Sofia, Bulgaria

Going to Sofia, I knew nearly nothing about Bulgaria. Part of my passion for traveling comes from the transformation of a place from being merely a name and space on a map to its full sensory realization by meeting the people, eating their food, walking their streets and learning their history.

Sofia has quite an interesting history as one of the oldest cities in Europe, spanning back BC as a Roman settlement. It’s had three Bulgarian empires, interspersed with foreign conquerors including a long period of Byzantine rule – and you can see these layers of time as layers of the city, since each was literally built on top of each other. It in the metros you can find excavated Roman walls and streets, the next layer up an ancient church with frescoes preserved from the first few centuries of Christianity, then a mosque from the Byzantine period, and finally the magnificent Alexander Nevski Cathedral financed by the Russians – a copper and gold Bulgarian Orthodox cathedral with a dark, stony interior adorned with icons that loom stories above exuding severity and righteousness.

Sofia’s nestled into the imposing Vitosha mountain, giving the city a lovely backdrop when it’s not obscured by snow storms or smog. The city has some grand Soviet era architecture and statues, such as the former party headquarters, which now proudly waves the Bulgarian flag instead of a red communist star, and the not so grand but enormous and squatting Palace of Culture. They have some good beer, similar to Czech beer since they use Czech hops, and some… well, very Eastern European food. Tagging along for a couple of lunches to a restaurant where actual Bulgarians go, I ate beans and cabbage for one meal and bean soup for the other. Hearty, earthy, and distinct – couldn’t do it every day, but it’s fun to try.

I was in Sofia at the tail end of winter when on March 1 everyone starts wearing red and white bracelets called martenitsa that represent life and health. Everyone wears these for several weeks (including men with whole wrists wrapped in these colorful braided bracelets), and then ties them to the first budding tree they find, heralding spring. What a nice tradition, I might tie one to a DC cherry blossom trees if one decides to bloom before I leave again.

So now Sofia is more than a spot on the map to me, and I hope for you. It fuels my lust to bring more of the world to life, to see, to know, to understand just a little bit more. Although after another month of traveling, I have to admit how happy I am to be coming home and spending a few normal weeks with my husband!

Prague, Czech Republic

Prague is possibly the most beautiful city in the world, and one of the most photogenic. Every corner you turn there’s a new stunning view of ornate old buildings, castles, churches, cobblestone streets, or vistas over the Vltava River. Other cities have all these things, but perhaps it’s the concentration of them that make Prague exceptional, how in the old town you cannot turn down the smallest, quietest lane and not find it lovely. As an added bonus, Czech also brews some of the best beer in the world. A city permeated with beauty and excellent beer, what’s not to love about Prague?

This was my third time in the city, and a place I’d gladly keep returning to (if you hadn’t gathered). I came here the first time with my friend Cindy while Ryan was in Afghanistan, and loved it so much I brought him back before we moved to the States. Since I’d already done most of the touristy stuff, this was a more subdued visit. Although the walk is steep up to Prague Castle and St. Vitus, the reward is stunning panoramic views over the city and the impressive gothic architecture itself. I went on a couple long runs over the iconic Charles Bridge and along the Vltava, with the city lights dancing in the water, simply enjoying being alive and being a part of the night.

I loved the people I worked with, including a guy who had lived his first few years in Czechoslovakia, then moved with his parents to Australia and back to the Czech Republic as a young man after the Soviet Union fell. The fascinating stories people have. My friend Cindy, the same friend with whom I first discovered Prague, drove from Germany to spend the weekend with me. It was a fitting and wonderful place for us to have a reunion. Catching up with an old friend is just one of those things that make my soul happy.

There are so many nooks and crannies to explore in Prague, it seems like half the city must be underground. Dodge into an unassuming bar or restaurant from the street and you’re likely to find stairs leading you downstairs to a complex of domed, stone cavern-like rooms serving deliciously traditional Czech food and copious amounts of fantastic and cheap beer. Na zdraví! This is my third trip to Prague and I still feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface.

Madrid, Spain

Madrid is the most nocturnal city I’ve ever experienced. Lunch is at 2 or 3, and dinner may start at 9:30 on the early side, on the weekend 11 or 12 isn’t unusual. And while Madrid does have an intense nightlife scene, these are the normal rhythms of life, young and old alike. This actually suits me quite well personally as I do love to sleep in, and the shops and attractions don’t open till fairly late and stay open longer than other countries, so there’s no great impetus for early rising.

Another notable thing about Madrid was the great number of old couples, bent and diminished with age, ambling about together at all hours of the night. It makes me think that Madrid must be a wonderful place to fall in love and grow old.

Madrid bursts with beautiful parks and plazas, expansive tapas, and a stunning collection of art. I’ll take my croquet with a Degas, por favor. I was in Madrid solo for this trip, which is not ideal for experiencing tapas but is possibly the best way to explore museums. Madrid has what they call the “Golden Triangle” – the Prado, Thyssen, and Reina Sofia galleries… A lot of cities have art museums, but these somehow seem more culturally relevant in Madrid, perhaps because they are predominately filled with Spanish masters like Goya, Velasquez, Dali, and Picasso, expressing the soul of the Spanish people.  It was incredible to experience these paintings after learning about them so long ago in high school art classes (Thank you, Mrs. O’Toole). The compositions, the angles, the brush strokes jumping off the canvas, the emotions a painting can evince: fear and chaos in Goya’s El Tres de Mayo, the hallucinatory haze of Dali’s Endless Enigma. These museums will make you marvel at the depth of human talent, creativity, and mastery, and definitely take a place at the top of my favorite places in the world list.

Just go to Madrid, wander down the brightly light Castellano boulevard, sit in a plaza and drink Tinto de Verano (summer wine) and watch the wonderful world go by. You won’t regret it.