Na zdrave (Cheers) Part III

Varna was not as accessible as a city here in the states but quickly found I could mange pretty well. I don't remember having too much difficulty getting in and out of restaurants. It woud usually be just one or two steps up and if there was a rail, I could handle it on my own. Sometimes Vladi and Ganadi would haul me up. I learned how to take care of myself at the Acropolis hotel comfortably. I could dress shower and use the bathroom as well as I could here at home. One evening each of my hosts had something to do for a few hours and left me in the hotel room.  I found the TV remote and turned it on to check out the local programs.  I could find nothing in English but I came across something that looked like a cross between Lawrence Welk and Hee Haw on crack.  The people were dancing and singing on a stage in front of a live audience. I remember the strange music and the goofy costumes they were wearing. It was kinda like passing a really bad traffic accident,  I could not help but look. The time passed quickly and there was a knock at the door. Vladi, Ganadi and Ralitsa had come to pick me up to go out to dinner. A strange look came across Vladi’s face.

“Paul, why are you watching the chalga channel?”

“I'm not sure, what is chalga?”  I replied.

Vladi looked solemnly to Ralitsa to explain it to me.

She thought a moment or two and simply replied “Cultural shit.”

“I see. It was pretty strange.”

“Come, let’s go to eat my chalga man.” Ralitsa said smiling and the nickname stuck. That was the end of my TV viewing in Bulgaria and we went out to a very nice restaurant near the city center populated with “bad guys.” They were easy to spot once my hosts taught me what to look for.  They were dressed just a little too nice and in groups of men only. They also tended to be a little louder than people at surrounding tables. My hosts told me there was a good possibility they were armed. We were safe, they like us, were just there for a good meal. In time I learned Bulgaria is a part of a major opium smuggling route connecting the Middle East, Central and Western Europe. Just look at a map and you can see why.

The routine was pretty much the same, they would come pick me up early in the morning and we would do a day trip. We made up where to go as we went with little preplanning. Each adventure came unscripted. Keep in mind we are in a Resort town. Varna is the Daytona Beach of not only Bulgaria but Russia as well. Needless to say the cops are not the most friendly people in the world. They are not paid what we would consider a “living wage.” They make up the difference via extortion. The few times we encountered police I did not say a word.  Now I was not worried about being hauled away to jail never to see the sun again but they would want more money from us.  In my experience the police there make no bones about being corrupt.  Here our corruption is hidden nicely tucked away behind lawyers, judges and politicians. Not in Bulgaria.  We sometimes had to pay a little something going through a checkpoint.  In one instance, a policeman pointed to a small crack in the windshield of the “yellow submarine” and told Ganadi to give him some cash which he did. I watched as the money went in the policeman's pocket. No ticket, receipt or even a thank you, he just nodded for us to continue on not saying another word, business as usual.

I think I found the best way to see a new country.  Having Ralitsa, Vladi and Genadi was fantastic. During the whole time, I never felt like I was slowing the group down. Bulgaria is a great country to visit if you like history as much as I do. There are tons of interesting places to check out going back to prehistory up to the present-day. We went to a memorial for the battle of Varna with a small museum.  There was an old gentleman there who could explain what we were looking at and answer questions.  I had not studied this particular battle before but I learned more than most people about the Middle Ages.  I was able to ask questions to the man through Ralitsa.  He knew what had taken place inside and out and the impact on the country.  He was happy to share the story with someone with a real interest in history. I think he enjoyed the experience as much as I did. Before we left, we tipped the historian. It turns out this is how he makes a living. 

As I said before, Varna and the surrounding area is a bit like the Daytona Beach for Eastern Europe and Russia.  Being there one could hear many different languages from all across Europe.  The Black Sea has the most beautiful blue water I think I've ever seen.  I liked Ralitsa’s explanation for how it came to be named “The Black Sea.”

She explained it this way. “It was named the “Black Sea” by ancient Greek sailors. Great storms often came out of nowhere and the ancient ships were not so great. Many wound up on the bottom.” 

We visited the Archaeological Museum in Varna one late afternoon.  We were told the museum had closed but for some reason they let us in any way.  So it was the four of us on a self-guided tour. In one room there were these very small figures of people made out of pure gold. Too look at them, you bent over and looked through a magnifying glass. The detail was unreal!  We went from room to room looking at all the artifacts turning off and turning on lights as we went.  The museum had items from prehistory up to Roman and Greek times.  We had the whole place to ourselves. I’m not even sure there was a security guard there. It was like doing a self-guided VIP tour.

One morning we were driving south to Nesebar, another resort city on the Black Sea. We were pretty much in the middle of nowhere when all of the sudden we came to police checkpoint.  After a few minutes and a little cash they waived us through. We drove just another few minutes or so still in a very rural area with nothing around but fields and trees. Out of nowhere, scantily clad women began to appear alongside the road.  It looked like what can only be described as a West Virginia Red-light District. I felt like I was in some kind of strange twilight zone episode. Had the hookers just wandered up out of the woods? Where in the hell did they come from and what were they doing out here in the middle of nowhere? Ralitsa told me they were most likely connected somehow the police checkpoint we had just passed. They paid somebody off “to do business” here.

Ralitsa soberly concluded in her Eastern-European accent  “Prostitutes take your money and give you blow job and police just take your money.”

I laughed about this scene not only for the rest of the trip but to this day. Nesebar dates back to the very beginning of time. Okay, it is not quite that old but its history goes all the way back to the ancient Greek City-States. It’s a beautiful place with over forty churches. Outside of the Bible Belt here in the United States no small town needs forty plus churches. So many have been converted into other things such as gift shops and cafes. This was also one of the few places I had a difficult time getting around. Having one leg an inch and a half longer than the other makes for interesting walking almost anywhere but here on golf ball sized cobblestone streets I would have been done for had it not been for Ralitsa and sometimes even Vladi and Ganadi. It was well worth the effort. I’d never been to a single place with such a rich history everywhere I looked.  

My time to leave was nearing when I went to meet the rest of Ralitsa’s family; her daughter Lili from a previous marriage and her mother and father. They lived in a flat on the eighth floor of an apartment building not far from my hotel. Thankfully, the elevator was working. Had it not been I would have done my best to climb the steps. This was for me the highlight of the trip. Looking out one could see The Black Sea from the balcony. The flat was not large but comfortable. We sat in their living room and talked the afternoon away. I told her parents how much Ralitsa and Vladimer had done for me and how thankful I was. We drank and ate well asking each other questions about our respective countries. I had learned through Ralitsa Vladi had a great interest in The American Civil War. I gave him a large illustrated book that chronicled the whole war.  He showed me his collection of Civil War books and gave ma a coin dating back to the Roman Empire. It was a great gift and a true treasure.   

They had one last place to show me before I went home. I was to leave from Sophia. We left the day before and slowly made our way back across Bulgaria stopping here and there as we went.  That afternoon we came to Plovdiv another city dating back to ancient Grease. Here we made our own handicapped parking with Ganadi driving The Yellow Submarine into the ancient city center. Fortunately, no one hassled us. We ate ice cream and I got more practice on cobblestone streets. We happened upon musicians practicing for an upcoming show in the amphitheatre. The music was good and it was not just any amphitheatre, this was built by the Romans and had been in use right down to the present day. It would have been great to stay and catch the show but I had a plane to catch the next morning. 

Trips like this have a strange dream-like quality for me. Being in such a different environment seems almost unreal. I’m writing about this more than ten years later but I still remember these experiences as they happened just a few days ago. It almost goes with out saying but the time flew by. Before I knew it we were back in Sofia and I was headed home. I had grown close to my new best friends, especially Ralitsa. I have been many wonderful places since Bulgaria but this remains my favorite trip so far. It was an outstanding learning and growing experience. I felt like I had accomplished something not just anyone would do. When I got back home, everything seemed a bit smaller. The world was not the same. I learned lessons there that are still with me to this day. When I go overseas, like it or not, I represent the USA. I may be the only American citizens of other countries ever meets. It is important to me to take the role seriously. I try to always be as polite as I can be and think of myself as a guest in their house. That said, I have to know going in the culture is different, the language and the rules are different. Being flexible is also important. I’m traveling to learn first and teach second (only when asked). I’d say the most important thing I took away from Bulgaria (other than friendship) was a new self-confidence. No challenge seemed too great. Ralitsa and I stayed in touch and grew closer.  

In time we grew closer and agreed to marry. Being the romantic devil I am, I proposed through an email. We had discussed the possibility while I was there but it was still pretty far off at that time. It took almost a year for Uncle Sam to process the paperwork but it finally went through. Ralitsa and her daughter Lili came to live with me. It did not last long. Before we married Ralitsa told me she felt it would be a huge mistake for her to go through with it. Naturally, I was heart broken  but also thankful for her honesty. An older friend of mine, Patricia, reminded me to be a gentleman about it. It had been a huge leap of faith for Ralitsa to being her daughter here and if she felt it was not going to work out I had to respect her decision. I agreed but was still hurt to the bone. I have to say taking her and Lili to the airport has to be one of the hardest things I’ve ever done. But broken hearts and dreams are also a part of life. The wheels keep on turning. I wanted to never have any more to do with Ralitsa but she wanted to keep in touch and me to return to Bulgaria one day. Time healed my hurt and I’m glad to say I did stay in touch (if not often). I’ve not been back but still may and hope to one day. What would lead me to take such a trip on my own? Let’s go further back in time.