The Last Night

Eger was a lovely town. Our little cottage room on the outskirts was idyllic and we were able to have a nice break from driving for a couple of nights. We stopped at a village fair and tried some Hungarian pastries and had a nice walk around the city. There is a lovely nature park around Eger with lots of mountain walks so I hope we return some day when I am fit. We are now in Slovakia at a place we wanted to return to having visited shortly after we met. It was our first trip away together. We are in exactly the same room and it's amazing to think back. I wonder if the old Clare and Hendrik would have been surprised to know we wolud return just over a year later carrying our first child.

The Long Treck

We've put a lot of miles behind us over the last couple of days and are now in Eger, Hungary. We spent three nights in Balchik. It was a great place to recover. The first evening Yavor and his family came with us and everyone except me took a swim in the sea. We went for dinner and Hendrik made friends with the daughter, Eva. After having played with her last time, she felt a bit more comfortable. She was unsure of us at first because she was shy and we speak a foreign language. This time he managed to make her laugh a lot. Balchik was formerly part of Romania and the Queen built a palace there by the sea. She was English, the granddaughter of Queen Victoria. It was an interesting story, how she fell in love with the Black Sea coast and the Balkan people after marrying the Romanian King. She was the follower of many religions, which was quite forward thinking at the time. She noticed, and was upset by the conflict caused by technicalities within spirituality, so I felt I could relate to her and enjoyed walking around the palace gardens, imagining her life. Before leaving Bulgaria, we stopped in Dobrich to see Hendrik's friend Milen once more. His family were there for the holidays and Hendrik wanted a chance to meet Milen's daughter, Boryana. She is a lovely child, very beautiful. She was also a little shy with us at first but was very interested and soon made friends. She wanted to hold my hand and sit on my knee and give me kisses. I was quite charmed. Driving through Romania the last couple of days was quite tough. It was very interesting to see the beautiful landscape and how the people live in the villages and cities but we were surprised at how poor and broken it was. Our first stop on the coast was Constanta for coffee. We noticed magnificent buildings with ornate detail but mostly irreparably damaged. Trees were growing inside roofless buildings where birds had built their nests. There were a lot of block towers in use as the old buildings were perhaps too expensive to maintain. We stayed one night in Bucharest and took an evening walk. It's a magnificent city, full of culture and beautiful architecture. It has a rich and complex history but also needs so much restoration in order for it to be fully appreciated. We were approached by a young boy sniffing glue from a plastic bag, which really made me feel sad. Later a tramp asked us for money and although that happens in Berlin, it seemed more hopeless here. I didn't really feel safe. We only stayed one night, in a very strange hotel which was a bit like a space ship. It was very clean and the service was excellent but somehow the strip lights and modern features made me feel unwell. Hendrik was rather impressed though and I must admit the breakfast was unbeatable. We drove through Transylvania yesterday, stopping in Sibiu for lunch and staying in a gothic themed hotel in Tarda. This time the style was cool but the breakfast was terrible! Tonight we are in Eger in a lovely garden apartment overlooking the city. We have been charmed by the Hungarian people already and the surrounding is inspiring. We sat outside the cottage thinking about what kind of house we would eventually like for our family - something similar to this perhaps! We have now decided to spend two nights here.

Further Along the Black Sea Coast

We drove up the coast today and reached Balchik. It's lovely here. We are staying in a botanical garden right next to the beach. This will be perfect for gaining energy after our two city stays. My energy levels were low in Varna and we managed to take it easy while still seeing the things we wanted to see. We spent the first day on the beach and Hendrik went out with Yavor in the evening. They reconnected on this evening, having not seen each other for 4 years. Hendrik came back at around 3am, happy and excited. I had a nice evening to relax in the hotel room. Yavor showed us some special parts of Varna we otherwise wouldn't have known about. We saw the sun set at an old restaurant, which is now broken down. it's terrace overlooks the sea on a ledge which faces Varna's coast. We visited Yavor, his wife and little daughter at home. The little one is two in November and very active. Hendrik played with her while they cooked dinner and we had a nice evening talking after she had gone to bed. Before leaving Varna, we visited the church and had a walk around. We wanted some things from Bulgaria for our home, because of our connection here so before we left we stopped to buy some paintings, tablecloths and earthenware.

Sofia

The days in Sofia were really important for both of us. We had a chance to put our lives into perspective in comparing how much things have changed since we lived there. Somehow I was amazed at how peaceful I felt putting the past behind me and seeing Sofia in a new light. We went together through our old ways and found a bar which was a very significant place for me and discovered that Hendrik knew it and had been there a few times too. We shared our feelings about Bulgarian Orthodox churches. We both feel something special when we are inside them. The atmosphere is peaceful yet dramatic - a real feeling of light and dark. We found too that we had spent time meditating in the same places. We were familiar with a lot of the same corners. By coincidence, the company Hendrik worked for here was closing it's office during our visit and we were able to go inside and meet a couple of his old colleagues. The place was empty of furniture, which must have been strange for him. He took a plaque with the company logo as a memento. On one of our evenings in Sofia we really enjoyed dinner with Milen and his girlfriend, Adriana. Another evening we met friends of Hendrik from Germany who were also visiting Bulgaria. Most of the people I knew during my time in Sofia have moved away or lost contact but I met for coffee with Boby. She is the mother of a friend of mine in Hamburg who welcomed me and helped me settle when I moved there. She was happy to see that I am expecting, which was a surprise when she saw me. We ended up having a four hour coffee meeting! I didn't manage a walk around the mountain Vitosha but we visited church Boyana near the mountain, and had a very enthusiastic tour guide. On the last day I overdid things. I wanted to soak up the city before leaving and ended up walking around for 8 hours. Although we often stopped to sit, it was hot and at one point I lost my focus and fell. Sofia is full of holes and loose paving stones so you have to watch out . I fell on my knees first making sure Luca was safe and I didn't seriously injure myself but it really shocked me and I as surprised to find I was tearful for about an hour. I felt guilty for pushing myself. The best things to come out of the situation were that two ladies independently stopped to comfort me. It was lovely to see people care for strangers enough to make the effort to say so. It really cheered me up and was almost worth the experience. We reached Varna this evening. I never visited the Black Sea coast when I lived here so I hope to get a taste of it over the next few days. We took Yavor with us on the journey, another friend Hendrik met during his time living here. He lives here and commutes to Sofia for work. We are staying in a strange hotel, decorated with textured wallpaper, patterned carpet and 80s science fiction art hanging on the walls. The shower is over the toilet and Hendrik just flooded the room so we'll have to get that sorted out. I have to admit though, I find the hotel quirky and therefore kind of cool. A lot of hotels look the same these days. They may be decorated "nicely" but they usually lack character.

Back in Bulgaria...

We have arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria! The place where coincidently we both lived in the past but have never visited together. I am alone right now in the flat we are renting. A friend of Hendrik arranged the place for us. It's central, has a balcony, full kitchen and 2 bathroons - we are very lucky. I can't believe I'm here. It's been three years since I left this city, my life painfully different to the one I'm living now. I never knew when I would return but somehow I expected it to be sooner. It feels very strange but wonderful to be here. We stayed four nights in Leptpkariai. While we were there we got up early on two of the mornings to see the sun rise over the sea. I haven't seen many in my time - a lot more sunsets. It was good for us to see this symbol of birth and renewal. As it was so hot, we got up early, enjoyed the morning, took a siesta between the hottest hours and then had a long evening and late dinner. I could definitely learn to live like that. Tonight Hendrik is out with Milen, a friend from his time here. It has been four years since he was last here and he must be feeling similar emotions to me. The time living in Sofia was life changing for both of us.

Greece

Upon arriving in Greece at 3am we considered sleeping in the car for a few hours but we didn't find a good place to park and were unsure I would really sleep well being so pregnant. We decided to drive a little in land looking for a city we could perhaps park somewhere and wait for a hotel to open. We found ourselves driving all the way to Ioannina, by which time my hungry bump and I where desperate for food. We found a petrol station and bought some snacks then parked just outside the city by a fairly luxurious looking 4 star hotel. We though we just might manage a nap in the car after all as there were no signs of life but as Hendrik stepped out of the car to fetch a blanket a man came from the petrol station next door. He seemed concerned we had bad intentions but soon saw we were a tired pregnant couple. He didn't speak English but he understood we needed to rest and it turned out he was somehow connected with the hotel and let us in. It was reasonably priced, clean and comfy and we were so exhausted it was like a dream come true. We happily showered and got into bed for a nice long sleep. When we finally arose in the morning we did some research on the area. We discovered Ionnina was a very interesting place. so we decided to stay another night. We took a drive out in the afternoon but it was still unbearably hot so we waited till evening. we parked the car beside a lake as the sun was setting and walked into the city. The Greeks eat quite late so by 10pm the restaurants were buzzing. We found a little alley where a few elderly people sat on chairs outside their homes gladly watching young people enjoy themselves. On the corner was a little bar where we could also sit outside at the alleyway crossroads. It was very different to the spoilt trendy places we're used to in Berlin. I imagine there were a lot more places like this a few years ago. Next door was an even older bar, which seemed private. Some old and very interesting looking characters sat inside, ready to fight against newcomers who may dare to enter. They seemed nostalgic. Perhaps the vibe as they knew it has been lost in time. This morning we left Ioannina after a late breakfast. We were sent to the petrol station to pay for the hotel, which was a bit odd. As we drove away we discussed the mystery of the place. It has totally empty except a couple of people who arrived this morning and we wondered why they had invested so much money in it. It was extremely well decorated and the bar area was glamorous, well stocked but unused. The bottles of spirits were neatly lined up against mirrored shelves, as if the spaces between them had been measured. We wondered why it wasn't expensive and what the connection with the petrol station was. Anyway, it was perfect for regaining energy after our boat trip. We drove to the coast today after stopping to look at the monasteries in Metora. We took some pictures and had a nice lunch on a mountainside overlooking the valley. We had luck again when we arrived here in Leptpkariai. I've discovered Hendrik is gifted in connecting with local people. He's really open and curious and I think the people feel it and warm to him. By talking to people, he found us a little apartment room with a balcony facing the sea. These kind of places are not obvious unless you are Greek or at least speak the language and there are so many hotels around but we are much better off this way, with our privacy and the price is incomparable. I'm now sitting on our balcony after a nice shower and Hendrik is napping. We will walk into town for dinner later.

The Boat

We spent 3 days in Cecina and were sad to leave. We found a spot to sit and watch the sunset from the beach and Hendrik went swimming in the sea a couple of times. We started to develop a sense for Italian people in general. We found they have a real sense of fun. Whenever we asked someone who didn't speak our languages for directions or help they seemed to especially enjoy it. They never gave up and were creative with finding other ways to communicate. Italian people also seemed to regard my pregancy as something special. Even strangers acknowledged it in the street. We were very impressed with the culture, despite the often hectic atmosphere they also seem to create.
Yesterday we decided we would take a long journey so we can spend some time in Bulgaria. We looked at Grosetto and lake Bolsena on the way and stayed the night in Celano where we enjoyed an evening walk looking at the charming old buildings of the city. We saw a memorial gathering in one of the houses. The coffin was placed in the first room and the door to the house was wide open and overflowing with friends and relatives. We were touched that the beloved person who had passed on was being given such a wonderful fairwell. We had a fantastic dinner on the top of the town overlooking the streets that wound down the hill into the valley and on our way back to the hotel we saw a brass band playing outside the castle, lit by last nights full moon.
Today we continued the long drive and reached Brindisi where we boarded a ferry to Greece. We are sitting on deck having seen another beautiful sunset. The boat is very crowded and I don't think we're going to be able to sleep. Although they have turned off the Euro-disco music they were playing before midnight, it's still loud. We have a group of American girls opposite us, talking loudly about boys and someone in the corner is playing predictable songs like "let it Be" on the guitar. however, I am not disturbed by any of this. I'm feeling high and I know Luca can feel it too. I was a bit worried about not getting enough rest for us both but he knows I'm excited and that's good for him. We're looking forward to arriving in Greece but for now we are enjoying the ferry ride.