Posts tagged ‘bulgaria’
Mmm Monday: A Tasty Treat
Please share a photo of your favorite delicacy by clicking Mr. Linky below. Thank you.
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| Location: Dupnitsa, Kyustendil, Bulgaria |
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Pogacha is a round bread used for special occasions in Bulgaria. It’s offered to guests as a symbol of friendship and hospitality. It’s usually accompanied by salt which used to be worth its weight in gold back in the day.
Our hosts at the Roma quarter in the village of Dupnitsa welcomed us with this traditional treat as soon as we arrived. Roma is the politically correct reference to the gypsies.
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I used to think that Romanis or gypsies are people who wander from place to place with no permanent residence. I was mistaken. Some have chosen to stay foot and become members of a quarter like the one we had visited. A quarter can be compared to a community or barangay in the Philippines.
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I saw the children waiting for us when we arrived. They were excited to see us and mobbed our vehicle like we were celebrities. I found out later that the place was rarely visited by outsiders. As I gazed my eyes around, it reminded me of my hometown in the Philippines.
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Our guide had advised us not to give the kids candies or souvenirs and that she would take care of it. She said to be careful and be prepared to be stared at when we walked around the neighborhood. She added that some residents might even feel our presence intrusive.
Most certainly, shooting everything on sight with our digital cameras wouldn’t win any favors. After all, they shouldn’t be objects of curiosity. They shouldn’t be treated like specimens to be numbered and catalogued in our photo collections. We must remember that they are humans just like us and very much entitled to their privacy.
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If we wanted to take a picture, it was better to ask permission first. If we gave them respect, we’d get it back. Fortunately, we didn’t experience any untoward incident. We found the people friendly and accommodating.
Mmm Monday: A Tasty Treat
Please share a photo of your favorite delicacy by clicking Mr. Linky below. Thank you.
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Location: Rila Monastery, Rila Mountains, Bulgaria
Its’s been years but I still have fond memories of the Rila Monastery where our group stayed as guests for one night.
For dinner, I was given the choice of either grilled pork neck or trout. I chose the former that came with potatoes and a generous serving of soup and salad. There was no desert this time around. But who needed one when you were already full?
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The Rila Monastery was founded in the 10th century in honor of the St. John of Rila (Sveti Ivan Rilski) who would eventually become the patron saint of the Bulgarian people.
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I found the accommodation at the monastery to be very spartan and fit for a monk. I had to make my own bed which made noise when i lay on it. The wool blanket was thick and heavy but provided enough warmth during the night.
I slept soundly to the sound of the nearby river until 3 am when I was wakened by a 5.7 magnitude earthquake. For a second, I thought I was home in California. I was paralyzed in terror and unable to move. Luckily, the building held its own with some visible cracks on the wall.
Because of the rainy weather, there wasn’t much to do at the monastery but tour the complex and visit the museum, which contains ancient icons, religious artifacts, and manuscripts dating as far back as the middle ages.
We left the monastery at around noon the following day en route to Plovdiv, the second largest city in Bulgaria.
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