Bulgaria, or, Beaches I have know

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.
( *pines for beach* )

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...

( This was just outside our bedroom! )

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.

( OMNOMNOM )

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.

( Beach, um, four? I think? )

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

( See! )

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?!

( Thank you Play! )