Short story& pictures

Sometimes - I wish it was more often, but we cannot manage it - I and a good friend of mine, we go out of the city on Sundays. Mountain walks with two dogs :)

Last Sunday we went to Plana and fortunately there was snow - not much but enough to feel the winter. My dog Dara got crazy - she loves snow almost as much as I do :) It was foggy and she is not very very brave so sometimes she would just freeze and stare in the mist, trying to see if somebody isn't coming.Last Sunday we headed towards another mountain range - the weather wasn't good, I almost felt it didn't like us.
Everything was grey and sad. Just like somebody has killed all the colours - quietly and it passed unnoticed. You look around and you see the face of the sadness. And the wind - blowing angrily at us... But Dara was extremely happy, she was running and jumping all the time. She found a river and jumped in it, drank icy water and was very proud of herself. It was very funny because shortly afterwards (it was cold) her wet ears and hairy legs were decorated with icicles that she was wearing all the morning.

The forest was wonderful - it was like an enchanting place out of a fairy-tale. There were some thrones - I bet the king of the forest likes sitting there and listening to the silence. Brown leaves covered the soil - soft and thick like a precious carpet. Hundreds of colourful pebbles made me think of a huge treasure-house, scattered everywhere around us. You just have to find the right pebble.

The river offered whimsical ice statues - entrances to a hidden world of small tiny people with clever eyes and fine manners who live underground all summer and come out during the winter. They make snow castles and ice palaces, they give balls in crystal caves where the light dances on million ice surfaces.

In the distance Baba peak was rising over everything.

Very adventurously we walked into a swampy field and when it was time to go back we had to cross a river over a very natural bridge - it was scary, brrr!

At the end - click! I have enough of taking photographs, I think it's about time someone to take a picture of me ;)

Et si je t'aime, prends garde a toi!

Last night I and two girlfriends we went to see "Carmen" at the Sofia Opera.
I know that the National Opera is not very good (and the National Ballet is straightforwardly a real disaster) but we don't have any other chance to listen to operas so there we went.
Carmen is my favourite opera ever. I have seen it many times and I love the music. In my opinion the art of opera combines music and theatre so I pay attention to the acting skills of the singers. Carmen wasn't good. She didn't look well, she wasn't beautiful, I didn't like her voice and she just didn't make me believe in the kind of love she feels. So I was disappointed. Not to mention strange decor and costume ideas (who thought it's good to combine red, orange and pink??), poor ballet-dancers, fat Don Jose... Escamillo was great - both look and voice. Michaella sang quite good but I just can't stand this character.
One advantage is that compared to other National Operas our is very cheap. And as said above I want to see not only hear the opera (this means I'm not keen on buying opera CDs. At least not much.) So I have no choice for the moment.
We usually go out Saturday evening - theatre and then dinner. sometimes piano bar afterwards. Hopefully the music of Carmen is so brilliant that we went out in good mood. But next time we're going to try to see some musical. Hair for example. I have the feeling I'll need iron nerves...

Todorov den

Yesterday it was Todorov den - a holiday celebrated in my country in honour of St. Todor. He's a dual character - at the same time he's a horse rider who comes from the Land of Death and he's declaring the beginning of the summer. So he's a mediator between our world and the underworld. He's the patron of horses and riders and also of young brides (it has something to do with the fertility and the fact that all plants grow from the soil, the underworld).

On this day the saint sticks his spear into the ground, ties his horse and goes to God to ask for summer. There are many rites, but the more interesting is the horse race, called "kushia". All unmarried men compete in horse riding. The winner becomes very famous and respected.

So now we can relax and be sure that summer will come.

I am longing for it...

Black Friday

This day (called also lame, deaf, dry or mad Friday) is the worst and the most dangerous day in this week. It is forbidden to work in order to protect people from illness and the harvest - from dryness and thunderstorms and hail. It is believed that this day is the leader of twelve "bad" Fridays in the year - just like the Monday is the leader of all Mondays in the year - I don't know what it means, I just picture the day, looking fierce, leading a gang of days... But everything is over tomorrow - Todorov den. It is the day of the horses, grooms, herds... I just love horses, so I'm going to write something longer and more interesting tomorrow, I hope :)
So today women don't wash or comb themselves, they don't touch any spindles.
All the ritualism of this week is related to numerous prohibitions and rites concerning mainly women. This is the first week of the Long Lent. The main idea is - this is a period of disturbed harmony, it's hostile and impure, evil spirits are unleashed - this is chaotic period the world needs to go through in order to pass from winter to summer. Many parallels with Dionis feasts can be built. The rites are clearly pagan and the last holiday - Todorov den - is a mixture of paganism and Christianity.
All the rites aim at ensuring and preserving the fertility during this transitional period. That's why people imagine saint Todor as a beneficial cultural hero, who destroys the chaos and recreates the world, in the beginning of the new cycle.
But there's a lot to be told about the saint, so - tomorrow :)

Thursday

This day is special - it's THE Thursday from the so-called "Todor's week" or "Black week". People believe the week right after All Soul's Day is very dangerous and every day has a special meaning. So Clean Monday, Black Tuesday and Mad Wednesday have passed, not it's Stunning Thursday. You shouldn't work on this day (I don't think my boss is going to consider this reasonable enough to let me go home) unless you want to become dazed and stunned. There's an evil spirit that can get inside your head.
To appease this dangerous illness, women bake bread and give it away. This bread is eaten at the dunghill and the crumbs are collected - this is done in order to prevent ants from going into the houses.
And tomorrow - it's the worst day in this week. So I'll tell you about it - tomorrow.

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Rain

It was one long rainy day and I just wanted to share some rainy thoughts. To write a few words about rain's many faces. Spring rain - fresh, penetrating, youthful. Like first excitements of love.

Summer offer flood rain, that moves the heart and the soul, heavy, thunder rains - like strong stormy love. And nobody knows what's left afterwards - lush grass or wounds by hailstorm.

It's like "Love Reign O'er Me" (The Who).

Autumn rain is The Rain. When it starts falling, it gets into you. It's sad, elegant and exquisite. Like impoverished nobleman selling nothing but teardrops. Do you remember "November Rain"?

But winter rain, rain in February, is something so sad, so unnatural, that it hurts. Winter must be like:

Just wanted to say...