Message in the deep,
from a strange eternal sleep.
That is waiting there,that is waiting there for you.
Last week my friend Steven "bunks" Smith from Washington DC paid Sarah and I a visit. And from time to time, during his entire stay, he kept saying to us, with a look of amazement in his eyes, "Bulgaria is like an undiscovered treasure."
Steve's words were right on the money.
But you'll have to come witness it for yourself to fully understand what he meant. Stories or pictures just won't do.
Ain't that right Bunks?
Anyway, let me began week 5's post by telling you that it feels like ages since I've left the U.S. Time here seems like it's creeping along like a snail on a molasses trail. And seeing Steve again just reaffirmed it. I hate to get all mushy, but I didn't realize just how much I missed that crazy dude. He looked the same. Drank the same. Dressed the same. And acted the same. Oh, did I mention that he drank the same? Well, he drank the same.
I also learned something new about Steve that I truly admire in him. He's an easy going and chill travel buddy. Just goes with the flow. For some reason I imagined him to be very a high maintenance spoiled brat! Ha! But on the contrary, he was just the opposite, extremely low maintenance. He didn't mind tagging along with us to run our day to day errands. Like going to pay bills or the grocery store, etc. He actually had a genuine interest in learning how life is truly lived in Bulgaria.
History. Politics. And good old Mr. Alcohol. Oh, and me of course. Heh, heh.
Oh yeah, I'd almost forgot, having Steve around made me realize that I'd failed to mention some of Bulgaria's various social differences with USA. He, being the perceptive eagle he is, noticed a lot of social differences right off the bat. The first being the shaking of the head from left to right, which means no in our country, but yes in Bulgaria. Oh, and I made sure I told him that difference right away. It would definitely come in handy for him when meeting the ladies on the bar scene!
Of course Bulgarians share a lot in common with the USA, too many to mention in this blog. However, one very interesting likeness is the music being played on the radio stations, stores, clubs, cars, bars, etc. Most places you go in Bulgaria, you hear the same awful popular American "so-called" Hip Hop music blasting from a speaker. The only difference is the profanity is not censored out. So not only do Bulgarians get brainwashed into thinking this awful music is the only thing that the States have to offer, they also get brainwashed into thinking that Amercians, particularly African Americans, have no other intelligent way of expressing themselves through song but by using tons of profanity and calling one another the "N" Word.
Wonderful!
Sorry folks, call me old fashion, but I guess this awful popular music of today continues to follow me everywhere I go. Now in Europe, where I assumed radio would be different. It disturbs me. I needed to vent for a moment.
Anyway, just like I told you last week, I could sit here and bore you with paragraph after paragraph of stories from Steve's visit, but I think viewing my lovely pictures and captions of his visit will entertain you more. Just click the link below and enjoy:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=335250734805%3A427667441
In closing, and I'm sure Steve and Sarah would agree, the three of us were an awesome traveling threesome. Sarah, was always eager to show us something cool and historic. Steve was a good listener and could also add his extensive historical and political knowledge to the conversation.
Like a hidden treasure.
— Steve Windwood & Jim Capaldi, 1971
Last week my friend Steven "bunks" Smith from Washington DC paid Sarah and I a visit. And from time to time, during his entire stay, he kept saying to us, with a look of amazement in his eyes, "Bulgaria is like an undiscovered treasure."
Steve's words were right on the money.
But you'll have to come witness it for yourself to fully understand what he meant. Stories or pictures just won't do.
Ain't that right Bunks?
Anyway, let me began week 5's post by telling you that it feels like ages since I've left the U.S. Time here seems like it's creeping along like a snail on a molasses trail. And seeing Steve again just reaffirmed it. I hate to get all mushy, but I didn't realize just how much I missed that crazy dude. He looked the same. Drank the same. Dressed the same. And acted the same. Oh, did I mention that he drank the same? Well, he drank the same.
As a matter of fact, he did a couple of all nighters during the trip. We even had an argument or two ... or three just like we used to do back home. Heated and loud! You know, like ol 'high school chums, an argument or debate one minute and then laughing and joking the next.
I also learned something new about Steve that I truly admire in him. He's an easy going and chill travel buddy. Just goes with the flow. For some reason I imagined him to be very a high maintenance spoiled brat! Ha! But on the contrary, he was just the opposite, extremely low maintenance. He didn't mind tagging along with us to run our day to day errands. Like going to pay bills or the grocery store, etc. He actually had a genuine interest in learning how life is truly lived in Bulgaria.
We basically just hung out like we did back home. Our favorite spot to chill is a place called Happy. We also saw a few historic sites and brought him out to dinner to meet some friends of ours, and luckily he came right when there was a huge street festival that featured Kelly Rowland, the hottest one, in my opinion, from Destiny's Child. It still surprises me that she never reached the mega-star status like her former band mate, Beyonce Knowles. Oh, and the weather was the best I've seen since I've been here! It was truly a lucky week to visit for him, because right after he left, the weather plummeted in temperature and rain, that is still coming down this very minute!
Oh, and thank goodness I was only called in for one day of shooting while he was here, which kept our weekend plans we had for him in tact. Sarah rented our favorite little VW for a Bulgarian road trip to show him around town.
Speaking of Sarah, she and Steve got along really well. I really wasn't sure how the two of them would mesh because they'd only hung out a couple of times briefly in DC. Actually, he was there that faithful night at the Rock and Roll Hotel where Sarah and I met for the very first time. He doesn't remember a single moment of it, due to the strange blackouts he tends suffer when he goes inside of bars. Very unusual. Anyway, what I'm trying to tell you is that the both of them never spent enough time together to really bond or establish a knowledge of each other. And although the two of them have opposite political agendas, Steve being solely devoted to the Green Party and Sarah staying close to her hardcore conservative Republican ways, they both share a general love for three things:
History. Politics. And good old Mr. Alcohol. Oh, and me of course. Heh, heh.
Oh yeah, I'd almost forgot, having Steve around made me realize that I'd failed to mention some of Bulgaria's various social differences with USA. He, being the perceptive eagle he is, noticed a lot of social differences right off the bat. The first being the shaking of the head from left to right, which means no in our country, but yes in Bulgaria. Oh, and I made sure I told him that difference right away. It would definitely come in handy for him when meeting the ladies on the bar scene!
Secondly, and of course Smith really loved this one, Bulgarians can walk around in public with a drink in hand. And I ain't talking about a Coca Cola! We saw what appeared to be underage kids with 40 ounce bottles of brew chugging them down while walking to the bus stop, burping along the way. And on that same note, I might as well bundle the third with the second entry of a very serious lack of police presence all around. We might have seen one or two cops in the last 7 days. Speaking of lacking, the third was a serious lack of children present. I did my research, and found that Bulgaria has a very low birthrate.
Of course Bulgarians share a lot in common with the USA, too many to mention in this blog. However, one very interesting likeness is the music being played on the radio stations, stores, clubs, cars, bars, etc. Most places you go in Bulgaria, you hear the same awful popular American "so-called" Hip Hop music blasting from a speaker. The only difference is the profanity is not censored out. So not only do Bulgarians get brainwashed into thinking this awful music is the only thing that the States have to offer, they also get brainwashed into thinking that Amercians, particularly African Americans, have no other intelligent way of expressing themselves through song but by using tons of profanity and calling one another the "N" Word.
Wonderful!
Sorry folks, call me old fashion, but I guess this awful popular music of today continues to follow me everywhere I go. Now in Europe, where I assumed radio would be different. It disturbs me. I needed to vent for a moment.
Anyway, just like I told you last week, I could sit here and bore you with paragraph after paragraph of stories from Steve's visit, but I think viewing my lovely pictures and captions of his visit will entertain you more. Just click the link below and enjoy:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/gallery/creativeapps/slideShow/Main.jsp?token=335250734805%3A427667441
In closing, and I'm sure Steve and Sarah would agree, the three of us were an awesome traveling threesome. Sarah, was always eager to show us something cool and historic. Steve was a good listener and could also add his extensive historical and political knowledge to the conversation.
Oh yeah, and me ... well, let's just say that I was just happy to be there. I simply love to travel. I think Prince can say it best for me, "I Don't care where we go. I don't care what we do. I don't care pretty baby, just take me with you."
Hey, Bunks, keep that healthy appetite, dude. And come visit us again, soon!
Be seeing you.
O
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