Sickness and ODBs (Old Dirty Basterds).

Oh, Varna. I went to Varna because it's apparently one of the best sites on the Black Sea. But I spent my days sick, sweating out my fevers in a semi-delirious state, and unable to swallow my own saliva from the pain....oh, and the weather sucked...and I got an effing cold sore! So, I spent more than half my time in bed, and the other half shooting an old Bulgarian army gun and hanging out with dirty old men.

The first day in Varna was St. George's Day which is a Bulgarian national holiday. George also happens to be the name of one of the old men that owns the building, and so there was a large feast with a roasted lamb...and grappa, my favourite (please note the sarcasm). Anyways, appart from me and the 2 Aussies there was no one else in the hostel so the feast was held in the dining room and we joined the mainly Bulgarian group and hostel workers. It was entertaining to watch the old Bulgarians drink their home made grappa (called raikia in Bulgaria) and wine and discuss stories from their past (or last week)....and they were generally of a sexual nature. I had to hide my shock/giggle when a 65 year old talked about his Swedish girlfriend that he loved to bang all night. Before the night was done, 60-something year old George announces that he has to leave.....because he has a lady waiting for him!

I also talked to this really intersting Dane that had been living in Bulgaria for the last few years. He was a bit of a character, who liked to hang out naked at the hostel's pool and had a married Bulgarian girlfriend, but he had an insane past that included being a doctor and a decorated army colonel. He had been involved in missions in Bosnia, Afghanistan, Central America and the Middle East, and as a result had been shot in the head, abdomen, shoulder and back....and he was still alive. Needless to say, he shared some unique stories.

The only photo I have of the feast...sorry for the shiteness.