Meeting Friends In Popovo

In The Square Of Popovo

Today we had planned on meeting up with friends in Popovo, having a wander round the shops and maybe a coffee or two. We had been looking forward to this ever since we recovered from whatever lurgie it was that we had. The weather had been nice and sunny for the previous few days and the temperatures have been above average. So what did we see when we woke up this morning? Grey skies, and neither one of us can remember ordering inclement weather for today. A quick check on the internet at a couple of weather forecasting sites, and although the grey skies were not due to change, at least there was no rain being forecast.

Now to get to Popovo from our village we have to go a different direction from the one that we would normally take to go into Gorna. The route that we were on involved a stretch of road that I have come to refer to as bomb alley. It looks like Beirut on a quiet day, and they are not really pot holes any more, they have now become shell craters. They were like it over 6 years ago when we first came out to Bulgaria and they have got progressively worse. Soon these craters will merge together and it might even feel a bit smoother. We know what we are going to be facing on that stretch of road, and there is now no way that you can miss any of the craters, so now it is a case of picking a line which you think is going to be the best of a bad lot. Once we had exited bomb alley our troubles were not over, as the road leading down into Lozen is getting almost as bad. We didn't actually hit decent road until we got onto the Byala-Popovo main road.

Spring Is Here Too

One thing that we did notice en route to Popovo was that the castle ruins just outside of Kovachets is now open for visitors. So that is going to be on our things to do list for the summer. As we drove past we did slow down a little and it seems like they have made a good job of it all. Today, however, our destination was Popovo. Now on the main road into the town there is now an overhead gantry, and situated on this gantry are two cameras facing either direction. It is the second such gantry that I have spotted in as many days, now I don't know the purpose of these cameras, they could be purely for monitoring traffic, or the weather conditions. Or they could have another purpose entirely, but at the moment there is no paint on the ne road surface. Anyway we made it into Popovo, possibly slightly shaken due to the varying road conditions, and headed for our friend's apartment. Being a smart arse I took an alternate route, which fortunately worked out otherwise I might never have lived it down, but sure enough our friend was waiting outside to make sure we got the correct apartment block. All through the drive there it was nice to see that all of the trees are suddenly bursting into leaf and blossom, and the Storks are huddled on their nests of sticks.

Popovo's Very Own Ninja

After greeting everyone we went up to the apartment, where not only did we have coffee, but we also had lunch. I had never tried dock leaf soup before, but it is surprisingly tasty, especially when you add a little splash of lemon juice. They had also gone to the trouble of making a typical Bulgarian Mousaka, and I can safely say that it is the best one that I have eaten since we have been here. There was also fried yellow and white cheeses, stuffed peppers, salads and small mushrooms. If I had known that we would be eating like that I would have worn my expando trousers. It all looked so good but try as we might we couldn't do it justice. Despite the apartment being comfortable it was actually quite a relief when it was suggested going for a walk round town. The grey skies hadn't really improved, but at least it looked as though the forecasters had got the no rain bit correct, although every so often a breeze was blowing. It is often nice to have guides in the know who can show you some of the best places to go. They even know where to run the shop assistants down to ground should you find a particular shop closed up while coffee is being drunk.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I Give You The Bride And Groom

There were others out and about, although I don't really think that they were that interested in shopping. Quite possibly they had something else on their mind. Still if ever they get to see this blog here is another snap which won't appear in the official wedding album. I am pleased to report that as far as I am aware neither the bride, nor groom, shinned up the lamp post for that special photo. At least it didn't rain for them.

When we first ever went to Popovo there were no pedestrian only areas like there are now. Even though it seemed to take forever to complete, they have made a good job of it all. Once the weather really starts to warm up the cafes will have more tables and chairs outside, than they do inside. Today there were a few hardy souls sat outside, but it was mainly various Finches who were enjoying the outdoors life.

New Pedestrian Areas

Old Buildings

There are some impressive facades on some of the older buildings, sadly they don't seemed to have fared very well ove time. Some of them really do look quite forlorn and uncared for. Sadly unless anything is done a lot of these buildings will be lost forever, and who knows what tales they could tell, or secrets that they have witnessed? Sometimes I do wonder if people really do care about their heritage, and all too often it seems to be a case of too little too late. Hopefully that is only my impression and much gets done behind the scenes.

The Vegetable Market

The Moo Soup Machine

Another change that we noticed is the local produce market, at one time they used to be ricketty stalls in a vague attempt at a straight line, piled with fruit and vegetables. Now there is a covered market area for some of these same ricketty stalls to huddle beneath. It might be different when the sun is shining but to me it did seem a bit dull and dingy underneath there. On a bright piece of news for the first time I have actually spotted one of these automatic milk machines. I have heard of them previously, but up until now I had yet to see one. Even though it can now be crossed off of my I-Spy odd things list, it wasn't working so maybe I can only claim half a point.

There Are Some Odd People About

Unfortunately time was getting on and we still had to visit our friend's Grandmother's house, and then drive home. As luck would have it there was still time for that all important coffee. We can safely say that over the last couple of days we have had some wonderful times, in the company of some very nice people. I'll not embarass people by mentioning names, but you know who you are, so once again we thank you all.

A Bit Of A Do

As some of you might be aware there are various ExPat ladies groups throughout Bulgaria. The majority seem to have their own group pages on facebook, and one such group are the LaLa's. I am told that they are not limited to just ExPats, but are quite pleased that they also have Bulgarians within their number. Every so often these ladies groups will meet up for lunches. Yesterday saw such an occasion for the LaLa's as they held a lunch at the Hotel Palmira in Arbanasi. As far as I am aware this is the first time that they have ventured into a hotel for one of these occasions. The ladies came from far and wide, and it was an ideal opportunity for them to actually put faces to the names that they have previously been chatting with. Some stayed in the hotel overnight and some were hosted by some of the local ladies.

We played hosts to Jenny, so our Sunday started bright and early as we had to pick her up in VT. So there we were waiting at the bus station, a bus went and nothing else happened, nothing else came in. We gave it a further 10 minutes but there were no signs of any other activity, so we thought we might actually be at the wrong bus station. So we went on to the next one which seemed more promising as there was a lot more activity. People were sat there with cases, buses were coming and going, however not the bus we wanted.  So I had to go inside the bus station and try to find someone who could tell us if we were in the right place, if not where we should be. It turned out we were at bus station south and we should have been at bus station west. So onto our third bus station and sure enough there was Jenny waiting for us. So after our tour of the bus stations of VT I was definitely in need of coffee. Over coffee we had a decision to make, should we stay in VT for a few hours and meet the next couple at the bus station or did we go home and then come back in a couple of hours later. We decided that it was possibly bbest staying where we were given the problems we had trying to guess the right bus station earlier, why a city like VT can't have a single bus station is beyond me.

Anyway we eventually managed to pick everyone up who needed picking up. As we have dogs and cats to feed we thought that we would go via home, I could feed the animals, Jenny could drop her luggage off, coffee could be drunk and the facilities could be used if necessary. Once all of that was done we could then head over to Mrs M for the next stage of our journey and lunch. We were spoilt as there was a full roast meal waiting for us including roast lamb. It was a great evening spent catching up and having a bit of a laugh, the only downside being that we had to drive home in the wet and the dark. We eventually got to bed about 1am. Then it seemed as though it was up again as soon as my head touched the pillow. Everyone fed and watered then it was over to Polski Trambesh to act as guide getting those from that way to the hotel in Arbanassi. It might seem a bit of a weird and convoluted route but we managed it all. People were turning up at the hotel and luckily we were going to be eating in the dining room as it was a persistant drizzle with low flying cloud outside.

There were even 4 of us brave men who had decided to brave the occasion, and not one of us had a posh frock on, fortunately. We did have our own table out of the way. It was closer to the kitchen, which meant that we got served before the ladies did. The meal was okay, even though it wasn't what was actually arranged when the venue was booked. There only seemed to be one waitress doing all of the work, there were other staff there but I think she was the only one who spoke English. In the end everyone was fed and all in all the lunch went off without any major snags. There was certainly a lot of chattering coming from the tables with all of the ladies, so I think that everyone enjoyed themselves. Even when the lunch had finished and people had started to drift away there were still about eight who stayed behind nattering.

To my mind it was definitely a good do, and it did give me a chance to put some more faces to names. I am also pleased to welcome Sarah as one of the new followers to the blog. Even once we had left and returned home to sort animals out we still had another trip over to Mrs M's to make for a buffet and more talking and laughter. The weather hadn't improved at all, and even the drive home was wet, even when I got stopped for a document check near Polski. I guess that with the weather they wanted to feel like they were doing something useful. I think that I got to bed about 2am this morning. Maybe I am getting too old for all of this party lifestyle, and I am becoming a daft old fart. However, there is much to be said with the old saying, "That you can't expect to soar with the Eagles if you have been out hooting with the Owls."

How Does A Lala's Lunch Affect You?

So ladies a very big thank you to all who braved the weather and managed to attend, and even for letting us men join in as well. I don't know if anyone actually took their swimming cozzies with them, but I didn't notice anyone brave enough to actually take to the water. Although it was touch and go when someone almost dared someone else to take the plunge.

It's Wednesday, It's Polski Trambesh Market

As some of you may, or may not, know Wednesday is market day is sunny Polski Trambesh. As markets go, this is one of the largest that is within a reasonable distance from us. There are plenty of other ExPats who also like to make use of the weekly markets here. As we do seem to meet them from all over when we have gone there ourselves. Normally our first port of call is the fruit and vegetable market. Much of it is so fresh that the sellers might well have picked it the previous evening. A lot of the produce is seasonal, so sometimes it is a case of buy it when you see it. You can always find something that you didn't realise that you needed at these places.

Today's bargain buy was Peaches, which have just come into season. This is a particularly happy event for me as it means one thing. Peach marmalade. Now if you have never tried this, you don't know what you are missing. Besides Marmite, this is what toast was made for. During the depths of winter, it really does help to remind me that soon the snow will be gone and the sun will be warming us again. Not all of the peaches will be used for making marmalade, as we did get some purely for the purpose of eating. If temptation gets too much for people I would like to remind them about the joys of wet wipes. The peaches are often so juicy that when you bite into them the juice will run down your arm and drip from your elbow. If you don't fancy bees, wasps ad flies plaguing you, then the wet wipes can be a real benefit.

The market at Polski Trambesh is divided into two halves, and it is the railway lines that are the dividing line. You can either use the underpass, or cross the rails themselves. If you cross above ground it is prudent to remember that it is a working railway and to keep a watchful eye out. Using the underpass, although nice and cool on a summer's day like today, can have it's own problems. Sometimes the smell of not very clean bodies can be quite potent. The good thing is that there is none of the usual hustle and bustle that those brought up in the UK would have expected. This is Bulgaria after all, and things are carried out at a much more leisurely pace.

So with the fruit and vegetables bought there is always time for a coffee. People often arrange to meet up on these occasions, and today was no exception. The Ladies had planned to go to lunch today, even some of us men were allowed to attend, and we didn't even have to wear a frock. So the coffee stop was an ideal place to exchange information on what bargains were to be found where. Also the logistics of providing directions and times to appear at the restaurant were also reiterated for those intending to attend. So with coffees drunk, and people aware of the plans for later it was time to make our way to the other side of the market.

We chose the fragrant path way of changing sides, and fortunately it wasn't too bad at all. It's a long way to hold your breath if you are going from one side to the other. For some reason it didn't seem quite so busy there this week, and it was possible to take your time without being jostled. Another good thing with Polski Trambesh is the cafes are great places to sit and people watch, especially the ones just off of the main square. The only problem with people watching is that you don't actually notice the time passing, and before we knew it, it was time to head down to the restaurant.

Some of the ladies, and some of the men, had already arrived by the time that we got there. Luckily Iskra had previously phoned the restaurant and let them know that there would be a larger than normal gathering of ExPats there for lunch. It gave them a chance to push tables together, sort out extra staff for a couple of hours and possibly get extra supplies in too. Whatever happened it all seemed to work very well. I think that I can safely say that everyone enjoyed their meals and various conversations that were ebbng and flowing round the tables. I was quite pleased with myself, as even though the menu was in English I managed to order my meal in Bulgarian. The best of it was that what I got served was actually what I hoped that I had ordered. So I can definitely recommend the chicken livers with onions and a side order of chips, if anyone ever finds themself at this restaurant.

As these things have a habit of doing, all too soon it was time to finish, as people started to drift off to go and attend to livestock. It still left about nine of us to go for a final coffee, just off of the main square. It made for a very pleasant Wednesday, good food, good company, good conversations and the sun shone. The good news is that hopefully it will not be too long until the next lunch date. So very many thanks to all who were able to make it, and looking forward to the next one already.