Geo: 42.6622, 27.7075Our morning started with a drive through the Balkan Range. There are fields and copses and acres of sunflowers, all with their heads bowed, and then suddenly a small, depressing village where dogs guard junk yards and other places that you can't imagine anyone even wanting to break into. The houses are in disrepair or abandoned altogether, and small public squares are overgrown with weeds, almost as if any civic pride ended when Communism did. On the other hand, the countryside is rather lovely, though nothing out of the ordinary.We passed through the Valley of the Thracian Kings, a/k/a The Valley of Roses. Kazanluk, our destination, is smack in the middle of this valley. Roses are a big deal in Bulgaria, as 60 percent of the world's rose products come from here. The harvest ... read more

Geo: 42.7252, 25.4815It was so quiet during the night, and I actually slept really well. The mattress wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. The shower was … just a tiny corner of the tiny bathroom; there was either scalding water or lukewarm water. I chose lukewarm and only did a super-quick rinse. Will be happy to wash my hair tomorrow.Walked out a little early to see the monastery empty. I was the only person out there for five minutes or so, and then people in the group started to join in. The monks were singing in the church, and the sun was trying to peek through the clouds. It was very peaceful.We all went to breakfast at the same restaurant as last night. Going outside afterward, I looked down over a railing and ... read more

Geo: 42.7105, 23.3238(By popular demand, I've included a picture of the skinny lion. It's from a distance, so you can't really tell it has a mohawk, but check out those ribs!)Breakfast this morning was the usual European array of meats, cheeses, yogurt, muesli, breads - both savory and sweet - eggs and bacon. Also, stewed vegetables, olives, celery sticks and sliced tomatoes. I had a nice conversation with Barb from Illinois/Arizona (and who looks so much like a Barb that it would be weird if she were called something else) and Ray from Camano Island. He makes glass art (not blown glass though), and his wife was wearing a pretty example of some earrings he made.We met in the lobby at 8:55 for our walking tour of Sofia. It was very cool this morning, which I ... read more

Geo: 42.7105, 23.3238My flight was at 1:43, so naturally we left the house at 10:35 (well, it is the Friday of Labor Day weekend!) and got to SeaTac just after 11:00. My flight was booked through KLM, but Delta operates the flights out of Seattle to Amsterdam. Bag drop was a little chaotic and took maybe 15 minutes, but then I discovered that I'd been selected for TSA Pre-Check, which meant that I could just march right up to the conveyor belt, plop my carry-on down, and go through the scanner. No taking out my liquids or laptop; no taking off my shoes and sweater. Pretty slick! I wonder how I can get selected every time I fly. (I was actually behind three JAL flight crew. It was like this was their first time through security. ... read more

Geo: 43.7034, 7.2662I slept on the other side of the bed last night, so I could just barely hear the tick-tick-tick from the lamp. At 4:30 a.m., though, it sounded as if someone was putting up scaffolding outside. Never did figure out what that was.After breakfast I walked up to Place Massena and took a tram (after having to get a Frenchman to help me with the ticket machine) two stops to Place Garibaldi. It took me awhile to locate the bus stop I needed, but I finally found it and was soon on my way -- standing, and with dozens of other passengers -- on my way to Monaco.It was an absolutely gorgeous morning and ridiculously warm on the bus. I ended up standing by one of the back doors, so I at least had ... read more