Category: Travel

First, apologies as this may not be all that I intended. I’ve been up and down all night dealing with various things that have popped up locally and otherwise. The intensity of the day did not go down with the sun. Smile. One of those issues is that the person who was to introduce me to the priests at a particular church is not going to be able to do so, and we had to work out how to get it done remotely around one this morning. Most of the other has been minor, but my phone kept going off all night. My thoughts on spam calls and texts is also at an all-time low.

As noted, Friday was the first full day of the pilgrimage. I had breakfast at a place I had wanted to try and came highly recommended. The time I had for it opening was off, but that worked out as I wandered around a bit and did some more exploring while waiting. More on this in a separate post, as I fully expect to eat there multiple times and want to do it justice. I will note that the young lady who was my waitress rather cheerfully worked with me on some basic Bulgarian, which is very much needed.

One thing to note: many, if not most, people here speak some English. Thank goodness. Being able to say hello, please, thank you and such only gets you so far. So far, every time I’ve needed that more, someone was there who could help with translation.

After breakfast, I made a quick stop back at the apartment then headed back up to the Patriarchal Cathedral. It was a beautiful morning for a walk, with the weather cool by local standards but felt good to me. Thank goodness a lot of the things important to me are located fairly close together, as I am starting to truly be able to find my way around on foot. Still need to explore the metro more, and really want to figure out the trams as they seem like a great way to get around.

Now, I’m not going to share any photos here — at least for now — of the interior of the cathedral. The signs all pointedly say no photography, which is the first thing every one does once they go in. And, yes, I did take some photos which I have shared with some of the members of my church as they can’t be here with me. Sharing such helps them share a bit of the experience, as well as sharing elements of faith and formation. However, I made the decision I did at the time I went in and see no reason to change it now.

Traveling here to the “headquarters” church is not something everyone can do or will be able to do. Sharing parts of my journey with them is, therefore, important and proper. Aside from a couple of more generic shots, most of what I did get didn’t feel right to post in public for now. I suspect that if you want to see the interior you can find those shots. For me, for now, I chose not to do so.

Now, I also suspect (strongly) that part of the no photo rule has to do with behavior, and particularly with inappropriate behavior on the part of some tourists. It wasn’t just the busloads of oriental tourists that were jamming things up stopping to take photos, or blocking those who were trying to worship. In fact, it was fairly easy to spot who was Orthodox and who wasn’t by such behavior. Sad to say, there were a few (and there always are)…

I also suspect money is a factor. A number of other historic churches and other sites say no photography — unless you pay a fee. Makes sense since historic buildings cost a fair bit to restore and maintain. A fee helps with that and since so far none have been onerous, I cheerfully pay when such is offered.

As for arguments that photography should not be allowed in any sacred space, the old me has a short one word answer that fits but is not diplomatic or polite. Instead, allow me to present the argument that photography and video can and do play an important role in the sharing and formation of faith. In this time, video rules and photography is a distant second, while the written word is effectively out-of-sight. This blog, for example, is an anachronism in the age of viral videos, influencers, and other ‘delights.’

Yet, by sharing words, photos, and (hopefully) even some video I can increase the ‘reach’ of what I am doing. That can then spark interest, answer questions, and more importantly generate good questions that can cause a person to explore within themselves matters of faith, Faith, and belief. It provides a window to a different world, a different way of thinking compared to that currently extant in the world. It can allow you, dear reader, to share a bit of what I am experiencing, including the joy and Grace attendant.

Enough of the introspection and controversy, as it distracts from the mission I just outlined.

I spent some time in the cathedral in contemplation and prayer. Some of those prayers were for people I know who are ill, facing issues, and have other needs. Some were for me to be guided on this journey and the larger journey underway. When finished, I left the cathedral and walked over to the entrance to go down into the crypt beneath the cathedral.

Today, it is not a crypt but a museum of Christian, specifically Orthodox, art and is part of the national art museum. It features Orthodox icons and other artwork (and even a few artifacts) from Bulgaria’s past. It is nothing short of amazing, and for anyone of Faith a powerful and moving experience. It really deserves it’s own post as I can’t do it justice in the short time I have left to get this post done. If I don’t get back to it this next week, remind me and I will do so.

I will just say for now that I literally don’t know how long I was in there, as time really ceased to have meaning. There were several icons that truly moved me and I will discuss at least two of them (Dormition of the Theotokos, and Saint Michael the Archangel) more fully later. Thankfully one of them had a bench in front of it as I kept going back and sitting in front of it in prayer and contemplation. The other did not, though such did not keep me from doing the same thing. In all seriousness, plan on at least an hour in there and you might want to budget as much as three hours.

From there, I went to the Basilica of Saint Sophia (Sofia). In some ways, it is the oldest church in Sofia. The original church was built in the 200s when this was the Roman city of Serdika, on the site of the necropolis (city of the dead, aka the cemetery). That first church was replaced by a second, and then later a third and the interesting thing is you can see some of the remains of each in the archeological excavations underneath the church.

I will have to post more on this later, as other things have kept me distracted and unable to finish this post as intended. I have another full day today, and need to get my head wrapped around it and not focused on those other issues. More soon.

If you would like to help me with this trip, seminary courses, and more, 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. I’ve added Cash App ($CliffPow7) and Venmo (@Clifford-Powers-5). There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Getting hit by lightning is not fun! It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

Guess where I am now? The last couple of days have been spent on travel, and most of you will understand why I fudged on exactly when, where, and how I was traveling. OPSEC is important, especially in case there were any unexpected issues that cropped up along the way.

More on the airlines and airports involved later, though I will have to admit I was most pleased with how one airline — that has a massive and well-earned reputation for problems with luggage — has significantly improved that experience. In addition to the fact that I can track my bags and certain items within, they actually texted me every major scan of my luggage so that I was assured it was actually on the different planes. Would that every airline did this, and kudos to this airline for a major improvement.

Note on one lesson learned: Do not let any airline tell you that less than an hour layover is okay when traveling international. I literally had to run (and was wishing I remembered how to say “Make a hole!” in German) to make a connection, and along the way also had to do passport/entry things. For the record, though, I did not flatten any tourists though it may have come close once or twice in the mad dash.

Given the new system for the EU (scans and fingerprints), it was more of a challenge than I cared for to make the connection since it involved also changing terminals and such. I am relieved to report that despite the travel alerts I had been getting the last few weeks that passport control there was running very slow, I found it to move fairly quickly and the people I dealt with reasonably friendly, polite, and professional — especially given they are most likely usually bored out of their gourds trying to chivvy people through the system.

Much to my surprise, there were no delays or issues, and as such I actually got into Sofia before the time I was to get my apartment. So, I found a nice little restaurant about a block away and relaxed a bit. The pork neck with fresh mushrooms was delicious and tender, and the Bulgarian beer a nice treat. My inner Hobbit is really enjoying how much fresh mushrooms are used in Bulgarian cooking.

Sadly, I had already finished and cleaned my plate by the time this fellow showed up. I apologized for not having anything to share, but I didn’t need to worry. The owner of the restaurant (and some of the staff) obviously knew him and brought him out scraps and such to eat. Clearly not starving as when given some chicken he didn’t touch it at first and gave a look stating he knew they had better than that. He did eat it all before departing, however. The fact that the owner and staff fed him guaranteed, however, that I will be eating there again.

Once I got into the apartment, got (mostly) unpacked, and cleaned up a bit, I took off on foot to explore. I need to do more of the immediate area around my apartment, but have some basic knowledge and evaluation of some of the areas nearby. Love the apartment, more on that one day soon. It may not be as huge as the photos made it appear, but it is more than ample to my needs. Planning on picking up a few things today for cooking and comfort.

I then took off to test my guess that the Patriarchal Cathedral is about a 20 minute walk from the apartment. If traffic and crowds are good, it is. There are two ways to get near it or to it by subway, but have not checked those out yet. Will be reviewing apps later in the trip, but found out the app that was highly recommended by some people claiming to have visited here/living here does not have Sofia in their system. Most disappointing, but most signs and announcements include station names in English and making it fairly easy to use.

I actually used the subway to get in from the airport. It was less than 2 euro versus about 20-30 euro for a cab or hire car. Other than a well-meaning gentleman trying to give me directions the exact opposite of what I had been given (he apologized profusely when others pointed out his error), it was easy and safe to get around. In fact, after the bad directions, two locals told me they were going my route and to follow them, and they made sure I got off where I needed to. More on mass transit later.

Before I forget, the trans-Atlantic portion of the trip was made wonderful by the seatmate next to me. A very nice German lady, she was traveling as a courier of bone marrow for transplant. A charming and engaging person, I found out that she (and others) volunteers to be a courier for bone marrow and adult stem cells needed for leukemia treatment. We had a lot of fun talking about what she did, airports and the ‘joys’ of traveling, and a bit more. She had been to Houston recently and loved it, and was asking my opinion about other cities and such. Her job is supportive of what she does, and so gives her time off when they can to do this work.

I really felt bad that I needed to sleep on the flight as she could not. When a transport is in progress, the volunteers are not allowed to have alcohol or sleep as they have to ensure the safety of the transport container. In fact, when the plane went dark so people could sleep, she took the container out of the overhead and put it between her feet just to be safe. Just a wonderful person doing a wonderful thing, and we are planning to stay in touch.

More soon. Right now, I am off to get breakfast (did not get to grocery shop yestersay) and then head up to the Cathedral and begin explorations. Before my cooking lesson tomorrow I will be attending a service at the Russian Church and meeting my teacher there. Taking copies of my letter of introduction and even a copy of my baptismal certificate, so I can not only do that but also be set for Sunday at the Cathedral.

If you would like to help me with this trip, seminary courses, and more, 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. I’ve added Cash App ($CliffPow7) and Venmo (@Clifford-Powers-5). There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Getting hit by lightning is not fun! It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

For a number of reasons, I usually travel with a portable chef’s kit. I have my professional chef’s kit (Messermeister) with all my pro knives and a few other things that come in handy. However, I really don’t don’t like to put that into checked luggage at the best of times, and especially in a backpack that may or may not be secure.

So, I decided to get the above kit, had it on my Amazon Wish List (thanks!). Three decent knives, cutting board, sheaths/covers for the knives, and even a sharpener. Semi-hard case protects nicely. Price was such that while more than I would like, I won’t cry (too hard) if something happens to it.

However, it was lacking a few things and the ‘lightweight’ cutting board was anything but in my opinion. Total kit weighed in at 3.08 pounds. So, pulled the bamboo cutting board, bought some inexpensive plastic mats, and cut them down with the landlord’s jig saw (with his permission) and now have three cutting boards at need at a fraction of the weight. In fact, it dropped the weight down to 1.74 pounds.

However, like I said, some things missing. So, a folding camp spatula has been added, a can opener (yes, could have saved even more weight with a military opener, but I wanted something easier to use), a proper corkscrew/bottle opener, a kfork, two sizes of kspoons, a scrub pad/sponge, and a tea towel are now resident in the kit. Total weight, 2.78 pounds. Not ideal, but better than a sharp stick in the eye.

NOTE: the kspoon, etc. thing comes from an experience a former cigar buddy had. He had an employee who was not the sharpest spoon in the drawer, and among other things referred to knives as ‘kah-nif-ees’ which led to jokes about kah-spoons, kah-forks, etc. It still makes me smile a bit. As does his thinking Rhodes Scholars were ‘Road Scholars’ because they could read maps and find their way any where and everywhere…

Like to have something like this as I can not only use it to cook at the apartment, but it is ideal to have on any long train trips as I can pick up sausages, cheese, and other delights and have food and drink without the need to get off the train. If I do that, will share. Reminds me, need to see if I can include my titanium cup in the luggage to have for that as well. Paper napkin for a plate and you are good to go. Also, if I have to camp or semi-camp while out and about, again, covered for food prep and such.

More soon.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

If you would like to help me with this trip, seminary courses, and more, 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. I’ve added Cash App ($CliffPow7) and Venmo (@Clifford-Powers-5). There is also the Amazon Wish List in the Bard’s Jar. Getting hit by lightning is not fun! It is thanks to your gifts and prayers that I am still going. Thank you.

No, not talking about passports and visas (you should have already done such). Instead, talking about wills, power of attorney, and other paperwork you need to have in place before traveling, especially if you do any ‘adventure’ traveling. This isn’t adventure per se, thought it will be a good adventure Lord willing, but if anything goes wrong I want people to have what they need to help me and to know what I want done.

So, I’m having a new will done. I did the last one online; but, for reasons I’m not going to discuss in public, I am having a lawyer do the documents this time. That way they should be air-tight, and such that governments nor anyone else can stick an oar into.

In addition, I’m also updating my Power of Attorney for Healthcare and taking care of a few other documents so that if anything happens to me, especially while I am overseas, the people here will have access to anything and everything needed to take care of me, or to bury me. My only caveat is that I be given an Orthodox Christian funeral. If I were to die on the pilgrimage, I have left instructions to bury me there. I don’t see the need to bring me back here, even if the travel insurance covers it. By the way, this is the second formal written public notice of my intentions in that regard.

Depending on your circumstances, you need to have things worked out in all regards — health, estate, guardianships, etc. — before you head out. Especially if you are married and have children, you need the I’s crossed and the T’s dotted.

I will admit, the costs of such services has gone up a LOT since I last used a lawyer, but it is worth it to have things air tight. That said, feel free to hit the tip jar as that was a major and unbudgeted expense.

UPDATE: Not thrilled with the legal beasts, as they did not have it done last week as promised; there were too many difficulties with meeting this week which they assured me they could do; and, they insisted on all sorts of extra boilerplate instead of keeping it simple. So, a three page will became 22 pages, etc. I think I walked out with six separate documents when I wanted three; and, one copy of all documents was app. 3/4 inches thick. BTW, fair warning: never ask me for an honest opinion unless you really want it, as at one point when reviewing documents earlier this week when asked what I thought I responded that ‘it looks like the explosive release of a year’s worth of legal constipation.’ No joke, I actually did say that to them. At least it is done. Remember: whatever you plan for never happens, so plan for the worst, pray for the best, and accept what comes.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, and to start a truly new life, 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. 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.

This post by Ian over at the Bugscuffle Gazette is a good read for anyone planning to travel, particularly by air. When I was doing a lot of travel years back, I did my best to keep things separate, especially after I pinged for nitrates one time (still not sure why).

But let me suggest you take it a step further, and be sure your personal electronics are as clear as you can make them. When you travel abroad, keep in mind that various countries and unions claim the right to inspect those electronics — and that the U.S. can and does do warrantless searches ‘at their discretion’ when you return. On top of that, people don’t just try to scan your credit cards and passports (or anything else with a chip) for nefarious reasons, they can and will go after your computer and phone as well. In fact, in one country years back it was so bad I refused to take a laptop there.

I’m already in the process of preparing my electronics. My suggestions are as follows:

First, back up every device. In fact, if you are sharp you should follow the rule of three. One backup at your house or place of business, one secured across town at a trusted secure site, and one across the country at a trusted secure site. If there is a fire or flood at your place, get the one from across town and reload and rebuild. If something more catastrophic happens, that’s why you have one in a separate geographical region.

Second, offload as much as you can onto backup discs. For me, I’m going to dump taxes, financial, and other items that I’m not going to need on the trip both to free up space and to ensure that those files are not there to be stolen. It is like physical items: if you don’t need it, don’t take it. This is not just for computers, but also for mobiles as many these days use them as a computer. Clean those platforms, and not only are you safer you may find them working a bit better.

Third, do install and run security/antivirus software; and, then, do a secure erase of unused space. Both government officials and ill-intentioned types can and do try to find out what you’ve erased recently and might have had on there. For the ill-intentioned, they are looking for financial and other data (sometimes blackmail too). The governmental types can also be looking for political and other memes, as few places have a first amendment and protection for same. I strongly recommend dumping memes and other political things before going overseas.

You want to treat your electronics as you do your luggage: only carry what you need. If it’s not on there, it can’t be stolen. If it’s not there, it can’t be rooted through like your dirty laundry. Personally, I’ve not had any problems with this over the years, but there is always a first time. Travel lite, travel secure, and be safe — and remember that preparedness always pays.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, and to start a truly new life, 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. 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.

The vest and coat are both set up as “personal area networks” with ways to physically and otherwise link your personal electronics. This is all well and good, and I may explore that more while on the trip, but for me the real reason to get them is as follows.

First, they have multiple pockets that are zippered and otherwise secured. In fact, a rather critical pocket for wallets and such has a zipper and then an interior, RF-shielded pocket that is also secured. Both are designed to thwart pick-pockets and similar people of ill-intent. It also can make getting through security a bit easier as rather than carrying a lot of stuff myself, I can have it in the vest or jacket and send them and the contents easily through the X-ray machine.

As I mentioned, the vest comes with an shielded pocket to thwart the growing problem of people trying to scan your credit cards, passport, etc. and steal the information. The cards are a big problem in that they can then clone and spend most of what you have in the bank before you are even out of the airport. Having the shielded pocket cuts down on the risk. Now, me being me, I have an RF-shielded wallet, my cards and passport are in special sleeves for shielding, and I have a jammer that is exposed as soon as I open my wallet to further complicate the life of anyone trying to scan me. Thank you all who have bought stuff off the list!

I’ve been using the vest a bit and like it. The only issue I’ve had so far is with the zipper getting undone. It really isn’t the fault of the zipper or the vest as much as it is the way I am built. In my prime, I had a 34″-36″ waist, with a 50 inch chest, and shoulders that took about a size 50-52 suit. The waist is a little bit larger these days (working on it), but it is not a build that most off-the-rack is designed to handle. Really glad I went a size larger (I usually get XL) as it would be a bit too snug if I hadn’t. If I do have to zip up, being careful in my movements seems to do the trick, and I haven’t really had problems just zipping up far enough to block someone being able to get at a zippered interior pocket.

Other than that, the largest problem has been remembering what I put in which pocket. Still working out optimum placements, but figure a lot of that will shake out during the trip.

No issues with the jacket so far, and it is water repellent so I plan to use it as my rain coat. Given that my fedora is waterproof, and I can get an umbrella there at need, think I’m set on rain gear. Oh, the jacket has a retractable hood as well, so good up top. Not too worried about the pants, some of the pants are water and stain resistant.

More on the vest and coat later, as this trip will be a good test of them. So far, really like them. Again, thank you all for your time and help!

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, and to start a truly new life, 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. 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.

One of the many ducks nibbling me to death right now is adding some apps to my new phone to help with things while I’m on the pilgrimage. This will be a work in progress in that I may be adding another app or two, and I will report as I go on how well things work. Right now, I’ve added Revolut, CashApp, Venmo, Moovit, and iTranslate.

Revolut was recommended, highly, by the priest at the Romanian Orthodox Church, who just got back from a sabbatical in Romania. It is one of the most used, if not the most used financial app in Romania and Bulgaria by all accounts. I’ve played with it a little, but not a lot so far. More as things move along.

CashApp (ping me at awolf 57 boilerplate here you know how protonmail and here is the dot and then comes the com if you want to send a gift that way) is one everyone knows. Doing it more as a precaution as there appear to be a few places that use it overseas so being prepared.

Venmo (again, ping me at the above if you want to send a gift that way) is primarily so I can pay my rent while I am on pilgrimage. My landlord has it, it is the one he uses most, so on it went. It has also been the most “fun” in getting set up in some respects. The “Add Funds” button wasn’t showing so Raju in customer service had me delete and reload the app, only for the second agent I chatted with to tell me it won’t show up until I’ve used it an unspecified number of times. So, will use it as I can, and so long as I can pay rent life is good.

Moovit is a public transit app with extensive coverage in Europe. It covers Sofia very nicely and was highly recommended by people on the ground. Given that Sofia has subway, trams, trolleys, and busses, I need the help with navigating and it is reported to have excellent step-by-step guidance up to telling you to “get off here” and more. I’m really looking forward to trying it out.

iTranslate is a very highly rated app, again recommended by people on the ground. It can handle text, voice, images, and more. For all that Bulgarian is similar to Russian, it is NOT Russian and there are some interesting differences. I’ve already detected some Italian/Latin influences. I’m working on learning some basic phrases, as I’ve found it is always very helpful to be able to say please, thank you, and such in the native language. The fact that you try goes a long way to getting help (and tasty things). Again, more as I use it.

More soon, and if anyone has any suggestions for good apps, do let me know. Three of the above were highly rated by local sources, and I will let you know how all do. Meantime, hope most or all of the initial set-up and such is done so I can now focus on other things.

Also, items off the Amazon Gift List have arrived, and are very much appreciated. Have dropped a line of thanks to someone who added a message with an e-mail addy so I knew who to thank. I couldn’t do this pilgrimage without your help! Thank you!

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Getting hit by lightning is not fun! If you would like to help me in my recovery efforts, and to start a truly new life, 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. 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.