22 May – 23 May, 2014

Weeks ago, Zac and I woke early in our hostel in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, to gather up our stuff and hoof it to the other side of town to take a bus to Veliko Tarnovo.  The bus station was old, bleak, and Communistic, with a bunch of depressed old people sitting around, waiting.  We made good use of our time by getting bus snacks and discovering the amazing Bulgarian coffee vending machines.  For the equivalent of 35 cents, a machine makes you an espresso in a plastic cup, stir stick included.  Surprisingly, the coffee is actually quite drinkable, and the fun is watching your coffee being made by the machine through the little window!  Cheap thrills, I know.  The bus ride to Veliko Tarnovo was beautiful, first passing through pretty countryside with the occasional village where you could see crops growing and tobacco leaves drying…