Eastern Europe - a place I have to visit more often!

At this point, I've been lucky enough to see a lot of both Western and Central Europe. And I've even visited a bit of Eastern Europe by going to places like Prague and Budapest. However, I recently got to spend some in what felt like real Eastern Europe - and I can't wait to go back!


My most recent literacy coaching conference was held in Sofia, Bulgaria in November. (To be honest, a place I hadn't even thought about visiting!) The whole trip was wonderfully organized by the teachers from my cohort who work there, and happen to be Bulgarian.This meant we definitely got to enjoy a bit of the local experience!

I was really surprised by just how good the food is there. Bulgaria borders Greece and Turkey, which means the food has quite a Mediterranean influence. We enjoyed delicious tomato/onion/olive salads, cheeses, and grilled meats. The wine was also excellent. And everything was so inexpensive!

The weather wasn't the best while we were there, cloudy and rainy most of our visit. The grayness of both the weather and many of the buildings was exactly what I expected in a country where Communism ended just over 20 years ago. There were definitely a number of gorgeous monuments as well.

 

After this trip, I was especially excited for my trip to Romania with Tessa and Tanya just a few weeks later. We had decided to go there for a long weekend mainly because it was somewhere we hadn't been, sounded interesting, and flights only cost 80€. We had an amazing time!

Again, everything there was SO inexpensive - our hotel, meals, drinks. Bucharest also seems to be a place where tourism is just starting to take off, which meant customer service was excellent and most of our interactions were with locals. 

It was cold and cloudy most of our time there as well, which was perfect for drinking mulled wine in the Christmas markets. Again, this weather, combined with the many abandoned buildings and rough look of the people, was exactly what I expected. 

the inside of an old theatre - beautiful!

interesting facades

a splash of color

candy cane anyone?

it's been awhile since one of our family photos!

i love everything about this picture

Needless to say, these two recent trips have confirmed that this is a part of the world I want to visit more. A bit off the beaten path, cheap, and full of things to discover. Next stop - Macedonia?