Well here we are two weeks into our Bulgarian experience. Here are a few things I have learned so far:
1. They make their own moonshine here, a distilled form of wine, called rakya. This is immensely powerful, enough to blind.
2. If you have too much rakya, more than two glasses, they will carry you home.
3. It is impossible to refuse something offered to you, (especially rakya)- really it seems to be the only thing that angers them.
You see where this is going.
The forest is sacred to Bulgarians, and of the forest, one tree in particular is most sacred. I don't know the name of this tree but it is beautiful and used in fine carpentry. Near to us is a valley famous for hot springs. Resort spas have built huge swimming/soaking pools here and charge a modest price, 6 lev I think, for a day use. We have not been yet but it is on the menu.
I have been able to work as a carpenter out here, and although masonry was real fun, it is nice to work with wood again. Hey Jerry, real 2x4's! We did a bit of work in a town called Leshten on a British family's getaway home. And hoo boy, you're really getting away from it out here, all of it, everything. Leshten is a bit different from Kruschevo in that it is mostly getaway homes. It is very beautiful and also high up in a mountain valley. However it lacks the true grit lived-in feel of our little rocky rutted gem. A bit too much plastic and chrome feeling.
The house we were fixing up had been taken over by a seriously aggressive fungus. Like a Star Trek episode, or Doctor Who for you Brits. It was our job to insulate the subfloor and install in-floor heating under a slab to be poured, and finally finished off with natural stone or tile. Both boys got to help do this and were very good, adept natural foremen. At one point, I caught them leaning on shovels and drinking sodas quite importantly. I was so proud.
On the road to Leshten you pass a gypsy camp, oops that's a bad word out here, instead they prefer to be called Romas. This camp has no name outside of the Roma and is not on any map. The Bulgarians don't really like them I think. Anyway, they have improved the camp and it is starting to look like a little town, pretty run down, but a few brick buildings. The road through here leads up to a tourist attraction past the town of Leshten. We haven't seen it but it is supposed to be a traditional old Bulgarian village, and I hear its nice. So the government decided that they would build a new road so the tourists would not see the Roma town. This road is yet to be finished, so you drive through the Roma town and wave and smile. And sometimes if you're lucky they throw rocks at you, which is Roma for "Hello and Welcome". Most times though, you just drive through and realize how incredibly lucky (and wealthy) you are.
The house we are staying in at the top of the village is also a storehouse for 30,000 books. A bit of scavenging around turns up gem after gem. I have already read "Dilbert, Journey to Cubeville" and a Rolling Stones songbook, while Cade has busied herself with as much Danielle Steele as she can get her hands on. (Editor's note: Cade only read one Danielle Steele book and that was during a night of insomnia. Most other times she reads extremely intellectual tomes, like 'So You Want to Be a Shaman', etc.) (Writer's note: Mike also reads intellectual books, such as James Glieks 'Chaos').
Summer is passing into fall out here and the nights grow cooler each day. The days are still warm and sunny. We have a wood burning stove in our room so we stay toasty at night. There is plenty of work to do before the rains of winter begin towards the middle of November, so we will keep busy.
We did have a cold rainy day last week. Luckily we were outside at a fair in Dospat. Diego and I went on a swingy ride and we had hotdogs and kebabs. It was fun but everyone was a bit cold so we didn't stay too long.
Well that's it for now. You keep reading and I'll keep writing.
Naz'drave!
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