buuuulgaria!

bulgarian holiday has been...average because ups and down, of course :) i took doctor to Plovdiv because my past experience there was positive, and sure enough, so it was again. bulgarian cities have more or less of the soviet infuence in the architecture and perhaps culture. service culture is...well, 50/50, they might or might not smile to you. anyway, we arrived to Plovdiv at 6am and walked around with our backpacks until we found our hotel. super central. then we sat at a park bench for an hour before they would check us in (they were almost empty, so this is the soviet service culture im talking about). Plovdiv is green and full of pedestrian boulevards, i think it makes for a good visit, day or two. there is not much to do of course, unless you count the roman amphitheaters and that....  i dont. anyway, whats interesting is that bulgaria probably has more wifis than any other EU county ive been to. not only does every cafe and restaurant have their own wifi, but there are free wifis available in the public areas too. perhaps this means the mobile operators are not offering very good deals to bulgarian residents?? i dont know, but im happy to be "connected", with or without nokia.

i had not been to Varna before, and we both found it a pleasant surprise. the center looked more old-europe than soviet and there were a few shops and so on. the proximity of the beach, trendy beach bars and relaxing pedestrian streets took us by surprise too. it was simply enjoyable.

in general i find bulgaria an interesting mix of things. its not polite to describe a country by comparing and referring to others but its just SO convenient! so, bulgaria is;

• soviet (some architecture, behavior, service culture)
• turkish (some hassling, food culture, charging money for beaches indirectly etc.)
• "euro" (shopping opportunities, brands available, foreign restaurants, english spoken widely)

ive have had some bulgarian foods now but nothing very impressive. im not a big food connoisseur of course, so that doesnt mean much. what i ate so far were like greek gyros, turkish kebab (using pork) and some hot pots. meh. but ok, i didnt come here for the local cuisine, i came for cheap sushi and pork, and thats what i got! until...  enter St. Constantin and Helens, the "peaceful holiday resort". someone could have just told me its DEAD :D there are so few  restaurants offering so few decent foods  its not fun anymore. quiet it is, i give them that. and green, as are Plovdiv and Varna, I like that. but i dot think i will be returning. the lively & international restaurants of Varna are just 8km away and we are sitting here at 10pm wondering where to get a bottle of water. the resort has seen its best days (about 30 yrs ago) so now what is left is mold, rust an russian tourists. or bulgarian. or romanian. how would i be able to tell the difference?

anyway, the poolside and a comfy bed make up for a lot :) i will return to istanbul on monday - not really looking forward to a 9h bus ride but oh well. doctor will go to the opposite direction and continue to Bucharest for a couple days. 

travel reads?

i pretty much missed the chess olympics which ended a few days ago. now im listening to the videoed matches...  while translating. work work work!

and i need to get my laptop ready for the trip so i can work while on the road. cant wait to eat bulgarian pork...  i also contacted friends and acquaintances in bulgaria for tips, i think we are all set.

the fall is going to be crazy busy, we have friends from finland visiting like every week...  turkish airlines has flights really cheap (around 185e) right so maybe that is motivating even the first timers to turkey. i hope i dont get too stressed with people hanging around constantly...   anyway im always happy to show friends around, reminds me of the things i love here.

women demonstrating. the demonstration was about the women ISIS have captured in Iraq.

a friend is moving out of the country in a year and while visiting her, she prompted me to go through her extensive book collection and pick anything. i found these two interesting enough; Gloria Steinem: Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions - good old feminist basics. and An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jamison. 

Australia is waiting

yeah the heat and humidity are getting to me but officially i will NOT complain. i mean at least its hot and not cold??

i did this website translation, or the first batch of a bigger project, and dang, exactly 14 minutes after sending the first files i get an email from Paypal that my payment has been sent. thats the fastest salary ever. now im happily working on the 2nd batch...   its a kind of website like "soourceforge.net", where you download software...

yesterday we got a confirmation from Australia that the teaching hospital over there welcomes my doctor and one of his colleagues for a 2 month observership at a time of their choosing. which is really...amazing :) so i am looking at flights! we had originally thought january to february as the flights were cheap for that period but today the flight prices have been going up and down sporadically.... however the ultra-cheap flights by Malaysian Airlines are available at least this very moment! some extra excitement if we choose to fly with them? lol.  turkish airlines just started direct flights to Melbourne but they are 1650 euros a pop, lol, no way.

Melbourne just happens to be one of the most expensive cities in the world...uff. but we started saving several months ago when the idea sparked. so we should be ok. 

i decided to fix my eyeshadow and blush with instructions that can be found online easy, you just need 70% (or higher) alcohol, thats the short of it. it worked, too :)

mixing the alcohol in my mac blush

 my Lumene eyeshadow a few minutes later. messy, yes, but the left side which was brokwn is now pretty neat!

new earrings from Six (outlet). 

last night i dropped over at a cafe where this turkish lady was selling 2nd hand clothes. i got a lot for 20tl/7e.  after putting it on, i understand this white shirt is difficult, it will require a top underneath and well, then its not a summer short anymore. oh well. 

this grey piece is actually a mystery, short bt with a huge neck piece. i think ut look awkward but maybe i will find a way to wear it, in october, when the weather permits. 

 a bit boring but colorful cardigan.

brown short sleeve knit dress. i didnt try it on of course and now im wondering if its too big...   i will find out in november or so. right now ill just enjoy owning a new dress...

 

lentil soup is The Thing

the restaurant we often eat at, owned by the municipality. its a cheap & cozy albeit tacky :) the waiter has become very friendly with us. the photo is from a couple weeks ago, but the same kitty - slightly bigger - was there again tonight. and as playful as ever.

i came up with an astray solution for the balcony. a porcelain shoe, used to be a flower pot (gift!). i put some water in and its perfect!

on the wall of the armenian orthodox church (near our home);

"we are women, angry, and after you

-anarchist women"

"

prices for a greek holiday

it was annoyingly difficult to find the general price level in Bulgaria. in the end i found this "cost of living in Bulgaria" - which has useful numbers even if you r just visiting. the site has other countries too, so yeah, very practical. but still, odd that the exact info was generally hard to find, why wouldnt sites like Trip Advisor host this time of content? i then checked and its the same for other smaller countries...  i should definitely remedy the situation when it comes to Greece, while i still remember... so prices and costs for a holiday in Greece (limited areas, i know Kos and Rodos or Athens may be more expensive):

• Greek bed n breakfasts/Inn's in Halkidiki, Sarti, Lesbos high season prices, mid range 30-55 euros/night (a double room with a kitchenette and probably a balcony, A/C)
• Greek hotel rooms in Halkidiki, Sarti, Lesbos (double) can be around 45-90 euros/night in high season, higher end if pool. although on Lesbos islands most places have a pool so prices are lower. and there are always fancier resorts that charge whatever, but i doubt those people are counting their euros then...
• bus tickets (Thessaloniki) 0.60 euros
• Thessaloniki-Sarti bus 18,30 euros (bus timetable and prices updated at KTEL website)

restaurant prices in Greece (mid range restaurant, bars)

• appetizers 4-6 euros
• salads 4-7 euros
• main dishes (meat, chicken..) 6-10 euros
• fast food (gyros, souvlaki...) 3-4 euros, hamburgers can be found for 1-3 euros
• beer 3-5 euros (local-import)
• house wine 0.5l jug 3-5 euros 
• cocktails 6-7 euros, can find a mojito for 5 euros but its unlikely to be very good
• wine bars in Thessaloniki (tested 2) had a good selection with per glass prices from 2 to 8 euros

3 appetizers, a salad and 2 main dishes as seen below were way too much, we couldnt finish. this set might have cost 45 euros including 2 beers, a wine and ouzo - but as said, it was too much. a greek dinner with one appetizer, one salad and one main dish (all shared), with 2 beers and a jug of wine should come to about 25-35 euros in the parts of Greece i listed.there are more upscale restaurants, and then you can add 5-15 euros on the bill, but most taverns are mid range.

fast food, big enough for a good luch! 3,5 euros. 

 overall i find the price level in Greece quite alright as a tourist. its no Turkey but close.

happiness is having time to write a blog

tasty foreign ice cream in Kadiköy. its a bit pricey, Cold Stone's concept is this premium stuff and you mix things like caramel sauce and wine gums or walnuts in the portion and so... but yeah, it is SO good. 

we were looking at a combined turkey & greece holiday but then realized doctors schengen visa is good for entering bulgaria too. i have been to Sofia & Plovdiv and the experience was good so we changed our plans. so were probably going to Plovdiv, and then to a quieter beach location near Varna. greece is lovely but change is good....  and we can use train to travel some of the way. i usually prefer trains even if they are a bit more expensive than busses.and now im spending hours on picking the best accommodation and planning eeeeeverything.

doctor asked me what was the food like in bulgaria. i have no idea. i remember liking it, having good experiences... and cheap sushi. but thats all. people always talk fluently about the foods they eat abroad...uff.

when i really like a website/service, and im in a good mood, i click on one of their ads (free things are usually ad powered, after all). thats how nice i am!

happiness is:
a toaster that has the defrost and warmup functions
having nice sunglasses survive for a few years (without being lost or breaking)
spotify's pre-made playlists for various moods
having the time to go on picnics and to see friends


looking forward to this Mad Max sequel, although it will not be the same without Mel Gibson. not a fan but a purist of some sort? last week i tried to watch My Man Is a Loser - and i say try because i had to stumble through with fast forward. it was just poorly made...not funny nor interesting. my to see list also has Luc Besson's Lucy and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes pretty high. i would also like easy comedy but they dont make them good anymore...(as proven above). Maybe The Olivia Experiment could be something...

sushi last weekend. 

only a portion of the tasty makis...  we made so much sushi everyone could eat their bellies full and take home some.

doctor and me having another picnic...  im doing picnics like weekly now. the seaside/park is just so close, even for a lazy girl like me. and the grass is perfect, weather is always perfect and i like looking at the animals roaming around (dogs, cats...chicken!). some mezes or other tastu edibles and i am happy to hang out doing nothing for hours. and obviously im lucky to have 'hours' to spend like that, i am aware of that. should add it to the list above...

hikoilua yössä

suomessa yltää muutamana päivinä mittari 30 asteeseen ja sitten aletaan jo otsikoimaan helteiden vaaroista ja kuinka rankaa se onkaan...   no, vähän sama tietty kun turkkilaiset ovat ojassa heti jos tielle ilmestyy lumipeite ja koulut laitetaan kiinni. eli kaikki on suhteellista, mutta suomessa on niin pitkä ja kylmä talvi että ehkä muutamasta lämpimästä päivästä ei tarvitsisi valittaa tai ainakaan kriisiä kehitellä? kyllä normaalit aikuiset ihmiset pärjää vähän lämpimämmässäkin, vaikkei siihen tietty tottua ehdi kun ensi viikolla sataa taas räntää...

eilisen sushi-illan jäljiltä on ilmaan jääyt leijailemaan aika vahva kalan haju. yhhh. aloin siivoamaan jälkiä, mutta haju on tiukassa. leikkuulaudat pääsi valkaisuainepesuun, eiköhän ne siitä tokene. mutta sushi oli hyvää. sitä jäi vieraillekin kotiin vietäväksi ja meikäläiselle lounaaksi. aamiaiseksi paistoin ylijäänyttä lohta pannulla, sulatin pakkasesta ruispaloja ja voilá, lohileivät olivat valmiit.

ylimääräisten sushien ja roseviinin kanssa menin tänään iltapäivällä piknikille Billurin kanssa.  tapasin tämän reippaan naisen joku aika sitten kaverin kautta. Billur asui Barcelonassa useamman vuoden joten mielelläni haastattelen häntä siitä... mutta tänään siis istuttiin rantakivillä, siliteltiin kissoja ja nautitiin säästä. molemmilla suojakertoimet mutta niin vaan turkkilaisen iho alkoi taas punoittaa, mun ei. tota tapahtuu ihan liikaa....  ja meikäläisen rusketus sen kun vaan syvenee.

illallisviritelmä alkuviikosta. peruna-kukkakaalimuusista tuli jotain vähän muuta...siihen päätyi porkkanaa ja lopulta jopa pellavansiemeniä. kaupassa ei ollut taas ihan kaikkea mitä toivoin (eli kukkakaalia). kaikki foodiet jotka intoilee "paikallisista", kausittaisista raaka-aineista on tyytyväisiä niin kauan kun ne oikeesti voi ostaa Stockan herkusta avokadoja mihin aikaan vuodesta tahansa. mutta mitenköhän suu pantais jossei vadelmasorbettiin tai hmmm, sushiin löytyiskään aineksia kun vuodenaika vaan on väärä? mä en edes ole foodie mutta kyllä se vituttaa.
 

focusing on fresh salmon

i dont know why im so stressed about the sushi....its not my first time at the rodeo, but its been a few years... making sushi is pretty expensive here, u need to get the ingredients from specialty shops etc. focusing on veggies would help but i want to make very fishy sushi.

Hurriyet: Turkish court considers wearing leggings as ‘provocative’ factor in domestic violence case - these kind of news are pretty much daily. and i bet they only show the tip of the iceberg.

that reminds of what happened recently at doctor's ER. 4 guys brought their friend to the ER by car. the friend was a cancer patient or something. the brought him in the morning, because they were not able to wake him up. it was quite soon clear why he didnt wake up; because he was already dead. thats not funny exactly, but tragicomic somehow...

anyway need to read about sushi making now. if i survive tonight i will watch live chess games online tomorrow!