Photos Spring 2012

 Look at these gorgeous heads of lettuce.  These are like butter lettuce - very common here.  And this is the first time Tricia has ever picked lettuce out of a garden!  Go Tricia!

This plant grows everywhere - it's Lemon Balm, or Melissa.  It's used for tea and to help keep bugs out of clothing. 

 We were not the only ones out enjoying the scenery and new grass.

We were looking for a path towards the archaeological ruins - a settlement from approx. 1300 years ago. We didn't find it Sunday, but we did on Tuesday.

I'm not sure what plant this is, but these pods can be used for writing.  They come in blue, black and yellow.

 Our village below.

April 7th and 8th was the weekend before Easter in Bulgaria.  Saturday is Lazarovden and young  girls aged between 10 and 16 (“lazarki”), dressed in their best holiday clothes or wedding costumes adorned with wreathes and bunches of flowers go around the village. They visit each house and singe praises to everyone in the family, including children and the eldrely, women and men, and Bulgarians of all professions.   The owners of each visited home gave them eggs and money.  Old sayings state that any house visited by lazarki will prosper throughout the year.

Kupinovski monestary is surrounded by wide open spaces.

  

Aside from the beautiful mural this one made me smile, because it reflects the paradox of Bulgaria - the traditional and  old mixed with the new and modern.  In one of the windows above the door is a sign Teknic (I could only see part of it).  A computer expert maybe?

 I always love the animals.....

Spring kitty and spring flowers.

Spring frog?  He lives in a small lily pond.

 Another blend of ancient and modern - the nun is speaking on her cell phone in the doorway to the church.

It was a beautiful day.

 Every monastery seems to have animals of one sort or another.  This one had many - goats, sheep, chickens and rabbits.

Dryanovo Monastery - where we spent Saturday night.

Some of us hiked up to the top of the ridge and looked down on the monastery grounds.

Our indoor picnic and horo dancing.

Happy Birthday Tricia.

Playing with light in Bacho Kiro Cave.

 Sunday.

 This monastery has a "chishma" of healing water.  People fill their water bottles from the fountains.

Etar Village - an open-air museum demonstrating life from the past.

Hristinka and I were the two ladies in the group from our village. 

Everyone traveling together - at our first location - Prisovski Monastery. 

March 22nd is the city holiday for VT - they have the usual  "stuff" for sale and to win, rides and an wonderful light show with fireworks.

Welcoming Spring the young school children had a play.  Here is the first stork of the season.

And spring flowers are awakening from their winter sleep.

Outdoors everyone is preparing their gardens and beginning to plant seeds and then seedlings  Village folks depend on their gardens for food year round.  They have very large gardens which require a lot of work outside of their other work (jobs) routines.  From sun-up to sun-down gardens are being tended to. Fresh food is seasonal.  Now we are eating lettuce, radishes and green onions from the garden. Also dock – which I haven’t had before.  It’s cooked like spinach but has both a tart and somewhat bitter flavor.  Recently I was given “green banitsa” which was very tasty – made with cooked dock, phyllo dough layers, eggs and oil.  It was delicious.

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Recycling yogurt containers - they are used to sprout seeds.

These ladies are sharing flower seeds gathered from previous years.

 The first stork I saw  - in March.

The animals once again make their daily trek into the hills and fields.

Trees and bushes are full of blossoms.

Farmers are plowing and planting seeds.

It’s spring again and I love the rich colors – the fertile brown earth of the agricultural fields and gardens. The verdant green of new crops emerging from the soil and trees and plants responding to the warmth of the sun and the spring rain.  The flowers in a vast array of vibrant colors – bursts of red, yellow, purple, pink, white.  Lilacs are blooming now.  Every time I walk by one I breathe deeply and say a word of thanks.  This is the second cycle of spring in Bulgaria for me, but the story is timeless.  Peoples spirits have awakened too – after the long, cold winter.  More smiles and more time outdoors.

Easter lunch.  We colored the basket of eggs the day before.  Everyone holds and  egg and  hits another persons egg (on end).  The one with the strongest egg - which doesn't crack will have a year of great health and luck.

The girls had a basket-designing contest.  Below is some of their creative work.