059630_0869a54236_z.jpg\" alt=\"Exploring old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Stone bridge by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136142053/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7136142053_3ffb689885_z.jpg\" alt=\"Stone bridge\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThis afternoon beer lead us back to the hotel for a serious nap before dinner and that\'s what great about being on holiday. You can take a nap whenever you want. And you know what? We took serious advantage of this rule because really there\'s no point in going on holiday if you can relax when you want to.\n<a title=\"Fort by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136148799/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7136148799_5e72a9612e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Fort\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Spring time in Skopje','','inherit','open','open','','6614-revision-7','','','2012-05-02 20:58:52','2012-05-02 18:58:52','',6614,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/02/6614-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6622,1,'2012-05-03 05:36:40','2012-05-03 03:36:40','On Saturday morning, I got up bright and early to drive to Skopje, Macedonia with some friends. We rented a car and decided to explore the country. Macedonia is really the perfect destination for a long weekend. In this case, a four day weekend.\n\n<a title=\"The flag in the wind by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159971/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7081/7136159971_6f279221a1_z.jpg\" alt=\"The flag in the wind\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>The thing about Macedonia is that it\'s kind of like Bulgaria but not. The kind of speak the language but not (hi there: sirenje and rakija). The country kind of looks like Bulgaria but not. The sidewalks are kind of like Sofia\'s but not. And to really confuse matters you can also get shopska salad and french fries with cheese in Macedonia.\n\nWe left Sofia about 9am, spent an hour at the boarder and then we were in Skopje by early afternoon. It\'s not a very long drive nor is it very difficult. Sure the roads in a few places aren\'t great but we\'re in the Balkans after all. Once in Skopje we spent a little bit of time driving around the city lost-ish and looking for our hotel but these things are to be expected in a new city.<!--more-->\n<a title=\"Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136145197/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7085/7136145197_4ff8caa4ee_z.jpg\" alt=\"Skopje\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Walking the streets of Skopje by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158347/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7267/7136158347_fd417a3814_z.jpg\" alt=\"Walking the streets of Skopje\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe weather this past weekend throughout the Balkans was wonderful. Skopje was amazing. The sun was shinning and it was hot out. I\'d been wearing jeans and a t-shirt in the car but once in Skopje I decided that I could no longer wear jeans and that I had to wear the single dress that I\'d packed. It was hot. I also spread on a layer of sunscreen and dug out my sunglasses. These things are important when you are as white as I am and you\'ve spent most of winter covered up.\n<a title=\"In front of the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136158923/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8151/7136158923_8f0cddcea1_z.jpg\" alt=\"In front of the fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136159341/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7186/7136159341_6aae96532b_z.jpg\" alt=\"Alexandar the Great and the fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nSkopje is a wonderful city to wander around in. We walked down Makedonija Street towards Ploshtad Makedonija where there is a giant new fountain/statue combo in the middle of the city square. According to one taxi driver, the new addition cost 12 million Euro. It\'s a pretty serious fountain.\n\nIt might, just might, be a little over the top. There\'s a lot happening: a statue at the top, lions around the base, fierce men around the column with weapons and plenty of water features. The Macedonians know how to build a fountain that\'s for sure.\n<a title=\"Skopje\'s new fountain by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136153017/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7107/7136153017_c9ed88d632_z.jpg\" alt=\"Skopje\'s new fountain\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Amigos Mexican food by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990073244/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7074/6990073244_8effdae4a0_z.jpg\" alt=\"Amigos Mexican food\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nBut before we actually got to Ploshtad Makedonija we stopped at Amigos the Mexican restaurant for lunch and a beer. Yep, for anyone following along at home--Skopje has their own Mexican restaurant but Sofia does not.\n\nSo like all good expats we hit up the Mexican restaurant. Then like all good expats we debated the various merits of the food and then found ourselves wondering if our standards were falling the more time we spent out of the States or if the Mexican food in Skopje was actually pretty decent. We decided it was the second.\n<a title=\"Mexican food for lunch by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136155807/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7137/7136155807_2fe117c5a7_z.jpg\" alt=\"Mexican food for lunch\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThis lead to us daydreaming about a Mexican restaurant in Sofia. From here we let our imaginations run wild with visions of corn tortillas and dreams of winning the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/01/cinco-de-mayo-is-in-5-days/\" target=\"_blank\">upcoming nacho competition</a>. Yes, I\'ve been thinking a lot about Tex-Mex recently. I am not sure what this says about me but I do know what the first meal is that I want to eat upon returning to the States: taco truck.\n<a title=\"Mosque in the old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136146841/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7136146841_d36831fe94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Mosque in the old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAfter lunch we wandered some more. Emphasis on wandering. Slowly.\n\nWe took pictures with the new fountain. We took pictures on the Stone Bridge. We popped into a church Sevit Dimitrija and took pitcutres of Daud Pasha Baths--which apparently used to be one of the Balkans largest Turkish bath. We zig-zagged through the old town and after an hour or two found a nice place outside to settle in for an afternoon beer.\n<a title=\"Exploring old town by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6990059630/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7131/6990059630_0869a54236_z.jpg\" alt=\"Exploring old town\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Stone bridge by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136142053/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7269/7136142053_3ffb689885_z.jpg\" alt=\"Stone bridge\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThis afternoon beer lead us back to the hotel for a serious nap before dinner and that\'s what great about being on holiday. You can take a nap whenever you want. And you know what? We took serious advantage of this rule because really there\'s no point in going on holiday if you can relax when you want to.\n<a title=\"Fort by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7136148799/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7248/7136148799_5e72a9612e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Fort\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Spring time in Skopje','','inherit','open','open','','6614-autosave','','','2012-05-03 05:36:40','2012-05-03 03:36:40','',6614,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/6614-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6623,1,'2012-05-03 20:35:14','2012-05-03 18:35:14','After a day in Skopje, we stopped by Lake Matka <del>Makta</del> on our way to Ohrid. Matka <del>Makta</del> for my non-Macedonian/non-Bulgarian speakers means womb. I am not sure how important it is to know but the Lonely Plant explains this so I felt some obligation to do the same. There you have it. Matka <del>Makta</del> is womb.\r\n\r\nSo I guess that means I checked out Macedonia\'s womb. That\'s kind of weird though. Anyhow, we explored the lake, the canyon and the river that make up Matka <del>Makta</del> in a couple of hours.\r\n<a title=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991640896/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/6991640896_7666059a94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe lake is beautiful and was created when the Treska river was dammed. The water is a lovely blue-emerald green color. I\'ve never seen anything like it. H., the science teacher on our trip, told me that it\'s because of the rocks the canyon is made out of. Ah, <em>Science</em>.\r\n\r\nAfter this trip I\'d wholeheartedly recommend vacationing with a science teacher. H. knows all sorts of great things--like what\'s the difference between a billy goat and a goat? And she put up with my ridiculous questions: like what would happen if you crossed a chicken and a peacock?\r\n\r\nShe also knows practical things like the names of plants, trees and flowers. How great is that?!\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Hiking along Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716195/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/7137716195_56d0e3418e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking along Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"The river Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991635250/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6991635250_95c912b013_z.jpg\" alt=\"The river Treska\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAnyhow, the lake, river and canyon were beautiful. We had a coffee next to the lake and then went on a walk. A walk that turned into a a hike about 30 minutes in. We thought that we were headed to a monastery. Turns out we weren\'t. That was a different path.\r\n\r\nWe were just walking along a cliff enjoying the view, throwing rocks, whistling, taking pictures and otherwise enjoying ourselves. The walk was never difficult. It was pretty even and well marked. It just wasn\'t going to the monastery like we thought it was.\r\n<a title=\"Along Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137719131/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/7137719131_2028b1e4c6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Along Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThese things happen sometimes. Luckily for us, we weren\'t in a hurry nor were we really disappointed not to see the monastery. We were going to walk there to walk there so when it wasn\'t where we thought it was no one was really too worried about this.\r\n<a title=\"Irises along the Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137715483/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7137715483_e6d3416428_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises along the Treska\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Irises up-close by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991634238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6991634238_280645b864_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises up-close\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSo we walked and walked and the path became less and less well maintained. At some point, we began to suspect that something was up but we kept walking. The scenery was lovely and the weather is wonderful so we didn\'t really worry about things but at about the hour mark we decided that we\'d better turn around so that we could actually drive to Ohrid in the afternoon rather than at night.\r\n<a title=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991645686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/6991645686_68b6e883d8_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nOn the way back we scampered down a very steep hill to the water. The shore was incredibly muddy. The kind of mud that you sink into in a big slurp. P. took her shoes off to put her feet in the water and we all decided to follow suit. The water was cold and the mud was well muddy but the day was warm and we figured that the mud would dry and the we could brush it off. This is more or less what we ended up doing. Sitting in the sun on rocks, we joked around about our free spa mud wrap. Yeah, that\'s dried mud on my feet that wouldn\'t come off--not even with the help of a few green leaves.\r\n<a title=\"Muddy feet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137726229/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7137726229_fb980220b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Muddy feet\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter our 2+ hour walk, we found ourselves back at the lake. The good think about hiking in a canyon is that\'s pretty hard to get lost. The river is on one side of you and the rock cliff face on the other. There we ordered plescavita and beer. Yum, yum. There\'s nothing like grilled meat and a cold beer at the end of a long walk.\r\n<a title=\"Beer Dab by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991643238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/6991643238_6e4b35658a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Beer Dab\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThen we walked down the hill to our car and drove to Ohrid. Not a bad adventure if I do say so myself. I had a great time. I hope this comes through in this post because frankly, it\'s not as easy for me to write about a hike as it for me to write about rambling through a town or checking out a new restaurant.<a title=\"Tree in front of the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716897/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7137716897_fa0c762975_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tree in front of the Treska River\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Nature along the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991644212/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/6991644212_e6d121481f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nature along the Treska River\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Outside of Skopje: Lake Matka ','','publish','open','open','','outside-of-skopje-lake-makta','','','2012-05-04 05:44:22','2012-05-04 03:44:22','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6623',0,'post','',5),(6624,1,'2012-05-03 19:14:42','2012-05-03 17:14:42','','Outside of Skopje: Lake Makta ','','inherit','open','open','','6623-revision','','','2012-05-03 19:14:42','2012-05-03 17:14:42','',6623,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/6623-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6625,1,'2012-05-03 20:12:28','2012-05-03 18:12:28','After a day in Skopje, we stopped by Lake Makta on our way to Ohrid. Makta for my non-Macedonian/non-Bulgarian speakers means womb. I am not sure how important it is to know this but there you have it.\n\nThe lake is beautiful and was created when the Treska river was dammed. The water is a lovely blue-emerald green color. I\'ve never seen anything like it. H., the science teacher on our trip, told me that it\'s because of the rocks the canyon is made out of. Ah, <em>Science</em>.\n\nAfter this trip I\'d wholeheartedly recommend vacationing with a science teacher. H. knows all sorts of great things--like what\'s the difference between a billy goat and a goat? And she put up with my ridiculous questions: like what would happen if you crossed a chicken and a peacock?\n\nAnyhow, the lake, river and canyon were beautiful. We had a coffee on the lake and then went on a walk. A walk that turned into a a hike about 30 minutes in. We thought that we were headed to a monastery. Turns out we weren\'t. We were just walking along a cliff enjoying the view, throwing rocks, whistling, taking pictures and otherwise enjoying ourselves.\n\nThese things happen sometimes.\n\nSo we walk and walk and the path become less and less well maintained. The scenery is lovely and the weather is wonderful so we don\'t really worry about things but at about an hour in we decide that we\'ve got to turn around so that we can actually drive to Ohrid in the afternoon.\n\nOn the way back we scampered down to the water. The shore was incredibly muddy. The kind of mud that you sink into in a big slurp. P. took her shoes off to put her feet in the water and we all decided to follow suit. The water was cold and the mud was well mud but the day was warm and we figured that the mud would dry and the we could brush it off. This is more or less what we ended up doing. Sitting in the sun on rocks, we joked around about our free spa mud wraps.\n\nAfter our 2+ hour walk, we found ourselves back at the lake. We ordered plescavita and beer. Yum, yum.\n\nThen we walked down the hill to our car and drove to Ohrid. Not a bad adventure if I do say so myself. I had a great time. I hope this comes through in this post because frankly, it\'s not as easy for me to write about a hike as it for me to write about rambling through a','Outside of Skopje: Lake Makta ','','inherit','open','open','','6623-revision-2','','','2012-05-03 20:12:28','2012-05-03 18:12:28','',6623,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/6623-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6626,1,'2012-05-03 20:18:05','2012-05-03 18:18:05','After a day in Skopje, we stopped by Lake Makta on our way to Ohrid. Makta for my non-Macedonian/non-Bulgarian speakers means womb. I am not sure how important it is to know this but there you have it.\n<a title=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991640896/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/6991640896_7666059a94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe lake is beautiful and was created when the Treska river was dammed. The water is a lovely blue-emerald green color. I\'ve never seen anything like it. H., the science teacher on our trip, told me that it\'s because of the rocks the canyon is made out of. Ah, <em>Science</em>.\n\nAfter this trip I\'d wholeheartedly recommend vacationing with a science teacher. H. knows all sorts of great things--like what\'s the difference between a billy goat and a goat? And she put up with my ridiculous questions: like what would happen if you crossed a chicken and a peacock?\n<a title=\"Hiking along Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716195/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/7137716195_56d0e3418e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking along Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAnyhow, the lake, river and canyon were beautiful. We had a coffee on the lake and then went on a walk. A walk that turned into a a hike about 30 minutes in. We thought that we were headed to a monastery. Turns out we weren\'t. We were just walking along a cliff enjoying the view, throwing rocks, whistling, taking pictures and otherwise enjoying ourselves.\n<a title=\"Along Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137719131/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/7137719131_2028b1e4c6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Along Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThese things happen sometimes.\n<a title=\"Irises up-close by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991634238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6991634238_280645b864_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises up-close\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nSo we walk and walk and the path become less and less well maintained. The scenery is lovely and the weather is wonderful so we don\'t really worry about things but at about an hour in we decide that we\'ve got to turn around so that we can actually drive to Ohrid in the afternoon.\n<a title=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991645686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/6991645686_68b6e883d8_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nOn the way back we scampered down to the water. The shore was incredibly muddy. The kind of mud that you sink into in a big slurp. P. took her shoes off to put her feet in the water and we all decided to follow suit. The water was cold and the mud was well mud but the day was warm and we figured that the mud would dry and the we could brush it off. This is more or less what we ended up doing. Sitting in the sun on rocks, we joked around about our free spa mud wraps.\n<a title=\"Muddy feet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137726229/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7137726229_fb980220b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Muddy feet\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAfter our 2+ hour walk, we found ourselves back at the lake. We ordered plescavita and beer. Yum, yum.\n\nThen we walked down the hill to our car and drove to Ohrid. Not a bad adventure if I do say so myself. I had a great time. I hope this comes through in this post because frankly, it\'s not as easy for me to write about a hike as it for me to write about rambling through a town or checking out a new restaurant.','Outside of Skopje: Lake Makta ','','inherit','open','open','','6623-revision-3','','','2012-05-03 20:18:05','2012-05-03 18:18:05','',6623,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/6623-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6627,1,'2012-05-03 20:19:45','2012-05-03 18:19:45','After a day in Skopje, we stopped by Lake Makta on our way to Ohrid. Makta for my non-Macedonian/non-Bulgarian speakers means womb. I am not sure how important it is to know this but there you have it.\n<a title=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991640896/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/6991640896_7666059a94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe lake is beautiful and was created when the Treska river was dammed. The water is a lovely blue-emerald green color. I\'ve never seen anything like it. H., the science teacher on our trip, told me that it\'s because of the rocks the canyon is made out of. Ah, <em>Science</em>.\n\nAfter this trip I\'d wholeheartedly recommend vacationing with a science teacher. H. knows all sorts of great things--like what\'s the difference between a billy goat and a goat? And she put up with my ridiculous questions: like what would happen if you crossed a chicken and a peacock?\n<a title=\"Hiking along Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716195/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/7137716195_56d0e3418e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking along Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991635250/\" title=\"The river Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6991635250_95c912b013_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"The river Treska\"></a>\nAnyhow, the lake, river and canyon were beautiful. We had a coffee on the lake and then went on a walk. A walk that turned into a a hike about 30 minutes in. We thought that we were headed to a monastery. Turns out we weren\'t. We were just walking along a cliff enjoying the view, throwing rocks, whistling, taking pictures and otherwise enjoying ourselves.\n<a title=\"Along Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137719131/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/7137719131_2028b1e4c6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Along Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThese things happen sometimes.\n<a title=\"Irises up-close by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991634238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6991634238_280645b864_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises up-close\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nSo we walk and walk and the path become less and less well maintained. The scenery is lovely and the weather is wonderful so we don\'t really worry about things but at about an hour in we decide that we\'ve got to turn around so that we can actually drive to Ohrid in the afternoon.\n<a title=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991645686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/6991645686_68b6e883d8_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nOn the way back we scampered down to the water. The shore was incredibly muddy. The kind of mud that you sink into in a big slurp. P. took her shoes off to put her feet in the water and we all decided to follow suit. The water was cold and the mud was well mud but the day was warm and we figured that the mud would dry and the we could brush it off. This is more or less what we ended up doing. Sitting in the sun on rocks, we joked around about our free spa mud wraps.\n<a title=\"Muddy feet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137726229/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7137726229_fb980220b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Muddy feet\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAfter our 2+ hour walk, we found ourselves back at the lake. We ordered plescavita and beer. Yum, yum.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991643238/\" title=\"Beer Dab by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/6991643238_6e4b35658a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Beer Dab\"></a>\nThen we walked down the hill to our car and drove to Ohrid. Not a bad adventure if I do say so myself. I had a great time. I hope this comes through in this post because frankly, it\'s not as easy for me to write about a hike as it for me to write about rambling through a town or checking out a new restaurant.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991644212/\" title=\"Nature along the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/6991644212_e6d121481f_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Nature along the Treska River\"></a>','Outside of Skopje: Lake Makta ','','inherit','open','open','','6623-revision-4','','','2012-05-03 20:19:45','2012-05-03 18:19:45','',6623,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/6623-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6628,1,'2012-05-03 20:20:14','2012-05-03 18:20:14','After a day in Skopje, we stopped by Lake Makta on our way to Ohrid. Makta for my non-Macedonian/non-Bulgarian speakers means womb. I am not sure how important it is to know this but there you have it.\r\n<a title=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991640896/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/6991640896_7666059a94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe lake is beautiful and was created when the Treska river was dammed. The water is a lovely blue-emerald green color. I\'ve never seen anything like it. H., the science teacher on our trip, told me that it\'s because of the rocks the canyon is made out of. Ah, <em>Science</em>.\r\n\r\nAfter this trip I\'d wholeheartedly recommend vacationing with a science teacher. H. knows all sorts of great things--like what\'s the difference between a billy goat and a goat? And she put up with my ridiculous questions: like what would happen if you crossed a chicken and a peacock?\r\n<a title=\"Hiking along Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716195/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/7137716195_56d0e3418e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking along Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991635250/\" title=\"The river Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6991635250_95c912b013_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"The river Treska\"></a>\r\nAnyhow, the lake, river and canyon were beautiful. We had a coffee on the lake and then went on a walk. A walk that turned into a a hike about 30 minutes in. We thought that we were headed to a monastery. Turns out we weren\'t. We were just walking along a cliff enjoying the view, throwing rocks, whistling, taking pictures and otherwise enjoying ourselves.\r\n<a title=\"Along Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137719131/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/7137719131_2028b1e4c6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Along Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThese things happen sometimes.\r\n<a title=\"Irises up-close by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991634238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6991634238_280645b864_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises up-close\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSo we walk and walk and the path become less and less well maintained. The scenery is lovely and the weather is wonderful so we don\'t really worry about things but at about an hour in we decide that we\'ve got to turn around so that we can actually drive to Ohrid in the afternoon.\r\n<a title=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991645686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/6991645686_68b6e883d8_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nOn the way back we scampered down to the water. The shore was incredibly muddy. The kind of mud that you sink into in a big slurp. P. took her shoes off to put her feet in the water and we all decided to follow suit. The water was cold and the mud was well mud but the day was warm and we figured that the mud would dry and the we could brush it off. This is more or less what we ended up doing. Sitting in the sun on rocks, we joked around about our free spa mud wraps.\r\n<a title=\"Muddy feet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137726229/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7137726229_fb980220b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Muddy feet\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter our 2+ hour walk, we found ourselves back at the lake. We ordered plescavita and beer. Yum, yum.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991643238/\" title=\"Beer Dab by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/6991643238_6e4b35658a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Beer Dab\"></a>\r\nThen we walked down the hill to our car and drove to Ohrid. Not a bad adventure if I do say so myself. I had a great time. I hope this comes through in this post because frankly, it\'s not as easy for me to write about a hike as it for me to write about rambling through a town or checking out a new restaurant.<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991644212/\" title=\"Nature along the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/6991644212_e6d121481f_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Nature along the Treska River\"></a>','Outside of Skopje: Lake Makta ','','inherit','open','open','','6623-revision-5','','','2012-05-03 20:20:14','2012-05-03 18:20:14','',6623,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/6623-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),(6629,1,'2012-05-03 20:34:18','2012-05-03 18:34:18','After a day in Skopje, we stopped by Lake Makta on our way to Ohrid. Makta for my non-Macedonian/non-Bulgarian speakers means womb. I am not sure how important it is to know but the Lonely Plant explains this so I felt some obligation to do the same. There you have it. Makta is womb.\r\n\r\nSo I guess that means I checked out Macedonia\'s womb. That\'s kind of weird though. Anyhow, we explored the lake, the canyon and the river that make up Makta in a couple of hours.\r\n<a title=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991640896/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/6991640896_7666059a94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe lake is beautiful and was created when the Treska river was dammed. The water is a lovely blue-emerald green color. I\'ve never seen anything like it. H., the science teacher on our trip, told me that it\'s because of the rocks the canyon is made out of. Ah, <em>Science</em>.\r\n\r\nAfter this trip I\'d wholeheartedly recommend vacationing with a science teacher. H. knows all sorts of great things--like what\'s the difference between a billy goat and a goat? And she put up with my ridiculous questions: like what would happen if you crossed a chicken and a peacock?\r\n\r\nShe also knows practical things like the names of plants, trees and flowers. How great is that?!\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Hiking along Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716195/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/7137716195_56d0e3418e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking along Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"The river Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991635250/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6991635250_95c912b013_z.jpg\" alt=\"The river Treska\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAnyhow, the lake, river and canyon were beautiful. We had a coffee next to the lake and then went on a walk. A walk that turned into a a hike about 30 minutes in. We thought that we were headed to a monastery. Turns out we weren\'t. That was a different path.\r\n\r\nWe were just walking along a cliff enjoying the view, throwing rocks, whistling, taking pictures and otherwise enjoying ourselves. The walk was never difficult. It was pretty even and well marked. It just wasn\'t going to the monastery like we thought it was.\r\n<a title=\"Along Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137719131/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/7137719131_2028b1e4c6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Along Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThese things happen sometimes. Luckily for us, we weren\'t in a hurry nor were we really disappointed not to see the monastery. We were going to walk there to walk there so when it wasn\'t where we thought it was no one was really too worried about this.\r\n<a title=\"Irises along the Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137715483/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7137715483_e6d3416428_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises along the Treska\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Irises up-close by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991634238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6991634238_280645b864_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises up-close\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSo we walked and walked and the path became less and less well maintained. At some point, we began to suspect that something was up but we kept walking. The scenery was lovely and the weather is wonderful so we didn\'t really worry about things but at about the hour mark we decided that we\'d better turn around so that we could actually drive to Ohrid in the afternoon rather than at night.\r\n<a title=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991645686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/6991645686_68b6e883d8_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nOn the way back we scampered down a very steep hill to the water. The shore was incredibly muddy. The kind of mud that you sink into in a big slurp. P. took her shoes off to put her feet in the water and we all decided to follow suit. The water was cold and the mud was well muddy but the day was warm and we figured that the mud would dry and the we could brush it off. This is more or less what we ended up doing. Sitting in the sun on rocks, we joked around about our free spa mud wrap. Yeah, that\'s dried mud on my feet that wouldn\'t come off--not even with the help of a few green leaves.\r\n<a title=\"Muddy feet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137726229/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7137726229_fb980220b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Muddy feet\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter our 2+ hour walk, we found ourselves back at the lake. The good think about hiking in a canyon is that\'s pretty hard to get lost. The river is on one side of you and the rock cliff face on the other. There we ordered plescavita and beer. Yum, yum. There\'s nothing like grilled meat and a cold beer at the end of a long walk.\r\n<a title=\"Beer Dab by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991643238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/6991643238_6e4b35658a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Beer Dab\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThen we walked down the hill to our car and drove to Ohrid. Not a bad adventure if I do say so myself. I had a great time. I hope this comes through in this post because frankly, it\'s not as easy for me to write about a hike as it for me to write about rambling through a town or checking out a new restaurant.<a title=\"Tree in front of the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716897/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7137716897_fa0c762975_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tree in front of the Treska River\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Nature along the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991644212/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/6991644212_e6d121481f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nature along the Treska River\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Outside of Skopje: Lake Makta ','','inherit','open','open','','6623-revision-6','','','2012-05-03 20:34:18','2012-05-03 18:34:18','',6623,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/6623-revision-6/',0,'revision','',0),(6630,1,'2012-05-03 20:34:19','2012-05-03 18:34:19','After a day in Skopje, we stopped by Lake Makta on our way to Ohrid. Makta for my non-Macedonian/non-Bulgarian speakers means womb. I am not sure how important it is to know but the Lonely Plant explains this so I felt some obligation to do the same. There you have it. Makta is womb.\r\n\r\nSo I guess that means I checked out Macedonia\'s womb. That\'s kind of weird though. Anyhow, we explored the lake, the canyon and the river that make up Makta in a couple of hours.\r\n<a title=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991640896/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/6991640896_7666059a94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe lake is beautiful and was created when the Treska river was dammed. The water is a lovely blue-emerald green color. I\'ve never seen anything like it. H., the science teacher on our trip, told me that it\'s because of the rocks the canyon is made out of. Ah, <em>Science</em>.\r\n\r\nAfter this trip I\'d wholeheartedly recommend vacationing with a science teacher. H. knows all sorts of great things--like what\'s the difference between a billy goat and a goat? And she put up with my ridiculous questions: like what would happen if you crossed a chicken and a peacock?\r\n\r\nShe also knows practical things like the names of plants, trees and flowers. How great is that?!\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Hiking along Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716195/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/7137716195_56d0e3418e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking along Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"The river Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991635250/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6991635250_95c912b013_z.jpg\" alt=\"The river Treska\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAnyhow, the lake, river and canyon were beautiful. We had a coffee next to the lake and then went on a walk. A walk that turned into a a hike about 30 minutes in. We thought that we were headed to a monastery. Turns out we weren\'t. That was a different path.\r\n\r\nWe were just walking along a cliff enjoying the view, throwing rocks, whistling, taking pictures and otherwise enjoying ourselves. The walk was never difficult. It was pretty even and well marked. It just wasn\'t going to the monastery like we thought it was.\r\n<a title=\"Along Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137719131/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/7137719131_2028b1e4c6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Along Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThese things happen sometimes. Luckily for us, we weren\'t in a hurry nor were we really disappointed not to see the monastery. We were going to walk there to walk there so when it wasn\'t where we thought it was no one was really too worried about this.\r\n<a title=\"Irises along the Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137715483/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7137715483_e6d3416428_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises along the Treska\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Irises up-close by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991634238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6991634238_280645b864_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises up-close\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSo we walked and walked and the path became less and less well maintained. At some point, we began to suspect that something was up but we kept walking. The scenery was lovely and the weather is wonderful so we didn\'t really worry about things but at about the hour mark we decided that we\'d better turn around so that we could actually drive to Ohrid in the afternoon rather than at night.\r\n<a title=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991645686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/6991645686_68b6e883d8_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nOn the way back we scampered down a very steep hill to the water. The shore was incredibly muddy. The kind of mud that you sink into in a big slurp. P. took her shoes off to put her feet in the water and we all decided to follow suit. The water was cold and the mud was well muddy but the day was warm and we figured that the mud would dry and the we could brush it off. This is more or less what we ended up doing. Sitting in the sun on rocks, we joked around about our free spa mud wrap. Yeah, that\'s dried mud on my feet that wouldn\'t come off--not even with the help of a few green leaves.\r\n<a title=\"Muddy feet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137726229/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7137726229_fb980220b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Muddy feet\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter our 2+ hour walk, we found ourselves back at the lake. The good think about hiking in a canyon is that\'s pretty hard to get lost. The river is on one side of you and the rock cliff face on the other. There we ordered plescavita and beer. Yum, yum. There\'s nothing like grilled meat and a cold beer at the end of a long walk.\r\n<a title=\"Beer Dab by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991643238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/6991643238_6e4b35658a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Beer Dab\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThen we walked down the hill to our car and drove to Ohrid. Not a bad adventure if I do say so myself. I had a great time. I hope this comes through in this post because frankly, it\'s not as easy for me to write about a hike as it for me to write about rambling through a town or checking out a new restaurant.<a title=\"Tree in front of the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716897/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7137716897_fa0c762975_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tree in front of the Treska River\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Nature along the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991644212/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/6991644212_e6d121481f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nature along the Treska River\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Outside of Skopje: Lake Makta ','','inherit','open','open','','6623-revision-7','','','2012-05-03 20:34:19','2012-05-03 18:34:19','',6623,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/6623-revision-7/',0,'revision','',0),(6631,1,'2012-05-04 05:43:32','2012-05-04 03:43:32','After a day in Skopje, we stopped by Lake Matka <del>Makta</del> on our way to Ohrid. Matka <del>Makta</del> for my non-Macedonian/non-Bulgarian speakers means womb. I am not sure how important it is to know but the Lonely Plant explains this so I felt some obligation to do the same. There you have it. Matka <del>Makta</del> is womb.\n\nSo I guess that means I checked out Macedonia\'s womb. That\'s kind of weird though. Anyhow, we explored the lake, the canyon and the river that make up Makta in a couple of hours.\n<a title=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991640896/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/6991640896_7666059a94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThe lake is beautiful and was created when the Treska river was dammed. The water is a lovely blue-emerald green color. I\'ve never seen anything like it. H., the science teacher on our trip, told me that it\'s because of the rocks the canyon is made out of. Ah, <em>Science</em>.\n\nAfter this trip I\'d wholeheartedly recommend vacationing with a science teacher. H. knows all sorts of great things--like what\'s the difference between a billy goat and a goat? And she put up with my ridiculous questions: like what would happen if you crossed a chicken and a peacock?\n\nShe also knows practical things like the names of plants, trees and flowers. How great is that?!\n\n<!--more-->\n<a title=\"Hiking along Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716195/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/7137716195_56d0e3418e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking along Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"The river Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991635250/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6991635250_95c912b013_z.jpg\" alt=\"The river Treska\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAnyhow, the lake, river and canyon were beautiful. We had a coffee next to the lake and then went on a walk. A walk that turned into a a hike about 30 minutes in. We thought that we were headed to a monastery. Turns out we weren\'t. That was a different path.\n\nWe were just walking along a cliff enjoying the view, throwing rocks, whistling, taking pictures and otherwise enjoying ourselves. The walk was never difficult. It was pretty even and well marked. It just wasn\'t going to the monastery like we thought it was.\n<a title=\"Along Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137719131/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/7137719131_2028b1e4c6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Along Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThese things happen sometimes. Luckily for us, we weren\'t in a hurry nor were we really disappointed not to see the monastery. We were going to walk there to walk there so when it wasn\'t where we thought it was no one was really too worried about this.\n<a title=\"Irises along the Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137715483/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7137715483_e6d3416428_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises along the Treska\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Irises up-close by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991634238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6991634238_280645b864_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises up-close\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nSo we walked and walked and the path became less and less well maintained. At some point, we began to suspect that something was up but we kept walking. The scenery was lovely and the weather is wonderful so we didn\'t really worry about things but at about the hour mark we decided that we\'d better turn around so that we could actually drive to Ohrid in the afternoon rather than at night.\n<a title=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991645686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/6991645686_68b6e883d8_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nOn the way back we scampered down a very steep hill to the water. The shore was incredibly muddy. The kind of mud that you sink into in a big slurp. P. took her shoes off to put her feet in the water and we all decided to follow suit. The water was cold and the mud was well muddy but the day was warm and we figured that the mud would dry and the we could brush it off. This is more or less what we ended up doing. Sitting in the sun on rocks, we joked around about our free spa mud wrap. Yeah, that\'s dried mud on my feet that wouldn\'t come off--not even with the help of a few green leaves.\n<a title=\"Muddy feet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137726229/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7137726229_fb980220b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Muddy feet\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAfter our 2+ hour walk, we found ourselves back at the lake. The good think about hiking in a canyon is that\'s pretty hard to get lost. The river is on one side of you and the rock cliff face on the other. There we ordered plescavita and beer. Yum, yum. There\'s nothing like grilled meat and a cold beer at the end of a long walk.\n<a title=\"Beer Dab by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991643238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/6991643238_6e4b35658a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Beer Dab\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThen we walked down the hill to our car and drove to Ohrid. Not a bad adventure if I do say so myself. I had a great time. I hope this comes through in this post because frankly, it\'s not as easy for me to write about a hike as it for me to write about rambling through a town or checking out a new restaurant.<a title=\"Tree in front of the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716897/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7137716897_fa0c762975_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tree in front of the Treska River\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\n<a title=\"Nature along the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991644212/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/6991644212_e6d121481f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nature along the Treska River\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Outside of Skopje: Lake Matka ','','inherit','open','open','','6623-autosave','','','2012-05-04 05:43:32','2012-05-04 03:43:32','',6623,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/6623-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6632,1,'2012-05-03 20:35:14','2012-05-03 18:35:14','After a day in Skopje, we stopped by Lake Makta on our way to Ohrid. Makta for my non-Macedonian/non-Bulgarian speakers means womb. I am not sure how important it is to know but the Lonely Plant explains this so I felt some obligation to do the same. There you have it. Makta is womb.\r\n\r\nSo I guess that means I checked out Macedonia\'s womb. That\'s kind of weird though. Anyhow, we explored the lake, the canyon and the river that make up Makta in a couple of hours.\r\n<a title=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991640896/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8002/6991640896_7666059a94_z.jpg\" alt=\"Green blue river of Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThe lake is beautiful and was created when the Treska river was dammed. The water is a lovely blue-emerald green color. I\'ve never seen anything like it. H., the science teacher on our trip, told me that it\'s because of the rocks the canyon is made out of. Ah, <em>Science</em>.\r\n\r\nAfter this trip I\'d wholeheartedly recommend vacationing with a science teacher. H. knows all sorts of great things--like what\'s the difference between a billy goat and a goat? And she put up with my ridiculous questions: like what would happen if you crossed a chicken and a peacock?\r\n\r\nShe also knows practical things like the names of plants, trees and flowers. How great is that?!\r\n\r\n<!--more-->\r\n<a title=\"Hiking along Lake Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716195/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7181/7137716195_56d0e3418e_z.jpg\" alt=\"Hiking along Lake Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"The river Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991635250/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7204/6991635250_95c912b013_z.jpg\" alt=\"The river Treska\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAnyhow, the lake, river and canyon were beautiful. We had a coffee next to the lake and then went on a walk. A walk that turned into a a hike about 30 minutes in. We thought that we were headed to a monastery. Turns out we weren\'t. That was a different path.\r\n\r\nWe were just walking along a cliff enjoying the view, throwing rocks, whistling, taking pictures and otherwise enjoying ourselves. The walk was never difficult. It was pretty even and well marked. It just wasn\'t going to the monastery like we thought it was.\r\n<a title=\"Along Matka by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137719131/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7057/7137719131_2028b1e4c6_z.jpg\" alt=\"Along Matka\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThese things happen sometimes. Luckily for us, we weren\'t in a hurry nor were we really disappointed not to see the monastery. We were going to walk there to walk there so when it wasn\'t where we thought it was no one was really too worried about this.\r\n<a title=\"Irises along the Treska by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137715483/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8159/7137715483_e6d3416428_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises along the Treska\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Irises up-close by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991634238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7060/6991634238_280645b864_z.jpg\" alt=\"Irises up-close\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nSo we walked and walked and the path became less and less well maintained. At some point, we began to suspect that something was up but we kept walking. The scenery was lovely and the weather is wonderful so we didn\'t really worry about things but at about the hour mark we decided that we\'d better turn around so that we could actually drive to Ohrid in the afternoon rather than at night.\r\n<a title=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991645686/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7242/6991645686_68b6e883d8_z.jpg\" alt=\"P. and H. at the muddy river bank\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nOn the way back we scampered down a very steep hill to the water. The shore was incredibly muddy. The kind of mud that you sink into in a big slurp. P. took her shoes off to put her feet in the water and we all decided to follow suit. The water was cold and the mud was well muddy but the day was warm and we figured that the mud would dry and the we could brush it off. This is more or less what we ended up doing. Sitting in the sun on rocks, we joked around about our free spa mud wrap. Yeah, that\'s dried mud on my feet that wouldn\'t come off--not even with the help of a few green leaves.\r\n<a title=\"Muddy feet by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137726229/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7100/7137726229_fb980220b4_z.jpg\" alt=\"Muddy feet\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter our 2+ hour walk, we found ourselves back at the lake. The good think about hiking in a canyon is that\'s pretty hard to get lost. The river is on one side of you and the rock cliff face on the other. There we ordered plescavita and beer. Yum, yum. There\'s nothing like grilled meat and a cold beer at the end of a long walk.\r\n<a title=\"Beer Dab by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991643238/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/6991643238_6e4b35658a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Beer Dab\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThen we walked down the hill to our car and drove to Ohrid. Not a bad adventure if I do say so myself. I had a great time. I hope this comes through in this post because frankly, it\'s not as easy for me to write about a hike as it for me to write about rambling through a town or checking out a new restaurant.<a title=\"Tree in front of the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7137716897/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7275/7137716897_fa0c762975_z.jpg\" alt=\"Tree in front of the Treska River\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\n<a title=\"Nature along the Treska River by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/6991644212/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7279/6991644212_e6d121481f_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nature along the Treska River\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>','Outside of Skopje: Lake Makta ','','inherit','open','open','','6623-revision-8','','','2012-05-03 20:35:14','2012-05-03 18:35:14','',6623,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/03/6623-revision-8/',0,'revision','',0),(6634,1,'2012-05-05 08:27:53','2012-05-05 06:27:53','I am happy to report that after a very long winter everything seems better in May. It\'s been a long time coming.\n\nTo start with it was actually a long cold winter. The longest, coldest and most snowy that I\'ve ever experienced. Granted that\'s only four winters but that\'s got to count for something. My first winter Bulgaria ran out of natural gas in the middle of winter for something like 10 days to two weeks and let me tell you, that was cold. But this winter was longer and over all colder.\n\nOn top of this in January I got my first of four different UTIs. In the beginning I thought that it was no big deal and by number three I was pretty freaked out about the whole thing. Not to mention sick. I was really sick for the months of January, February and March but for much of this time I managed to ignore this fact or make excuses for the way that I was feeling. For the record, this wasn\'t my best plan ever but really, who makes good plans when they are sick, sick?! I made of tour of two different Bulgarian hospitals--the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/30/an-afternoon-at-pirogov/\" target=\"_blank\">public emergency hospital Pirogov</a> and the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/02/on-to-takuda-hospital/\" target=\"_blank\">private Japanese run hospital Takuda</a>--and I did a fair amount of crying.\n\nFor the month of April, I\'ve been taking two different kinds of medicine and in five days I\'ll be completely done with the course of medicine. Fingers crossed, that everything is okay. It\'s been a long two months without coffee (well caffeine really) and alcohol. I don\'t miss the alcohol but I do miss the coffee. A lot. It\'s especially hard in the mornings in my building on campus because I have to walk by Onda on my way to my classroom and I adore the smell of coffee. I also love the routine of buying a coffee and getting my day started.\n\nIn the meantime, I\'ve been drinking herbal tea with honey. This, however, is a poor substitute for coffee. Luckily, I can start introducing coffee again when I\'ve finished up my medicine. Hip-hip-horay.\n\nThe thing that I\'m most excited about is the fact that I am thisclose to being caught up with my grading. I fell painfully behind when I was sick and I\'ve found it incredibly hard to dig myself out from under it. I couldn\'t be happier about the fact that I am nearly caught up. It\'s been weighing me down. I\'ve spent a lot of time feeling guilty about it but recently there haven\'t been enough hours in the day to teach, to plan lessons, to grade and to sleep. This week though was the turning point and I am so relieved.\n\nGiven the craziness of my health and school, I\'ve also found it difficult to keep up with blogging. For a while, I wondered if my blogging had run its course and maybe I was over blogging, maybe I was done with it. It felt much more like a chore than anything else. So I didn\'t blog as much and I spent some time reconsidering this whole thing. This said, I am really glad that I didn\'t make any major decisions about the blog while I was sick. Recently I\'ve even found myself contemplating a revival of my currently dead tumblr blog in Bulgarian. Crazy, huna?\n\nLast but not least, this past week in yoga my toes seemed much closer than <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/27/at-yoga/\" target=\"_blank\">they did the week before</a>. <em>Phew</em>.\n\nIt\'s nice to be on the mend. And I for one am glad that May is here.','Everything seems better in May ','','inherit','open','open','','6633-revision','','','2012-05-05 08:27:53','2012-05-05 06:27:53','',6633,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/05/6633-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6635,1,'2012-05-05 08:28:40','2012-05-05 06:28:40','I am happy to report that after a very long winter everything seems better in May. It\'s been a long time coming.\r\n\r\nTo start with it was actually a long cold winter. The longest, coldest and most snowy that I\'ve ever experienced. Granted that\'s only four winters but that\'s got to count for something. My first winter Bulgaria ran out of natural gas in the middle of winter for something like 10 days to two weeks and let me tell you, that was cold. But this winter was longer and over all colder.\r\n\r\nOn top of this in January I got my first of four different UTIs. In the beginning I thought that it was no big deal and by number three I was pretty freaked out about the whole thing. Not to mention sick. I was really sick for the months of January, February and March but for much of this time I managed to ignore this fact or make excuses for the way that I was feeling. For the record, this wasn\'t my best plan ever but really, who makes good plans when they are sick, sick?! I made of tour of two different Bulgarian hospitals--the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/30/an-afternoon-at-pirogov/\" target=\"_blank\">public emergency hospital Pirogov</a> and the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/02/on-to-takuda-hospital/\" target=\"_blank\">private Japanese run hospital Takuda</a>--and I did a fair amount of crying.\r\n\r\nFor the month of April, I\'ve been taking two different kinds of medicine and in five days I\'ll be completely done with the course of medicine. Fingers crossed, that everything is okay. It\'s been a long two months without coffee (well caffeine really) and alcohol. I don\'t miss the alcohol but I do miss the coffee. A lot. It\'s especially hard in the mornings in my building on campus because I have to walk by Onda on my way to my classroom and I adore the smell of coffee. I also love the routine of buying a coffee and getting my day started.\r\n\r\nIn the meantime, I\'ve been drinking herbal tea with honey. This, however, is a poor substitute for coffee. Luckily, I can start introducing coffee again when I\'ve finished up my medicine. Hip-hip-horay.\r\n\r\nThe thing that I\'m most excited about is the fact that I am thisclose to being caught up with my grading. I fell painfully behind when I was sick and I\'ve found it incredibly hard to dig myself out from under it. I couldn\'t be happier about the fact that I am nearly caught up. It\'s been weighing me down. I\'ve spent a lot of time feeling guilty about it but recently there haven\'t been enough hours in the day to teach, to plan lessons, to grade and to sleep. This week though was the turning point and I am so relieved.\r\n\r\nGiven the craziness of my health and school, I\'ve also found it difficult to keep up with blogging. For a while, I wondered if my blogging had run its course and maybe I was over blogging, maybe I was done with it. It felt much more like a chore than anything else. So I didn\'t blog as much and I spent some time reconsidering this whole thing. This said, I am really glad that I didn\'t make any major decisions about the blog while I was sick. Recently I\'ve even found myself contemplating a revival of my currently dead tumblr blog in Bulgarian. Crazy, huna?\r\n\r\nLast but not least, this past week in yoga my toes seemed much closer than <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/27/at-yoga/\" target=\"_blank\">they did the week before</a>. <em>Phew</em>.\r\n\r\nIt\'s nice to be on the mend. And I for one am glad that May is here.','Everything seems better in May ','','inherit','open','open','','6633-revision-2','','','2012-05-05 08:28:40','2012-05-05 06:28:40','',6633,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/05/6633-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6636,1,'2012-05-05 08:39:44','2012-05-05 06:39:44','I am happy to report that after a very long winter everything seems better in May.\n\nIt\'s been a long time coming.\n\nTo start with it was actually a long cold winter. The longest, coldest and most snowy that I\'ve ever experienced. Granted that\'s only four winters but that\'s got to count for something. My first winter Bulgaria ran out of natural gas in the middle of winter for something like 10 days to two weeks and let me tell you, that was cold. But this winter was longer and over all colder.\n\nOn top of this in January I got my first of four different UTIs. In the beginning I thought that it was no big deal and by number three I was pretty freaked out about the whole thing. Not to mention sick. I was really sick for the months of January, February and March but for much of this time I managed to ignore this fact or make excuses for the way that I was feeling.\n\nFor the record, this wasn\'t my best plan ever but really, who makes good plans when they are sick, sick?! I made of tour of two different Bulgarian hospitals--the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/30/an-afternoon-at-pirogov/\" target=\"_blank\">public emergency hospital Pirogov</a> and the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/02/on-to-takuda-hospital/\" target=\"_blank\">private Japanese run hospital Takuda</a>--and I did a fair amount of crying.\n\nThen I got my act together. I admitted I was sick and I gave myself a break.\n\n<!--more-->\n\nFor the month of April, I\'ve been taking two different kinds of medicine and in five days I\'ll be completely done with the course of medicine. Fingers crossed, that everything is okay. It\'s been a long two months without coffee (well caffeine actually) and alcohol. I don\'t miss the alcohol but I do miss the coffee. A lot.\n\nIt\'s been especially hard in the mornings in my building on campus because I have to walk by Onda on my way to my classroom. I adore the smell of coffee in the morning. I also love the routine of buying a coffee and getting my day started. So it was difficult for me to recalibrate my day. I\'ve managed but it hasn\'t been fun.\n\nIn the meantime, I\'ve been drinking herbal tea with honey. This, however, is a poor substitute for coffee. Luckily, I can start introducing coffee again when I\'ve finished up my medicine. Hip-hip-horay!\n\nThe thing that I\'m most excited about is the fact that I am thisclose to being caught up with my grading. I fell painfully behind when I was sick and I\'ve found it incredibly hard to dig myself out from under it. I couldn\'t be happier about the fact that I am nearly caught up.\n\nI don\'t like being behind and as such the grading has been weighing me down both physically and emotionally. I\'ve spent a lot of time feeling guilty about it but recently there haven\'t been enough hours in the day to teach, to plan lessons, to grade and to sleep. This week though was the turning point and I am so relieved.\n\nGiven the craziness of my health and school, I\'ve also found it difficult to keep up with blogging. For a while, I wondered if my blogging had run its course and maybe I was over blogging, maybe I was done with it. It felt much more like a chore than anything else.\n\nSo I didn\'t blog as much and I spent some time reconsidering this whole thing. I\'ve been blogging almost everyday for four years. That\'s a lot. This said, I am really glad that I didn\'t make any major decisions about the blog while I was sick. Recently I\'ve even found myself contemplating a revival of my currently dead tumblr blog in Bulgarian. Crazy, huna?\n\nLast but not least, this past week in yoga my toes seemed much closer than <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/27/at-yoga/\" target=\"_blank\">they did the week before</a>. <em>Phew</em>.\n\nNeedless to say, it\'s nice to be on the mend. And I for one am glad that May is here.','Everything seems better in May ','','inherit','open','open','','6633-revision-3','','','2012-05-05 08:39:44','2012-05-05 06:39:44','',6633,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/05/6633-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6637,1,'2012-05-05 08:41:22','2012-05-05 06:41:22','I am happy to report that after a very long winter everything seems better in May.\n\nIt\'s been a long time coming.\n\nTo start with it was actually a long cold winter. The longest, coldest and most snowy that I\'ve ever experienced. Granted that\'s only four winters but that\'s got to count for something. My first winter Bulgaria ran out of natural gas in the middle of winter for something like 10 days to two weeks and let me tell you, that was cold. But this winter was longer and over all colder.\n\nOn top of this in January I got my first of four different UTIs. In the beginning I thought that it was no big deal and by number three I was pretty freaked out about the whole thing. Not to mention sick. I was really sick for the months of January, February and March but for much of this time I managed to ignore this fact or make excuses for the way that I was feeling.\n\nFor the record, this wasn\'t my best plan ever but really, who makes good plans when they are sick, sick?! I made of tour of two different Bulgarian hospitals--the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/03/30/an-afternoon-at-pirogov/\" target=\"_blank\">public emergency hospital Pirogov</a> and the <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/02/on-to-takuda-hospital/\" target=\"_blank\">private Japanese run hospital Takuda</a>--and I did a fair amount of crying.\n\nThen I got my act together. I admitted I was sick and I gave myself a break.\n\n<!--more-->\n\nFor the month of April, I\'ve been taking two different kinds of medicine and in five days I\'ll be completely done with the course of medicine. Fingers crossed, that everything is okay. It\'s been a long two months without coffee (well caffeine actually) and alcohol. I don\'t miss the alcohol but I do miss the coffee. A lot.\n\nIt\'s been especially hard in the mornings in my building on campus because I have to walk by Onda on my way to my classroom. I adore the smell of coffee in the morning. I also love the routine of buying a coffee and getting my day started. So it was difficult for me to recalibrate my day. I\'ve managed but it hasn\'t been fun.\n\nIn the meantime, I\'ve been drinking herbal tea with honey. This, however, is a poor substitute for coffee. Luckily, I can start introducing coffee again when I\'ve finished up my medicine. Hip-hip-horay!\n\nThe thing that I\'m most excited about is the fact that I am thisclose to being caught up with my grading. I fell painfully behind when I was sick and I\'ve found it incredibly hard to dig myself out from under it. I couldn\'t be happier about the fact that I am nearly caught up.\n\nI don\'t like being behind and as such the grading has been weighing me down both physically and emotionally. I\'ve spent a lot of time feeling guilty about it but recently there haven\'t been enough hours in the day to teach, to plan lessons, to grade and to sleep. This week though was the turning point and I am so relieved.\n\nGiven the craziness of my health and school, I\'ve also found it difficult to keep up with blogging. For a while, I wondered if my blogging had run its course and maybe I was over blogging, maybe I was done with it. It felt much more like a chore than anything else.\n\nSo I didn\'t blog as much and I spent some time reconsidering this whole thing. I\'ve been blogging almost everyday for four years. That\'s a lot. This said, I am really glad that I didn\'t make any major decisions about the blog while I was sick. Recently I\'ve even found myself contemplating a revival of my currently dead tumblr blog in Bulgarian. Crazy, huna?\n\nLast but not least, this past week in yoga my toes seemed much closer than <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/04/27/at-yoga/\" target=\"_blank\">they did the week before</a>. <em>Phew</em>.\n\nNeedless to say, it\'s nice to be on the mend. And I for one am glad that May is here.','Everything seems better in May ','','inherit','open','open','','6633-autosave','','','2012-05-05 08:41:22','2012-05-05 06:41:22','',6633,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/05/6633-autosave/',0,'revision','',0),(6687,1,'2012-05-18 07:00:21','2012-05-18 05:00:21','It\'s funny. Today is my birthday. I am no longer 30.\r\n\r\nNow I\'m officially 31.\r\n\r\nI can\'t wonder what this means for me.\r\n\r\nShould I be a better person now? Do I gain some kind of new responsibilities at 31? Am I supposed to gain a new perspective or insight into the world? The problem is that I just don\'t know.\r\n\r\nAnd on top of all of this, I feel like I just turned 16. So I\'m not quite sure how I got to be 31 or how I am supposed to behave at 31. It seems like a big important number but at this point, that\'s all I\'ve got.\r\n\r\nSomehow, I feel like I just learned how to drive and I can still remember the sense of freedom mixed with the weight of responsibility I had the first time I got to drive by myself. It was scary and wonderful all at once.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nSince turning 16, I\'ve experience this rush of scary and wonderful a few other times like when I moved from Walla Walla to Springfield, Ohio to attend Wittenberg for college and I didn\'t know a single person.\r\n\r\nOr when I decided to volunteer for a year after college in Washingotn DC in the Anacostia neighborhood, a neighborhood plagued with crime, drug use and the highest rates of new HIV cases in the city. A neighborhood where I was regularly the only white person I saw and in the winter the program I worked for would send me home before it got dark.\r\n\r\nThen there were less scary but still nerve wracking moments like starting my first real job at Georgetown University and finding roommates through Craig\'s List. You learn to put yourself out there because you have to not because it\'s easy. But most of these moments are to be expected in the trajectory of one\'s  growth from teenager to adult.\r\n\r\nThe moment that I didn\'t expect is the one that I am still living in.\r\n\r\nAnd at a newly minted 31, I find myself incredibly thankful for this. Living abroad has given me a freedom to explore the world in a way that State-side I never could have imagined possible. At the same time, this has been balanced, grounded and tempered with the responsibility of teaching, exploring a new culture and learning a new language. It\'s been scary and wonderful all at once.\r\n\r\nSo while a part of me can\'t believe that I\'m now 31 an even bigger part of me can\'t believe that I\'ve spent the last four years living in Sofia, Bulgaria and traveling around Europe and I wonder: how did all of this happen? How did I get so lucky?','Woa, I am 31','','publish','open','open','','woa-i-am-31','','','2012-05-13 08:26:34','2012-05-13 06:26:34','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6687',0,'post','',5),(6639,1,'2012-05-06 09:08:18','2012-05-06 07:08:18','I have some good news and bad news: my nachos placed second.\r\n\r\nThe difference between first and second place was one point. <em>One point</em>. And spicy sour cream dipping sauce which I did not have but my competition did.\r\n\r\nHere are my nachos:\r\n<a title=\"My second place nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001409330/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7001409330_a709313140_z.jpg\" alt=\"My second place nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThis of course was a very disappointing loss for me. Did I mention the difference of one point between first and second place?!\r\n\r\nI thought for sure that this was my year to win the nacho competition after two honorable mentions. But as A. put it: these are good nachos and at least you did better than the two previous years. <em></em>\r\n\r\n<em>Um, thanks.</em>\r\n<a title=\"Nacho Competition Participants by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001408956/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/7001408956_7459d39d88_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nacho Competition Participants\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThen again, at a nacho competition everybody wins.<!--more-->\r\n\r\nThere were some really delicious nachos this year. These included a number of traditional entries as well as two non-traditional entries: Thai nachos and a sweet-dessert nacho. In my mind the Thai nachos were completely unexpected (they had sweet potatoes on them) but I thought the flavors were stellar. The dessert nachos were also amazing with homemade chips, chocolate and cinnamon and a fruit salsa.\r\n<a title=\"Thai Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147493819/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5271/7147493819_b98d6e63bb_z.jpg\" alt=\"Thai Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a><a title=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410738/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7268/7001410738_cf088b350b_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nClearly with this many great entries it wasn\'t an easy choice for the judges. So I guess I\'ll have to forgive them for my second place finish.\r\n<a title=\"The judges by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147495367/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7147495367_647c6d37a6_z.jpg\" alt=\"The judges\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nI have a hunch they have no idea how much time I spent putting my nachos together. It\'s actually kind of insane.\r\n<a title=\"Individual nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147495709/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7147495709_4fdf743961_z.jpg\" alt=\"Individual nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFirst I enlisted some nacho consultants. A huge thanks to <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Nick at Macheesmo</a> for doing all of the hard work for me so that all I had to do was find the ingredients and and follow the recipes. For the record, Nick is a long time friend of mine and he\'s just written an incredible cookbook based on the food blog he writes. Check it out: <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469966662/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=macheesmo-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1469966662\" target=\"_blank\">Cornerstone Cooking</a>.\r\n<a title=\"Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410710/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7001410710_1657a62d6a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter some long distance email consultation, I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/04/homemade-taco-seasoning/\" target=\"_blank\">taco seasoning</a>. I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/the-homemade-trials-salsa/\" target=\"_blank\">homemade salsa</a>. I cooked the <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">pork ribs </a>for 4 and a half hours and freaked out about whether it was actually done or not. For the record this maybe the first time I\'ve ever cooked meat in my Mladost apartment. (Side note: The <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/12/05/celebrating-fakesgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">Fasksgiving chickens don\'t count</a> because I buy those precooked at Billa.)  <em>And</em> I made a <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">spicy cheese sauce</a>.\r\n<a title=\"Winning Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147494815/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7147494815_bf54129aa7_z.jpg\" alt=\"Winning Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThese are serious nachos. And I am seriously sad that I didn\'t win.\r\n\r\nLuckily I also made a big pitcher of margaritas to share at the party and I was able console myself with this thought: there\'s always next year.\r\n<a title=\"First place Nacho hat by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001409626/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7001409626_3cb9c2ccf1_z.jpg\" alt=\"First place Nacho hat\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nOf course the only problem is what can beat rib nachos?!','2nd Place in the Cinco de Mayo Nacho Competition','','publish','open','open','','2nd-place-in-the-cinco-de-mayo-nacho-competition','','','2012-05-06 09:08:18','2012-05-06 07:08:18','',0,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/?p=6639',0,'post','',0),(6640,1,'2012-05-06 08:32:59','2012-05-06 06:32:59','I have some good news and bad news: my nachos placed second. The difference between first and second place was one point. <em>One point</em>. And spicy sour cream dipping sauce which I did not have but my competition did.\n\nThis of course was a very disappointing loss for me. I thought for sure that this was my year to win the nacho competition after two honorable mentions. But as A. put it: these are good nachos and at least you did better than the two previous years. Um, thanks.\n\nThen again, at a nacho competition everybody wins. There were some really delicious nachos this year. These included a number of traditional entries as well as two non-traditional entries: Thai nachos and a sweet-dessert nacho. In my mind the Thai nachos were completely unexpected (they had sweet potatoes on them) but I thought the flavors were stellar. The dessert nachos were also amazing with homemade chips, chocolate and cinnamon and a fruit salsa.\n\nClearly with this many great entries it wasn\'t an easy choice for the judges. So I guess I\'ll have to forgive them for my second place finish.\n\nI have a hunch they have no idea how much time I spent putting my nachos together. First I enlisted some nacho consultants. A huge thanks to <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Nick at Macheesmo</a> for doing all of the hard work for me so that all I had to do was find the ingredients and and follow the recipes. For the record, Nick is a long time friend of mine and he\'s just written an incredible cookbook based on the food blog he writes. Check it out: <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469966662/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=macheesmo-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1469966662\" target=\"_blank\">Cornerstone Cooking</a>.\n\nAfter some long distance email consultation, I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/04/homemade-taco-seasoning/\" target=\"_blank\">taco seasoning</a>. I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/the-homemade-trials-salsa/\" target=\"_blank\">homemade salsa</a>. I cooked the <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">pork ribs </a>for 4 and a half hours and freaked out about whether it was actually done or not. For the record this maybe the first time I\'ve ever cooked meat in my Mladost apartment. (Side note: The <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/12/05/celebrating-fakesgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">Fasksgiving chickens don\'t count</a> because I buy those precooked at Billa.)  <em>And</em> I made a <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">spicy cheese sauce</a>.\n\nThese are serious nachos. And I am seriously sad that I didn\'t win.\n\nLuckily I also made a big pitcher of margaritas to share at the party and I was able console myself with this thought: there\'s always next year.\n\nOf course the only problem is what can beat','Nacho Competition and Cinco de Mayo ','','inherit','open','open','','6639-revision','','','2012-05-06 08:32:59','2012-05-06 06:32:59','',6639,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/06/6639-revision/',0,'revision','',0),(6641,1,'2012-05-06 09:02:38','2012-05-06 07:02:38','I have some good news and bad news: my nachos placed second. The difference between first and second place was one point. <em>One point</em>. And spicy sour cream dipping sauce which I did not have but my competition did.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001409330/\" title=\"My second place nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7001409330_a709313140_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"My second place nachos\"></a>\nThis of course was a very disappointing loss for me. I thought for sure that this was my year to win the nacho competition after two honorable mentions. But as A. put it: these are good nachos and at least you did better than the two previous years. <em>Um, thanks.</em>\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001408956/\" title=\"Nacho Competition Participants by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/7001408956_7459d39d88_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Nacho Competition Participants\"></a>\nThen again, at a nacho competition everybody wins.\n\nThere were some really delicious nachos this year. These included a number of traditional entries as well as two non-traditional entries: Thai nachos and a sweet-dessert nacho. In my mind the Thai nachos were completely unexpected (they had sweet potatoes on them) but I thought the flavors were stellar. The dessert nachos were also amazing with homemade chips, chocolate and cinnamon and a fruit salsa.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147493819/\" title=\"Thai Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5271/7147493819_b98d6e63bb_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Thai Nachos\"></a><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410738/\" title=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7268/7001410738_cf088b350b_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos\"></a>\nClearly with this many great entries it wasn\'t an easy choice for the judges. So I guess I\'ll have to forgive them for my second place finish.\n\nI have a hunch they have no idea how much time I spent putting my nachos together. It\'s actually kind of insane.\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147495709/\" title=\"Individual nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7147495709_4fdf743961_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Individual nachos\"></a>\nFirst I enlisted some nacho consultants. A huge thanks to <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Nick at Macheesmo</a> for doing all of the hard work for me so that all I had to do was find the ingredients and and follow the recipes. For the record, Nick is a long time friend of mine and he\'s just written an incredible cookbook based on the food blog he writes. Check it out: <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469966662/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=macheesmo-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1469966662\" target=\"_blank\">Cornerstone Cooking</a>.\n\nAfter some long distance email consultation, I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/04/homemade-taco-seasoning/\" target=\"_blank\">taco seasoning</a>. I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/the-homemade-trials-salsa/\" target=\"_blank\">homemade salsa</a>. I cooked the <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">pork ribs </a>for 4 and a half hours and freaked out about whether it was actually done or not. For the record this maybe the first time I\'ve ever cooked meat in my Mladost apartment. (Side note: The <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/12/05/celebrating-fakesgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">Fasksgiving chickens don\'t count</a> because I buy those precooked at Billa.)  <em>And</em> I made a <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">spicy cheese sauce</a>.\n\nThese are serious nachos. And I am seriously sad that I didn\'t win.\n\nLuckily I also made a big pitcher of margaritas to share at the party and I was able console myself with this thought: there\'s always next year.\n\nOf course the only problem is what can beat rib nachos?!','2nd Place in the Cinco de Mayo Nacho Competition','','inherit','open','open','','6639-revision-2','','','2012-05-06 09:02:38','2012-05-06 07:02:38','',6639,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/06/6639-revision-2/',0,'revision','',0),(6642,1,'2012-05-06 09:03:26','2012-05-06 07:03:26','I have some good news and bad news: my nachos placed second. The difference between first and second place was one point. <em>One point</em>. And spicy sour cream dipping sauce which I did not have but my competition did.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001409330/\" title=\"My second place nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7001409330_a709313140_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"My second place nachos\"></a>\r\nThis of course was a very disappointing loss for me. I thought for sure that this was my year to win the nacho competition after two honorable mentions. But as A. put it: these are good nachos and at least you did better than the two previous years. <em>Um, thanks.</em>\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001408956/\" title=\"Nacho Competition Participants by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/7001408956_7459d39d88_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Nacho Competition Participants\"></a>\r\nThen again, at a nacho competition everybody wins.\r\n\r\nThere were some really delicious nachos this year. These included a number of traditional entries as well as two non-traditional entries: Thai nachos and a sweet-dessert nacho. In my mind the Thai nachos were completely unexpected (they had sweet potatoes on them) but I thought the flavors were stellar. The dessert nachos were also amazing with homemade chips, chocolate and cinnamon and a fruit salsa.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147493819/\" title=\"Thai Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5271/7147493819_b98d6e63bb_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Thai Nachos\"></a><a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410738/\" title=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7268/7001410738_cf088b350b_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos\"></a>\r\nClearly with this many great entries it wasn\'t an easy choice for the judges. So I guess I\'ll have to forgive them for my second place finish.\r\n\r\nI have a hunch they have no idea how much time I spent putting my nachos together. It\'s actually kind of insane.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147495709/\" title=\"Individual nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7147495709_4fdf743961_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Individual nachos\"></a>\r\nFirst I enlisted some nacho consultants. A huge thanks to <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Nick at Macheesmo</a> for doing all of the hard work for me so that all I had to do was find the ingredients and and follow the recipes. For the record, Nick is a long time friend of mine and he\'s just written an incredible cookbook based on the food blog he writes. Check it out: <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469966662/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=macheesmo-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1469966662\" target=\"_blank\">Cornerstone Cooking</a>.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410710/\" title=\"Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7001410710_1657a62d6a_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Nachos\"></a>\r\nAfter some long distance email consultation, I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/04/homemade-taco-seasoning/\" target=\"_blank\">taco seasoning</a>. I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/the-homemade-trials-salsa/\" target=\"_blank\">homemade salsa</a>. I cooked the <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">pork ribs </a>for 4 and a half hours and freaked out about whether it was actually done or not. For the record this maybe the first time I\'ve ever cooked meat in my Mladost apartment. (Side note: The <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/12/05/celebrating-fakesgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">Fasksgiving chickens don\'t count</a> because I buy those precooked at Billa.)  <em>And</em> I made a <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">spicy cheese sauce</a>.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147494815/\" title=\"Winning Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7147494815_bf54129aa7_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"Winning Nachos\"></a>\r\nThese are serious nachos. And I am seriously sad that I didn\'t win.\r\n\r\nLuckily I also made a big pitcher of margaritas to share at the party and I was able console myself with this thought: there\'s always next year.\r\n\r\nOf course the only problem is what can beat rib nachos?!','2nd Place in the Cinco de Mayo Nacho Competition','','inherit','open','open','','6639-revision-3','','','2012-05-06 09:03:26','2012-05-06 07:03:26','',6639,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/06/6639-revision-3/',0,'revision','',0),(6643,1,'2012-05-06 09:05:30','2012-05-06 07:05:30','I have some good news and bad news: my nachos placed second.\n\nThe difference between first and second place was one point. <em>One point</em>. And spicy sour cream dipping sauce which I did not have but my competition did.\n\nHere are my nachos:\n<a title=\"My second place nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001409330/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7001409330_a709313140_z.jpg\" alt=\"My second place nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThis of course was a very disappointing loss for me. Did I mention the difference of one point between first and second place?!\n\nI thought for sure that this was my year to win the nacho competition after two honorable mentions. But as A. put it: these are good nachos and at least you did better than the two previous years. <em></em>\n\n<em>Um, thanks.</em>\n<a title=\"Nacho Competition Participants by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001408956/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/7001408956_7459d39d88_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nacho Competition Participants\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThen again, at a nacho competition everybody wins.\n\nThere were some really delicious nachos this year. These included a number of traditional entries as well as two non-traditional entries: Thai nachos and a sweet-dessert nacho. In my mind the Thai nachos were completely unexpected (they had sweet potatoes on them) but I thought the flavors were stellar. The dessert nachos were also amazing with homemade chips, chocolate and cinnamon and a fruit salsa.\n<a title=\"Thai Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147493819/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5271/7147493819_b98d6e63bb_z.jpg\" alt=\"Thai Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a><a title=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410738/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7268/7001410738_cf088b350b_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nClearly with this many great entries it wasn\'t an easy choice for the judges. So I guess I\'ll have to forgive them for my second place finish.\n\nI have a hunch they have no idea how much time I spent putting my nachos together. It\'s actually kind of insane.\n<a title=\"Individual nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147495709/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7147495709_4fdf743961_z.jpg\" alt=\"Individual nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nFirst I enlisted some nacho consultants. A huge thanks to <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Nick at Macheesmo</a> for doing all of the hard work for me so that all I had to do was find the ingredients and and follow the recipes. For the record, Nick is a long time friend of mine and he\'s just written an incredible cookbook based on the food blog he writes. Check it out: <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469966662/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=macheesmo-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1469966662\" target=\"_blank\">Cornerstone Cooking</a>.\n<a title=\"Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410710/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7001410710_1657a62d6a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nAfter some long distance email consultation, I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/04/homemade-taco-seasoning/\" target=\"_blank\">taco seasoning</a>. I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/the-homemade-trials-salsa/\" target=\"_blank\">homemade salsa</a>. I cooked the <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">pork ribs </a>for 4 and a half hours and freaked out about whether it was actually done or not. For the record this maybe the first time I\'ve ever cooked meat in my Mladost apartment. (Side note: The <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/12/05/celebrating-fakesgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">Fasksgiving chickens don\'t count</a> because I buy those precooked at Billa.)  <em>And</em> I made a <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">spicy cheese sauce</a>.\n<a title=\"Winning Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147494815/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7147494815_bf54129aa7_z.jpg\" alt=\"Winning Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\nThese are serious nachos. And I am seriously sad that I didn\'t win.\n\nLuckily I also made a big pitcher of margaritas to share at the party and I was able console myself with this thought: there\'s always next year.\n\nOf course the only problem is what can beat rib nachos?!','2nd Place in the Cinco de Mayo Nacho Competition','','inherit','open','open','','6639-revision-4','','','2012-05-06 09:05:30','2012-05-06 07:05:30','',6639,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/06/6639-revision-4/',0,'revision','',0),(6644,1,'2012-05-06 09:07:17','2012-05-06 07:07:17','I have some good news and bad news: my nachos placed second.\r\n\r\nThe difference between first and second place was one point. <em>One point</em>. And spicy sour cream dipping sauce which I did not have but my competition did.\r\n\r\nHere are my nachos:\r\n<a title=\"My second place nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001409330/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8146/7001409330_a709313140_z.jpg\" alt=\"My second place nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThis of course was a very disappointing loss for me. Did I mention the difference of one point between first and second place?!\r\n\r\nI thought for sure that this was my year to win the nacho competition after two honorable mentions. But as A. put it: these are good nachos and at least you did better than the two previous years. <em></em>\r\n\r\n<em>Um, thanks.</em>\r\n<a title=\"Nacho Competition Participants by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001408956/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7277/7001408956_7459d39d88_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nacho Competition Participants\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThen again, at a nacho competition everybody wins.\r\n\r\nThere were some really delicious nachos this year. These included a number of traditional entries as well as two non-traditional entries: Thai nachos and a sweet-dessert nacho. In my mind the Thai nachos were completely unexpected (they had sweet potatoes on them) but I thought the flavors were stellar. The dessert nachos were also amazing with homemade chips, chocolate and cinnamon and a fruit salsa.\r\n<a title=\"Thai Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147493819/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5271/7147493819_b98d6e63bb_z.jpg\" alt=\"Thai Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a><a title=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410738/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7268/7001410738_cf088b350b_z.jpg\" alt=\"Sweet Dessert Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nClearly with this many great entries it wasn\'t an easy choice for the judges. So I guess I\'ll have to forgive them for my second place finish.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147495367/\" title=\"The judges by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7261/7147495367_647c6d37a6_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"The judges\"></a>\r\nI have a hunch they have no idea how much time I spent putting my nachos together. It\'s actually kind of insane.\r\n<a title=\"Individual nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147495709/\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7232/7147495709_4fdf743961_z.jpg\" alt=\"Individual nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nFirst I enlisted some nacho consultants. A huge thanks to <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/about/\" target=\"_blank\">Nick at Macheesmo</a> for doing all of the hard work for me so that all I had to do was find the ingredients and and follow the recipes. For the record, Nick is a long time friend of mine and he\'s just written an incredible cookbook based on the food blog he writes. Check it out: <a href=\"http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1469966662/ref=as_li_ss_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=macheesmo-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=390957&amp;creativeASIN=1469966662\" target=\"_blank\">Cornerstone Cooking</a>.\r\n<a title=\"Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001410710/\"><img src=\"http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5449/7001410710_1657a62d6a_z.jpg\" alt=\"Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nAfter some long distance email consultation, I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/04/homemade-taco-seasoning/\" target=\"_blank\">taco seasoning</a>. I made my own <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/the-homemade-trials-salsa/\" target=\"_blank\">homemade salsa</a>. I cooked the <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">pork ribs </a>for 4 and a half hours and freaked out about whether it was actually done or not. For the record this maybe the first time I\'ve ever cooked meat in my Mladost apartment. (Side note: The <a href=\"http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2011/12/05/celebrating-fakesgiving/\" target=\"_blank\">Fasksgiving chickens don\'t count</a> because I buy those precooked at Billa.)  <em>And</em> I made a <a href=\"http://www.macheesmo.com/2012/05/rib-nachos/\" target=\"_blank\">spicy cheese sauce</a>.\r\n<a title=\"Winning Nachos by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\" href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7147494815/\"><img src=\"http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8160/7147494815_bf54129aa7_z.jpg\" alt=\"Winning Nachos\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" /></a>\r\nThese are serious nachos. And I am seriously sad that I didn\'t win.\r\n\r\nLuckily I also made a big pitcher of margaritas to share at the party and I was able console myself with this thought: there\'s always next year.\r\n<a href=\"http://www.flickr.com/photos/29050866@N06/7001409626/\" title=\"First place Nacho hat by karolinka.sofia, on Flickr\"><img src=\"http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7101/7001409626_3cb9c2ccf1_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"427\" alt=\"First place Nacho hat\"></a>\r\nOf course the only problem is what can beat rib nachos?!','2nd Place in the Cinco de Mayo Nacho Competition','','inherit','open','open','','6639-revision-5','','','2012-05-06 09:07:17','2012-05-06 07:07:17','',6639,'http://www.karolinkabulgaria.com/2012/05/06/6639-revision-5/',0,'revision','',0),