In which I title this entry by "In which" again

(Varna, Bulgaria, 5 weeks ago) - So then it was across Bulgaria by train to the Black Sea Coast. The Black Sea! Haayzuess almight! Never did I think I would see such things. We were supposed to visit with Nicola's Bulgaria collegues who have a flat there and spend a a few weeks a year there when they are not in Geneva singing... but alas as it turned out they would have to go to Burgas for a family emergency. We ended up spending the 1st two nights in the only hotel in town they could find for us - a monsterous communist era affair that hadn't seen a rehab since at least 20 years before the last Politburo meeting.

Varna was only OK. In principle it was beautiful and the water is warm and clear, but capitalism isn't being kind to most places like this and it was starting to become overbuilt. The beach strip thumped to hiphop until 6 AM and reeked with swarms of drunk teeny boppers and all the restaurants were by an large touristy and greasy (With the exception of the one night that we ate at the best place in Bulgaria $40 total bill. Cool). It was like a tackier Slavic version of the Jersey shore. We still had a good time though at the beach itself and walking around town. And we met up with Alexander and Marianna after 2 days on our own and visited with them before jetting for Turkey...

Nicola on the Black Sea

Another huge Stalin era statue... also slated for demolition

In Alexander and Marianna's elevator after an evening out.

The view from their balcony. The Black Sea is to the left and Lake Varna (haunted by vampires in older times) is to the right