Mid-September onward would be classified as the Weeks of Training! From BEST Coach's Training to BEST MT Training, my weekends were jam-packed with information. However, I did manage to have a little fun and a few guests along the way.
The Stara Zagora Wine Festival
A Fulbright Bulgaria tradition, ETAs (English Teaching Assistants), Scholars, and Researchers alike converge in Stara Zagora (my current resident) in Mid-October to enjoy the fruits of someone else's labor! Around 40 stands setup shop inside the regional history museum which provide samples of their finest wines. Essentially, you get bottomless glasses of fine wine for a whopping 5 leva ($3). Of course, I had to show the fam around Stara Zagora and the weekend was capped off with a group pizza party and some of the #classic apple crisp.
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| Peep the Roman Ruins in the back |
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| The misshaped rocks and the mosaics on the floor made walking and drinking a perilous task |
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| The Sawyers are very serious about their cooking |
Stara Zagora Day
A week before the wine festival, the festivities in Stara Zagora continued with Stara Zagora Day! There was a festival, concert, and tons of fun but, more importantly, that week I finished decorating my classroom!
Kapana Fest
With the first BEST Coach's training in Plovdiv, we had to take advantage of the great weather and see the city! Kapana FEST, aptly named after the hip district characterized by narrow, cobblestones streets, was a success! Vendors selling trinkets and divine delights around every corner, Kapana FEST felt like a cool Autumn jamboree.
7 Rila Lakes
In mid-September, a group of us decided to head to the 7 Rila Lakes, a cluster of some of the highest fresh water lakes in Southwestern Bulgaria. Driving there in the AM, we shimmied up the 30 minutes ski lift and spent the next several hours catching the views!
Troyan Plum Festival
Is there such thing as too many festivals?? The day after hiking to the Rila Lakes, I headed to Troyan, a smaller city in the Stari Planina, to catch the Plum Festival, an event highlighting all the gems made from the fruit. Notably, Rakia, essentially, the national liquor of Bulgaria, has a rather dangerous(ly delicious) variety made from plums. We got to see some of the old-timey production and we certainly enjoyed the sweets along the way. The ride back through the Troyan Pass, one of my favorites, was with great company and beautiful views!
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| Rakia production |
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| The Troyan Pass! |
This site FulbrightBlogaria.blogspot.com is not an official Fulbright Program site. The views expressed on this site are entirely those of Keegan Scott and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State or any of its partner organizations.
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