Monday, July 5, 2021

This morning, we met up with our dear friend Martina again at about 10:15. The general plan today was to head south from downtown Sofia to see Vitosha Mountain. We just didn’t know what path we were going to take. Martina had three suggestions for us and we opted for the path that required the least amount of hiking since it was shaping up to be another hot day. There was a ski lift that started near the Ring Mall (where we had gone for go-carting for Meagan’s birthday) that would take us up the mountain. Also we figured this would provide for the best pictures.

We would also get the experience of taking public transit today. So far we’d chickened out in trying it by ourselves, so it was good to have Martina with us to show us the ropes. We bought day passes for 4 lv each (so cheap!) which would give us access to ride the electric trolleys, the busses, and the subway.

In the end, the public transit system was very easy to figure out and a very inexpensive way to get around the city. It was very much like what you might experience in the states. There were a couple of times we had to rely on directions from a couple of locals. Even then, we got turned around a couple of times, boarding buses in the opposite direction. I’ll be nice and not go into details of how this happened. 🙂 But Martina wouldn’t mind if I poked fun at her sense of direction. It was all part of the adventure.

Obviously, it does take a bit longer to get around than it does in a taxi or rental car. We got to the ski lift roughly an hour later only to find out that it had been closed for the day! Womp womp. So it was back on the bus (which hadn’t left yet from dropping us off) and it was back in the other direction for Plan B. At least the view from this spot was nice.

We had heard from Nataliia that there was a Bus #63 that would take us up the mountain so that what we set out to do. One of the stops had a bit of a longer break so we stopped for some drinks while waiting.

The Golden Bridges is the name of our final destination at the end of the #63 line. It’s an impressive collection of large boulders in a river bed which have a yellow colored moss (?) that makes the rocks look yellow. From the bus stop was a short hike up a road to the rocks. From there we hiked along the rocks up a somewhat steep trail. We stopped for a lunch break about a 1/4-1/2 mile up the trail. Beautiful scenery! I’m so glad we were able to get out of the city for the day and see this part of Bulgaria.

The bus ride back to the apartment was a bit more straight forward and we said good bye to Martina for now with plans to get together for dinner tomorrow evening before we left. I’ve really enjoyed watching Meagan and Martina bond during our time together. I’m sure Meagan feels more comfortable talking in her native tongue with someone else. And it has good to have Meagan’s true feelings about things relayed on to us. Martina has grown to appreciate Meagan’s sense of humor as much as we have.

We headed out for dinner at about 8:00 or so that evening. Our small packed lunch in the mountains burned off a while ago and we were pretty hungry. My suggestion was to return to the BBQ place we’d eaten at for lunch the day we went the see the Cathedral and the girls went along. I got the “chicken duner” that I wanted, but the girls decided they wanted something else. So it was off in the direction of Vitosha Blvd. to see what looked good. We almost made it when they spotted something interesting. Sonya got a hot dog loaded with fries and Meagan got a wrap of sorts. When we all sat down it started raining pretty hard so we sat and ate in the cool air waiting for it to stop raining.

Before we left, Sonya braided Meagan’s hair again. When we got back, they had an impromptu manicure. It has been wonderful to watch them bond as mother and daughter this past could of weeks. I truly believe that Meagan has just wanted to be part of a family for so long now and she is finally being able to live out her wish. It’s very heart warming to watch her grow into the role of daughter, even at this early stage.

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Tuesday, July 6, 2021

I’m usually up and at ’em a little earlier than the girls are, so this morning I decided to take a walk around and take a look at some buildings that had caught my attention. I then sat in the cool morning shade, watched the people going off to work, and wishing that I was myself back to work. 😐

This morning we’d planned to go to the Sofia History Museum which was very near our apartment. It is a beautiful structure by itself with Greek and Turkish influence. The museum highlighted how Sofia came into existence and all of the historical influences on the city. Bulgaria really has a fascinating history.

After lunch at the nearby McDonald’s, we had our appointment at the US Embassy to finalize Meagan’s VISA. It was a taxi ride with Petya, our NGO representative. Nothing too exciting and no pictures were allowed to commemorate the event. A nice Meagan was fingerprinted and we were interviewed by a nice guy from Cincinnati, OH. Overall it was a pretty quick appointment, and Meagan is now allowed to legally come into the US and to become a United States citizen!

After our Embassy appointment we went to Bulgaria’s National Museum of Natural History. Megi had spotted this museum earlier in our trip an had put it on her list of things she wanted to do. Nice museum highlighting geology and animals from around the world. Of course we had to make it entertaining as well.

The day was shaping up to be a hot one so we went back to the apartment to rest up a bit. We’d planned to meet up with our friend Martina for dinner this evening but she was coming down with something and didn’t want to risk getting us sick just before leaving. We will miss her.

For dinner, back to Vitosha Blvd. to eat and more photos. We tried a place called Social for dinner. And we got some more artsy photographs this time. Megi took some really good pictures of Sonya and I.

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Wednesday, July 7, 2021

Our last full day in Bulgaria has arrived! The day started with a brisk walk to meet our FNA representative, Petya, for our COVID tests to be taken at a local medical clinic right off of Vitosha Blvd. on the 6th floor. 300 lv (100 lv each, about $180 or so total) and 3 $60 nose swabs later and we were outta there. We’d find out the results later on this afternoon.

At this point we were kinda at a loss as to what to do. We’d seen just about everything that we’d wanted to at this point and it was shaping up to be another hot one in Sofia, so no one was really that interested in walking. The consensus was to head to a mall to see another movie while we waited for our COVID test results. Off to the Paradise Mall, a mall we hadn’t been to yet, to see Boss Baby 2.

We arrived a little before 10am when the mall opened so we found a cafe to have a drink and check into our flights. So far this was the first real cup of coffee that I’ve had since we got here! The rest have been instant coffee, which I’ve acquired a taste for.

We walked around the mall for a bit while waiting for the movie. Boss Baby 2 was pretty cute from what I could tell. It was another cartoon movie overdubbed in Bulgarian with Bulgarian subtitles. Not sure why that is. Anyway, we had a good time

After the movie it was time to find out the results from our COVID tests and go pick up our hard copies. Results: negative (shocker). Nothing like paying $180 to find out something you already know.

Back to the apartment to relax in the cool air conditioning. At 5:30 we meet Petya for one final meeting and to go over the procedure for reentering the United States. We take a walk around the corner to a little cafe for some drinks, some signatures, and some laughs. We’ve had a great time getting to know Petya. She’s really clicked with Megi and we’ll miss her. After the i’s are dotted and the t’s are crossed, the paperwork is passed off to us. We look down at Meagan and she’s crying.

I’m not exactly sure why at the time, but I think that the reality of her finally reaching the light at the end of this long dark tunnel has hit her. She is finally becoming part of a family that she’s waited for. This past couple of weeks with Mom and Dad have been fun, but it hasn’t been reality. It’s been a honeymoon. It’s been a pause from real life. The reality is finally within reach. Later I ask her “all happy tears?” via Google Translate. She responds “Yes!”

Dinner at Happy Bar & Grill and one last walk down Vitosha Blvd. before we leave tomorrow. And of course ice cream! We’ll miss these times.

Back to the apartment to pack. Packing Meagan’s belongings was mostly a mother-daughter activity and it was quite entertaining listening to it from the other room. The back and forth via Google Translate was a hoot. It’s almost as if she’s never packed up all of her belongings to leave behind the only life she’s ever known before.

We’re all very excited for tomorrow. Not a lot of sleeping from any of us tonight. As a matter of fact, Meagan is committed to staying up all night. Me? I’m calling it a night.

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