First topic message reminder :

I intend to work my way through our various trips by year, and i will put places that you might find interesting in capitals, all of which can be looked up on internet to get much more detail.
2004
When i first met tanya in London, I like most people did not know much about Bulgaria. My first visit was in October (2 months after we got married) to visit her Tanya,s parents, who live in a village called Kliment which is close to the towns of Sopot - Karlova. We flew into Sofia Airport and were met by 2 of her close friends, the plan was to stop over night and go the the embassy the next morning before traveling on to the village. Unfortunatly no one told us that we had to get there before 10.00am otherwise they will not deal with you, and yes you guessed it we got there 10.20am. This meant another day in Sofia, I thought thats ok we will do a bit of sight-seeing (silly me), I was with 3 good looking fashion concsious woman so I got dragged up and down the up-market clothing shops for most of the day. We stayed another night in a very nice hotel in the foothills just outside of the city, and managed to get the paperwork sorted the next morning and get on our way to the village.
I got a very nice surprise on arrival in the village, the surrounding scenery was quite outstanding, being surrounded by lowwooded hills on one side that seem to go on forever, and acroos the valley much higher more rugged hills above Karlova, I never get tired of looking at this. I got a very warm welcome from Tanya,s parents and some of the neighbors, and enjoyed looking around the there property, which consisted of a traditionally built mud block bungalow, with a massive barn and a big plot of land full of all kinds of vegetables and fruit trees. There was also 13 sheep, a donkey, cats and a dog, it seems that during the communist times Tanya,s dad was a well respected shepherd until he retired
We spent a few days in and around the village and SOPOT - KARLOVA (they are almost joined together and I think of them as twin towns),and then went onto what was to become the first of many sight-seeing trips over the years. We went to SHIPKA-MONESTERY (very nice), which has a beautiful gold coloured domed roof and like all monestery,s full of brightly coloured icons and murals. From there we went onto an open air museum called ETAR (well worth a visit) which is full of original buildings dating back through the centuries and also demonstrations of Bulgarian culture and crafts. We then went onto a town called GABROVA which has a museum of humour (it was ok).
At the end of our holiday we were taken to Sofia Airport by a friend from the village, and on the way called into a very well preserved town called KOPRIVSTITSA, which although our time was limited , what i saw was very nice and I intend to go back and have a better look one day.

That it I hope you enjoy this installment and I will add more soon.

Only caught up with this now, and what a good read :Study: you have both certainly had an adventure so far as others have said here its always good to get this sort of thing from the horses mouth so to speak, I would think Tanya has been a godsend

Another lovely adventure you both seem to have had and digging your own potatoes must have been an insight to what was/is to come and the donkey cart trip, I'm looking ahead to you next input and wish you both well and thank you again for this lovely story

Thanks for all the nice comments,I am happy that you are all enjoying our trips, and if it gets others to discover some of the many beautiful parts of Bulgaria and its all worthwhile. I am working on the photos but as there are a couple of thousand of them, it will take some sorting out. Yes SALLYANN you are correct, i could not have done many of these things without Tanya and her friends, and DAISY if you think we have got around a lot you up till now, wait till 2007 s installment, just writing it makes me wonder how we fitted it all into 4 weeks.

Can't wait Mike I'm really looking forward even more now

Ready and waiting for more

In your own time Guys - but tomorrow would be good ::

Oddy

Hi every one I have added some photos to the gallery section as an experement (still learning how to do it) if I have done it correctly there should be 2 albums 1 bulgaria 2004 &
a general photos. I hope anyone interested can see them. I could only add 8 to the bulgaria album at the moment.
I do not know how to add photos to this online journal other wise I would have put them on here.

Just double checked and in fact the Bulgaria 2004 album is empty, but the pictures seem to be in the main album (now 10 of them) with a few experimental pictures in a sub album called general photos. <
Still learning >

Very nice pictures thank you Mike

Thanks for the pictures

Gret pictures lets have some more

Mike have you looked here [url:gy2s21dt]http:
//www.
ourbulgariaforum.
com/viewtopic.
php?f=16&
t=2625[/url:gy2s21dt] our esteemed Admin had posted a guide how to upload pictures just thought it might help and keep the stories coming they are a real first hand insight

Great pictures thank you I'm looking forward to seeing more from you both

Great pictures Mike and Tanya although it was nice to look at them in your Album it would have been even nicer to see them in your post with a little bit about them, but thank you I look forward to seeing more and reading more about your adventures

Lovely read hope to see more shortly

sarah