And now we find ourselves in Bulgaria

Somehow I've found the motivation to write at 12 am while sitting in a rainsoaked B&B in Shiroka Luka. I'm sitting in my boxers and my barefeet on the stone floor are growing colder by the minute as I sit here and continue typing. To describe the day today: the drive up the winding Rhodope Mountain road, the visit to the monastery and the incredibly colourful autumn foliage covering every inch of mountainside, later getting caught in a rainstorm as we pulled into our final destination: Shiroka Luka, the ancient village nestled in a tight valley sitting at 2,000 meters above sea level, eating traditional Bulgarian dishes, listening to traditional Bulgarian music, and finally discovering the place we would sleep: a cosy little inn with extra blankets and comfortable beds for a mere $9 a night, oh yeah, this place is awesome. And how did we come to find ourselves here in Bulgaria? Good question. I was telling a friend about my being in Bulgaria and she asked me the same question I'm sure everyone wants to know: why Bulgaria? The answer is somewhat simple and somewhat complicated. Simply put: I needed to exit the Schengen area. The Schengen area is a large region in western Europe comprised of member states that decided to hell with border crossings, we all want the freedom to drive across your border without having to stop at passport control and customs. So with that the majority of western Europe and most EU member countries fall under this category. As an American citizen I am allowed 90 days per every 6 months to stay in this area. I needed to exit because plans would have me in Prague for Christmas and by the time I checked out of Schengen I was already inside Schengen for a month. So we headed south, first to Bratislava and then to Budapest, and ultimately to Sofia, Bulgaria, yeah! And still you're asking, so why Bulgaria? Why not Croatia or Romania or Russia or some other country not in the Schengen area? Well as luck would have it, one of the hosts I contacted originally got back to me and said she'd be delighted to have us stay on for a month or two. So we said: heck yes! And here we are! Staying in a small village between Chirpan and Stara Zagora. The weather for the most part has been in the mid-20's (mid-70's for all you folks back home). Just today I was walking around in a tank top and probably could have gotten away with shorts as well! I'm sure everyone back in Seattle might be feeling a little jealous and anyone in Prague might be feeling more jealous as they've just received their first bit of snow! I'll definitely take wearing a tank top! The deal becomes a whole lot sweeter when you hear that my lovely English ex-pat host, Jane, introduced us to her English speaking Bulgarian friend, Boyan, who just so happens to have a car and also happens to be a winemaker. So we've been living the life here in Bulgaria. Working for Jane and then helping Boyan finish off (and on occasion, taste) his wine production. We're seeing heaps of the country and for the most part we've been enjoying end-of-summer-like weather so we can't complain at all! Bulgaria is one of the most unlikely of places to be but we're slowly discovering the amazing things this country has to offer. There's no telling where we'll head to next but we're thinking about making a short trip to the Bulgarian coast on the Black Sea and then maybe Greece or Croatia or Italy? With that my friends, I am signing off, my feet are freezing and it's already after midnight. Stay tuned for more updates (I hope!) and more photos from this amazing trip! Ciao ciao!

Zach