Brian and Elitza Somewhere

Brian in China

2009-06-16T20:14:00.000-07:00

Fudan University, Shanghai

Snakes in Love - Tataradaaam!

2009-06-12T14:37:00.001-07:00

While Vasco and I were happily walking in the woods today, something unbelievable happened - we saw the following love-making scene:

Honestly, I was a bit scared, but mostly about Vasco. Since I don't keep him on a leash, in his usual naive friendliness to all kinds of creatures, he could have playfully approached the two snake lovers. And who knows what an angry snake in love could do? It turned out that these are black snakes, and according to the lady who caught up with us on the trail, quite innocuous. She waved with her hand away the possibility of any danger, "I have them all over my yard." Really? And their bodies were as big and fat as my whole arm. I grabbed Vasco, and we tiptoed by the two lovers. A minute before I took the picture their bodies were intertwined in a lustful bundle. It was an amazing picture. And I was able to take this shot only because I carry my phone with me these days in case I am to give birth on the trail... It seems that the ninth month of pregnancy could have its perks - unexpected but gratifying.

May in Boone, NC

2009-05-11T10:33:00.000-07:00

Easter at the Scherlen's

2009-04-13T10:08:00.000-07:00

April 12, 2009

The spring is finally granting us with its huge shiny smile even in the mountainous region of Boone. I am in my 7-th month of pregnancy.

Vancouver, Canada

2009-03-20T18:50:00.000-07:00

After a long day of traveling, we could finally enjoy the beauty of Vancouver.

Our First Day in the city: Asian food - all the way. In this city with a huge Chinese and Japanese population, that was the best way to go. We tried a couple of Chinese dives and a Thai house.

This is the view from our room at the Hyatt.

The second day in Canada took us to Chinatown. Chinatown in Vancouver is the third biggest in North America. The people are wonderful, and the food is excellent. We had to check out some authentic Chinese places, one of them recommended by an Asian bus driver. Yummm... My noodle soup was the house special with all kinds of creatures in it. I think the baby liked it judging by his rapid movements while I was enjoying it. ;)

The rain caught us half-way to our destination, and we hopped on the first bus. We did not have any tickets and asked the locals at the bus stop what would happen if we just got on the bus anyway. They advised us to ask the driver if we could get a short ride. And we did. The bus driver was extremely nice - he let us ride for a couple of stops with not tickets and even shared his knowledge about Chinese restaurants in the area, pointing us to the one you see below.

The gate to Chinatown

We hit the next area of the city unexpectedly. The rapid change in walkers and houses reveals the incredible diversity of Vancouver. This is one of the poorest neighborhoods of Vancouver, awaiting gentrification. Right around the corner, one finds himself in a fancy newly-developed area with exclusive loft living and elegant restaurants.

No matter in which part of town you are, Vancouverites are truly friendly.

Gastown is the newly rebuilt area that benefited from a fire in 1886, a year in which the historical city became part of Vancouver. This thriving neighborhood runs along the waterfront and takes the tourist to the famous Expo building, seemingly fashioned after the Sydney opera house.

The steam clock is a tourist attraction that puffs vapor every 4.5 minutes.

Canada Palace (below) hosts the Vancouver Convention and Exhibition Center and the world's first permanent 3D IMAX theater. It was built for Expo 86.

Steamworks brewery offers tasty local beers and views of the bay. North Vancouver lies across the water.

Our hotel in the afternoon sun.

Czech Republic

2009-03-15T12:17:00.000-07:00

Service Learning Trip, 7-14, 2009

Appalachian State Team - "Prague Project"

Prague and Brno, Czech Republic

Vasco and the Snow

2009-03-01T18:00:00.000-08:00

Vasco Is a Real Westie

2009-03-01T08:27:00.001-08:00

This is his new Westie haircut.

Zoe and Vasco

2009-02-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

Vasco's First Birthday

2009-01-10T08:19:00.000-08:00

January 10, 2009

Chestit Rozhden Den, Vasco!

New Year's Eve 2009

2009-01-05T13:00:00.000-08:00

First Snow

2008-11-22T11:58:00.001-08:00

Vasco in his preppy red sweater.

Greenway

2008-11-09T12:22:00.000-08:00

The Greenway is where Vasco and I run every other day. It's just ten minutes from our house. The fall leaves and the whole new dress of the forest have been spooking out Vasco quite a bit. Several weeks into the fall, he is finally more confident when running through the leaves.

Late Fall at Price Lake

2008-11-09T12:03:00.000-08:00

Country Fair at Valle Crucis, NC

2008-10-26T16:12:00.000-07:00

A Wet Day in Winston

2008-10-26T15:58:00.000-07:00

Boone and the Blue Ridge Parkway, NC

2008-10-26T15:09:00.000-07:00

Some pictures made on Appstate campus.

Some pictures from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Gdańsk, Sopot, and Gdynia, Poland

2008-10-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

Poznań, Poland

2008-10-18T17:52:00.000-07:00

Pultusk Castle and Church, Poland

2008-10-06T14:47:00.000-07:00

Warszawa, Poland

2008-10-06T14:27:00.000-07:00

Sunday, October 5, The Day of the Bread

Church of the Holy Cross. Chopin's heart is sealed within one of its pillars.

A 360-degree view of the church

The Bulgarian Embassy in Warsaw

First Warsaw Festival of Deaf Culture

The Warsaw Pact was signed here. Now this is the Presidential Palace. At the time (1955), it was the Governor's Palace.

Adam Mickiewicz - a monument erected in 1898 on the 100th anniversary of his birthday.

In front of Adam Mickiewicz's monument.

Rynek Starego Miasta

Price Lake Loop

2008-09-14T19:21:00.000-07:00

This Sunday we did the last loop in the Price Lake park: it took us around the lake. The trail was pretty flat with lots of spots for camping and boat docks. Vasco put on some fancy black boots for a certain part of the run - see below. He also learned how to swim! And you know what, it turned out that he was the Michael Phelps of the dogs. Great job, Vasco!

Turtle Island Preserve

2008-09-13T18:58:00.000-07:00

The Last American Man - this is Eustace Conway. Turtle Island Preserve - his enclave in the middle of developing Appalachia. There are a lot of stories told about Eustace. I won't be able to tell a better one; only one in pictures. Give yourself a little peaceful moment in your workday and sink into the nature of the preserve through these pictures. Spending a day on the "island" takes one a 100 years ago where your problems did not exist (or so they say). Think about your ancestors or think about those people all over the world who still share something with Eustace in their daily lives. Living primitively for the poor on the other end of the planet is not their choice; it is rather your choice of living lavishly, or at least living in a way far different from that of Eustace and his followers. Think about it for a moment, and when you wanted to have your groceries next time in a plastic bag, or wipe a tiny drop on the ground with five-ply paper towel, or fill up the tank of your SUV, perhaps you will make another choice - a choice that will save a kid's life somewhere in the world, a choice that after all will improve the life of your grandchildren. Who am I to speak though? Well, it turned out that my grandmother's stove called "Dream" is very much like the one used in the kitchen of the preserve. And yet, they think it comes from the previous century. It might well come from contemporary Bulgaria! The people on the preserve would not believe that I have seen one of those stoves in my lifetime. Not only that I have, but my grandma still uses it. Go to Turtle Island Preserve and get a glimpse of rural Bulgaria - and you don't even have to pay 1,000 dollars for an airline ticket; it is just next door - 15 minutes away from Boone. Visit the preserve, send a donation, or arrange for your kid to go for a summer camp that will expand his view of the world more than any formal education could.

Turtle Island Preserve - website

Price Lake 2.4 Mile-Loop

2008-09-03T09:32:00.000-07:00

This is the second loop in the Price Lake Park that I am doing. This time it was me, Stefka, and Vasco of course. It is a fairly steep trail starting from a pond - pretty hard climb/run though very good for your muscles. Towards the end, there is a gratifying view of Grandfather Mountain. Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful!

Julian Price Lake Memorial Park

2008-09-01T15:16:00.000-07:00

What a great place!

Brian, Vasco, and I did the Boone Fork Trail. We ran 95 % of it. Vasco learned how to climb a ladder and cross a creek. Wow!

These pictures are not mine but they give an overall impression of the trail. It was a lot greener than on the photos though. NO fallen leaves either. Marvelous!

Hawksbill, NC - Breathtaking

2008-08-22T13:05:00.000-07:00

Vasco is going to be an Artist !!!

2008-08-07T13:14:00.000-07:00

Look at the arrangement. No coincidences here; he's got a vision! Wanna autograph?

The Death of the Monkey, August 2008

Istanbul

2008-08-02T09:43:00.000-07:00

Full Album from Istanbul

Bulgarian Black Sea Coast: Ahtopol

2008-07-27T11:24:00.000-07:00

Plovdiv

2008-07-16T14:26:00.000-07:00

Vasco meets Jessie

2008-07-11T11:00:00.000-07:00

Emerald Isle

2008-06-26T10:02:00.000-07:00

f8fed759e7f54d6883305ef996238f74

May in Boone

2008-05-10T12:20:00.000-07:00

Photos made by Stefka

Dennis Grady's Going Away Party

2008-05-04T12:30:00.000-07:00

Estes Park, Colorado

2008-04-25T12:11:00.000-07:00

Vasco Again

2008-03-26T10:25:00.000-07:00

Vasco runs even faster

2008-03-25T19:51:00.000-07:00

Vasco runs fast

2008-03-25T19:47:00.001-07:00

Only 11 weeks old but he is quite a runner.

Vasco - Jack

2008-03-25T19:44:00.001-07:00

Our new dog. He came from Nashville, Tennessee. It took us about 14 hours to get him.
His name is still under consideration. Jack.. or Kirby... or Vasco. I think the latter will most probably be the one.

Albuqurque and Santa Fe

2008-03-13T14:50:00.000-07:00

The Rectangular City

2008-03-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

Skiing in the Rockies

2008-03-10T13:49:00.000-07:00

Savannah, GA - Hilton Head, SC - Beaufort, SC

2008-02-09T13:34:00.000-08:00

Writing Center Conference

2008-02-06T07:03:00.000-08:00

Savannah, GA, February 2008

Good job, Appstate!

Frozen Rain in Boone

2008-01-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

In Red

2008-01-21T10:28:00.000-08:00

Jessica

2008-01-20T09:55:00.000-08:00

Assen's Fortress

2008-01-19T10:03:00.000-08:00

Bachkovo Monastery

2008-01-19T09:53:00.000-08:00

Epiphany Day in Chepelare

2008-01-18T10:49:00.000-08:00

January in the Rhodopi Mountains, Bulgaria

2008-01-12T06:38:00.000-08:00

Jessica Becomes Part of the Family

2007-12-31T12:38:00.000-08:00

On a snowy winter day. It is actually 31st of December, 2007.

Bulgarian sheep

2007-12-29T16:00:00.000-08:00

Brian would not believe these are sheep.
"They have goat faces," he insists...

Family Christmas Dance

2007-12-25T16:11:00.000-08:00

Learn the moves and join the dance at:

http://www.elfyourself.com/?id=1818218503

Michel's Birthday

2007-12-20T09:28:00.000-08:00

Winston-Salem, NC

2007-12-15T09:08:00.000-08:00

Fall in Our Back Yard

2007-12-12T09:01:00.000-08:00

Woolly Worm Fest

2007-12-10T07:56:00.000-08:00

Halloween at Andy's

2007-12-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

Family picture

2007-12-04T15:50:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving in Wyoming

2007-12-03T15:23:00.000-08:00

Every travel starts from home. That's why we will begin with Brian's homeland. Thanksgiving provides the perfect moment for a new beginning. That's where and when Brian and Elitza's travel journals start. We are mostly interested in telling our stories live and this blog will mostly serve as a place to store pictures of the places we saw, faces of the people we met, and short versions of the stories of our trips. In other words, this is just a small piece of the cake. To have a better taste of it, call us up and you will get the full version.