Dream Becoming Reality

Back in this post, I talked about my dream of doing a religious pilgrimage to Bulgaria and Mount Athos in Greece. After talking about it, things began to happen.

A very nice person stepped up and arranged a guide to assist me with visiting Mount Athos. They not only provided the introduction, but are covering the cost of having him assist and to travel with me to Athos and elsewhere in Greece. Another person stepped up and covered one leg of my airfare to get to Bulgaria.

At the funeral of my Godfather, the Bishop who presided over the service (who was a monk on Mount Athos) said he would be delighted to review my plans. This has now turned into him effectively being the spiritual guide for the trip, and he is also finding a contact for me in Sophia to take care of the practical details so I can concentrate on the spiritual.

A friend at Church heard of my interest in backpacks, and had a brand new back pack of the brand and style I was considering, that he had bought a couple of years ago and never used (tags are still on it). It and I are going on a hike tomorrow to see how it does. If it does, I have my “suitcase” for the trip.

My idea of a side trip to Romania has also gotten a push. The Priest at the Romanian Orthodox Church just got back from Romania and we are meeting so he can share information, including a Church I can attend while there. He’s also got lots of info on payment apps and other realities of modern travel. Hoping to meet with him soon.

The original plan of visiting a number of monasteries has changed to visiting just a few, spending more time at one in particular, and more time in Sophia for purposes of prayer and discernment. With prayer and guidance, things are shaking out and firming up.

I now have a brand-new passport (thankful I did expedited and got it before the shutdown). Which came in handy as I needed it today when I applied to the Greek government to visit Mount Athos.

As noted earlier, visiting Mount Athos requires advanced paperwork and permissions. First up, you have to get approval from the Greek government to visit, almost like a visa. Then, you have to get approval from Mount Athos and the individual monasteries you want to visit or stay at. Given the warnings about how long it can take to get the Greek government approval, I put in my request today via e-mail. Once that is approved, we can begin contacting the monasteries I’m interested in visiting to see if they will let me visit and/or stay the night there. If all goes well and my plan is approved, I will be staying three nights on Mount Athos at different monasteries.

I have one monastery that I particularly want to visit, which is the monastery where my Bishop was a monk. I have another I am drawn to, but for it and the third monastery I will rely on input from the Bishop and my guide. The latter has a reputation of suggesting the right place for those he guides.

There are some very good deals on airfare popping up, and I will likely be purchasing my tickets here later this week or early next week. The original plan to fly into Budapest may be out the window as some really good deals for a round-trip flight to Sophia have recently popped up. I’m going to pay a little more and get tickets that are both changeable and refundable just to be safe.

I’m starting to look at the cooking lessons in Romania, and have had a very interesting one pop up that would have me spending a day outside of Bucharest in the country learning some more rustic dishes. Dishes that frankly sound delicious. Between that and the steam train excursion into the Carpathian mountains, it would be quite a nice adventure.

Also, I’ve located some cooking instruction in Sophia. Someone I wasn’t sure was still doing such lessons has said she is most willing to do the day-long course for me while I’m there.

I’m actually considering upgrading my cell phone so I can do better photography and video to share with you here and on X. My plan had been to stay with my current phone until it totally dies (or I precede it); but, as things go along, if there are funds, I think it would be a good idea. I will also have to get an international plan while I’m there.

Thing is, I hope to have everything paid off before I go. I’m going to put in a bleg here for you to hit the tip jar in the upper right so I can do so. So far, I’ve been able to keep the costs low. I’m planning on renting an apartment in Sophia as it will be cheaper than a hotel. I will look at all options as I just need a bed, a bathroom, and a kitchen to get by. And, yes, I will be there a few weeks.

If past experience is any indicator, food (other than the cooking lessons) should not be a huge part of my trip. I almost always ate for less than the per-diem allowed when on government travel, and I’m quite content many evenings to find some good dry sausages and hard cheeses on which to dine. I will have to eat out some, but you would be amazed at how reasonable it can be in Europe, particularly Eastern Europe.

There will be some train and bus expenses, but train prices in Bulgaria are not high, and even travel to Bucharest is quite reasonable. I will most likely have to take a bus to Greece, but it’s not a long ride and again the prices (now) seem reasonable. Once I have the airfare taken care of, plan to start buying train and bus tickets as I can. If I take small bites, it is easier to pay as I go.

For those who have been supportive of this, my thanks! To those who have helped me with this, my profound thanks! I hope to have lots to share, both in the planning and when the trip takes place. More soon.

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, feel free to hit the fundraiser at A New Life on GiveSendGo, use the options in the Tip Jar in the upper right, or drop me a line to discuss other methods. If you want to know some of what it is going for, read here. There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

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