a bit of exploring...and a bug! and trolls! Exciting stuff...

Ya know...maybe if I got back into posting more than...once every week or two, then I wouldn't be putting up 20 pictures at a time... Well, one can hope! We're liking Bulgaria a lot, and I'm really, really, really, REALLY looking forward to feeling 100% better (it'll happen, right? right?!) and having loads of energy (okay, that may be pushing it) in a few weeks so I can totally enjoy the new foods and fun experiences out there. I'm already enjoying it, but I want to more FULLY enjoy it!

Here is the Alexander Neski Cathedral. It's gorgeous! The inside is not quite as impressive as the outside, but still very cool. Compared to the cathedrals we've been inside in Western Europe, this one was darker...more solemn (yes, I know, they're all solemn!), and the candles the people light! Instead of having altars with all the candles on them, they had what were almost coat-racks in the middle of the floors, with candles perched all around. I mean, they obviously weren't coat-racks, they were made for this purpose, but that's what they reminded me of. Actually, they did have small altars for the candles. They were very low, the perfect level for curious 2-year olds. Perfect level. It seemed that most candles were on the coat-racks, though.

Mmmmm...smelling the beautiful flowers after being in the cathedral. After this, as the kiddos were walking along the little cement border (you know how kids like to walk on things, balancing), a little old Bulgarian woman scolded them! Yes! I think she thought they were going to go on the grass and trample the flowers, etc. We made sure to let them quite obviously keep walking on the border. Hmph. Honestly, most people here love kids it seems. Especially the older folk. But that lady...

Just a statue. People were putting flowers on it, but I'm not sure why... And I'm kicking myself for not getting pictures, but outside the cathedral were tons of outdoor stalls selling icons. I'm sure y'all know what those are, but just in case you don't, they're the little paintings of the Virgin Mary and Christ, or of other Saints, etc. that are very Russian. They look like little windows and you hang them on the wall. Yeah, you know... They're pretty neat. Some are depressing, but others are very cool. We definitely need to buy some while we're here. They have many a version of St. George and the dragon that always catch N&B's eyes, so that's a must-buy... Anyway, I'll get a picture of the oodles and oodles of icons for sale next time we're downtown, they're rather pretty :)

Here's our mountain, Cherni Vrah, part of the Vitosha range, from our bedroom window.

It was all misty and cool looking, but it didn't quite come out. Well, kinda. It's a gorgeous mountain! Has ski runs and everything, but right now it's green as can be.

We drove up towards the top one weekend, and got out and hiked a little bit. This is a mushroom. Yes, a Bulgarian mushroom...

The path we took led over what looked like an avalanche. Sooooo many big rocks, all cascading down the mountainside. The bridge was PERFECT for fighting invisible trolls on.

This little guy is Zac, standing on the rock fall. It was fun hopping from rock to rock. The whole thing seemed pretty deep, too, looking down into the cracks and crevices.

Still troll-hunting...Bran always goes places prepared. He has his sword and shield, but poor Nuala has to improvise with a stick. You'd think she'd plan ahead a little...or her parents would.

Unsheathing his sword from his...back-sheath? I don't know what that would be called. I guess just a sheath, still? Though really, it just gets shoved down his shirt ;) Funny boy.

"I have the power!"

Nuala, heading back into the forest after successfully defeating the rock trolls.

On our way back down the mountain, this sturdy fellow caught our eye. A strapping Soviet skiier!

After church one Sunday we came home to a little visitor on our porch. The poor guy was promptly taken captive and forced to come inside and entertain the twins.

Nuala's not one to grant much dignity to others, poor exposed beetle. (I, as her mother, can testify to that. Oh, yes.)

Bran of course had to hold him, too. He was a pretty interesting fellow, all shiny green. Though neither Nuala nor Bran were very impressed when he started flying around. That was a little too unpredictable for them, I guess, with the erratic flight pattern and the wings a-buzzin'...

Nuala, the girl who loves to hold bugs and examine them up close, was quite offended when this guy climbed onto her lacy skirt. She doesn't mind them all over her skin, but they better leave her princess dresses alone!

A close-up of the beetle. A nice iridescent (sp?) green. There are actually lots of cool beetles, etc. here. We found another huge, yet harmless-looking one in the garage, and we've seen loads of smaller ladybug-esque ones, too. As long as they aren't those versions of beetles known as "roaches" we'll (I'll) be okay.

And this was just too pretty of a picture to not include :) How could I resist??

Ugh. Our big shipment with the majority of our household effects (HHE) came on Friday. I mean, it's great having some of the stuff we didn't have, but overall, it was sooooo nice to be living the "simple" life. Oh, the joys of unpacking! Now we're just waiting for a small shipment we packed out of TX (trampoline on the way, oh yeah!), and our Explorer. Luckily Z's able to use a little SUV from work, since his job entails being available kinda whenever for certain things, though he's never really called up at all. Anyway, that's been nice! But as soon as we got some of those boxes open...oh, boy... it was like a toy store threw up. Awesome. But we're glad we got our stuff. Now to just put it all away...!