I am now in Smolyan, Bulgaria- a beautiful town in the Rodopi Mountains of Bulgaria- taking classes and workshops for the theatre arts.

Let me start by answering the most common question- why Bulgaria?

We come here because of the history of theatre. This is "the mythological birthplace of Orpheus and Eurydice and the original terrain of the cult of Dionysus, i.e., the origin of Western theater, music, and performance. By assembling at an important geographical root of storytelling and their art form, participants internationalize their imaginations, broaden the scope of their creative vocabularies, and collectively discover how sets of diverse styles, conventions, and philosophies may be merged into uniquely cohesive theatrical events." (from the RITC website- www.theatrecollective.org)

This year, the collective is basing all of its work on the myth of Ragnarok. Ragnarok, in the shortest definition, is similar to the Christian idea of the Rapture, and comes from Norse mythology. If you're interested in finding out more about it, check it out on wikipedia.

We began taking classes at 9am on Tuesday, July 15. For 3 1/2 hours in the morning, we train in the physical techniques of Commedia dell'Arte. There is a lunch break until 2, and then for three more hours we participate in a theatre-creating workshop, in which we learn to make short pieces on the spot. After two weeks, we will stop this workshop and replace the 2-5 slot with training in Kathakali, an Indian dance/storytelling tradition. From 5-8 I am a participant in a workshopping of Ibsen's "A Doll's House" with a brilliant Bulgarian director, Peter Karapetkov. On the weekends our days are filled with either lectures, workshops, or excursions...

As you might imagine, I have quite a busy schedule. However, I will do my best to keep this blog updated and interesting with stories and whatnot. Pictures will appear later, but right now I have no way of uploading them from my camera. I do have a cool picture from the internet, though...

Before we arrived at our destination of Smolyan, we made a two-day stop in the beautiful town of Plovdiv. The most exciting thing there is this ancient Roman ampitheater that STILL exists, and even more exciting, is STILL used regularly for concerts and productions! Currently a production of "A Midsummer Night's Dream" is in the rehearsal process there... amazing, yes?! I think so. The awesome thing is that we were able to actually visit this theater and walk around in it. Here are some pictures of it, and just some of the city itself that I took last year...

This week I started training in the traditional Indian dance theater of Khatakali with this amazing instructor Piyal. Its so difficult because Khatakali's type of dance and movement is opposite of what we do in the states in many ways, and when you walk you must turn your feet so that all your weight is on the outside of your feet... agh! At the end of the collective we will give an hour and a half performance of what we've learned in the form of a story from Indian mythology. It should be very interesting...

On a sadder note, yesterday I made the brilliant move of trying to walk through the theater in the dark, which resulted in me falling into the lowered orchestra pit... I think I broke my toe! Agh!

Despite my stupid injury, today was one of my favorite days in Bulgaria. We spent the morning in a workshop entitled "Bogomil" which is a very old religion that seems to have originated in the Bulgaria area, but what we learned are the traditional dances. It was so fun! Afterward, we traveled to a small village where Teodora's (a Bulgarian participant) family has a villa. We had a lamb roast and ate a lot of really delicious food, and then we sang and visited as the sun went down on the mountains... and when the stars came out, I could see the Milky Way! It blew my mind... the people here this year are so amazing and talented, and I will miss them very much when we must part ways on the 10th!

However, the exciting thing is that on the 10th, I will begin my European traveling, which will continue until September 3, when I must report to London. Edward, Emily and I are going to Istanbul with our great friend and teacher Sasha Iliev, and afterward we are traveling to the Black Sea Coast! From there, I believe I will see Greece and hopefully take a boat to Italy... what amazing things I hope to see!

The traditional Bulgarian music has bagpipers as the main instrument, something quite foreign to me and my American colleagues. We really enjoyed listening to the music, and the food everywhere was absolutely amazing. They had tons of kebabs and meatballs (typical Rhodopi dishes) that were wonderfully cooked, fresh corn on the cob, cucumber and tomato salads, french fries, fresh mini donuts with different sweet toppings, a billion different types of ice cream, cotton candy spun right in front of you that is two or three times the size of your head, and many different delicious assortments of popcorn and candies. By the time we walked back down the mountain to leave, we really needed the exercise to work off all the eating we did.

There were two really amazing moments of the day, though. I was walking with my friend Ivo around the festival and he saw a guy sitting on a blanket with two drums. Ivo is very outgoing and loves music, so we walked over and had a seat and then they played music together on the drums. Another guy came over and took one of the drums, and then Ivo played his flute with them. Some of the other people nearby on their blankets joined in, and there was this huge jam session that I got to be right in the middle of! Then we made friends with the people around us, and we all drank together and talked for quite a while. It was amazing to be able to just walk right into a different environment without speaking most of the people's language and be accepted and have such a great time.

The other absolutely awe-inspiring moment came about 30 minutes before we had to leave the festival. A new band had just begun to play, and we started to dance one of the traditional dances (gora I think is how its spelled, but with an 'h' sound). Immediately a huge amount of people ran into the middle of the field and joined in, and within 15 minutes there were hundreds of people dancing around in zig-zags and circles, all doing the same dance. I took amazing pictures, but I still have no camera cord. They will come once I arrive in London... promise!

Overall, it was one of the most amazing experiences I have ever had in Bulgaria. What a beautiful place this is...

written by  NarSisyphus on August 3, 2008 from Gela, Bulgaria
from the travel blog: Bulgaria, London, and everywhere In-between
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I was feeling quite sick this morning, but Sasha gave me some magical tea that has calmed my tummy for the time being.

We first stopped in a beautiful Bulgarian town called Haskovo (hope its spelled right!) to visit the office of a good friend of Sasha, who turned out to be a billionaire designer with his own private plane and two helicopters. WTF?! He was so nice and he showed us his office, which was absolutely beautiful. It was covered in pictures of Sasha's expeditions to places like Tibet, and there were so many faces of people they have met along the way. I was awestruck. This man specifically designs for offices and buildings, and has over 500 offices in Bulgaria. His main client is a Bulgarian bank that I see EVERYWHERE. I can't believe how many amazing people Sasha knows...

It was raining when we arrived, so he gifted us each with our own umbrella with his company's logo on it, and then we walked about 10 minutes to a really nice restaurant that his friend owns. The architecture of the restaurant itself was beautiful, with a lot of milky white stones and sculptures and columns. The food was equally beautiful and delicious, and once we finished he had the restaurant pack us each something for dinner as well, and it was all on him. He was so generous and just happy to see us all in Bulgaria. He was so very kind to each of us.

Now we are waiting to cross the border between Turkey and Bulgaria... our first stop will be a place called Cenakkale, where we will take a ferry to cross the Marble Sea, like the Greeks did oh so long ago, and make our way to Troy!

written by  NarSisyphus on August 10, 2008 from Canakkale, Turkey
from the travel blog: Bulgaria, London, and everywhere In-between
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Last night we stayed in a nice hostel, and woke early this morning to pack the cars and head for Troy. It was raining at first, but by the time we got there, the sun had come out and it had warmed up considerably. We walked in the ancient city and saw how many times it had been re-built (12 times!) The sixth Troy was the one that we know from the Iliad, and the eighth is the one that saw Alexander the great. There were a lot of beautiful stone structures and whatnot lying around everywhere, but the most beautiful thing was a surprisingly well-preserved small amphitheater (yes yes, I know theatre people can't help it, but it really was amazing!) We got to walk on it and sit in the same seat that Alexander the Great had made for himself to see the theater.

We also saw the ruins of the house that Priam gave to Paris and Helen when he brought her back from Greece. Compared to the traditional size of the houses at that time, it was absolutely massive. They later fled to Bergama, the city that I am in now, and tomorrow we get to see the ruins of that place as well.

After Troy, we drove to Bergama and settled down at a beautiful place called the Athena Pension, which is a really old Ottoman house that has been renovated into a hostel. Edward took a lot of pictures of it, so hopefully I can steal some and upload them soon!

Once we settled down, we went to an amazing dinner, where I got my first real taste of Turkish food. IT WAS AMAZING! And I am really really full still, about three hours later. Then we took a walk and got to see the beautiful skyline from a high point in the city, and now we came down to rest.

Something of interest is that either 5 or 6 times a day, there is this extremely loud announcement that reaches every ear in the city, and it is a call to prayer. There was one about an hour ago, and apparently I should expect one at 5am while I am sleeping. It is eerie, but for some reason I kind of like it...

Its time for bed, because we have a very early excursion, followed by a ferry to Istanbul!

written by  NarSisyphus on August 11, 2008 from Bergama, Turkey
from the travel blog: Bulgaria, London, and everywhere In-between
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The guy who owned the pension was really sweet and was fascinated with my hair. He snuck up behind me at breakfast and took a picture of us together. Apparently they just don't see much pink hair in Turkey...

We packed up and went to this sort of Akropolis in the city, where there are ruins of a massive palace that eventually belonged to Alexander the Great. I'm not sure whose it was before, but we saw part of it that belonged to Helen and Paris when they fled Troy. It was pretty awesome. Everything is made of beautifully carved marble hauled all the way from the Marble Sea, and there is a throne big enough to seat maybe 15 or 20 people that belonged to Alexander himself. We also got to see this beautiful and absolutely massive amphitheater that was there.

After our quick peer into the past, we loaded up and made the long drive to Istanbul. It was pretty late by the time we neared the city, so we stopped about 50 kilometers outside at this place called Hotel Osaka. The strange thing was that it is high tourist season and the hotel is really nice, with a pool and everything, but we were the only guests. Perhaps this is why they gave us the rooms so cheap- $35 lira per person per night (which translates to about $29.50) for a big room with a nice, clean bathroom, tv, refrigerator, and even breakfast in the morning.

So the next morning we had our free breakfast and ventured into Istanbul for a full day of Sasha's tour. This means that we walked to just about every museum and place of historical interest in the city.

First, we walked to the train station so Michael could store his luggage. We then walked to the bridge and saw all the ferries and whatnot. We went to the middle of the bridge and straddled the dividing line between the European side of the city and the side that counts as Asia, so I was in two continents at one time! It was really beautiful up there. Then we walked down to the seaside and ate what I can only describe as one of the most delicious fish meals I have ever tasted in my life. There is this boat in the water, and on it is a huge grill and a master griller, who cooks fish while the sea rocks the boat to and fro. Then another guy takes the fish and puts it on a sandwich with lettuce and onions, and he throws them to other workers on the land who spread joy and happiness by serving them to customers like us! Put a little lemon juice on it, and you've got heaven in your hands.

We did a quick pass through some markets, where people yell things at you like "excuse me miss, can I show you something here?" or, one of the more startling exclamations, "marijuana, cocaine, marijuana, marijuana, cocaine!" Though my favorite had to be when I walked by a man and he smiled, saying "I celebrate you. Great hair!" There were lots of interesting things to buy, but I didn't get a change, sadly. That comes later in the tale...

we then pressed on through the palace gardens, where most of the group paid 20 lira to go in and see the converted palace/museum. Emily, Jed, Michael and I passed, and decided to sit in the grass and people-watch. After a while, Emily and I napped under the shade of some beautiful trees. It was really nice. Emily said something while we were driving through the border from Bulgaria to Turkey that kind of hit me here. It was something along the lines of how some things, no matter where you are, are always the same. Like kids. While on the border, waiting in the car, we saw two little boys in the car next to us and played a game on peek-a-boo with them. Watching the kids running around in the garden made me think of them, and what she said.

We then trekked to the Agia Sofia, another museum that Emily and I vetoed for the 20 lira charge. Instead, we walked around a bit, had a bread/pastry thing, and waited outside. My favorite part of the day came afterward, when we had this amazing dinner downtown. We put together 3 or 4 tables outside (there were 11 of us) at this little restaurant that served one of my favorite things-- duner kebab! We ate this huge dinner and had great service, and then they brought us free apple tea (the most delicious tea I've ever tasted! I bought some to take back with me...).We said goodbye to Michael at dinner, and he went off on a train to Athens to meet his family.

Afterward, we went to see the Blue Mosque. It was a stunning building, inside and out, but it was difficult for me to enjoy. As a woman, when entering, you must take scarves that they have there and cover your hair and your legs. Then, when you go inside, there is a part that is blocked off by little wooden barricades, and this part is only for the people who are praying. And by people who are praying, they mean only men can enter. Its a huge area in the center of the mosque. But where can the women pray? In a corner in the back of the building. I'm sure if I was more familiar with the religion I would have known this, but as an outsider I was taken off guard, and slightly offended. Growing up as I have, I just don't see the world the same as other people, so I reminded myself to respect the country's religion and choices, and quietly left the building.

By the time we finished there, it was nearing 8:00 in the evening, and our next stop was the Egyptian Bazaar, apparently the world's largest covered market of its kind. Unfortunately, when we arrived it was being closed. I don't know why, because its supposed to be open 24 hours a day, but alas, we couldn't do any Istanbul shopping. I settled for purchasing my apple tea, a beautiful scarf, and some baklava on the side of the road as we walked to the cars. We returned to the hotel and slept well, after so much walking!

The next day consisted free breakfast in the empty hotel, and then driving back to Bulgaria. One of the most exciting moments of the day was when poor Emily admitted to the rest of the car that she desperately had to pee. And of course, we couldn't find a bathroom for near to 20 minutes driving... However, these 20 minutes were some of the funniest of the trip. We all did our best to comfort her by yelling out of the car obscenities and cracking lots of jokes, which probably didn't help the stress on her bladder. We finally found a toilet, though, to her relief. And by the time we got there, we realized that we all had to pee.

We made it to Sinemorits shortly after, the small town on the Black Sea Coast that we will be spending quite a few days in. The rest of the group left us, and then it was down to me, Emily, Edward, Nick Lehane, and his girlfriend Lizzie. We met the hotel owner, a great friend of Sasha, named Svetlo, and his wife Donna, and asked him to show us the ATM. As we walked along the square of the tiny town, a silver car pulled up and began honking. We ignored it at first, until from behind us we heard a familiar voice say "Kinsey!" It was Ivo! He hitchhiked from his town of Stara Zagora to spend the week with us. It was really awesome...

The rest of the day consisted of laziness at the beach and another dinner of Shopska salads and fried cartoffe (potatoes).

written by  NarSisyphus on August 12, 2008 from Istanbul, Turkey
from the travel blog: Bulgaria, London, and everywhere In-between
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Our first full day in the city was spent mostly at the beach, where we were surprised to see many half-naked people, and some that went fully nude. It was surprising at first, and sometimes we wished certain people would have reconsidered, but we got used to it. During the evening, Nick, Lizzie and I trekked to the river behind the beach where Ivo set up his tent. We built a fire and the moon was pretty near to full, so it was a nice evening.

The following day, the 16th, Ivo and I hitchhiked to a town 60 kilometers away called Sozopol. He needed to find a branch of his bank, and this was the closest, and I took Edward's card to find an ATM that would give him money. The first car took us to the next town, Ahtopol, and shortly afterward a car of 4 young people on their way to Burgas took us the rest of the way. They dropped us off about 3 km outside of the town, and we walked the rest of the way, resting for a moment to eat figs off of a tree on the side of the road. After trekking around and searching for the bank and an ATM, we ate lunch at this restaurant that kind of hung over the sea. The view was really beautiful. After, we walked around and found this place with huge rocks that dropped of into the sea. I will upload pictures as soon as I have a chord to do so! My only regret was that I didn't bring my bathing suit, and couldn't swim in that part of the sea.

We took a bus back to Ahtopol, but by the time we got there, it was too late to find one to Sinemorits. So, we walked the other 4 or 5 kilometers in the dark on the side of the road. Luckily, the moon was really bright. When we neared our small city, two other travelers going the other way stopped us to ask about a rave/music festival that they had heard of. We had met a DJ on the bus to Ahtopol who told us about it, and we relayed the information that it was not in the next town, but the one afterward. They decided to walk back with us and go the next day instead, and on our journey back we learned that their names were Arthur (from Germany) and Nisam (from Israel), and that they happened to own the tent that was mysteriously pitched next to Ivo's on the river two nights before. What a small world!

So the next day we relaxed on the beach until around 6, and then Ivo, me, Nisam, Arthur, Lizzie, and Nick got on a bus to Varvara to go to the music festival. We had a great dinner in this huge restaurant for very little money, but the night went slowly downhill afterward. We made it outside of the town to the "music festival" and realized that it was just a bunch of kids and druggies camping out, each blasting his or her own techno music as loud as possible. It was really quite strange, but the moon was absolutely beautiful. It was blood red as it rose into the sky, and afterward was stunningly bright on the water. We slept in Ivo's tent, and awoke at around 5:45 in the morning to watch the sunrise from the beach. It was really beautiful, and ultimately worth the 4 lev bus rides.

That morning we had to get back to Sinemorits by 10 for a boat ride on the river with our compadres, and almost didn't make it there on time due to a lack of buses to the town. Still, we made it there for the boat and spent the rest of the day on the beach and then napping in the hotel. That evening we went to one of the nicer restaurants in the town for a farewell dinner for Edward and Ivo, who both left the next day.

The rest of our days kind of bled together. We ate constantly at this great pizza place right next to the beach (Emily and I always ordered the same thing- a small mozzarella pizza with tomatoes and pesto sauce- so good!) and said goodbye to dear Nick and Lizzie the day after Edward left. On the 21st, Emily and I stayed at the beach all afternoon, had our final mozzarella and pesto pizza, said goodbye to Sinemorits and our lovely hosts who had become like family, and boarded an overnight bus for Sofia.

written by  NarSisyphus on August 14, 2008 from Sinemorets, Bulgaria
from the travel blog: Bulgaria, London, and everywhere In-between
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