Items of Interest, at least to me

Things about Rousse, Bulgaria that will probably surprise or interest you:

• Living spaces are small. Appliances are small. Personal space is small. Europe is small. You can get to Vienna from here, by bus, in well under a day. If the cafe is out of tables, someone will ask to share yours. (At least my experience is they will ask; in the german airport they just sit down in your empty chairs.)
• Showers are not in a separate space, but are in the middle of the bathroom and the drain in the middle of the floor. I have never seen a bath tub. The toilet may also be in this room, or it may be in a separate room. (I much prefer the latter, so I don't have to figure out how to shower without getting the toilet paper wet.)
• If you use a public restroom, there is the possibility that you will need to pay and/or squat.
• When you visit someone, you will sit at the table and you will be offered food as well as drink. You should accept, because if you don't they will just assume they haven't found the right thing to offer you yet.
• You will probably spend the evening drinking, discussing politics and swapping jokes. You will be asked for American jokes; I suggest you do some research because you won't remember any on the spot.
• If you ask, there's a good chance that any cafe or restaurant will have a menu in English and the server may very well speak some English.
• The waiter or waitress, however, will probably be intimidating. Its less scary to go in to a small store than to try and order coffee at a cafe. They also expect to be largely ignored by the customer, and if you ask their name or initiate any conversation it will be a surprise. For some it is a pleasant surprise.
• Regular coffee here means espresso. They will probably have nescafe and might have cappuccino. They will not have drip coffee. I don't know that they even know what a latte is.
• Pizza will probably have corn on it. And maybe an egg.
• Bulgarians are still pissed off about the time they spent under the rule of the Ottoman Empire, which they call the Ottoman Yoke, and they build monuments to the revolutionaries and soldiers that helped free them.
• This is because it lasted 500 years - this is more than twice as long as our country has existed.
• They do not consider themselves in any way, shape or form, Turkish or related to the Turks. And muslims are very much a minority. 500 years or no.
• Many gypsys live in Bulgaria and always have. They are not considered romantic or exotic, and though their music has had significant influence many Bulgarians still have mixed feelings about it.
• This is very much a cash economy. Most stores don't have cash registers. The person in charge of taking the money simply has a purse or wallet from which they make change and where they keep the money.
• I can not figure out if we pay tax on anything other than electronics, and it seems to be factored in to the price advertised. Maybe. I'm still a little confused on this issue.
• Family is huge and sprawling. Your parent's cousin is your uncle, and your cousin's child your nephew. There is a term to define the relationship between you and your child's mother-in-law. It is very common to call someone by their title (wife, brother) when addressing them or talking about them. I wonder if this is because names are recycled so much within families.
• There are parks absolutely everywhere and the children run free in them until 10 or 11 at night. Most restaurants have a play area for the children, and it is expected they will be running and playing. After age 5 or so, parents only expect them to check in every half hour or so and older children much less often than that. However, any older person feels free to correct a child that is not behaving properly.
• The soil is amazingly rich. Flowers, vegetables and grape vines are grown all around the base of apartment buildings.
• Stray dogs and cats roam the city and are routinely fed at restaurants. They are immunized, spayed/neutered and released by the city unless they become aggressive. They are not aggressive and I have not seen any animal waste in a public space. Pet dogs are kept on leashes at all times.

Adventures on a Train

Trains have always held a fascination for me.  They are such a timeless link to our past, and yet they speak of the industrial foundation of our country.  And the pace of our life.  The south in general is not particularly well linked to the rail system, maybe its the slower pace of life down here, and Florida is no exception.  However, between our long history as a destination for northern visitors and our long coast (and the shipping that comes with it) we do have trains.  The tracks wind through our little town and I can stand in my front yard and watch them go by.  Or lay in my bed and hear them go by...  You really do learn to sleep through it.

So, Friday morning I tossed my overnight bag over my shoulder and took the short walk to the Amtrak station.  I haven't been on a train in the South since I was a child, and it felt very different from the northeast, where traveling by train was common.  I've tried to figure out what was different, but there's nothing I can point to.  It just felt different.  And for me it was a great adventure.  Instead of driving the dreaded Interstate, trapped by myself in the car, I knit and watched the other passengers.  I watched little towns go by, and laughed with the conductors, who clearly enjoyed their job.  And 2 1/2 highly entertaining hours later, I was in Tampa.

I wandered around Ybor city, pausing now and then to lie in a park and read my book, for several hours while Alex was finishing his conference.  And then I spent two highly entertaining days with my silly husband.

*I am quite aware that my inability to think of a single song about trains to use in this post, or at least the title immediately brands me a woman without small children.

Friendship

Some friendships are magic. It has been ten and a half years since I was in a position to see my college girlfriends every day. At times, we have lived on three separate continents and today we span the United States. But, this weekend we were in one place, one time and while almost everything about our lives has changed nothing about our bond has.

With them, I was tough enough to hike up this mountain to the top of Multnomah Falls. (It is every bit as high and steep as it looks.) Those of us from the flat lands were breathing heavily in the thinner air and leaning in to the incline. The mountain girls took the trail like nimble goats. But, we got to the top together.

At the Saturday Market, the differences in our tastes could not have been more apparent. I ogled a silk quilted jacket, while another coveted the marble lions that would look great in her drive. We each knew exactly what would appeal to another, though, often calling out "come look, it looks just like you." Ten years of sporadic visits, but we still know.

We cooked together, played together and talked incessantly. We shared stories, talked about scary decisions, and told inside jokes. I found myself startled when someone shared a bit about their daily life I didn't know, and only on the flight home did it occur to me that what is truly surprising is how much we do know. If you work at it, relationships can be maintained through email and phone calls. But, the occasional chance to share a fall day and an apple - to strengthen that bond with some time together - its precious.

Oregon was beautiful, if a bit cold and rainy, but we could have been anywhere. We just needed to be.

Dispatch from N'awlins

Yesterday morning I woke up at an hour usually reserved for farmers and hospitality workers.  Not having many of either in our neighborhood, it was eerily quiet and I startled myself with the noise I made closing the trunk.  Several hours later, I landed in New Orleans.

My training didn't start until the afternoon, so I had time to roam the city and remember the magic it holds once again.  Its been said so often it borders on cliche - but N'awlins is truly a magical place.  I am armed with my person guide book - a list of 'must see' places, which is actually more like a ' places you must eat at' list come to think of it, from a new colleague who is from New Orleans.  Yesterday, though, I just roamed and soaked it in.

Of course, my hotel room overlooks Bourbon street, so while I'm definitely getting a breather from normal life and the office, I'm not getting much in the way of actual sleep.  Even a stomach full of Crawfish Etoufee and a benadryl can't compete with screaming people and police sirens right outside your window.  This is definitely a place for night owls, or at least those on vacation.  On the other hand, there's enough great coffee in this city to keep me fully caffeinated and awake for months.  

My exchange with the concierge this morning:

Where would I go for a good cup of coffee?

Do you want Starbucks?

Really?  I was figurin' in New Orleans I could do than that.

There's a girl.  (Enthusiastically reaching out to shake my hand.)  

What you wanna do is...

Lordy was he right.  I have a great cup of Cafe au Lait that will keep me perky through the morning, no doubt.  Just smelling it is heavenly.

Today - Magazine Street and directions to one of the places on my personal guidebook.

Where are my sweaters?

A week from today we will be on a plane, headed for three weeks in Bulgaria. Everything about this trip is wonderful - lots of loving family, time to relax, great food, a beautiful country. Everything but the weather, for this Florida girl.

Today's forecast in Sofia? 43 (farenheit), feels like 39. 81% humidity.

A Ritzy Weekend

We were puttin' on airs this weekend. Alex's firm held its Spring Retreat at the Ritz Carlton in Naples. I learned why "the Ritz" is an adjective, as well as a noun. It was beautiful, even by ritzy hotel standards. We had a view of the beach and grounds that got your attention. (And so did almost every other room in the hotel.)


I was also incredibly impressed by how they designed the grounds. Rather than putting in a bunch of plants that happened to be flowering, without regard to how they'd survive the weather, and then pulling them out in a few weeks to be replaced with something else, they'd planted drought-resistant, sun loving plants that could live there for years. And some of them clearly had. (You don't get Plumeria this big overnight!)

However, what really set it apart was the service. Every single staff person I interacted with was unfailingly friendly. Not just courteous or helpful, though they were that too, but friendly. They made small talk, met your eyes, talked and acted like they had absolutely nothing else to do but visit with you. They asked about our last name, and then told us who the Bulgarians were that worked there and how we could find them. They carried our bags and introduced us to the next person who would help us, but then paused a second to say a genuine goodbye and make sure we had what we needed. And they weren't looking for a tip - the firm took care of that in advance, and the bell boy assured Alex "oh no, we're taken care of" when he reached for his wallet. The rooms and grounds were gorgeous, and we definitely felt the luxury. But, the hotel wouldn't have been so clearly set apart without the service... Not that they could command the prices they charge without the luxury, too. (I am really glad we didn't have to pay for this trip, despite being assured that the firm got a "great deal.")


Of course, being who we are, we didn't aspire to any great pretensions. We are who we are. And that means taking on the beer run for all the guys (and many of the girls) hanging out in the ocean. Yep - he walked from the hospitality suite, through two floors of the Ritz Carlton, past the pools, down the boardwalk and across the beach with his shirt full of beer without any self-consciousness at all. That's my boy.


And that's how we spent our weekend, toes in the sand and in the water. Plenty of time to enjoy nature.



And an early morning walk on the beach just to see what I could see.

It was lovely. Our first real beach excursion of the year and more than a bit of pampering. And that being said, it was awfully nice to come home.

Everglades Trip

We had a great trip down to Chokoloskee for Grandma's birthday. It was short - arriving Friday evening and leaving Sunday evening - but I packed a great deal in to it.

We had fun decorating the RV and throwing Grandma a birthday party. Aunt Kathy bought pounds of crabs, that we ate in the dark and cold on the deck since they are so messy. It was really too cold that night for the wimpy among us (me) to eat many of them before retreating inside to eat salad in the warmth. But we had the leftovers the next night, so it worked out well. We also had key lime pie for birthday cake, and of course the presents. Grandma really liked the bag I was so proud of, so that worked out well.

We also went for a wonderful boardwalk nature walk in to a refuge, and we were able to see all kinds of birds. They came up amazingly close to the boardwalk and didn't seem to be at all afraid of the people. I swear they know noone can harm them there. This is a Great Egret and a Great Blue Heron just hanging out in the marsh at the end of the boardwalk. They were sort of fishing, sort of just sitting around. And not at all intimidated by the people milling about excited to see them - or the Momma Gator and her babies also swimming there.

Actually, none of the birds appeared afraid of the gators. I'm thinking they must be able to feed well on the fish, because the clearly aren't threatening to the birds. Not that this sleepy face, right off the boardwalk where the heron and egret were, was terribly threatening. But, it grows in to THIS face. This monster was in the drainage ditch, beside the road, right at the start of the trail. As a Florida girl, I observed him carefully from a good distance and only once it was clear he was resting and uninterested in the humans - or the birds nearby, for that matter - did I move closer for a picture. And not that close, mind you. This picture was taken with a powerful telephoto lens extended all the way. But, I do know that gators won't bother you as long as you treat them with a healthy respect. If they haven't been fed by humans and so taught to associate humans with food, that is. That last fact had me treating this guy with even greater caution, since we were in a tourist spot. Unfortunately, long-distance tourists are often either terrified by the gators (usually ones like this big guy) or think they are cute Disney creations (usually the little ones like the one above). Neither reaction is a particularly good thing - you NEVER want to run it to a gator who associates humans with food (take it from someone who has), but neither do you want a big commotion scaring the gator in to thinking he needs to protect himself. Fortunately, the Everglades seems to attract responsible tourists. I noticed that noone was trying to feed any of the animals on the trail, whether the birds or the tiny gators. (The ones still being protected by their Momma were even smaller than the one I got a good shot of.) But, I've digressed in to an unneeded lecture.

Moving on - this trail also had a Bald Eagles nest. Not so close to the trail, but clearly visible as little bobbing colors to the naked eye. Much more visible to the binoculars or telephoto lens. I still had to crop this photo way down to get an identifiable shot, mind you. Eagle nests are huge. And high. The refuge reports two parent eagles and two eaglets, but I was only able to see this fella (lady?). An incredibly impressive bird - no wonder our founding fathers chose this symbol of might to represent our nation.

I, however, wanted to see a red-shouldered hawk. We could hear one calling, or at least my aunt (who would know) told me that was what we heard. I said to my Mom "Oh, I'd love to see a red-shouldered hawk. I haven't seen one in years." A few minutes later Mom pointed one out to me... flying about three miles up. Literally, this was a speck of a profile in the sky and Mom says "There, Cara. There's your hawk." Uhm. Yeah. So, I mentioned that I had in mind seeing one just a bit closer. We continue down the trail, literally just two or three minutes later, and a red shouldered hawk swoops down beside the boardwalk and starts trying to wrestle something (a snake? baby gators? fish? definitely prey) out from under a pile of brush. He pays no mind to the crowd on the boardwalk and continues his hunting. When he gives up, he just perches there and does a bit of grooming. (And I swear he shot me a dirty look when I took a picture of him preening his feathers. My sister agrees; his look definitely said 'personal hygiene is not appropriate subject matter for photographs.') He then swoops over the board walk, within inches of my little cousin's head, and proceeds to pose on a pretty branch. And he is a handsome boy. Wouldn't you agree?

When not celebrating birthdays or on nature walks, we explored the area around Chokoloskee. Mom and I found two old graveyards on our walk. One was pretty sad, but this one was definitely a sweet remembrance to well loved people. Even graves from the late 1800s had recent flowers and mementos. Many of the graves had plantings around them, others had windchimes, bells or other special memorabilia and one had a full out memory garden with plants, decorations, chimes and a poster telling you about the person. It was a beautiful graveyard. And only the Hallmons (me, Mom and Meg - not so much Dad) would want to take pictures of a graveyard. At least when those buried there have no connection to them. But meaningful graveyards tell you so much about the people buried there, and the people who loved them. And isn't that the point?

It was a great weekend. Filled with family, nature and a near immersion in old Florida. It was much too short, but it was refreshing, revitalizing and (though just barely) worth through five hour drive each way. And it reminded me that I need to get out - out of the city, out of my routine - more. I'll be looking for an opportunity to drag Alex camping in the near future. (Maybe not too near, as its taken me a full week to complete this one post, saying something about all the things we find to do as it is!)

We Came, We Saw, We Slept

That's the St. Louis Arch - the Gateway to the West and all that.

I had a conference in St. Louis, Missouri this past week. I've never been to St. Louis before - unless you count a layover in the airport - so I was looking forward to seeing the city. I planned to go to the botanical gardens, see the City Museum, and maybe even check out a brewery.

It didn't work out that way. The conference kept me pretty busy until Friday afternoon, but I had planned to see the botanical gardens in the afternoon and then be back in time to meet Alex who was coming to join me Friday night. But, after my afternoon session, I was just so darn sleepy. I decided I should take a nap and be ready to see Alex that evening instead. "We'll see the city tomorrow," I thought.

Alex made it in late, and unfortunately he brought a 'bug' with him. He wasn't feeling great, but we did check out the Landing district. By walking through the Arch park and down another block or so, we could get to the historic Landing district. It's mostly restaraunts and bars, but it has a definite night life. Like this:Hee, hee. I still like that one.

Saturday morning I had seminars, but we were all ready to go in the afternoon. We decided to try seeing the botanical garden, even though Alex is supposed to stay out of the sun. One stop up the metrolink (what passes for public transit in St. Louis), and we are trying to figure out how to take the bus to where we need to go. A little bit of wandering around and we decided this wasn't such a good idea. He was getting sunburned already, and we needed to come up with an alternate plan. We sat in a hotel lobby - not our hotel, of course - and tried to figure out what to do. The City Museum looks like fun, but again with the bus... Carriage ride? Finally, we both admit that we're tired and not feeling so good, and the best thing would be a nap... Yeah, great travelers us.

We did make it back out for dinner, again at the Landing. And Sunday morning we took a close up look at the arch before heading for the airport. But mostly, we laid in bed and watched TV. In our hotel room. I threatened to take a picture of Alex watching TV in bed, since that was our REAL St. Louis trip. But, I didn't. I took this instead.And a stranger we grabbed on the sidewalk took this.

Well, we did see the Arch.

We also saw some really cool historic buildings. This is the old courthouse, where the Dred Scott trial was started. (It was apparently moved somewhere else later.) I was inordinately fascinated by this fact, even though it wasn't open for me to go inside. But, even just seeing the outside... it was middle school American History come to life.I also did a little walking tour of the area on Thursday, before I decided to give it up and just sleep. And I found this neat mall.

It was a huge train station back in the heyday of train travel. It was definitely an imposing building. Now its a mall, but with little boutique stores rather than department stores or the cookie cutter branch stores. There's still alot of marble and statuary. And outside there's a mini-lake with paddle boats and everything. Not a bad way to kill a few hours at all.