Bulgaria, or, Beaches I have know

[laliandra]

July was, looking back, fairly fantastic. Manic panic hectic too, but yeah, fantastic.

There was moving and graduation, which I've already talked a bit about.

There was my father, returned from many months travelling round South Africa (are middle aged people supposed to take Gap Years?!) dispensing wisdom, sarcasm and advice on accessories. He had many new stories for me to add to my collection entitled "No really. Really. This kind of thing just happens to my family."

Like 'So, the rental car broke down on the way to the Austrian Debutantes Ball..." or "So your uncle is setting up this virtual football shoot...." or "You remember her? Your grandmother's friend? The prostitute of some renown?"

No. Really.

And then I went to Bulgaria! It was gorgeous.

If, like me before I read the guide book cover to cover on the way to the airport, you know next to nothing about Bulgaria, here's what you need to know.



It's the country highlighted in red, on this random map I found. Just above Greece, and with a border on The Black Sea (called so because of level of danger, not colour). So far enough south to be wonderfully hot and sunny, and also for growing roses. They grow, like, 10% of the world's roses, and so also have a lot of honey.

We went to the coast, to a island town called Nessebar, which is ancient and beautiful and "redolent with churches", according to the guide. We lucked out, I think, because it was ridiculously little money for our appartment in the middle of a UNESCO World Heritage site, five minutes from the beach...

This beach, in fact, which I'm sure you'll agree, is not too shabby.



The appartment was the top floor of an ancient, wonky, Bulgarian house, accessed by a frankly ridiculously picturesque yard. And inside, there was a LOT of wood pannelling. One of the legacies of Bulgaira's communist past seems to be that decor is stuck between 1976 and Bizarro World. So yeah, wood panelling, floral prints and stuffed pheasants in the hall...



There was also a balcony where we spent most of our time, eating yoghurt and honey, or fresh cherries followed by fresh olives and an un godly amount of tzadziki. Food in Bulgaria is cheap and delicious, especially the fish and large, cheese heavy salads. And BAKLAVA! And we ate ice cream every day, one time at "The Ice Cream Saloon", which had enormous, crazy ice cream creation with biscuits and cream and edible glitter.




What We Did On Our Holiday

Well, we swam a lot, on something like 5 different beaches. The first day was on a horribly tourist-y resort beach, that was sadly full of English people, sad because 1. that's not what holidays are about and 2. because...

Lal: Ohay, so this is my first time in a bikini. Goodbye bikini virginity!
Sal: Good bye what?
Lal: BIKINI VIRGINITY.
Wren: WHAT?
Lal: GOODBYE BIKINI VIRGINITY!
Sal and Wren: *laugh endlessly and mockingly*
Many English people around us: *laugh endlessly and mockingly*
Lal: OMG I hate you all.

It's hard to stay angry when the beach is like this, though.



A few nights later we were at a gorgeous restaurant eating delicious pizza, on a terrace with a sunset behind that was so perfect that it looked like we had been photoshopped onto it



and I got my revange

Sal and Belle: *relate story of The Worst Day Ever, when they were on holiday in India. When it monsooned and Belle cut her head open and they went to a scary doctors and then to an internet café where a man was 'enjoying himself' and where they nearly left their passports*
Wren: I love that story! I told my parents that story!
Belle: Me too! I think it is the only time I've used the word masturbate in from of them.
Wren: Who even says masturbate? I usually just say wank.
Lal: Say what?
Wren: WANK.
Lal: *laughs endlessly*
Table of English People next to us: *laugh in a shocked way*

We shopped for Giant Hats and metal earrings and even pondered antique knives. We have electic tastes in sovenirs. We also went round ancient charches and ruins and a museum where I brought shame on my housemates

Lal: *runs back to everyone*
Lal: GUYS! There is a ROOM OF AMPHORAE!
Housemates: Oh no, Not again. Never come to a museum with a history dork.

Sunshine, ice cream and friends who love you even though you bring Great Shame on them. What more could you want from a holiday?

And then, to round it all off, waiting for me on the first day in my new house was my Demon's Lexicon pendant, made by the awesome playwithfyr Look! How cool this that?!

Comments

[jorajo.livejournal.com]

Okay yeah I'm kind of ashamed to admit that I had to look up Bulgaria on the map when you went. Because I had a vague idea of its location but there was no way I could find it without some help lol

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

I had to look it up too! We just ended up finding it completely by random. What luck! And even now, after I'd BEEN THERE, I wasn't 100% sure where it was...

<3

[iamashamed.livejournal.com]

Oh my god! *iz so jealous" It's looks and sounds freaking awesome! So glad you had a good time. And lol at the convosXD But seriousy, this is amazing. Makes me miss the traveling I use to do with my family. Good times<3

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

Thank you! It was indeed freaking awesome!

I didn't even include all the mad conversations we had, like about how cats have sex and spiders masturbate...

<3

[iamashamed.livejournal.com]

:D You're welcome.

LMAO! XD

[branquignole.livejournal.com]

Yay! Have internet acces for about have an hour and The Internet already made my day! :D I love the Bikini Virginity. Also good of you to get your revenge. She deserved no better. This all makes me want to make icons.

The pendant looks lovely on you! (Bulgaria also looks very beautiful.)

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

I am so pleased! Revenge is totally sweet (I love my evil laugh!) Icons of what?

I just want to wear my pendant all the time! Maybe I can find other secret SRB fans.

[azurelunatic]

Bikini virginity! I love it!

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

Always use protection!

;)

[azurelunatic]

These links are not in any way safe for work or anything.

The Village Voice article: http://blogs.villagevoice.com/dailymusto/archives/2009/08/swimwear_for_th.php

The maker of the swimsuits: http://www.fireboyunderwear.com/

[miabee023.livejournal.com]

Awesome! I actually kind of know something about Bulgaria now! Way to add to my meager geographical education. (I have a friend who can identify every single country in the world BY ITS SHAPE. Needless to say, he terrifies me.) The food sounds absolutely amazing, as do the beaches, of course. Your stories amuse me to no end.

And your pendant is VERY cool, yes.

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

Seriously, I knew next to nothing about it before we went. We got SO lucky. That is scary! I have a friend who knew all the capital cities of the world once. Scary smart. But then, he did try to grill a cake once, so you can't have everything.

You can get pendants from playwithfyr, or the marmalade_fish comm. So cool.

[miabee023.livejournal.com]

...grill a cake? Good grief. (Though my friend (with a bunch of his other crazy friends) did once throw everything in the fridge that they could find into a blender and then go around on International Buffet Night trying to get people to taste it, as if anyone would be so foolish.) (The initial taste actually wasn't so bad. Just the twenty-minute aftertaste really got to you after a while.)

Oh, if only I could. Unfortunately, I have decided to try and start saving some of this money that I am making, lest I reach the end of summer and have nothing left. (A point which irritates me endlessly when in regards to the Official Secrets Act cd, since it is not available for mp3 download and I would basically have to pay to have it shipped all the way from Britain. NOT ON.) Besides, I tend to wear the same necklace every day (and never take it off), so... all jewelry I have that isn't earrings is essentially pointless. (I also have bracelets that I wear constantly and never take off. Yes, this is kind of a thing with me, though at least I can wear multiple bracelets, while with necklaces it's a bit harder to pull that off.)

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

Oh yes. Common sense was not his strong point. Luckily he went to Cambridge University where they have staff to cater to one's every whim. I am only mostly joking...

My friends once did that with a sandwich, but then they decided they LIKED peanut butter, marmite and curry powder and ate it all the time.

There are times when the only response is "BOYS..."

Waitwaitwait, have I not linked you to where I uploaded Understanding Electricity for those Across The Pond? I am a Bad Friend.

I went through a stage like that, I wore the same locket for years and years, just added to it. Then I lost it. It was all kinds of heartbreaking. But now, I have earrings! I only got my ears pierced last year, you see, so the novelty of a different pair evey day has not worn off...

[miabee023.livejournal.com]

BOYS. Actually, I cannot wait to meet some new ones, since Italian boys suck like woah (they are like girls, only almost more irritating at times), and all my guy friends from high school have not been very top when it comes to keeping in touch with me. University to the rescue, I hope.

NO YOU HAVE NOT. However, if you would be lovely as to tell me where it is now, your Bad Friend status would be officially revoked for all time.

Mine would be my choir necklace, as my choir (which I was part of for 8.5 years) tended to give us jewelry (the nice silver kind) whenever something monumental happened, which means I have the necklace (with two different charms) and the graduation bracelet. Oh, and now I have the gorgeous pearl bracelet my Italian host parents gave me (as they had noticed my "let's wear the same jewelry EVERY DAY OF THE YEAR" tendency, and figured it would be appropriate).

Earrings are awesome, though. I mainly go for the dangly sort, since it makes me look more normal when I put my hair up. I noticed your fantastic flower ones above, however - very lovely!

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

I can imagine that about Italian boys...

Oh dear, silly me! And that means you have not heard the DELIGHT that is Hold The Line. http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=c35529b36af0ed718d78a0e555291609eea6b1f99bcfde2b8271ce49816d50b1

is where you should go.

The flower earrings are some of my favourites, I have to say. That was lovely of your host parents, pearls are gorgeous.

[miabee023.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for the link! (Sorry for the delay, but lj was down and wouldn't let me comment.) I haven't had a chance to listen to it much, yet, but I did listen to Hold The Line, and it is lovely. However, I think Snakes and Ladders still retains its place as my favorite OSA song (despite not even being on the cd, what is that about).

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

No problem!

Eveyone I know has a different favourite, actually, but I am a sap and so Hold The line appeals to me...

I think the Snakes and Ladders thing is because they released it as a single when they were on a very small independent record label, not the one they did the album with. They now do a kickass acoustic version of it live instead...

[playwithfyr.livejournal.com]

what do you mean 'pondered antique knives'? When my dad went to Moroco I wasn't even there and I managed to make him buy me a morocan dagger (:

I mean, I'm sane and Bulgaria looks very nice. *shifty eyes*

Glad you like the pendant!

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

This is true. I suspect that Nick is Very Disappointed in me. They were far too expensive, sadly. This is what comes of spending all your money of ice cream *regrets nothing*

I love it! I plan to wear it a lot. And make people think I am in a cult. Or more, so I can find other members of our cult.

[khasael.livejournal.com]

My geography knowledge is dreadful. Thank you for the map. Saved me having to search google.

Your vacation sounds awesome. I have yet to go outside of my own country (I have not even been to all sides of it yet). Bikini virginity? Hiliarious. Mine is still intact (even at my age).

Um... I appropriated some of your name for a character of mine. It just fit! Hope you don't mind.

[kaiserkuchen.livejournal.com]

!!!!!!! That pendant is a thing of beauty~~ And I am transfixed by that red flower earring(?) of yours in the pic, too. BIG EARRINGS FTW

AND BECAUSE I SEE NO PICS OF VIKTOR KRUM-ESQUE MEN IN THIS POST--ADMIT IT, LALEX THIS IS ALL AN INTRICATE WEB OF LIES, YOU WEREN'T REALLY IN BULGARIA!!1 nananananNAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA

:O

[laliandra.livejournal.com]

Isn't it though? You can buy them!

I LOVE my big earrings. I feel they complete outfits! And these ones were like £1.50, which is pretty awesome.

YOU HAVE SEEN THROUGH MEEEEEE! We look photoshopeed because we are.

Sadly, there were no hot Bulgarian seekers. It was EXTREMELY DISAPPOINTING.