Four Months! (and then some)

I meant to write a comprehensive review of my impressions of my new host country and it's fun and foibles at four months (eleven days ago to be exact), but time runs away from me faster and faster these days. Or is that just my boy?

There will be other posts that include many nice and educational pictures. Not today. Today is about the day to day.

I have a hard time writing both here and via email about life here because my life is always at one of two extremes. I am either doing something absolutely amazing and beautiful that would be on most people's bucket lists or I am cleaning the house and taking out the trash and scolding cats for dropping litter and fur all over the house and wondering if I shouldn't be looking for work so I'm not stuck at home looking at a mess all day. It really does come down to that. My visits to the Consulate break up the day immensely and make it seem to breeze by. As do my walks to the park or the mall or to visit friends.

So I do not want to just write about the good stuff and sound like my life is all glamour, nor do I want to complain about the things that are a normal part of everyone's life (laundry, cleaning, going to the grocery store...AGAIN). I know I have a good life here. If you can't have a good life here, you will never have one, because this place is very forgiving with the abundance of beauty and excellent food, great people and incredible historic sights.

I am searching for the middle ground. Or maybe just the ground. Our place is still coming together and that is a huge relief. There may be a car in our future. Or there may not. I have changed my mind on the car situation and would love to have one now. Of course, driving somewhere creates a whole new set of complications.

There have been two humungous and amazing breakthroughs for me this week. First, I have successfully placed an order for online grocery delivery. It should be here this morning. I don't like to complain (really, I don't!) about doing the shopping, especially when our stores are visible from our residence, but I figured, that with the walk and the incline, it's close to climbing twelve flights of stairs, toddler attached. I don't know how I managed in July and August when daytime temps were close to 90 degrees for weeks on end. Oh wait, I do; air conditioning and cold beverages. Some days cold showers too. The second breakthrough happened at just the right time too; organic produce delivery. This should arrive tomorrow. Between the two, I think I am set for everything except beer. And as we all know, climbing twelve flights of stairs with a toddler attached is totally worth it if it's beer you're carrying.

Bulgaristan

Bulgaristan is Bulgaria in Turkish.

A group of wanderers. Look at those wide and smooth sidewalks! Swoon! You could roll a stroller down those!

We saw a few donkey driven carts in the small towns we passed to get to Sofia. Good as transport as any, I suppose.

Another common sight in the small towns were locals set up with produce stands. If those are tomatoes, they're mighty large tomatoes.

A typical Bulgarian village dwelling. Some were nicer. Most were not. At least the ones on the roadside.

The Shopska Salad. A thing of delicious beauty. This was the most beautiful one in town. Typical ingredients are cucumber, tomato, peppers, shredded cow's milk cheese.

Sofia has a wonderful evening restaurant/cafe culture.

The view from our pensione. That's the mountain in the background. I dream of it snow-capped.

Requisite picture of the Nevsky cathedral. If you do an image search for Sofia, Bulgaria, you will be rewarded with a thousand pictures of this cathedral. It is very solemn and beautiful inside. We saw a Moskvitch for sale on this street and really wish we could have brought it home with us to Turkey. What is a Moskvitch? Why it's one of these!:

Edirne

Here's are some pictures from Edirne, the first stop on our road trip to Bulgaristan.

The Selimiye Mosque. Quite the magnificent structure!

A little guy all snug in his backpack. This thing is a life saver! Now to get the water insert for it so I can hydrate!

Inside the mosque. It is equally magnificent on the inside! That calligraphy is simply amazing.

For propriety's sake. 

Some more amazing calligraphy.

More common than you'd think. Blurry and overexposed, but yes, that is a family of five on a scooter. Helmets? We don't need 'em!

Across the street from the mosque. Nah, we didn't ride.

Not the only horses we saw roaming the streets.