While some traditions are fading with time, others are reborn. Tahini production, the sticky paste of the crushed sesame seed, is seeing a resurgence … [Read more...]
Border Villages of Ivaylovgrad
Small Bulgarian villages abutting the border with Greece are dwindling in size, but there is some hope for revitalization. Odrintsi was once populated … [Read more...]
Lost villages of Ivaylovgrad
Crumbling brick buildings hidden in the vegetation hint at small settlements that existed during communist times in Ivaylovgrad Province. During the … [Read more...]
Thracian Food Festival
The square in the center of Ivaylovgrad is surrounded by reflections of the town's past. An old Communist Party headquarters has been transformed into … [Read more...]
Castles and Pumpkin Pastry
There are scattered castles and ruins hidden throughout the rocky outcroppings of Thrace. Chunks of marble repurposed into not so recent buildings, a … [Read more...]
From the Rhodopes with a pumpkin
In the far South of Bulgaria lies a stretch of mountains called the Rhodopes. Small villages remain in isolated pockets with dwindling populations. … [Read more...]
Back to Bulgaria – Bachkovo Monastery
Nestled in the Rhodope Mountains of southern Bulgaria, Bachkovo Monastery has hid in craggy recesses since 1083. I have not been to Bulgaria in a … [Read more...]
Europe in the Off Season
I recently returned from a journey arching along the northern edge of the Mediterranean. When I left, I knew the amount of time I could be gone (21 … [Read more...]
An evening on the Black Sea
Two nights ago I left my apartment and headed to the waterfront. The sun was dipping lower in the sky, calling gulls back to perches not so … [Read more...]