When in Sofia...

Question:  What do you do when the Bulgarian Ministry of Education shuts your school down because you have too many sick kids, forcing you to take 5 consecutive days off?

Answer:  Go Rome-ing, of course!

Faced with the prospect of having to spend 5 work-free days in Mladost (the not-so-pretty neighborhood around the campus), Amanda and I decided that since flu-days aren't very common, we should take advantage of every one of them.  Certainly, we did not ask for these days off, and disturbingly, if given the choice, we would rather just have ridden out the time until Thanksgiving so that we didn't have to rearrange our lesson plans, testing schedules, and all of the other bureaucratic junk that comes with teaching in Bulgaria.  But, since we have no choice, let us not dwell on the past - let's go make some memories instead!

The question became where to make them?  Having lived in Sofia for more than two months now, I can't actually say that I know the city very well, nor have we been to the second biggest city in Bulgaria - Plovdiv, which we both hear is great for a day-trip.  So, that became our plan.  Go into and explore Sofia for a few days, then head out to Plovdiv for a nice getaway.

That was until one of our colleagues brought up the idea of going to Italy!  Did I mention that Monday was Amanda and my 3rd anniversary?  And while I'm sure that there have been a few people who have written love sonnets and epic romance stories about Sofia and Plovdiv, I can't admit to reading any.  But Rome!  Now were talking romance, passion, great food, rich history, and an emergency vacation well spent!  And in about 6 hours, Amanda and I will be spending the beginning of our 3rd year together in a little town that became the seat of the world's greatest empire.

I should be able to get some wi-fi internet on my phone while we're there, so if you have any ideas about where to go or what to see, send it along, we'd be happy to take any suggestions.  Otherwise, be sure to check back next week to see how the trip went and catch some pics (if there's actually anything to take pictures of...maybe one or two things).

City #8 on the list - check.

Arrivederci and Nazdrave!