Storyline: 2024 Fall trip to Europe
The reason for this short visit was very sad.
(The four photos from the mountains are given to me by Vanya, curtesy Ivo and his friend. Ivo’s last photos.) Continue reading “Sofia as always was nice, but…”
Warm dry winter, wet cool summer
It is July and I have booked our next flights. And accommodations. And some trains. In February Alex thought we would not travel again. Continue reading “Warm dry winter, wet cool summer”
Krasi
I’ve been sitting on this post for two years now. It is a difficult subject, related to a very close University friend of mine. Continue reading “Krasi”
Pumpkin variations for Boxing day
Series: Slavka’s filo pastries
Banitsa with pumpkin is called tikvenik (from tikva=pumpkin), and is a popular dessert for Christmas Eve in Bulgaria. Continue reading “Pumpkin variations for Boxing day”
Slavka’s recipe
Series: Slavka’s filo pastries
It’s a week before Xmas Eve and it is time for Slavka’s banitsa recipe and ideas. Slavka, as do I, often improvises and creates her own recipe. Continue reading “Slavka’s recipe”
Have you heard of “Tsiganska banitsa”?
Series: Slavka’s filo pastries
In Bulgarian cuisine, “Tsiganska (or Ciganska) banitsa”, translated as “Gypsy banitsa”, is a slice of fresh, preferably hot bread seasoned with sweet paprika, salt and oil. Continue reading “Have you heard of “Tsiganska banitsa”?”
Banichka, the little sister of banica
Series: Slavka’s filo pastries
In the previous post I covered the filo pastry popular in the Balkan region. Banitsa, or banica, is the Bulgarian name for this egg & white brine cheese (feta-style) pastry Continue reading “Banichka, the little sister of banica”
What is banitsa?
Series: Slavka’s filo pastries
My friend Slavka makes the best use of filo (or phyllo) pastry sheets in Toronto. This thread features a few of her recipes. But before that, let’s set the stage. Continue reading “What is banitsa?”
Plovdiv, Koprivshtitsa & Balchik
Storyline: Bulgaria with Alex
Concluding our “Bulgaria with Alex” storyline with journeys through a few more cities we visited over the years. Continue reading “Plovdiv, Koprivshtitsa & Balchik”
Pirin sings
Storyline: Bulgaria with Alex
The title of this post is after festival held in the Razlog area of the Pirin mountains every summer “Pirin pee” (pronounced pe-e). Continue reading “Pirin sings”
A hike to the highest peak in the Balkans
Storyline: Bulgaria with Alex
They say the feeling of time is subjective. For us in these Covid days, it is well obvious with the pace of some events changing fast and then others dragging on for ever. Continue reading “A hike to the highest peak in the Balkans”
Rila Monastery & Melnik
Storyline: Bulgaria with Alex
It is a strange combination for a one-day visit, but that’s exactly what we did in June 2018, accompanied by Alex’s sister and brother-in-law. Continue reading “Rila Monastery & Melnik”
Bulgaria with my sister
A few bits and bytes from places we visited with my sister and brother-in-law in Bulgaria, 2018 (Sofia, Rila Monastery and Melnik). More details can be found in the Sofia – Part 2 post. Enjoy!
Sofia – Part 2
Storyline: Bulgaria with Alex
Everyone is soaked to the bones. A lady gets in the bus and asks “Do you know where this bus goes? I just got on to shelter from the rain.” Continue reading “Sofia – Part 2”
Sofia – Part 1
Storyline: Bulgaria with Alex
It is 39°C in the mountains and hotter in the city. Some occasional clouds ease our hike and make it tolerable. Continue reading “Sofia – Part 1”
