Our Eastern European October… part nine

The day before our first morning in Krakow, Bill and I filled out a form that indicated our menu choices for breakfast. We opted to have breakfast in the apartment, since there was a table and chairs set up there. Eating breakfast in the apartment meant I could put off wearing a bra that much longer.

Breakfast is served from 9-11. I would have preferred it slightly earlier, since Bill and I are early risers. But having it at nine gave us an incentive to sleep in, and God knows Bill needs to do more of that. Also, the bed in the Prince Suite is surprisingly comfortable, so sleeping in wasn’t difficult. If we couldn’t have slept in, we could have watched television. There are THREE TVs in the apartment, including one in the bathroom!

*The bathroom TV. You can watch the news while shaving!*

After a leisurely breakfast, Bill and I ventured out into the city. The weather was sunny and somewhat warm, which was nice, since I forgot to bring my jacket with me. The first thing we saw, once we started walking on Kanonicza Street, was Pope John Paul II’s former residence, which is now the Archdiocesan Museum.

*A look at the exterior of the place where we stayed.*

We probably should have taken a look at it, since it was so close, but I had heard so much about how beautiful Krakow is that I wanted to keep walking. The museum is literally across the street from Kanonicza 22, though, and if you’re Catholic, or interested in things that are Catholic, it’s probably a must see. I am not Catholic, so it was of less interest to me.

We did stop by the Church of Saints Apostles Peter and Paul, a nearby, historic, Catholic church that is iconic in Krakow. This church was built between 1597 and 1635, and is known for being the city’s first Baroque structure. The front of the church is notable for having statues of the twelve apostles.

When we visited the church, a man was speaking to a small group of people as a pendulum moved in front of him. I was curious about the pendulum, but couldn’t understand what the man was saying, even if I could have heard him clearly. But we did get some photos, at least… And Bill lit a candle for his late father, who was a Catholic. Although we didn’t attend any concerts at this church, I understand that they are offered daily at around 8:00 PM and cost about 60 zloty per ticket (about $15.50).

From the church, we headed down the street to the big market square, Rynek Główny. The crowded street was bustling with modern stores, restaurants, and tour guides trying to sell tours. There were plenty of people in Krakow, but somehow the guides knew which people were tourists and which were locals.

This was where I saw the first of many horse drawn carriages. I was delighted to see a team of Appaloosas, since my beloved Rusty was an Appaloosa. I explained to Bill the difference between the American Appaloosa breed, and the Danish Knabstrupper breed. Both are known for their spots, but are different types of horses. I’m pretty sure we were seeing Appaloosas, since they aren’t as rare as Knabstruppers. But I could be wrong, of course. The carriages in Krakow were pretty much all pulled by two horses, all of whom appeared to be well cared for. They kept their routes close to the pedestrian areas.

We walked to the center of the market square and sat for a bit, just taking in the scene. The square is constantly teeming with people and activity, with lots of restaurants, shops, and live performers. While we were sitting in the middle of the square, we noticed that we were surrounded by a lot of very young, beautiful women, who all appeared to be styled in similar ways. I wondered if they were training to be models or… perhaps tour guides? I don’t know, but something was going on with them.

You can’t go to the market square in Krakow without seeing St. Mary’s Basilica, although if you notice my photos below, you’ll see that they actually ask people NOT to visit. I understand you can go into the basilica for free if you are appropriately dressed and have religious business there. You can also purchase a ticket to see parts of the church that are intended for tourists. Again, you are expected to be appropriately dressed for the occasion.

There is a tower there, where tourists can usually pay an extra fee to get panoramic views of the city, but I’m not sure if it was open to the public while we were visiting. I read that it was undergoing renovations. If it had been open, I think Bill and I would have skipped it. As I get older, climbing steep church towers is less appealing than it used to be. Every hour, there is a trumpet call from the taller of the two towers. It’s a tradition that dates from the Middle Ages, and the call is played in each direction.

After we visited the market square, we continued down another street and a sign caught my eye. Then I heard music, noticed quirky art, and found myself in a brewpub called Bania Luka. I later discovered that this pub has several locations, making it a chain. No matter… I was in the mood for a little day drinking. They were playing awesome Generation X music! I didn’t really care for the stools, which weren’t that easy to sit on, but they had good beer, light food, and plenty of vodka. They also had a toilet! We enjoyed a round or two while I admired the artwork.

Then it was time for lunch… so we turned right and walked a little further. I noticed a couple of dark passageways and stopped in one that advertised a traditional Polish restaurant called Stodola 47. This appeared to be a very tourist friendly place. Indeed, there was a large group of Americans there. They were with an outfit called Catholic Journeys. I know this, because they had signs on the tables that were reserved for them.

There was also an Asian Catholic priest with them, complete with collar. I see from Googling that this tour operator is in New Orleans, Louisiana, and offers pilgrimages to different places of interest to Catholics. Again, I’m not Catholic, so I don’t know. I do wonder, though, if they visit Lithuania, a place that seems as religious as Poland is.

Bill and I got the last available table, which was right next to the toilets, and enjoyed a nice heavy lunch, washed down with more beer… Zywiec is a mass produced Polish beer that is very light and refreshing. It’s a lot like water, actually!

Right next door to Stodola 47 is a very inviting underground pub called Dorby Kumpel. So, although I hadn’t planned on the day turning into a pub crawl, that is exactly what it turned into, as we went down to check out the underground bar that was also playing some great Generation X style music! There were a bunch of Brits down there, too, so we didn’t feel out of place. Maybe I should have felt guilty for pub crawling, but our main goal was to relax and enjoy ourselves. We definitely managed to do that in Krakow.

When we emerged from the underground bar, we were confronted by rain showers. So we turned back toward the market square and started heading back the way we came… But then I noticed another inviting pub called Baza. And yes, we stopped in for a bit…

Baza Pub was probably my least favorite of our three stops, mainly because of an annoying guy who happened to be there at the same time we were. The bartender was not the friendliest guy, either. He seemed rather bored with his job. Most of the patrons were sitting outside under umbrellas, probably because they could smoke. The door was left often, though, so the smoke wafted inside the bar. The barkeep would close it, and the annoying guy I referenced would open the door again. That was annoying, but it wasn’t the MOST annoying thing… I did enjoy the artwork.

At one point, I got up to use the toilet, which was unisex. There was one stall, but it hid everything, so it wasn’t a big deal that there weren’t separate rooms for men and women. The annoying man-bunned guy, who had been fouling the air with his chain smoking, came into the bathroom while I was peeing and waited for me to exit the stall. In doing so, he trapped me as I tried to maneuver past the narrow space between the sink and the stall door.

He said, “It’s a very tiny space.” as I worked out what to do.

No shit, guy. Why not wait outside so I can wash my hands in peace? It’s not like there’s a line. 🙄 The guy struck me as a bit of a weirdo. I think the bartender thought so, too.

It was still a bit damp when we left the Baza Bar, but we were still in for a treat. Stevie Wonder was playing and people were kind of dancing along… and then we ran into a group of very talented male breakdancers who entertained us with a fabulous show. I got a video of that.

This is the first video of two I got of this dance group. I will share the other one in the next post.

I had wanted to go looking for artwork, but it was getting late, and was a bit dark and cold. So we kept walking back to the apartment, where we spent the rest of the evening digesting lunch and lots of Polish beer…

On our way back to the hotel, we stopped into another church for a few minutes. It turned out to be the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi, which definitely should have gotten more of our time. We had to keep it short, because Bill really had to pee! What a beautiful church, though… and just outside, we were confronted by Pope John Paul II again.

Bill turned in our breakfast choices for the next morning while I enjoyed the shower. The most notable thing about the shower in the apartment were the toiletries. They were called Oliva del Mediterraneo, and they smelled lovely. I’ve already started looking to see if I can find a full sized bottle for home!

Stay tuned for my next post about our second day in Krakow!

Champagne Bucket trips, churches, former Soviet Union, Lithuania

The Vilnius Series… Tales from the Crypt, and my rainy 53rd birthday… (part four)

While Bill and I were in the hotel room, digesting our fabulous French lunch, the skies turned cloudy and grim. It started to rain. I looked out the window at the cathedral. We were supposed to meet the guide at 4:00 PM for our hourlong guided tour of the crypt. But the rain was coming down steadily and showed no signs of stopping.

I realized that the rainy weather would also put the kibosh on my tentative plans to go hear the US Air Force play with with Lithuanians in the town square. That concert, set for 6:30 PM, seemed like it was going to be doomed with bad weather.

Bill glanced out the window and said, “Hey, there’s a guy out there in a bright red Cadillac Coupe d’Ville, stranded on the street. There’s something you don’t see every day! The guy was on the phone. I felt sorry for the car trapped by the big red land yacht. But it was soon back on its way, and the road was no longer blocked by the striking car.

I said, “Are you really wedded to going to the crypt?” I really didn’t feel like braving the elements.

Bill responded, “Not really.”

I gave some thought to skipping the tour, as my muscles were getting sorer by the minute and I didn’t really want to sprint to the church in the rain. But Bill said that Thursday would be our one and only chance to take the tour in English, so ultimately, we decided to go. I’m really glad we did. It turned out to be a fascinating activity, led by an engaging, witty, and very intelligent guide who told us she’d worked at the Cathedral as an anthropologist for nine years.

I couldn’t help but remember my days at Longwood University, which, at least when I was a student, boasted a really excellent anthropology and archaeology program. I wish I’d taken at least one anthropology class there, as when I was a student, there was a very well known professor there, Dr. James W. Jordan, who was kind of a legendary for his ghost stories. He’s now retired.

In any case, a group of us tourists gathered in the rain and hustled into the church, where the guide took us to a locked grated door. She unlocked the door; we walked down a flight of steps, and she started telling us the fascinating story of the crypts. It started out as a place where only the wealthiest people could be buried… people who had donated land and/or built a church, plus had people who had promised to pray for them forever. As time went on, the people buried there were less wealthy and celebrated.

The church went through several incarnations, all of which were fashionable at the time. I got a kick out of the guide explaining how the cathedral had once had two beautiful towers, but one of them collapsed, and killed people. The people were divided in what they should do… Rebuild the towers? Or redesign the church? It turned out the people with more money were in the camp that the towers should go. So that’s why the Vilnius cathedral looks the way it does now!

The guide also told us about how medieval crowns and scepters were very recently found (as in months ago) in the crypt. Experts knew the trove existed, as it was stashed away after World War II. However, they had not been able to find it in the decades that passed since the war ended. The guide said that next year, they will be available to be seen in the museum, once they are prepared.

We also saw a very old painting of Mary, done by an artist who wasn’t Catholic and had dressed her in red, instead of blue. And we saw the tombs of royalty from hundreds of years ago, and heard the fascinating stories behind their lives and deaths. The guide also invited us to whisper into the corners of the crypt and listen for whispers from a partner. Bill and I tried it, with success!

Lithuania is the last European country to accept Christianity (1387 AD). By contrast, Armenia, where I spent two years, is the first country in the world to accept Christianity as its state religion (in 301 AD). And yet, both were once Soviet countries, where people from Moscow were telling them what to do and demanding that they give up their cultural identities.

It was very poignant to hear the guide talk about things that happened in the Soviet times. Soviet leaders had wanted to turn that cathedral into a warehouse. Fortunately, wiser people determined it was better suited as a concert hall and picture gallery. Also, people who worked in the crypts were wise enough to hide things from Soviet leaders, who would have confiscated the items and taken them to Moscow, never to be seen again.

Below are some photos from the tour:

*A pump that was put in during the Soviet era.*

When the crypt tour was over, I was really glad we decided to go. Not only was the tour interesting and informative, the guide was very entertaining and personable. It was well worth the time and euros to attend, even if I was getting sorer by the minute and we got a little wet.

Unfortunately, the weather was still pretty stormy and dismal after the tour. We decided to have a couple of beers at the hotel bar and, alas, skip the free concert in the town square. As I looked out the windows in the bar, the wind picked up, the sky darkened, and the rain fell harder.

Check out the rain!

I felt sorry for the musicians who had planned for a summer concert, only to be rained on. I’m sure the show went on anyway, but it was still kind of sad. I really was looking forward to attending, but not enough to walk to the square in the rain and possibly have to stand in the weather while my muscles screamed in pain. I thought of my dad, an Air Force veteran and music lover, when he used to encourage my sisters and me to join the Air Force and be in the “Singing Sergeants”. I have to agree, it’s probably a pretty sweet gig, except for when the weather turns to shit and the show is outside.

Still, it was nice to have a couple of beers in the hotel bar. They didn’t have a big selection. We were still kind of full from our French lunch at Balzac, so we ate nuts and cheese (or Bill ate cheese), and then went back to the room, where we watched classic MTV. We made it an early evening.

The next morning was, of course, my birthday… and we woke up to… MORE RAIN! Seriously, it was pouring. We got up and went to breakfast, and a friendly waitress asked us how we were doing. I mentioned it was my birthday– just making conversation. She later brought me a surprise!

*A lovely little cake with a candle. Yes, I made a wish!*

After breakfast, we went back to the room, which was already made up! I made a video…

My parody video “The Things They Do For Trump” was racking up lots of hits and earning me lots of new subscribers. So I made a video from our hotel room…

Then… we decided to do some reading, to see if maybe the rain would let up. It didn’t let up, which honestly was a blessing, because I really needed to rest my sore muscles. I took some Advil, which helped a bit, before we went to lunch at Dionysos, a Greek restaurant right next to the hotel. The friendly waitress who brought me the cake later told us she’d almost worked there, but didn’t like the people running it. We liked the restaurant fine… Bill had three chicken skewers with hummus (that was one too many) and I had ribs with fries, and rose wine made with syrah.

It was still raining cats and dogs after our visit to the Greek place, so we went back to the hotel and read some more. I learned that the Grand Hotel Vilnius used to be a telegraph station, and then served as the treasury building. Now, it’s a five star hotel with 93 rooms. We did like the hotel, for the most part. It was very comfortable. I was grateful for that, as the rain fell on my birthday. I hate to waste a day sitting in the hotel when I travel, but honestly, I’m not sure how well I would have done walking around Vilnius with so much muscle stiffness and soreness!

Finally, the rain let up, and we decided to go to a bar that specialized in craft beers. In retrospect, I wish we’d gone out for dinner, but lunch at the Greek place had left us rather sated. I have missed craft beers, too. We do have them in Germany, but they aren’t always easy to find. Like… you can’t necessarily go to the local drink market and find exotic beers in Germany, although you will find excellent German beers. So I was excited to visit Nisha Craft Capital, which was very close to the hotel.

Bill and I spent a couple of hours at this bar, trying all sorts of craft beers and listening to the same loop of excellent classic rock songs. Seriously, though, I think they need to add to their playlist. We heard the same songs at least three times during our first visit (we went back twice more). The other two times we visited, we sat outside in their beer garden.

After our evening of beers, we went back to the hotel for birthday bubbles… I didn’t need the bubbles, but hell, I don’t turn 53 every day. It was fun watching the well dressed people showing off in the bar and restaurant.

Finally, it was time to call it a night, so we did. The next day, we had much better weather, and saw a lot more. I’ll write about that in the next post!

Champagne Bucket trips, churches, former Soviet Union, Lithuania

The Vilnius Series… Learning about Lithuania’s history at a pigeon’s eye view… (part three)

On Thursday morning, we woke up to partly cloudy skies. The weather was still a bit chilly, so we put on long sleeved shirts and pants, and then went down to breakfast. The hotel offers a very generous buffet with all kinds of cold cuts, fruits, vegetables, breads, hot breakfast items, and a few things you can have made to order. They even had little cakes and candies, some of which were gluten free. Naturally, there were also juices and cava– sparkling wine from Spain.

*The light fixtures looked like white blood cells.*

Bill and I sat in the restaurant, and I noticed I didn’t like the chair I was sitting on. It was one of those small chairs with a rounded back that didn’t quite have arms, but was still a bit confining. I also didn’t like that there was a huge mirror right next to our table, and many of the others.

Bill and I both tried the Eggs Benedict, which were good. Maybe I shouldn’t have, in light of my expanded ass. After breakfast, we headed over to the cathedral… a place that had served as a picture gallery and concert hall in the Soviet era, but actually has a long and fascinating history. I took lots of photos… Later, when we toured the crypt, we learned more about the history of the cathedral

We were about to walk out of the cathedral, but the organist started playing, and I had to listen for a few minutes. I got a short video, which I will include with another I got of Bill in the tower.

After we walked around the cathedral, we headed to the cathedral bell tower, which stands at 45 meters and dates from the 13th century. Bill bought tickets for the tower, the English crypt tour, and the church treasury, which was in a different part of Vilnius (easily reached by foot). The triple ticket was 20 euros each for both of us. After we got out tickets, we went down the basement of the tower and watched a very cute little video starring a cartoon pigeon named Pranas, who explained the tower’s history and showed off a special tile in the area near the tower where, if you jump in a specific sequence and make a wish, your wishes will come true.

I didn’t have the chance to try the tile, because when we were by the tower, the tile was commandeered by a couple of Asian ladies who were fascinated by it and were taking many photos. Then they were displaced by a large tour group. We never did manage to give the tile a whirl, or even get a picture of it. Oh well…

We ran into a couple who were curious about where we were from. They were watching the video at the same time we were. They had accents that suggested they came from Eastern Europe. I guess it’s a compliment that we weren’t immediately recognizable as Americans. They didn’t have anything else to say to us, once we told them we are Americans.

Anyway, after the video, we managed to climb the tower steps. There were two very narrow bricked flights, which stopped at interactive exhibits that included headsets telling the story of the tower, video monitors of the conditions around the tower, and a large horseshoe shaped table. The table had drawers that could be opened and showed different aspects of how the tower came to be and how people lived. Each of the headsets had little boxes with doors on them that could be opened. They shared quotes and interesting facts, all of which were in English and Lithuanian.

*Here is where we met Pranas, the tower pigeon.*

Bill also rang the bells…

A video of the organ music and Bill ringing the bells in the tower.

After Bill rang the bells, it was time to gear up for the steep climb. The tower isn’t that tall, but it does have very steep, somewhat rickety steps that are only a little bit deeper than a ladder’s. I’m not in great shape, so I was hanging on for dear life as we climbed up and down the tower. A fall would have been a disaster! Fortunately, we made it, although I did give thought to not trying to get to the top. Happily, I went for it and made it, even though there was a “steep” price to be paid the next day… Below are some more photos from the tower.

As you can see from the photos, the observation areas are behind wire. They do allow you to open a part of the wired in window, so you can take pictures without the grate destroying the view. I read in a review that there are other observation opportunities in Vilnius. The university also has a bell tower that looked even taller than the cathedral’s tower. We didn’t try that one, though, because we found it on Sunday and weren’t really wanting to be sore on Monday. ETA: I looked up the bell tower and discovered that it has an elevator for those whose flesh is as weak as mine. But it wasn’t a really clear day, anyway, so it was no big loss not going up that tower on Sunday. Maybe if we go back, we’ll try climbing it on a clear day.

One guy who was at the top of the Cathedral Bell Tower with us rang the bell, scaring the ever loving shit out of all of us on the observation deck at the time. It was LOUD. I’m not sure he was supposed to do that, either. But it’s not like anyone was going to come storming up to reprimand him, or anything. Climbing above the first two levels is a slow process, even for the fit types. You really have to be careful going up and down the ladder like steps!

Once we managed to climb down the tower and stand on firm ground again, we decided to walk around the cathedral grounds. There are a couple of museums there that we really should have toured on the next day, since it was a rainy day. We didn’t get there, though, because we were hurting… but the pain didn’t really set in until we’d had a sleep. We had enough strength and energy to look around some more, take photos, and find our way to the main shopping drag. We stopped in one more Catholic church and an Orthodox church before we found lunch.

*These gold signs were all over the city, explaining things.*

Before we started our day’s activities, we ran into a couple of Air Force folks with instruments. I was curious as to why they were there, and found out through Google that a quintet had come to perform with a Lithuanian band in the town square. We passed the area where they were setting up. The crew was playing Billie Holiday as they put up the equipment. The concert was free and open to the public, starting at 6:30 PM. I hoped we’d be able to attend and mentally made plans.

I was about to settle for a lunch of fish and chips, when I noticed a quiet side street. I saw tables and chairs, and since experience has taught me that restaurants off the main drag are often better, decided to turn right and investigate. That’s where we found the cute little French place called Balzac.

Of course, the restaurant was named after a French book, but that didn’t stop some of my Facebook friends from making the obvious jokes and warning us against ordering hot tea (which I’d never do, anyway)… Balzac turned out to be a nice place for a leisurely lunch. I had duck and Bill had lamb, preceded by starters… I liked the clever use of corks on the beams in the ceiling.

*Bill had duck ravioli with a red wine sauce…*

Oops! Can’t forget the wine!

*When my dad was stationed in England, we knew a family named Virant…*

After our leisurely French lunch, we headed back toward the hotel. Our tour of the crypt was set to begin at 4:00 PM, so we had about 90 minutes to kill. We stopped by another Orthodox church, and then went to our room for a short rest. I was already starting to feel the soreness seeping into my muscles. I’m not sure what the second Orthodox church was about. Photos were allowed in there, but not in the first church we visited. I watched a woman in the first church very reverently performing rituals, showing deep faith. Again, I was very struck by how faithful and religious the people in Vilnius seemed. We would later find out why religion seemed so prominent there.

This post is getting a bit heavy with photos. Because the crypt tour involves many photos and stories, and we didn’t do that much on my birthday, I’m going to save that story for the next part. Stay tuned!

chocolate, churches

Christmas markets, Kinder, chocolates, and church…

Yesterday, I was feeling kind of depressed, so Bill decided we needed to get out of the house. The weather was sunny and not too cold, so he proposed visiting the Wiesbaden “Sternschuppenmarkt” (Christmas market). I don’t really care too much about Christmas markets. I mean, the lights are pretty, and there’s stuff to buy and food. But they also tend to be crowded and busy. Nevertheless, we went, and I took some photos…

As usual, the market was busy with eager shoppers and children wanting to get on the rides. There were a couple of carousels there. I thought about maybe finding some street food, but there’s usually nowhere to sit at the Christmas markets, usually because it’s cold outside and when you sit, you get cold! Also, tables and chairs take up valuable retail space. So we decided to search for a restaurant, and ended up at the Andechser am Kurpark. This place, which serves traditional German cuisine, is located in what used to be a location of Vapiano, an Italian chain restaurant. We ate there once when it was still Vapiano, but they closed their location in Wiesbaden some time ago. When they moved out, the restaurant space was vacant for awhile.

Bill said the guy who welcomed us was familiar, as if maybe he also worked at the Ratskeller Wiesbaden, which also serves Andechser Bier. I don’t know if the restaurants are sisters– the menus are definitely very similar, even if the interiors are different. Looking at their Web sites, my guess is that it’s possible they’re owned by the same people, but offer slightly different ambiances. I’m not sure I care enough this morning to find out what the story is.

Most of the tables at the restaurant appeared to be reserved for later, but there was enough time for us to have a quick late lunch. We sat down at a two top. I had a quarter duck with gravy, red wine cabbage and a potato dumpling. Bill went with venison goulash, Brussels sprouts, and what appeared to be Spaetzle. He had a Dunkel Bier and I had my usual Hefeweizen.

We were both very satisfied with the food. It was hearty and delicious, and not too much. We both managed to finish everything. I need to learn how to make that brown gravy. It was so good!

Then, since it was getting dark and Breckenheim was having its annual Advent Market, we decided to head home. I took a few evening photos of the Wiesbaden skyline with my new iPhone before we left. The Advent Market is usually just for one night, but this year, I think they did it on Friday and Saturday. It’s always a treat to see our Dorfplatz decorated and populated with little huts and lots of lights. I love the smell of crepes, waffles, and Gluhwein, too. So we went to that, and then I noticed the church was lit up. I had never been inside the church, so we decided to check it out…

It turned out there was going to be a church service. I’m sure in the back of my head, I knew this to be true. But since we’d never been in the church, let alone been to a service, we decided to stay. It turned out to be a good decision, as the service was absolutely charming because of the children’s choir, which performed three songs. The last song they did was “Last Christmas” in English and German. It was adorable! And the pastor even handed out fair trade chocolate to everyone!

*None of my American pastors ever handed out chocolate during a service!*

It’s true we didn’t understand all that was said, although we did understand a fair amount of it. The chocolate, for instance, came out after the pastor started talking about Advent calendars. There were also songs in German, but I recognized the melody of at least one hymn, since I grew up going to church and my mom was a church organist for several decades. 😉 I actually can sing in German, thanks to voice lessons. I just can’t speak it worth a damn. 😀

The service was well attended and very casual, with everyone coming as they were. Even the organist was wearing an old sweatshirt and jeans. He played very well, and I enjoyed that part of the service the most. We felt welcome, and even saw a couple we’ve talked to at one of Breckenheim’s famous wine stands. I’m glad we went. Just hearing the kids singing a 40 year old Wham! song was worth it to me. The whole congregation also sang a song called “At the Christmas Bakery” or something like that. It was in German. Again… not something I’ve encountered in an American church service. But then, I mostly quit attending church regularly in the late 1980s.

After the service, we went back home to the dogs, who were happy to see us. I was feeling good for about fifteen minutes… but then I got back into social media. I’ll vent about that on my main blog. As for today, I think we’ll just relax and try to enjoy the last peaceful weeks of Joe Biden’s presidency. Kumbayah…

Bars, BeNeLux, churches, supermarkets

A Wednesday in Mons… (part three)

Wednesday morning in Mons started much like Tuesday did. Bill and I got up and went to breakfast, ate the same mediocre chow, and kissed each other goodbye. I went back to bed for awhile, and then got up for a walk around Mons. We had some rare sunshine on Wednesday, so that was a nice thing.

The sunny weather led me to the Belfry of Mons, which I hadn’t known anything about before our arrival. My German friend had mentioned it to me, but I thought it was in the church on the main drag. Not so… this is a tower that you can pay 9 euros to ascend. It even has an elevator that will take you most of the way up. I didn’t want to go up the tower without Bill, so I decided to put off a visit. Of course, on Friday, when Bill was free, it was cloudy again. Shucks. Well, maybe we can visit again and go up the tower then. I did read reviews of the Belfry and they indicated that at no point are visitors able to take in views outside.

I kept walking and wound up at another church… one that was even more beautiful to me than St. Elisabeth’s. Sainte Waudru Collegiate Church is a very impressive gothic church that dates from the 15th century. It’s currently undergoing some refurbishment, but it’s open for visitors. I was feeling prayerful again, so I sat for awhile and took in the awesome beauty inspired by faith in God. I even lit a few candles, although I’m not Catholic. It helped lightened my purse. Who knows? Maybe God heard my pleas… er prayers… Someday, I’m going to make a video of all of the beautiful churches we’ve seen since we’ve been in Europe.

Below are some photos from Wednesday’s walk…

After a couple of hours of walking, it was soon lunchtime. I thought about where I might like to have lunch, but then realized I needed to go to the grocery store for some hair conditioner. The shampoo in the hotel was irritating my scalp and drying out my hair.

So I walked to the Delhaize, which looked very familiar to me with its lion logo. You see, I am from the southeastern United States– Virginia to be precise– and there, we had many Food Lion stores. Food Lion used to be called Food Town, but in 1983, they changed the name. Well… as I research this blog post, I have discovered that Food Lion is, in fact, owned by Delhaize, and has been since 1974. Aha!

I never liked shopping at Food Lion, although I will admit that it’s been quite some time since my last visit. To me, it was always a very no frills grocery store with bright lighting that was too sterile for my eyes. Of course, when you’re broke, as I was when I was single and for a good portion of my marriage, it’s a good place to get groceries. But I have alway preferred shopping at fancier places. I see that Ahold Delhaize also owns Giant, which is a store I used to go to a lot when I lived in the northern Virginia area.

Anyway, Delhaize is a Belgian company, and they have Delhaize stores in Belgium. I didn’t find shopping there to be like going to Food Lion, except for the lion logo. The lighting wasn’t as harsh, for one thing. When I went into the store, I noticed that it was very busy, as a lot of students from the high school were there getting lunch. That’s what I decided to do, too. I bought some sushi, sparkling water, and a beer– a Kwak Rouge, which is a kriek (cherry lambic). Then I got some conditioner and deodorant, since I couldn’t find the deodorant I thought I’d packed. I actually did pack deodorant, but it was buried deeply in the recesses of my Red Oxx bag. I had a brief moment of disorientation as the Delhaize payment system involves putting cash and change in a machine, rather than giving it to a cashier.

I went back to the hotel and had lunch as I watched Little House on the Prairie in French. The sushi wasn’t great, but it got me through the afternoon. Then I did some reading and napping as I waited for Bill to come back after his conference. Later, we went out to dinner at a little Tunisian place called the La Petite Couscoussiere. We noticed it on our first night in Mons, and it was consistently busy. Fortunately, they had room for us on that Wednesday night. I know Bill loves going to ethnic restaurants.

Below are some photos from our visit to the little Tunisian place… I’ve actually been to Tunisia, but it was over New Year’s 1977/78. I have fond memories of our visit to Sousse, when I was a little blonde five year old. The Tunisians spoiled me with candy and fruit! I’d love to visit there again, now that I’m blonde again.

We enjoyed the Tunisian place, except for the fact that the woman sitting behind me was a bit drunk. She hung her purse on the back of my chair and kept staggering around. At one point, she hugged a woman at another table. I assume they knew each other, although she was clearly tipsy. I didn’t notice it, because my back was to her, but Bill said she was sitting with two guys. One appeared to be her date. The other appeared to be a friend of the guy, and it was clear that he was a bit annoyed with her. So was I. Hang your purse on your own chair, lady!

After dinner, we visited a bar called Le Central for a nightcap… We just had one, though, because it was clear the barkeep was wanting to close up as he pulled all the shades an hour before the posted closing time. It was no big deal, since Thursday was a work day, anyway.

After our nightcap, we walked back to the hotel for another night of rest. The next day, we would discover a great local spot for dinner… and hear a very obnoxious American guy embarrass us among Belgians. Stay tuned for the next installment.

BeNeLux, churches, Military

Wandering around Mons… Day one (part two)

Tuesday morning, Bill and I woke at the crack of dawn, dressed, and made our way down to the breakfast room at the B&B Hotel Mons Centre. On that first morning, there were lots of people in the breakfast room. I got a kick out of checking out all of the uniforms. I saw folks from Norway, Germany, and Estonia (I think), as well as some Americans.

One thing I’ve noticed, having spent most of my life around military types, is that they all have a certain way of carrying themselves. I have sort of a love/hate relationship with the military. My father was a career Air Force officer, and I have many friends and relatives who have served. Bill was a career Army officer. I’ve been around these folks forever, and some of them are among the finest people I’ve ever met. But then, some are not so great. On that morning, I was feeling pride for the military– not just the US version, but for servicemembers from all countries. They all have a common thread, no matter where they come from.

As for the buffet breakfast– it cost 17 euros a person. Personally, I didn’t think it was worth that much, although they did at least offer fresh baguettes. The rest was pretty mediocre– watery orange juice, scrambled eggs that tasted reconstituted, canned baked beans, mushrooms (yeeech), and either sausages or bacon. They also had cold cuts, cheeses, fruit, yogurt, and a little machine that made pancakes. Yes, there was coffee, too… from a machine. I pretty much ate the same thing every day.

A bus took the conference participants to the work site, so once we were finished with breakfast, Bill caught the bus, and I went back to bed for a couple of hours. I would try to read, as I’ve been struggling to finish a book I’ve been working on for awhile. Invariably, I’d fall asleep. Then, later in the morning, I’d get up, get dressed again, and walk around Mons. Every day, I went to a different area.

Since Tuesday was our first full day in Mons, I kept things basic on the first day. I stopped at the Saint Elisabeth Church, a huge building on the main drag, on the first morning, and actually prayed. I don’t pray very often, but given what happened in the United States this month, I felt like it wouldn’t hurt to offer a word to God Almighty. As for the rest of it, you can see that Christmas decorations are already going up. My German friend tells me the carnival started on November 8 and will run until December 8. It’s pretty impressive.

Below you can see photos:

*I ended up going down these steps later in the week.*

As the hour drew closer to noon, I walked around the Grand Place, trying to decide where I wanted to have lunch. It’s always awkward for me to eat lunch alone in a restaurant, especially when I’m in a country that isn’t my home and I don’t speak the language. I really should have studied French or German in school, instead of Spanish.

In any case, I ended up having lunch at La Pizzarella, a pizza restaurant in the Grand Place. I would link to it, but it looks like their Web site is down. This restaurant doesn’t get the best reviews on Trip Advisor, but I didn’t have a terrible experience. A lady invited me to sit down at a two top and I ordered tortellini stuffed with smoked salmon, and washed down with wonderful Chimay Blue beer. They played French pop on the sound system, and the only negative thing about it was the woman sitting near me who sang along with it, off key. I know that sounds snobby, but I am a singer with perfect pitch, so off key singing is like nails on a chalkboard to me.

*I like how Belgian restaurants often serve bread with butter.*

By the time I was finished with my leisurely lunch repast, it was afternoon. I paid the waitress at the cash register, then walked outside to sunshine. After strolling around the Grand Place some more, I headed back toward the hotel, stopping once again in the church to get some sunnier photos. I love how so many churches in Europe are open for people to enjoy, even when it’s not Sunday.

A couple of hours later, Bill came back from his conference. We hung out in the hotel room for a little while, and then went looking for dinner. We ended up at a Lebanese place that we really enjoyed. However, a couple of nights later, one of Bill’s colleagues said that he found an even better Lebanese place. Maybe if we ever visit Mons again, we can visit it. There seemed to be a lot of Lebanese restaurants in that town…

I had grilled quail, while Bill had a lentil dish with hummus and a goat cheese salad. The waiter was very charming and spoke English quite well. Bill gave him a large (for Belgium) tip– 17 euros. The guy asked if he was sure, and Bill said he was… and the guy went “Thank YOU!!!!” It was pretty funny and worth the money to get that reaction.

*I enjoyed the quail , potatoes, and salad, but I think if I went back, I’d have chicken.*

After dinner, we made our way back to the hotel for night number two. I neglected to bring conditioner with me, and the hotel provided a shampoo/conditioner mix that irritated my scalp. So, on Wednesday, I made plans to visit a Belgian grocery store. More on that in the next post.

Champagne Bucket trips, churches, Iceland

Our first Icelandic adventure: Another “free” day in Reykjavik… (part twelve)

Finally, we arrived at Friday, September 6th, our second “free” day in Reykjavik. Originally, we were going to fly home on that day, but when I started researching flights, I realized it was a lot more expensive to fly home on Friday than Saturday. So Bill had Iceland Luxury Tours to add a day to our itinerary, and we planned Friday as a day to go souvenir shopping and rest up a bit.

In retrospect, it wasn’t a bad idea to schedule a day to relax, even though I was already getting a bit antsy to go home. I missed Charlie and Noyzi and clean laundry, and I was itching to write and make videos. I don’t know why… It’s not as if people are that interested in these blog posts. I do take pleasure in writing them, though, and I have so many beautiful photos that I was dying to edit and arrange.

We tried to make good use of our last full day in Reykjavik, starting with breakfast in the Saga Hotel. It was just as noisy and crowded as ever. 😉

After breakfast, we took a walk back toward Lake Tjörnin, a small lake right next to the Saga Hotel, at the entrance of downtown Reykjavik. We spent a few minutes there watching the ducks. The lake isn’t super exciting, but I do like to watch water fowl.

Next we walked back to the Hallgrímskirkja, Iceland’s largest church, which looms over the city. When we were there a week prior, the nave was closed to the public. I was hoping to go inside and get some photos and, perhaps, take the elevator up the church tower and get some photos. We were successful in that endeavor. In fact, we were able to sit in the sanctuary for a short time and listen to the organist play. That was a treat for me. I liked that the benches were turned toward the organist and the instrument itself. They were movable, so I guess when they need more seating for actual church services, they can turn them around. I was glad we went back to the church so I could get photos of the organ.

It was nice to see a somewhat young person playing this instrument so well. Church organists are a dying breed!

I was especially happy that the church tower has an elevator, which makes sense, since the church dates from 1986. Most of the churches in Europe that allow people to climb towers involve going up lots of steps. I know it’s good for me to climb steps, but the older and fatter I get, the harder it is. You can climb a few flights at the church in Iceland, but it’s only a few, and not in a tight place. And yes, we did go up the flights of stairs to get the best possible views. I often suffer for this blog, you know…

Going up the tower does involve a small fee, which you pay in the church’s gift shop before taking the elevator up. It appeared to me that the tickets were on your honor. There was no one there checking them. Below are some shots from our walk, an the church and its tower…

By the time we finished visiting the church, it was about time for lunch. We headed down the main thoroughfare by the church and walked until my nose picked up the smell of something appetizing. A small restaurant called Salka Valka was putting off the pleasant aromas, so we went inside for lunch. When we arrived, the place was almost full, so we sat next to a an older woman who was sitting alone, reading a book. While we were deciding on lunch, she offered an unsolicited opinion, saying that all of the fish dishes at the restaurant were “amazing.”

For once, I didn’t mind that someone offered an opinion I never asked for, because I was having trouble deciding what I wanted. I settled on the fish soup, which was rich and satisfying, with a chickpea base and a delightful zing. It came with a slice of fresh sourdough bread, slathered in butter. Bill went for the catch of the day, which was probably cod again. I don’t remember! Anyway, the food was excellent and healthy, and the music was great. The lady sitting next to us had a very nice looking chocolate cake for dessert. I was tempted by it, but decided my gut didn’t need any enlarging.

After lunch, we walked a little bit further down the street and found one of the many souvenir shops in Reykjavik. We stopped in and bought some gifts for Bill’s grandchildren, as well as a mug and a magnet (or two) for us. I saw a few things I liked, but decided I didn’t want to carry anything more in my bag. The new rain jacket and hiking boots were already taking up precious space in my bags. The book I saw that tempted me could probably be found somewhere online. Now I wish I’d bought it, of course…

On our way back to the hotel, we passed through an area we hadn’t yet explored. I looked up and noticed a cafe that had a strange looking “airlock” set up at its door. It turned out to be a “cat cafe” called Kattakaffihúsið, where people can enjoy or even adopt the resident cats. It was really cool! I would have gone in, but Bill is very allergic to cats. I’m sure my mother-in-law would love that place!

We decided to go back to the hotel for a short while to work on packing everything, since we had an early wake up call for our ride to the airport on Saturday morning. So we spent time doing that, and wondered if we wanted to venture out again for dinner, later. The weather was looking pretty grim. As it turned out, we did go out for dinner, at a place called Duck & Rose. I had duck two ways, and Bill had more fish! It was a good place to people watch. At one point, a goth looking couple walked by. The guy half was wearing a weird looking mask that covered his whole face. His woman was dressed in straight up goth ware.

I think it was pretty safe to say that we were both pretty much ready to call our vacation done by the time we had dinner. It was time to go home and get back to normal living. But we really had a good time in Iceland… and before we said goodnight to the city of Reykjavik for the last time, we stopped by the store and picked up some Icelandic candies for Bill’s grandchildren. I’m sure at least some of it has liquorice in it.

Now… there will be one last post in this series… an exciting description of our flight back to Germany. I hope you’ll join me for that! Then, it’ll be time for my much anticipated “ten things I learned post…” which no one ever wants to miss. Bwahahahahahaha!

art, Bars, Champagne Bucket trips, churches, Iceland

Our first Icelandic adventure: A day in Reykjavik! (part three)

Whenever we travel with the intention of cruising or touring, I like to schedule free time that allows us to explore on our own. As I’ve mentioned before, I’m not that good at group tours. I like to look at things at my own pace and wander, as this means I might find things I wouldn’t have ordinarily found. However, I know that doing things on my own can mean that I will miss out on “important” stuff.

For instance, when Bill and I went to Bulgaria in June, I had wanted to see caves that I had read about before our journey. Unfortunately, I got sick and needed a day in bed, which significantly cut down on our time to see things. Consequently, we missed out on the caves. Maybe if we’d hired a guide, I would have hauled my ass out of bed.

For our trip to Iceland, I knew I’d want to have a look at Reykjavik before we left the city for more rural locales. We asked Iceland Luxury Tours to give us Fridays off, which they happily did for us. Bill and I spent the day getting the lay of the land, visiting museums, and drinking local beers.

The first morning in Iceland, we went down to the buffet breakfast offered at the hotel and found ourselves a table in the bustling restaurant. I immediately noticed a very busy “mama bear” type, trying to get her family ready for an excursion. She had two bored looking teenagers with her, both of whom had their noses buried in their phones. I kept hearing her address one of them– “Colby”– which she said over and over again in imperative language. She ordered them to hurry up and finish breakfast. She ordered them to go to the bathroom. She ordered them to get ready for the trip. Soon enough, “Dad” showed up to let them know that their driver was there for them. Another woman– maybe the mom’s sister, based on her looks– came over to help mom herd the teens out of the restaurant.

Once again, I was struck by how very loud Americans are compared to Europeans. I used to be a lot louder than I am now, but changed my ways after years of living here. A lot of times, people think Bill and I are Germans. Then they hear us speak. Maybe I should try to trip them up by wearing Jack Wolfskin clothes and moving my wedding ring to my right hand.

After breakfast, we headed out into the city… which really feels more like a big village, compared to other European cities. The weather was rainy and windy, but not very cold. A large group of Americans were behind us, making me feel kind of nervous. I don’t like it when any big group is right behind me, but the loud talking was making me feel more on edge. I decided to turn left, off the main drag, and head in another direction. Very soon, we found ourselves standing at the entrance of a very interesting museum…

The Icelandic Phallological Museum is a museum dedicated to the penis. The museum was founded in 1997 by a retired teacher named Sigurður Hjartarson. Hjartarson’s fascination with all things penis related began when he was a child and someone gave him a cattle whip made out of a bull’s penis. From there, he collected all sorts of specimens from a variety of different animals, to include human beings. The museum also features art– sculptures, paintings, and other items that are related to his interests.

I don’t actually like looking at penises myself, but I’m kind of obnoxious. I could never pass up the chance to visit a museum dedicated to dicks, even if I’m not really interested in looking at them. I have to admit, the Phallological Museum was interesting and educational. I got a bunch of photos, and was almost tempted to buy a t-shirt. It wasn’t a terrible place to spend an hour, although our guide later told us that he’d never been to the museum. He said the founder was racist and against women’s rights. I don’t know how true that is… but that’s what our guide told us. Anyway, we didn’t know that before our visit. Even if we did know about it, we probably would have still visited. Below are some photos from our visit to the world’s only museum dedicated to penises…

*People were allowed to write on this white board…*

After we visited the phallological museum, Bill and I walked around a bit, until we wound up at the Harpa Concert Hall, a state of the art music venue that houses the Icelandic Symphony and Opera. The Harpa Concert Hall also includes exhibits, shops, restaurants, and even a very nice children’s area. Bill was going to visit the restroom, but he lacked Icelandic coins. Actually, he probably could have used his credit or debit card; Iceland is pretty much cashless nowadays. As we were about to leave the building, I noticed a place with a bunch of egg shaped chairs. It was a “virtual reality tour”, using special virtual reality glasses.

On a whim, we decided to try the Saga VR tour. I had never used virtual reality glasses before, but I had seen them offered by Apple. Using the glasses, we could watch short films about the different regions of Iceland as if we were there. The chairs were designed to offered a 360 degree experience with sort of a private feeling. While we didn’t experience all of the really cool stuff featured in the films, the virtual reality tour did kind of whet our appetites for our guided visit to Iceland’s hinterlands. The videos were made with drones and the whole thing took less than 15 minutes, but it was still kind of an interesting experience for us. I also got a few photos…

*The ceiling of the Harpa Concert Hall.*

After we finished our VR tour, we walked back into the wind and rain, passing by the SH Vega, a brand new luxury cruise ship by Swan Hellenic, as well as the Windstar Star Pride, a ship that used to be owned by Seabourn. I’m actually kind of interested in the SH Vega. I might have to read up on that ship. I took a few more photos from the harbor area…

Finally, we found our way to the Reykjavik Art Museum Hafnarhús, one of three related art museums in the city. The ticket we purchased was good at all three museums, but we only had time to go to one, which wasn’t all that large, but did include some fascinating exhibits. I especially enjoyed one called Flood (Flóð), done by an artist named Jónsi. The exhibit is a spatial, scent, and sound sculpture. We spent some time in there, listening to the sounds, smelling the scent, and walking on what felt like sand.

Cool!

There were also other thought provoking exhibits at the museum. Naturally, I took photos!

Part of another exhibit in the art museum.

*This exhibit was about seasonal affective disorder.*

It was about lunchtime when we left the art museum. We walked around a bit, in search of food that was appealing. Instead, we ended up at an Irish pub called The Dubliner… supposedly the first one in Reykjavik. We had a round of beer…

But then we moved on, since The Dubliner didn’t appear to have food available. After walking around a bit, we found ourselves at an interesting bar called Lemmy. We really enjoyed Lemmy, as the bartender was super friendly, and they had a bunch of beers on tap. They also played great music. But something odd was happening during our visit. There was a film crew there, making a movie in one of the bathrooms. They had put a toilet in the dining area… I didn’t get a close look at it, but Bill said they’d fixed the toilet to look like someone had used it and didn’t flush. The crew was there during most of our visit, which probably lasted longer than it should have.

Lemmy did have food, although the menu was very limited. I ordered chicken wings, but they were too spicy and messy for me. I didn’t enjoy them. Bill had nachos that were marginally better than my wings were. The music and beer, though… that was all top notch! You can see the heavily graffitied bathrooms in the photo. I guess that was why they were filming in there.

*Maybe we should have done the walking tour…*

After lunch, we walked to the other side of the city and ventured toward Hallgrímskirkja, an iconic Lutheran church that was opened in Reykjavik in 1986. We took the Rainbow Street (in honor of Reykjavik Pride) to get there, mainly so I could take photos. On the day of our first visit, the inside of the church was closed because a bishop was visiting. Because the weather was poor, we decided not to go up the tower on that day. We did go up a week later. I’ll provide information on that experience when I get to that post. For now, here are more photos.

After all of that activity and walking, we decided to go back to the hotel. It was so dark and dreary outside, we decided to just stay in and enjoy the evening in our room. At one point, Bill went out and bought us slices of Sbarro Pizza from a grocery store and soft drinks, since one must go to a liquor store to buy booze. The Sbarro pizza was kind of a treat. I used to enjoy Sbarro a lot when I was younger, but now that malls are disappearing in the USA, so is that pizza. But you can still get it in Iceland. Go figure!

I know we should have had dinner somewhere, but I have to ease into activity… Besides, the next morning, we would be starting our tour with Iceland Luxury Tours. More on that in the next post!

Bulgaria, Champagne Bucket trips, churches, short breaks

Seven miles in Sofia! June 8, 2024

Bill and I slept in a bit on Saturday morning, enjoying the air conditioned hotel room and the fact that Bill didn’t have to go to work. We later made our way down to the third floor, where a huge buffet breakfast is served every day at the The Grand Hotel Millennium. The restaurant has two sides, each of which with its own buffet line, with eggs, sausages, baked beans, mushrooms (yecch), waffles, pancakes, etc. The left side of the restaurant also has a huge table with juices, vegetables, cheeses, pastries, cookies, and even candy. In the foyer, there’s a table with fruits, and another table with doughnuts, toasts, and a chocolate fountain.

There’s something for almost everyone at the breakfast buffet at the Grand Hotel Millennium Sofia. However, to be honest, there were a couple of things about the breakfast service that I didn’t like.

For one thing, the hot items were never hot. The eggs were usually room temperature, as were the sausages and potatoes. Granted, the staff would make fresh omelettes for those who wanted them. It never occurred to me to ask for one until I saw a Bulgarian family of four order a round of them– a man, his wife, and what appeared to be their twin teenaged daughters. Apparently, it was the father’s birthday, and they sang him a song, gave him a card, and even brought a couple of the desserts from the buffet for him.

The other thing I didn’t like was the coffee service, which was all self-serve and done by machine. It would have been nice if we could have just gotten a pot of coffee to share, rather than having to get coffee from a machine.

After we filled up on breakfast, we decided to venture into Sofia’s centrum. To get there, all we had to do was turn right outside of the hotel and start walking. I’d say it takes about a half hour or so to get to the absolute heart of Sofia from the hotel if you’re walking. However, there are also a couple of metro stops nearby and plenty of cabs to be ordered. Sofia even has bike lanes now, which I thought was very progressive. Below are some photos that capture my first impressions. The crumbling buildings are familiar, but the rest of it seems very new…

Bill and I walked awhile before we stopped for a rest and listened to a lovely young woman playing violin like a virtuoso. I love this about Europe, but especially Eastern Europe, where people really value the arts. The buskers are top notch!

A very short clip of the lovely Bulgarian busker…

We continued down Vitosha Boulevard and passed several very historic and important sites. The city center is home to the Sheraton Balkan Palace, which when I visited in 1996, was Sofia’s best hotel. Nowadays, it’s one of several nice hotels, and doesn’t even get top ratings. I remember going in there to pee once, back in ’96. I noticed around the Balkan Palace, there’s a huge excavation going on. Signs by the site explain what’s been found in Bulgarian and English.

The Balkan Palace looked different than I remember it, but that’s probably because of the huge archaeological dig going on in front of it. I seem to remember in the 90s, there was a square there. It might have been a parking lot, for all I know.

There are also some important, very old religious sites in Sofia’s center. Here are a few photos…

*Banya Bashi Mosque, Sofia’s only working mosque.*

In retrospect, we really should have stopped to tour these places, and the museums we passed. But I had my mind set on visiting the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. I had vivid memories of that special place from my first visit to Sofia, and I wanted to go there first. I even wore pants on the hot day, because I had a feeling it wouldn’t be kosher to wear shorts in such a holy place.

So Bill and I kept walking… and I took more photos of all I saw on our Saturday walk… Notice that English really is everywhere!

It had been so long since I was last in Sofia that I decided maybe it would be a good idea to use the GPS on my phone. So that’s what I did… and it was a mistake that added about two miles to our hike. We ended up in a strange part of town that took us past another cool looking church, the Orthodox Temple of Saint Paraskeva. What initially caught my eye was the playground in the back… but then I noticed the really interesting architecture, and the pleasant shade of the trees. One thing I noticed in Sofia were the fragrant trees. They smelled like lilacs, and maybe that’s what they were, but the floral scent perfumed the air in a very beguiling way. Alas… I didn’t think to take photos of the temple. I was distracted by these sights. Oh well. If we get back to Sofia, the Orthodox Temple of Saint Paraskeva is a place I’d like to visit.

I finally got frustrated with the GPS, which didn’t seem to be leading us in the right direction. I turned to Bill and said, “Screw this. I’m just going to turn off the GPS and wing it.” So that’s what I did, and before I knew it, I was seeing the gold domes of the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral.

On the far left of the cathedral, there’s a Museum of Christian Art and crypt. A lot of people walked in there and immediately walked out, obviously wanting to venture into the cathedral first. We did the same. I would have probably enjoyed the museum, but by the time we got to the cathedral, I was tired, thirsty, hot, and very cranky. So we went into the cathedral and spent some time admiring the splendor and mystery of the ornate house of God, which opened to the public in 1912.

As I mentioned in a previous post, it is necessary to be covered up when you visit orthodox churches. That means no bare shoulders or legs. I did see this rule enforced at the cathedral, as people who didn’t wear appropriate attire were asked to either cover up or leave. I was glad I wore pants, even though I was pretty hot.

After we walked around the church, we decided to look for lunch. We strolled around where there were artists selling their wares. I knew I wanted to come back to the church later, just so I could pick up some new art. But I didn’t want to do that on Saturday, even though Saturday is probably the best day to be shopping for art. More people come out on Saturdays with their paintings and such, but I didn’t want to have to carry the art around all day.

We wound up having lunch at the Victoria Restaurant, which is very close to the cathedral. I spotted it by the umbrellas with Heineken logos on them, which by then, was kind of like an oasis. Believe me, after our hot, sweaty hike, I was ready for a beer. Bill and I both had Bulgarian beers, shared a bottle of San Pellegrino, and salads. I don’t usually like salads much, but when it’s hot out, I will opt for them. The Victoria Restaurant has a huge menu, though, and offers a lot of different items. If I hadn’t been so hot, I would have been spoiled for choice. I see the Victoria Restaurant is actually a chain, with locations in several Bulgarian cities.

*Yikes… terrible photo of Bill! I liked his salad better than mine.*

Below are a couple of photos of the cool Turkish barracks located next to the restaurant…

*Actually, this is the patio for the restaurant…*

After lunch, we walked around some more, finally making our way to the Ivan Vasov National Theater and the Church of St. Nicholas The Miraclemaker. I remember going to both places in 1996. The church was being renovated when I visited; I distinctly remember that it had scaffolding on it at the time. We had some trouble finding the theater, until Bill remembered that it’s located right next to Grand Hotel Sofia, where he’d stayed in 2008. While we were walking around the park where the theater is, there was a little concert/fest going on, with little kiosks selling Bulgarian food and beverages, and a female singer capably channeling Adele and Amy Winehouse. The weather grew warmer, and we were both pretty tired, so we headed back toward Vitosha Boulevard, where we noticed a place selling craft beer.

*Sofia literally has a yellow brick road.*

Since this post is getting pretty long and we didn’t do much on Sunday, the 9th, I think I’ll end here and continue with Saturday in the next post!

Bulgaria, Champagne Bucket trips, churches, Eastern Europe, short breaks

Worn out, sunburned, and sick with Bill’s cold…

Greetings from Sofia, Bulgaria. We’ve been here for two nights already. I had been hoping to go on a couple of excursions while we’re here. Sadly, I don’t see it happening, mainly because Bill and I are both sick with miserable colds.

We did manage to get out yesterday, though, and walked over seven miles. It’s very warm in Sofia, but I opted to wear pants, because I knew we would probably visit the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, and they wouldn’t want people with bare arms or legs coming into the building. Sure enough, I was right, as I watched a strict church worker turning away visitors in shorts and sundresses. The alternative, of course, is to cover up.

Sofia is very different now than it was in 1996. English is everywhere, just as it was in Yerevan, when we went there in November. When my friend Elaine and I came here in 1996, Sofia was still very reminiscent of the days when Bulgaria was behind the Iron Curtain. Now, it’s more like any European city, albeit with its own flair. I’m glad we were here in the 90s. It’s interesting to compare things. Also… there are still a lot of crumbling buildings from the Iron Curtain era, so it’s not like things are completely different.

Bill had thought his sniffles were caused by allergies. Unfortunately, he has a cold, and has passed it to me. I’m not sure what we’ll see today, if anything. I might want to spend time resting… at least until my nose is less drippy.

I also got a slight sunburn yesterday. I forgot to put on sunscreen. Anyway… it is nice to be away this weekend, although I hate being sick, especially when I’m away from home.

I got a few nice photos, at least…

The Traveling Overeducated Housewife

…the wanderings and ramblings of a boring housewife…

Category Archives: churches