Thanks Fiona - just putting the final touches to my packing, celebratory Shopska salad & rakia awaiting my arrival in Varna tonight.
Hope you also have a great holiday!

Baldur

Happy Birthday Baldur, now you are going to know what it feels like being high on your DAY. have a good trip Tonyt.

Thanks Tony,

God (and Bulgaria Air) willing, it will be the second birthday that I'll have spent in Bulgaria.

Baldur

hope I've managed to catch you before you go . HAPPY BIRTHDAY . Have a fantastic day . Hope your travel goes ok . I wish I was coming back with you .
luv Chris

happy birthday

Baldur got his wish. His plane touched down 10.30p.m Bulgarian Time
Cheers Tonyt

I'm with you on the Shopska salad (v. tasty) but not on the rakia!!!! It tastes diabolical!! hope you have a good one

Rakia diabolical?!
Not 'village' rakia drunk with friends to accompany tomato salad. Can't stand cucumber so for me the shopska's out.

Peter

Nope I categorically disagree with you!

I had "village rakia" when our taxi driver decided to take us on an inland tour of bulgaria and then took us to the back of beyond in some tiny village with loads of toothless oldies sitting in the pub/shop combo; and there we tried some home made stuff at his house- we saw it being made in the big clay thingy with the pipe from one to another!

Our taxi driver made us laugh when he was explaining about it. He said "when we first make it it's 80%, which the brits are happy with but the germans are scared, and then we use our pentium computer with wireless internet (at this point he showed us a little glass thing, hehe) to get it down to 40%, but when it gets down to 30% poisonous". In my opinion, it tastes poisonous at ANY percentage! But yeh, god bless Mickey (the driver) he was brilliant!

But this post is a bit off topic now...

Off topic maybe, but in a good cause. It's a way saying "Cheers" to Baldur on his birthday, and he makes the stuff from his own grapes.
Perhaps Mazzza you've drunk it too young, or not had enough at one sitting. Reasonably mature village rakia is smooth like a rare malt whisky, and after sufficient quantity the pain does go away, honest.
Maybe it's me. The Russians can drink anyone under the table, but at a meeting in Moscow someone produced a bottle of rakia. Even that vodka hardened lot nearly choked on it, whilst this Englishman downed a considerable quantity without flinching.
Good job that hospitalty in Russia as in Bulgaria entails seeing (or carrying) you to the door of your apartment, even if its on the 9th floor with no lift .......
'Nazdarovia' as the Russians say, and 'spasiba bolshoi' to them.

Peter

or not had enough at one sitting

i.e. "drink it til it tastes nice"? or burns away your tastebuds!?! Hehe! Give me some vodka any day!