Ahhhhh

Nothing like a vacation to sooth the weary soul and enjoy some much-needed and well-earned respite from the duties of work and real-world responsibilities.

One word for our trip: Amazing. We went significantly over our budget (cough twice over cough) but it was well worth the money spent. The food was simply divine. Evy swears that the dinner we had on Sunday night was the best she has eaten in her life, and to top it all off the restaurant offered us a 150 dollar bottle of Argentinean Chardonnay at a significantly discounted price, due to their closing for the season in a few days. Evy is not a wine person. She could not stop oohing and aahing over the wine. The fish was scrumptious, the setting was perfect, and the weather was splendid, except for the last day, which was our travel day, and poured down rain with horrid coastal winds.

We are already planning the same trip next year, to the same hotel, only next time we are going to rent an apartment rather than simply a room, and we will stay for 7 days instead of only 5. We scouted the beaches, know where to go, which restaurants are the best, and we know what to realistically expect for the budget next time around, because there were a few things we didn't plan for this time around (although going twice over was because we had a few dinners where we absolutely splurged. After all, we busted our butts this year so far and if we can't spend our hard-earned money from time to time, what's the point of earning it?)

Train ride there was fun, although Bulgarian trains need a significant upgrade. We had a cabin all to ourselves, although first-class isn't really anything more than coach. Ride back was a little more adventuresome. We shared a cabin with a Bulgarian guy on vacation from London, and two German chaps who spent two hours educating us on the intricacies of German beers, as well as which types are the best, which places are the best to go, and etc. They were older chaps (older than us) in their 40s, a pair of brothers out on an adventure while the wives stayed at home. One of them has been married to a Thai woman for 17 years, so we got some up-close-and-personal tips on traveling to Thailand, which was great. We ended up helping them get situated into a hotel in Sofia when we arrived, as they had to stay overnight for a flight the next day, so we pointed them in the right direction and gave them tips on where to find some good restaurants for dinner and such.

Also met a friendly Scottish gent on the bus ride back from Nesebar to Burgas. He was out scouting locations for him and his wife to take a seaside holiday.

I think one of the things I like the most about traveling is meeting adventurous souls like Evy and myself who enjoy getting out and seeing the true heart of the countries they are in, rather than just sticking to the cities. You don't really get to experience the hospitality of the country until you strike out into the interior. Bulgaria, for example, is a country where the difference between the city folk and the country folk is night and day. The people in Sofia are snobbish, rude, crude, and boorish (generalization here) in the way that most city folk are...only focused on the almighty buck, and getting from day to day through the normal grind. Out in the countryside, however, people are far more hospitable, and they would gladly offer you the shirt off their backs without asking for anything in return. Cities are the haven for the fast-paced and self-centered, while the countryside is languid and relaxed, and the people don't always need money in exchange for common decency and hospitality.

We had fun. We've already planned out 3 trips for next year, although it looks like our China trip might be put on hold. Another thing we plan on doing next year is multiple weekend-getaways to Bulgarian interior destinations, to see the monasteries, the wineries, and the little cultural towns that you don't' find on the map. On top of that, however, we are absolutely going back to Nesebar next summer, and we are talking about Montenegro and Croatia for our two non-Bulgarian holidays next year, plus a week in Rome (which we were going to do this month but decided to do seaside instead at the last minute).

In any case...back to the grindstone! I've got work booked out to the end of October, Evy's got a load of clients lined up, and we are heading into a great latter-half of 2009.