Our last minute decision to take a train to Plovdiv ended up being a great one. We booked a hostel last minute and headed to this Bulgarian city. It was snowing when we arrived, which I truly enjoyed. We went to a small pharmacy museum right down the street from the hostel, followed by the City Gallery of Fine Arts. Even though it was cold outside, I wanted to walk around and enjoy the snow. I ran out into it and dove on the ground, making my first snow angel. While exploring the city, we stumbled upon an old Greek-style amphitheater. Lightly dusted in snow and empty, the theater looked hauntingly beautiful, a grand monument to ancient times.
Walking through one of the main streets in Plovdiv, we found a large public park. The snow was even thicker and my feet kept sinking into it. I also built my first ever snowman and had my first snowball fight. We created some monster snowballs, bigger than my head even. Our final night in Plovdiv, we made reservations at a nice restaurant and booked overnight bus tickets back to Istanbul. Before dinner, we walked down to the river and watched the water flow over chunks of ice. Dinner was good and very relaxing, the perfect end to the Bulgarian leg of the trip.
Events occurred: December 21-22, 2011
Though I have limited experience with ski towns, Bansko seemed to be especially picturesque. When we arrived, the skies were clear and the runs were visible. We worried that there wouldn't be enough snow since we had heard rumors that there hadn't been any and the slopes were in preseason still. As luck would have it, we woke up to several inches coating the ground and the rooftops. It was gorgeous. I ran around in it a bit before we headed into town to rent our skis. I knew (and still know) absolutely nothing about sizing ski boots. This ended somewhat badly for me. The other unfortunate reality of skiing in mid-December in Bulgaria was that the beginner slopes weren't open, just the medium and hard.
Heading up the lift was an exciting experience for me on its own. I was enthralled, watching my feet dangle several feet above the snow and snow-covered trees. Getting off the lift was another story. I had difficulty keeping steady and unintentionally took off down the slopes a few times. Even though I wasn't any good at skiing, I really liked the feeling once I stabilized: wind rushing in my face, my feet gliding down the snow like I was floating. Unfortunately, those moments never lasted long and typically ended with me falling on my face and tumbling down the mountain. The snow was really soft though, so I didn't mind falling. I met up with my group at the bottom of one of the slopes. I took a break and got some hot chocolate while they continued skiing. I befriended a British family, a couple and their eight year old son, while I was enjoying my drink. They told me that they had a house their and loved coming to Bulgaria to ski. We talked about fluctuations in the exchange rates between euros and the pound and the cost of Bulgarian real estate. You know, normal conversation topics.
After skiing, we explored Bansko itself. There were several charming shops and cafes as well as a lot of restaurants. I also noticed a lot of food stands, including one the sold the most delicious crepes I have ever eaten. Over the course of three days in Bansko, I frequented that particular stand consistently. The nutella and honey crepes were by far the best. We also tried some interesting pizza slices, with toppings like corn. Since we were staying in an apartment instead of a hostel, we bought groceries and cooked our own food for the most part. Still, we went out one night to a local taverna and snacked at the food stands. The best part about having an apartment, other than the privacy, was the sauna they had downstairs. After being in the cold all day, there was nothing better than sitting in there for about 15 minutes and letting all my muscles relax.
The next day, I opted out of skiing. I realized that my boots had been improperly fitted, mostly due to language barriers and the differences between American and European sizes, resulting in matching goose egg bruises on each of my ankles. Everyone else decided to ski, so I ventured out on my own. I spent most of my time relaxing at one of the cafes, enjoying my coffee over the course of several hours just like most Europeans I know. I was relieved for the small amount of relaxation and alone time. When I met back up with everyone, we made the decision to leave Bansko early and head to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city. It ended up being a fantastic decision.
Events occurred: December 18-21, 2011
Unfortunately for us, the weather in Sofia was not forgiving. It rained the entire time we were there. Surprisingly, we did get to see much of the actual city despite spending only one full day there. We took a local bus to a park and hiked up a mountain. We had difficulty communicating with some of the locals, who didn't speak much English or any of the other languages that any of us were familiar with. Luckily, we took the time to learn the Cyrillic alphabet and by the end of it we had learned a few words, such as thank you. I must say that the food was incredible. We found a restaurant within the park where I tried a really good soup. The restaurant provided English menus, so I had some idea what I was ordering.
After we left the park, we explored the city itself. There were a lot of interesting statues on display and many of the buildings were beautiful. Also, since Christmas was just around the corner, much of Sofia was decorated with lights, a pretty sight to behold as it became dark outside. We went to a small cultural museum nearby and there we learned about traditional Bulgarian dress and learned traditional dances. We also tried some cookies that they made and got to help make them ourselves. I talked to one of the women about knitting and embroidery, both occasional pursuits of mine. I was also intrigued by the dances, which I found to be very similar to traditional Greek dances that I have learned. The next morning we left Sofia and headed for Bansko, a Bulgarian ski town.
Events occurred: December 17-18, 2011
Though I have limited experience with ski towns, Bansko seemed to be especially picturesque. When we arrived, the skies were clear and the runs were visible. We worried that there wouldn't be enough snow since we had heard rumors that there hadn't been any and the slopes were in preseason still. As luck would have it, we woke up to several inches coating the ground and the rooftops. It was gorgeous. I ran around in it a bit before we headed into town to rent our skis. I knew (and still know) absolutely nothing about sizing ski boots. This ended somewhat badly for me. The other unfortunate reality of skiing in mid-December in Bulgaria was that the beginner slopes weren't open, just the medium and hard. 
The next day, I opted out of skiing. I realized that my boots had been improperly fitted, mostly due to language barriers and the differences between American and European sizes, resulting in matching goose egg bruises on each of my ankles. Everyone else decided to ski, so I ventured out on my own. I spent most of my time relaxing at one of the cafes, enjoying my coffee over the course of several hours just like most Europeans I know. I was relieved for the small amount of relaxation and alone time. When I met back up with everyone, we made the decision to leave Bansko early and head to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second largest city. It ended up being a fantastic decision. 
Unfortunately for us, the weather in Sofia was not forgiving. It rained the entire time we were there. Surprisingly, we did get to see much of the actual city despite spending only one full day there. We took a local bus to a park and hiked up a mountain. We had difficulty communicating with some of the locals, who didn't speak much English or any of the other languages that any of us were familiar with. Luckily, we took the time to learn the Cyrillic alphabet and by the end of it we had learned a few words, such as thank you. I must say that the food was incredible. We found a restaurant within the park where I tried a really good soup. The restaurant provided English menus, so I had some idea what I was ordering. 
