On the train I met an old, salty lady with swollen feet who liked to pester my friend Martina's dog by kicking it lightly every five minutes as we rode back towards Sofia. She said suddenly with a smile "Bulgaria is on the ass of Asia and the neck of Europe or vice-versa."


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Local oft-arising small wonders in Bulgaria were:

- Med ot celo, delicious golden brown local honey produced by bees feeding on wild mountain flowers.
- Truyan, a village near Pazardjik where beautiful pottery is produced. Everytime I saw a beautiful hand-painted piece of ceramic art it was from Truyan.
- Vesko, the best young traditional gaida player in Bulgaria (gaida is a one-piped local bagpipe) who lives in the forest in the mountains outside of Sofia and is often photographed wearing a traditional hat called a "kal pak." He has a fantastic band of mystical music with traditional instuments called "Hesygia." I never actually met him but the best people I met all seemed to know him intimately and kept telling me about him.


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Three Bulgarian Specialities

Macaroni eaten with cirene (white cheese similar to feta) and sugar mixed in a the table.

Shkembe Chorba is veal tripe soup cooked in milk. This is eaten with pounded garlic and vinigar and powdered red pepper mixed in a the table.

Guveche is a dish of potatoes, onions, tomatoes, salt (and sometimes meat) baked in a lidded clay pot together after being covered in a layer of kashakaval (yellow fatty cheese).


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Self Note Written In Bulgaria:

You must just laugh at how
Differently people know you
In some places you are a
Fast starter, in others a
Slow finisher.

In western society the goal of many is to
Keep reinventing oneself and not let others
Define you.