Tom, another one of the Habitat volunteers had arrived two days before me. We connected Thursday night after I finished that last beer and retired to my room. We decided to meet for breakfast at 8:00 Friday. The hotel rate includes a decent breakfast buffet with American style (eggs, ham, potatoes, etc.), Western European style (cold sliced cheeses, meats, tomatoes, breads), cereals, fruit, pastries, juices and a variety of coffees and teas. It is easy to have a substantial breakfast. I had previously made an 11:00 a.m. appointment to meet with the Public Information and Outreach officer at the American Embassy. So Tom and I set out about 9:30 to walk the 45 minute trek suggested by Google Maps. We went early so that if we got lost, we could always take a taxi, or if there as scheduled, we could have another cup of coffee.
Because I wanted to see the stairs and exit (in case of emergency) I took the stairs down from the 15th floor - they were nice, but rather bland. But when I got to mezzanine, restaurant and lobby levels, the stairwell became very ornate.
Tom and I set out for the American Embassy as scheduled. As we turned onto a major street, we came across a large construction project. Since Tom is a building contractor, he was quite interested in how they were working - in America, once a floor has been framed, other crews come in to close in that floor and do the interior construction. Here, it appears they frame the entire building before the do any of the interior.
We successfully navigated our way to the Embassy, and since we were early, stopped at the Happy cafe for a cup of espresso coffee. We sat outside in the morning sun and enjoyed the day.
We then went to the Embassy, and since we were American Citizen visitors, we were allowed to approach the entrance. The security was overwhelming. Because I had made prior contact and was put on the approved visitor list, after giving up my passport, I was given a visitor badge and allowed to enter. Tom had to wait outside for me to get through the next two layers of security and have the PIO call back to security. Since this took about 15 minutes, Tom got tired of waiting and went back to the Happy Cafe (we had agreed that we would meet there if he could not get in). The security makes the TSA look like kindergarten. I had to turn off my phone and leave it there, along with all cables and batteries I had in my backpack. I had to drink some water out of the clear plastic water bottle. I had to take off my belt, watch, glasses and empty all pockets, then go through scanners. After getting through those two layers of security, I then crossed another grassy area and went through another security checkpoint and was escorted to the PIO's office. We had a nice chat about what I do with the Fulbright Commission and Habitat for Humanity, as well as with the JSC classes that I have taken to Brazil. I also found out that she grew up in Huntsville, AL, and worked as a counselor at U.S. Space Camp in the early 1990s - it is possible that she was one of the counselors for my son Ben and the other kids I took to Space Camp back then.
After an hour, I made it back out through the security maze and retrieved all my belongings. I met up with Tom and we walked back to our hotel by a different route. We met up with Denitsa as scheduled at 2:00. There were problems at the airport. Tim and Donna made it in as scheduled, but the husband and wife volunteers from Tucson were not on the plane. HFH had no cell phone numbers for them, just the land line number for their home in Minnesota and the brother of the wife. So I called both. I left a voice mail on the brother's phone, and on the Minnesota phone, they had left a Tucson number. I called that number which turns out was their cell phone. They were in Houston without their luggage - their flight from Tucson Thursday morning was delayed and the missed the connecting flight to Frankfurt. They were staying in Houston and will be rerouted to Denver, then Frankfurt and on to Sofia on Saturday evening.
After everything was rescheduled, I went back to my and got my swim trunks and sandals. The hotel has a 25 meter pool which is free. I did spend 23 leva (about $15) to buy some goggles. Tom and I then met a very gregarious swim and fitness instructor who spoke English and has traveled to the USA and through western Europe. We then swam laps for a bit, found out about the sauna, and then went back to our rooms. I took these photos looking east and west from the 15th floor - the city is quite large.
We met back in the hotel lobby to meet up with Bob and Caroline coming in from Rome where they had spent several days to acclimate to the time zone changes after flying from Billings, Montana. Their flight into Sofia was delayed about 30 minutes. But now we had six of the team members and two of the HFH staff, and we walked to the Mall of Sofia, a very nice shopping center - we had dinner in the Happy Cafe restaurant. I got to try a second Bulgarian beer: Kameritsa. Another nice day in Sofia ended with a pleasant walk back to the hotel.
Because I wanted to see the stairs and exit (in case of emergency) I took the stairs down from the 15th floor - they were nice, but rather bland. But when I got to mezzanine, restaurant and lobby levels, the stairwell became very ornate.
Tom and I set out for the American Embassy as scheduled. As we turned onto a major street, we came across a large construction project. Since Tom is a building contractor, he was quite interested in how they were working - in America, once a floor has been framed, other crews come in to close in that floor and do the interior construction. Here, it appears they frame the entire building before the do any of the interior.
We also came across more designated bike ways - Tom is from Portland, so he felt right at home with all the bike transportation.
We successfully navigated our way to the Embassy, and since we were early, stopped at the Happy cafe for a cup of espresso coffee. We sat outside in the morning sun and enjoyed the day.
We then went to the Embassy, and since we were American Citizen visitors, we were allowed to approach the entrance. The security was overwhelming. Because I had made prior contact and was put on the approved visitor list, after giving up my passport, I was given a visitor badge and allowed to enter. Tom had to wait outside for me to get through the next two layers of security and have the PIO call back to security. Since this took about 15 minutes, Tom got tired of waiting and went back to the Happy Cafe (we had agreed that we would meet there if he could not get in). The security makes the TSA look like kindergarten. I had to turn off my phone and leave it there, along with all cables and batteries I had in my backpack. I had to drink some water out of the clear plastic water bottle. I had to take off my belt, watch, glasses and empty all pockets, then go through scanners. After getting through those two layers of security, I then crossed another grassy area and went through another security checkpoint and was escorted to the PIO's office. We had a nice chat about what I do with the Fulbright Commission and Habitat for Humanity, as well as with the JSC classes that I have taken to Brazil. I also found out that she grew up in Huntsville, AL, and worked as a counselor at U.S. Space Camp in the early 1990s - it is possible that she was one of the counselors for my son Ben and the other kids I took to Space Camp back then.
After an hour, I made it back out through the security maze and retrieved all my belongings. I met up with Tom and we walked back to our hotel by a different route. We met up with Denitsa as scheduled at 2:00. There were problems at the airport. Tim and Donna made it in as scheduled, but the husband and wife volunteers from Tucson were not on the plane. HFH had no cell phone numbers for them, just the land line number for their home in Minnesota and the brother of the wife. So I called both. I left a voice mail on the brother's phone, and on the Minnesota phone, they had left a Tucson number. I called that number which turns out was their cell phone. They were in Houston without their luggage - their flight from Tucson Thursday morning was delayed and the missed the connecting flight to Frankfurt. They were staying in Houston and will be rerouted to Denver, then Frankfurt and on to Sofia on Saturday evening.
After everything was rescheduled, I went back to my and got my swim trunks and sandals. The hotel has a 25 meter pool which is free. I did spend 23 leva (about $15) to buy some goggles. Tom and I then met a very gregarious swim and fitness instructor who spoke English and has traveled to the USA and through western Europe. We then swam laps for a bit, found out about the sauna, and then went back to our rooms. I took these photos looking east and west from the 15th floor - the city is quite large.
We met back in the hotel lobby to meet up with Bob and Caroline coming in from Rome where they had spent several days to acclimate to the time zone changes after flying from Billings, Montana. Their flight into Sofia was delayed about 30 minutes. But now we had six of the team members and two of the HFH staff, and we walked to the Mall of Sofia, a very nice shopping center - we had dinner in the Happy Cafe restaurant. I got to try a second Bulgarian beer: Kameritsa. Another nice day in Sofia ended with a pleasant walk back to the hotel.
omg! What an excellent idea - to acclimate oneself with the emergency stairs. I am so going to utilize that prudent idea! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteRegarding your embassy visit: WOW! How uncomfortable to be separated from your passport and cell, and THEN to be funneled into even deeper layers (away). Glad the networking experience was pleasant and the embassy departure was smooth an uneventful!
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed. We need to learn more about what is being done with our tax dollars at all of our international and diplomatic locations around the world.
DeleteThank you for taking photos of the City from up high. They are very pretty and help give us perspective as to the city's size.
ReplyDelete