The Defuser in Bulgaria Part III
The Defuser in Bulgaria; Part III
Breakfast…
I have come to love; breakfast.
After an all night, very cold shoot on the set, where we should have gotten off at about 11pm but slowly stagger away at 5 or 6am. All I can think of is breakfast.
You see, at the Hotel Kempinski, they are all about food. And as I ride the elevator up to the Mezzanine floor, my mouth begins to water…
I wasn’t always a breakfast person. But when you enter the restaurant, the smells hit you.
Everything you can possibly imagine is right before you; bacon, eggs, toast-yes of course, but keep moving- every possibly fresh fruit, some I’ve never seen before. Every juice you can imagine and some you can’t, all fresh squeezed right there by cute little Bulgarian girls. Breads, rolls, pancakes, waffles, cereals and pastries of every description. Fresh vegetables, sautéed mushrooms, ham, turkey, pork, beef-all sliced as thick or thin as you like. Even in some of the finest hotels and restaurants in the States I haven’t seen such fare. And for about 3 bucks American, it’s all yours. Yes, I go back for seconds.
Food.
Food in Bulgaria comes in such a huge variety; I can’t do it justice here. It is ALL good. It’s all fresh. And it is all so very inexpensive. Did I mention they have ice cream? I love ice cream. But let me first tell you about ice. No matter where in Bulgaria you are, no matter what the drink you are drinking is, you will have to specify ICE. Nothing comes with it. Bulgarians don’t like ice…period. And when I finally had the courage to order a Coke with ICE, I got several funny stares.
Traffic.
Driving…I’m not sure I can describe it. Let’s say that the policeman in me just has to close his eyes and pray. Street markings and sidewalks are simply guidelines. The only real objective is to avoid other cars and avoid the trains. Pedestrians are optional.
There may very well be 6 cars using the 4 lane rd, each jockeying for position as a left turn approaches, timing it so that they turn left just in front of the on coming train so that the other 5 have to wait. Oh what fun! As I said, I just close my eyes.
Snow. I have lived through BLIZZARD 2008. Of course it’s not considered a blizzard in Bulgaria. But if what hit us Saturday had occurred anywhere in Texas, the entire state would have shut down for weeks. 8-10” of snow in 24hrs. And basically, nobody blinked. It was in fact an early snow…but not terribly out of the norm.
The hotel staff are still wondering what that tall silly American was doing out in the courtyard; on his back, in the snow…waving his arms and legs like a madman. Maybe they thought I was drowning in the snow and needed help. They came out to check on me but only shook their heads when I showed them my perfect “snow angel”.
I head back to the movie set tomorrow; Tuesday. And after having 3 days off, I’m very excited. I hope to have more to tell you then.
Be safe.
-Defuser
Breakfast…
I have come to love; breakfast.
After an all night, very cold shoot on the set, where we should have gotten off at about 11pm but slowly stagger away at 5 or 6am. All I can think of is breakfast.
You see, at the Hotel Kempinski, they are all about food. And as I ride the elevator up to the Mezzanine floor, my mouth begins to water…
I wasn’t always a breakfast person. But when you enter the restaurant, the smells hit you.
Everything you can possibly imagine is right before you; bacon, eggs, toast-yes of course, but keep moving- every possibly fresh fruit, some I’ve never seen before. Every juice you can imagine and some you can’t, all fresh squeezed right there by cute little Bulgarian girls. Breads, rolls, pancakes, waffles, cereals and pastries of every description. Fresh vegetables, sautéed mushrooms, ham, turkey, pork, beef-all sliced as thick or thin as you like. Even in some of the finest hotels and restaurants in the States I haven’t seen such fare. And for about 3 bucks American, it’s all yours. Yes, I go back for seconds.
Food.
Food in Bulgaria comes in such a huge variety; I can’t do it justice here. It is ALL good. It’s all fresh. And it is all so very inexpensive. Did I mention they have ice cream? I love ice cream. But let me first tell you about ice. No matter where in Bulgaria you are, no matter what the drink you are drinking is, you will have to specify ICE. Nothing comes with it. Bulgarians don’t like ice…period. And when I finally had the courage to order a Coke with ICE, I got several funny stares.
Traffic.
Driving…I’m not sure I can describe it. Let’s say that the policeman in me just has to close his eyes and pray. Street markings and sidewalks are simply guidelines. The only real objective is to avoid other cars and avoid the trains. Pedestrians are optional.
There may very well be 6 cars using the 4 lane rd, each jockeying for position as a left turn approaches, timing it so that they turn left just in front of the on coming train so that the other 5 have to wait. Oh what fun! As I said, I just close my eyes.
Snow. I have lived through BLIZZARD 2008. Of course it’s not considered a blizzard in Bulgaria. But if what hit us Saturday had occurred anywhere in Texas, the entire state would have shut down for weeks. 8-10” of snow in 24hrs. And basically, nobody blinked. It was in fact an early snow…but not terribly out of the norm.
The hotel staff are still wondering what that tall silly American was doing out in the courtyard; on his back, in the snow…waving his arms and legs like a madman. Maybe they thought I was drowning in the snow and needed help. They came out to check on me but only shook their heads when I showed them my perfect “snow angel”.
I head back to the movie set tomorrow; Tuesday. And after having 3 days off, I’m very excited. I hope to have more to tell you then.
Be safe.
-Defuser
posted by The Defuser at
9:35 PM
4 Comments:
Was that the first time you’d been in real snow? I thought you had before. Awesome isn’t it? I love when the sky is a steely gray and at around dusk, when you stand out in the snow the only thing you can hear in the echo of your footsteps. Or if you just stand there and watch the snow come down smoothly and quietly…it makes you feel like you are the only person in the world. Oh…I’m getting nostalgic again!
And once again, yep, I should’ve warned you about the traffic. But you’re lucky, in some towns in England, they don’t even bother with street signs. Same with Germany. I rode the bus a few times to find a friend who lived off of the base, and I still got lost. Isn’t it thrilling though, to see how the natives drive! You are getting the true cross cultural experience that so many Americans lack. Stay warm and keep having fun. Don’t stuff yourself with too much food…gotta be able to get in that spandex, Defuser! Take care.
Yeah, I noticed the FOOD in Germany, too -- the breakfast buffet was unbelievable.
However, in Germany, it was very very expensive. I'm jealous of cheap food in Bulgaria!
Can you post pictures from there? I would love to see the hotel ETC....
I think the phrase, "It doesn't snow in Texas" should be sufficient to explain the snow angels.
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