May 31, 2012

Bulgaria is blessed with scenic wonders: the Balkan Mountains which run through the middle of Bulgaria from east to west, the Rila Mountains in the southwest, and the Rhodope Mountains in south central Bulgaria. I'm very fortunate to have friends living in these amazing places and was invited to spend time in two of the mountain ranges this past month with volunteers who were in Borovan with me during pre-service training. All three have fantastic views, and all three had hiking trails mapped out for us.

Byala is a small village northwest of the city of Sliven. It's tucked into the valley of some rather low but picturesque mountains called the Stara Planina – Old Mountains, otherwise known as the Balkans. I visited there the last weekend in April while the weather was perfect and before the monsoons started.

We hiked up one of the hills behind Amy's village. The scenery was awesome.

Great view from the top!

Stara Planina

My attempt to use the auto-timer on my camera. 

Our hiking goal was to reach this wind farm.

Byala, Bulgaria

The view from Amy's balcony - an outhouse that's still used.

Balcony still life - a rug-beater and a satellite dish

Last weekend I went to the Rhodope Mountains to visit two volunteers. One lives in Dospat and the other lives in Lyubcha. Again, great views and great hiking.

The view from Joe's balcony in Lyubcha.

We saw many gardens on the hillside while walking up the mountain.

The view from above Lyubcha. The farthest mountain - barely discernable - is in Greece.

Locals walking back down the mountain after tending their garden.

Some ride their mules, others drive their Lada. These are Russian cars and are as cute as can be. Some here are very old but still going. There are many of them in Bulgaria but are a dying breed as it was announced recently that the Lada plant will be closing.

I really enjoy hiking in the mountains.

Lyubcha lilacs. The lilacs in Rakovski bloomed a month before.

I have to wonder how old this home is.

This is the home we stayed in. It was gorgeous inside as well as outside, and the hosts were more than generous. Not only did they provide a place for eight people to sleep, but they fed us some wonderful traditional Bulgarian food and drove us between villages. We really appreciated their hospitality.

A view of Lyubcha out the back window as we were leaving on a very rainy Saturday morning.

A view of Dospat out the front window.

Both villages are Turkish and therefore Muslim. It was interesting being awakened by the call to prayer at 4:30 in the morning or some incredibly early hour.

The view from Mikey's balcony.

We were going to hike to the top of the one in the middle but got on the wrong path and didn't quite make it, thank God. It was about a two-hour walk up as it was.

It was cloudy and rainy all day but still beautiful.

 I feel very fortunate for the opportunity to travel this beautiful country.

Meanwhile...back in Rakovski, my counterpart and I started a project with our sixth graders that will keep us busy for a few weeks. It's the World Map Project and has been done by Peace Corps volunteers all over the world. 

Step 1: Wash the surface

Step 2: Paint with rustproofer

We're going to paint a map of the world on the front of this old shed. I asked what was inside it, but no one seemed to know. I hope it won't be too long before I can show a photo of the finished product.

I have two weeks of school left. Grades one through four let out today, but grades five through seven – which I teach – finish June 15.

I have a very exciting summer planned. I'll teach English in summer school when I'm in Rakovski and creative writing at two different summer camps in the Rila Mountains. I'm also looking forward to two incredible vacations. Karen is coming in August to tour Bulgaria then I'm tagging along to Paris to meet Bob. AND, for those of you who haven't heard, my son is getting married July 3! I wouldn't miss it for anything, so I'll be spending a few days with my family in Las Vegas the first week of July. I'm thrilled to welcome Amanda into our family.

Peace, love, happiness and thanks for reading!

Joan