Catching up

Yes, I know, I have been neglecting my posting duties. I did have some good reasons though. And some not so good ones. Let me start with the good ones first.

In the beginning of the month, schools in Bulgaria were on a spring break. Yes, my American friends, I know that a spring break in May sounds a little weird to you, but this is how it's done here.

So, mom convinced Goldie to join us on a trip to Greece, rented a car, and off we went. Goldie doesn't drive, so mom had to do all the driving, which was not bad at all, at least the part from Plovdiv to Thessaloniki. 7 hours went by with no incident, but when we entered Thessaloniki all hell broke loose. Thessaloniki used to be a city mom could not get enough of, but now it's mom's nemesis. Every time she visits it's just worse, more traffic, more angry people hurrying around, more pollution, more stress. After driving 1,5 hour downtown, mom was ready to commit murder. She can't understand how people live there, much less dogs of course.

Fortunately, that didn't last long. We spent only one night in Thessaloniki, long enough to get some rest and show Goldie around, and then we escaped to Halkidiki. Aahhhh, the relief! This was one of the best trips ever for me, mainly because it was the perfect season. Early May in Halkidiki is warm and sunny but not hot yet, with occasional spring rain and plenty of breeze in the evening. Mom had stocked up on bones in Thessaloniki, I even got the chance to taste some delicious seafood leftovers, and I got walks all the time, since I was allowed to follow mom or Goldie everywhere. What more could I ask for?

We spent most of the time in Pyrgadikia, but we managed to sneak in a couple of field trips as well. We went to the Visiting Farm in Gomati, mom's favorite, because she can annoy the cows, pigs, goats, and of course, puppies, to Arnaia, and also to Olympiada, where we had the chance to visit Ancient Stageira, Aristotle's birthplace.

It was a great trip. Of course, as soon as we reached Plovdiv, our adventures began, again. We came home to discover that during our absence, the refrigerator had broken down, and mom had to throw out everything, including several containers of MY food from the freezer. Catastrophe! And it was only one of many disasters to follow. But, these will wait for the next post.

More pictures from the latest trip to Greece here.