Balabanova All Over
#TakeYourTimeOff
Top Posts
Archives
[Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria] The river Yantra begins high up on the slopes of the Balkans, and winds its way down to the Danube. On the way, Yantra carves up gorges around the hills of present-day Veliko Tarnovo where the medieval Bulgarian Khans decided to build the stronghold of the Second Bulgarian Empire. Named Tsarevets, after one of the three hills in the area, the stronghold became the most important political, economic, religious… Read More
[Sofia, Bulgaria] My mom’s nickname for me is “The Broom”. She started calling me this in high school because in my free time, I was always all over town meeting with friends. When I left for the US, it was even worse when I’d come back home. I’d stagger dates with friends for a full day and when I’d come home, my mom would ask “Did you sweep up the town?” Over… Read More
[Los Angeles, CA] This morning, we had the perfect excuse to succumb to American consumerism – American Airlines managed to lose my mom’s suitcase on a non-stop domestic flight from Chicago to Las Vegas, so we had to go get her some basics.So where do we go? Old Navy! Odd choice, I know! But mom remembered it from her last visit to US ten years ago, and she was not disappointed! I… Read More
[Los Angeles, CA] My parents have only spent one full day in LA, and they already are amazed by how huge this city is, and how different it is from all the other US cities they have already visited. We started off our day at Manhattan Beach Pier. I tried to give my parents the initial lay of the land, pointing out Santa Monica, which was barely visible through the haze to… Read More
[Istanbul, Turkey] Once Chris and I decided on Turkey as our NYE destination, it seemed as if somehow everyone we knew or met accidentally had been to Istanbul, or knew someone who’d lived there, or knew a lot about it from somewhere. I couldn’t wait to see this city that Bulgaria’s history is so intimately intertwined with, and that holds the charms and perils of many centuries of turbulent and violent history…. Read More
