Best of...

As my final two Bulgarian posts, I'm going to do a best of montage.  This first post will be a collection of images from my favorite trips and places outside of Bulgaria this year.  If you're using me as a reference for future trips...this is the post for you:

Athens/Delphi:

   

This was one of the most incredible places I have ever been.  The connection to history and literature, the geography, the magic in the air...in spite of what people told me, I loved Athens, but I wouldn't have loved it nearly as much if we hadn't gone to Delphi.

Baden Baden:

Just when I needed it most, along came Baden Baden (and thanks to Geoffrey and Cora, also Strasbourg and Heidelberg).  It is the most beautiful non-island paradise I have ever experienced.  I met Geoffrey and Cora only a few months ago, and prior to that I'd never heard of Baden Baden...now I'm thrilled to have such great friends and I'm already planning my next trip to visit them there!  With so many incredible places in the world to see, a return trip speaks volumes.

Budapest:

Big, wide boulevards...great food...lovely people...Budapest was an incredible experience.  We were there for Christmas and I hope to get back someday during the spring, as I can only imagine how incredible it is then.  Don't miss St. Stephen's and the baths!

Istanbul:

Everyone wants to go to Istanbul to see the Hagia Sophia and the Blue Mosque...and they were amazing.  What knocked my socks off however, was the Basillica Cistern.  Everyone should see Turkey, particularly Istanbul as it is a crossroads of culture.  It's a pretty phenomenal experience.

New York:

What can I say...I'm a Europhile, but New York will always be home.  Visiting my family over spring break proved to be a pivotal moment in my year.  

Prague:

I'll admit - I was skeptical.  Another Eastern European city and one that had been hyped by everyone...surely it couldn't live up to my expectations.  It really did.  Prague is as beautiful as people say.  Totally worth the trip...I'd go back.  And fyi...St. Vitus Church at Prague Castle is without a doubt, the most incredible church I've ever seen.  It has edged out Sainte Chapelle as my new favorite.

Valencia:

We spent Thanksgiving here.  I knew nothing about Valencia, but found a cheap flight and decided to give it a shot.  It turned out to be one of my favorite cities, ever.  My memories are a little bittersweet now, since it was the last trip Greg and I took together, but all in all, it was a fabulous place and fabulous trip.

Vienna:

Vienna was ok.  Honestly, of all the places I've been, it wasn't my favorite (but everyone else in the world loves it, so you may want to go see it anyway).  My time there though was one of my best trips.  The weather was perfect, the gardens were in bloom, and Jr. and I had a blast together.  We ate well, walked a lot, and bonded.  And to top it all off, this was my first trip accompanied by music that subsequently became the soundtrack of my spring and my link to my home and my future.