Second Dinner at a Mehana ...
... the first was actually back at the hostel, included with the cost of a night's stay. Ran into Zach, the 6'-6" American from Varna's Yo Ho Hostel, so we decided to stick around for the pasta dinner. Small little portions, not too bad for an included meal ... a lot of no-shows tonight so we ended up eating an extra plate each and downed a ton of Shumensko beer, since the 2L bottles set out on the table were hardly touched. When Frank, also from the Yo Ho Hostel, showed up looking for dinner companions I didn't hesitate to join up to get some protein - a couple of plates of spaghetti with corn just doesn't cut it as dinner. We ended up at a little mehana, a traditional Bulgarian restaurant with traditional decor and music, for a little grilled chicken. A bit tough, but juicy and with a wicked charcoal flavour. Once again, I bow at the feet of the Balkan BBQ gods.
Back to Black
August 2nd 2011 Geo: 42.7252, 25.4815Amy Winehouse ... what can you say? She passed away early on during this trip, which was shocking in a way but sadly, was almost expected, given her lifestyle and history. Her death, and the manner in which it transpired, surprised no one. "Back to Black" was an instant classic, rocketing her to stardom - it's truly tragic that she never made more music, and
... read more Europe » Bulgaria » Veliko Tarnovo Province » Veliko Tarnovo
The Bulgars, a Central Asian Turkic tribe, merged with the local Slavic inhabitants in the late 7th century to form the first Bulgarian state. In succeeding centuries, Bulgaria struggled with the Byzantine Empire to assert its place in the Balkans, b... ... read more 
