Finally, a chance to catch my breath and do a first real entry! The journey here was without incident but long - drive to Denver, fly to Atlanta, fly to Paris, and then fly to Sofia. That's not all, but I wanted to mention quick that this flight to Sofia was very exciting, knowing that I was off in an entirely new direction to lands unknown to me....I'm so used to being in Paris and flying off to Cameroon....anyways, I was met in the Sofia airport (after a ridiculously easy customs - they didn't even ask me why I was coming to Bulgaria, nor did they even look at my bags)by the warm, smiling face of Vesselina Koulcheva, my host. She is, quite simply put, incredible! This whole trip has really been planned by her, and she is super helpful, friendly, and ready to answer every question. Anyways, back to the trip - from Sofia we took a cab to the bus station, and bought our tickets to Silistra; an 8-9 hour bus ride away. After 3 flights this felt long, but it passed quickly, and I got to move into my hotel room a little past midnight, for a very good nights sleep.
My only picture in Sofia - the bus station. Brand new. Will get more photos later - the legacy of Communism was one of the most overwhelming sights here in Sofia, with unending rows of flats (large, concrete, bland looking appartment buildings - row after row after row.) I don't remember reading about concrete flats in any of the Marx that I've studied, but this left a strong impression on me.
After a long sleep (from about 1 am to 10 am!) I had a quick lunch in the hotel restaurant and then was off for a tour of central Silistra with my guide and host, Vesselina. Here above you see my favorite part of the city - the riverfront! Silistra is located right on the banks of the Danube river. That's Romania you see across the river. And the ruins behind me - that's the Roman ruins that date back to the founding of the city (originally called Durosturum) way back in the 4th Century AD (right around 301 AD, if I remember correctly.)
More Roman ruins - these are right in front of the Billa shopping mall in the center of town. This is a very modern, 4 story mall with elevators and escalators, a grocery store, 2 cafes, a child care center, and several shops. It's fairly new - and when they began building it, they discovered these ruins on the lot! Fortunately they decided to preserve them, and in order to keep building, they had to agree to turn the entry way of the mall into a mini-museum - full of the artefacts that they had discovered on this site. A great example of being surrounded by ancient history in your daily life!
Truly, my favorite thing here- the Danube. I could walk along the river all day every day if there was time, and never grow tired of it. The water is swift, and the air is fresh, and the feeling of river life is all around. Barges steam past from time to time, and fishermen are seen out and about. This beautiful sunset marked my first full day in town. I hope to see many more of them over the river while I am here. One thing about the river that mystifies me is it's role as both a barrier and a carrier. On one had, it has given Bulgaria a historical connection to Germany, as it is navigable from here up through Budapest, and eventually on to Germany. But on the other hand, it has for over a millennium served as a true frontier. On the other side, the Romania's speak a completely different language from the Bulgarians. Many people I have talked to on my first day here, tell me that have never crossed the river in their lifetimes. I hope to learn more about this river and how it manages to play both these roles.
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