Spring Break: The beginning

Sorry I haven't written for awhile; I've been away on spring break. Instead of posting one horrendously long post about the trip I think I will break it into a few sections in order to save you from large amounts of reading at one time.

Spring break started on the 1st of March (which also happened to be Baba Marta). I hung out at the dorms on Saturday and did some homework and then on Sunday I went to Sofia to see the city and stay with my friend Savina. It's only about an hour and a half trip and I was there by 3. Savina picked me up at the bus station and I went to her grandparents house where her family was celebrating Baba Marta with a big meal. I got to eat homemade Bulgarian food and it was amazing! They start with the Bulgarian salads of vegetables and cheese then we had cooked pork, rice, potatoes and homemade rolls. Then they had two kinds of desert - a banitsa (feta filled pastry) and a layered ice cream tiramisu cake. I was stuffed. Then Savina's uncle poured me a glass of homemade Rakia (traditional Bulgarian brandy) which is incredibly strong stuff but I didn't want to seem rude by refusing. After dinner we went out and walked around downtown Sofia and saw a huge amount of goverment buildings built in the Stalin-baroque style (which I didn't know existed). We met my friend Svet who also lives in Sofia and he walked around with us.

I stayed with Savina's mom and grandma who were so sweet and hospitable. They kept hugging me and her grandma would give me all sorts of things to eat and drink. The next day was Bulgaria's independence day from the Ottoman Empire so Savina and I went downtown and saw the celebration. I saw the President and the Prime minister of Bulgaria as well as the Bulgarian calvary. Afterwards Savina and I walked around some more, I broke down and ate at a McDonalds there (which is actually a very well respected restaurant in Bulgaria) and we hung out until the afternoon when I came back to Blago in order to pack and get ready for the long haul across the Balkans.

Alexader Nefsky Cathedral at night.

One of the governement buildings in the Stalin Baroque style.

The Bulgarian calvary at the independence celebration. Their uniforms are the second most beautiful in Europe.

Mcdonalds in the European style - cafe tables outside.

Savina's mom, grandma, and I.