The Laughing Wolf – Page 8 – Commentary, Punditry, and More

Barksdale And Drones

First, before you do anything else, go read this very good post by Leslie over at Legal Insurrection. She covers a lot and makes a number of very good points. That said, I want to chime in with a few thoughts.

First up, there appears to be some leadership issues. Pete has been fairly clear on the need to develop anti-drone strategies and to be creative in so doing. In fact, some interesting concepts are being tried and actually potentially fielded. Yet, at the same time, the response to a clear and present danger is to monitor, try to jam, and apparently to wring hands and cry how nothing works. Personal opinion, that’s the time to let troops with trap and skeet experience go to work in downing as many as possible.

It would be nice to also to be able to track back the control signals for the drones to determine point of origin. Jamming is well and good, but there’s another phase that seems to be lacking in the response. Fact is, we need robust, capable mobile detection systems that will facilitate a rapid identification of the origin of the signals and allow said site to be neutralized. Ideally, getting those behind the control alive and with equipment intact for analysis, but given that this is a major nuclear base we need to be able to identify and then go in hard and FAST.

Also, question for the audience: Do you think China is the only country or entity that has been buying land near major military installations? If so, why do you think that?

We really do need to rethink the triad and our full posture. We also need to get serious about drones and drone defense, as dithering and hand-wringing is only going to see our aircraft fleet mangled wreckage. Drones require being pro-active, and that is the antithesis of what has been drilled into most military leadership for a while now.

Just some thoughts to share.

If you’ve not been here before, take a moment to scroll up or down, and check out some of my other content. It ranges from my upcoming religious pilgrimage to practical preparedness. Hope you will check it out.

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 LaGuardia Tragedy

What happened with the CRJ and the fire truck at LaGuardia was indeed a tragedy, and a preventable one. Not necessarily for the reasons many of the people trying to score political points off the blood of the tragedy are expounding though.

First, let set some basic terms and information that are needed to understand the situation. The FAA and the Transportation Administration control aviation in the U.S. You have flight control, which is the part of the operation that controls and monitors flights in progress. You have departure control which is concerned with takeoff and departure operations. You have landing control, which is responsible for the last part of the flight and landing. You then have ground control, which is responsible for general movement on the ground.

Depending on circumstances, these can all be different people (and some companies even have their own ops people at airports, such as caterers, cargo companies, etc) or they can all be one person. Depends on a number of factors, with the largest being the size of the airport and the amount of traffic. What a lot of people don’t like to talk about is that it also depends on staffing, which started to be an issue in the mid-2000s. There are actually several reasons (no matter what the yard signs say, there are few simplistic problems and no simplistic solutions) and they include training issues, technology issues, and workload.

A lot of this has been discussed in regards the DC crash (covered here, feel free to hit the search button). The technology of the Air Traffic Control (ATC) system is beyond antiquated, as are a number of the collision avoidance systems. In the wake of DC, there was a lot of talk about fixing that right now, and people like Elon and others who know tech volunteered to help. Haven’t heard a word about that since.

Would love an update on what’s being done, or not, and why. There are in fact straightforward solutions using Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) technology that would vastly improve both flight control and approach/departure control. In the past, one of the biggest stumbling blocks was Congress, and some members of the bureaucracy, as such projects did not grease the right hands or flow to the right districts. It would be nice to get a DOGE (or a Data Republican) audit of all that has been pledged and spent on this from 2000 onwards since a lot of it just seems to me to have disappeared.

Congress has also been a huge problem with the staffing issue, particularly the Oklahoma delegation of Congresscritters. Right now, the FAA school for controllers is in Oklahoma; it can’t handle the load it has much less train the numbers of people needed; and, that delegation has blocked every effort to open other FAA schools elsewhere. Just a suggestion, but take your BP meds before you dig into this and other ways Congress has blocked pretty much all efforts to fix the staffing problem.

And it is a huge problem. Controllers, particularly approach/departure/ground, can find themselves working six days a week with mandatory overtime. Before passing judgement, or wallowing in the blood of the tragedy to make points for your side (what ever that may be) check out how long the controller in this case had been working. Check out the last time he had any realistic time off. Now, add in antiquated tech that hinders detection of problems rather than warning of them, and add in effectively what looks to be about three emergency/potential emergencies he’s juggling at once.

This is a life that just ended in most respects. The life he had is gone, and two people are dead and more injured because he was overworked and without help or support from his leadership including Congress. Pray for him, as he is going to need those prayers, even as you pray for the souls of the dead and for the injured. And before you jump on him or to make points, listen to the exchange afterwards, where he says he made a mistake (one he tried desperately to stop BTW) and is comforted by a pilot who told him he did the best he could. And he did, in a system that failed him, and us.

As with the DC crash there is plenty of blame to go around. My ire is focused a good bit on Congress, but more than one administration has not taken transportation, and reform/improvement of the FAA and ATC system seriously. I hope the current administration will take it seriously and that Sec. Duffy will step up and be the leader needed to meet this challenge. He talked good game after DC, and I would like to see some walk to go with the talk. If Congress or others are trying to play their usual games, let’s take the gloves off and do what’s needed before more are killed and more lives destroyed. Again, please do pray for that controller, he needs them.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Pilgrimage: New Phone For New Camera

Sunlight striking icon holders in an Orthodox Christian Church. — Testing the new camera in Church

I’ve been asked by quite a few if I am going to post photos or videos from my pilgrimage, and I’ve committed to trying to do a post a day with photos and/or some video. However, the “real” SLR camera I took to Iraq is dead, along with the broadcast quality video camera I used. The dust of Iraq won those battles, and it didn’t help that they were large and heavy. I really need small, light, and easy to use — and like most people I’ve taken to using my mobile/cell phone.

Now, what I had for about the last six years was a senior citizens special that I got with my special senior citizen rate plan. It was an i-Phone, but didn’t have a number and instead had a three letter designation. The camera was okay when I first got it, but not that good these days. I looked around a bit at available phones, and ended up considering it a choice of evils in some respects (Google versus Apple versus Other Corporation) with me almost wanting to root for all to lose. Really would love to see some real competition from someone dedicated to privacy and security along with the latest gee whiz. Meantime, I decided to go with Apple as the lesser evil of the crowd and because I know I can easily integrate it with laptop and such.

So, as I noted in a post the other day, I went to my provider last week (a real store and not one of the affiliated) to check on some things and see what phone options were available. The great news was that my senior citizens plan comes with basic international roaming. It also turns out that unlimited text and data means unlimited text and data anywhere in the world. Short version is that I can text with no problems and anything I can do via data (and wifi) is golden. Going to keep actual calls to a minimum and make full use of wifi, and keep the great rate of my now grandfathered senior citizen rate plan. And, yes, I made sure my phone is set to make use of wifi calling. I will turn on data roaming when I leave just to be safe.

I ended up having a very nice young gentleman help me, and he really dug into the the plan and making it work so that I could keep my current rate. He also came up with some other suggestions on things to do and try, and then we started talking phones. Sadly, no real promotion options would apply to any phone, nor would my then current phone have any significant trade-in value. I had an idea of what I was after, but we explored options anyway. Turns out, he had in stock an i-Phone 17 Pro Max that had the best camera, best battery life, and could easily handle the translation and special navigation apps I wanted to install. It also has emergency satellite capability already engaged, which was a big plus for me.

Even better, he was able to get the price down $100 from what I had budgeted. Not a lot, but it beat a sharp stick in the eye, and I was getting the Max, which I had not considered given the expense. I had considered it as it is larger (easier to see and use) and has a larger (and better) battery which gives it extremely good battery life. More on that in a minute. So, I did grab the opportunity to grab more camera for less money than I had budgeted.

Getting everything over from the old phone to the new took some time, but we got most things done in the store. I had to update a number of apps when I got home, but that wasn’t too bad and gave me a chance to review what I had on the phone and eliminate a couple that I haven’t used in years. I’ll cover the apps I’m adding and testing in some future posts.

The photo above was shot on the phone yesterday, as the sun came up. The old phone could not have gotten the shot. The resolution of the sensors is amazing, and it captures far more of the gradients of light and color than the old phone. The zoom actually works and zooms with no significant degradation of quality. There are other features available that I have not yet explored. I’m going to have to take a quick tutorial on the photo and video capabilities, and on in-phone editing capabilities.

Now, I also got a case for the phone, as the last thing I want to do is to risk damage. For years, I used and loved the OtterBox cases. They have saved my bacon and several phones over the years. However, I wasn’t impressed with the quality of the last one I got, and I found out a few years back that the warranty apparently no longer covered flaps that tore off because of use. Also, the costs of buying a new replacement had gone up. Significantly even.

As it turns out, my provider had stopped selling their products because of issues, with price being prominently mentioned. Instead, they had gone with Pelican, which I did not realize had gone into the cell-phone case business. I’ve used Pelican cases for shipping for ages, and had even converted a small case of theirs into my travel humidor when I smoked cigars. The case for my phone also meets MIL-STD 810G drop standards, which means it should protect the phone from a 24-foot drop. Hoping I never do anything more than 3-feet, so should be more than good. Between the case and screen protector, things should be good to remain useful during the pilgrimage and after.

I’ve got to look up some things in regards the phone, as it has some buttons the old one didn’t, and is missing a couple the old one had. I really wish they had a tutorial for use of the phone as it is so different from the old. I was shown a few things, but am having to figure the rest out on my own.

Earlier, I mentioned battery life. On the old phone, I could use up twenty percent or more of my charge just reading the news before I got out of bed. That phone had already been warranty replaced once a year or so ago because of battery life issues. I just ran the new phone for two days without charging and still didn’t get below twenty percent charge even with running trip navigation for several trips. So, going a day without charging, even with doing photo and video and such, should be quite doable. I will take a couple of portable power banks with me just in case, but I’m less worried on that score now.

Now, I can’t answer questions on if it is worth it to upgrade to the 17 from a 15 or 16; but, I can say that it truly was a quantum leap from my old senior citizen special. Would I have preferred to spend less money: YES. Was it truly an option given the upgrades to camera, battery performance, and the ability to handle some needed apps: YES. Will it fill my needs for many years to come: Yes. Will it last that long: I sure hope so, going to do my part to make it happen.

For all that I like to upgrade electronics every five years, I had reached a point on mobiles that I was planning to keep using the senior citizen special until either it or I died. I don’t think much of the companies behind the current giants, and think Apple is way overpriced on top of other issues. That said, I’m tied into Apple products though I am considering options if the opportunity arises. In this case, though I think the official list price is too high, I got enough of a deal and a huge upgrade in performance and usability that made it worth the investment. I would prefer not to have done it, but that just wasn’t an option.

So, I’m set for basic coms, electronic translation capabilities, and imaging for the trip. I’ll share more on phone performance as things move along, and hopefully a lot more photos and even video will be here and/or in my X feed.

Thank you all for your help in making this happen. I could not be doing this without you, my readers. Know you, your gifts, and your kindness are very much appreciated!

Precision Imprecision

It is fair to say that President Trump is known for his bombast and often imprecise wording. We all make mistakes with such, and it doesn’t help that most of his overly credentialed critics think him an ignorant buffoon. Yet, he can and does get very precise in his wording, and I would argue very deliberately precise in his imprecision. When he does so, there is usually a reason (often confounding opponents and critics).

One of the latest posts by the President is a good example of such. In it, he discusses negotiations with Iran and the decision to not launch any military strikes against power plants and energy infrastructure.

Two things jumped out at me immediately. First, the use of “country of Iran” in lieu of anything else. Not the current government, not the IRGC acting as the current government, but the “country” of Iran. I’m wondering if it doesn’t signal possible talks with the future government of Iran, who need that infrastructure in place if they are to rebuild. There have already been some pleas from citizens inside Iran begging Trump not to go after the power plants, and I strongly suspect the Pahlavi family has expressed similar concerns to the administration.

Which also ties in neatly to something I saw really start popping up yesterday about the need for boots on the ground in Iran. Not American boots, not Israeli boots, but Iranian boots — from outside Iran. Given that some affiliated with the Pahlavi camp have indicated a possible return to Iran within thirty days, it would make some sense. It would also be the best option from many perspectives to dealing with the remnants of the mad mullahs and the IRGC. It might also be one of the factors in Bessent’s 50 days of high gas prices prediction.

Second, I noticed the very specific list of things that would not be hit. Power plants and the grid. I also noticed quite a few posts popping up on X where the author claimed no military strikes for five days. This is a rather transparent lie. First, as soon as there is any military strike, such as sinking Iranian fast boats and others attacking or threatening ships in the straights, they can and will scream that Trump broke his word — and the sad fact is that too many people will fall for that. Low-information types and the TDS victims will go for it without thought. Second, the smarter ones will argue that any strike on oil collection, refinement, transport, etc. will be a violation of his word and that is likely to work on some mid-level types.

Thing is, I think Trump is good with both of those. It is amazing how many people are being exposed as paid shills and/or outright liars since the start of his administration. The ripping off of masks personal and organizational is indeed enlightening, and the damage done to once respected individuals, institutions, and brands really hasn’t registered yet, particularly with the participants.

The next thirty (fifty?) days will be interesting. I’m hoping for good interesting, as a world without the mad mullahs and their ilk is likely to be a much better and more peaceful place. Or, at least one where good and decent people can have a chance to rebuild lives and even civilization. Let us hope for the best.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Trumping Iran

A very good read, as usual. I will join the chorus of those pointing out we have no vested interest in opening the Straights of Hormuz as our oil and such doesn’t flow through it. Been funny watching certain people and governments tumble to the fact we have no need and no desire to cover them this time. If they won’t step up, we will do what we need to for our purposes, but I doubt we will do any more than that. More thoughts on that after the weekend I hope. Have a Blessed weekend and stay safe.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Pilgrimage: Variety Of Prep

Sorry nothing up yesterday and today’s post is a bit short. Lots of things going on in the background, and I’m getting a bit frazzled as things seem to be accelerating faster than planned.

Yesterday, the most time-consuming item so far proved to be getting a new mobile phone. I promised you photos and perhaps even videos from the trip. The only way to do that was to upgrade my senior-citizen special several-years-old mobile to one with good photo and video capability. I got something that I think has a higher number of megapixels capability than the camera I took to Iraq. Amazing what they are doing with the sensors these days in terms of resolution and size. The phone I had wasn’t worth trading in, so I now have a spare at need. Came out right around budget: got a good price on the phone, and picked up a good case, screen protector, and charging system. Sad my old inductance charger doesn’t seem to work with it.

On the good news front, my senior citizen plan (which is actually grandfathered) has basic international roaming. Also, it turns out unlimited data and text means anywhere in the world. As long as I use data and text, I’m good. Calls are reasonable, and using wifi as much as possible is best. So, glad I don’t have to give up my senior citizen plan and can still get things done. Hoping nobody calls, and I plan to use texting a lot more than normal.

My International Driver’s License application is in, though they may make me retake the photo. Didn’t realize until today that there is not a white wall left in this house, and the automated system didn’t like my improvisation. We’ll see.

Ordered my plugs and adapters this morning, should be good on electrical as both laptop and mobile should work on the local current. If worse comes to worse, I can buy a local charger for the mobile there relatively inexpensively. Key will be making sure the laptop is good. Plan to go visit the store here soon to verify a couple of things.

The ScotteVest arrived yesterday and I’m already loving it. 23 pockets and you can effectively make it a Personal Area Network (PAN) I’m told. Do wish the RF-shielded pocket were larger, but it does give me options. More on this as I test it out. If anyone wants to send the jacket it is on the wish list…

The travel chef kit was not quite what I was expecting. Good knives, but the ‘light weight’ cutting board is heavy as all get out. Going to cut down some thin plastic cutting boards to fit, which will change that weight to about three ounces. Which will also allow me to get creative on what goes in that case. May share a picture or two here soon.

Have made the decision to go seriously minimalist on the pilgrimage, which is not how I usually pack for anything. Right now, looking at just minimal clothing, toiletries, and supplements/medicines along with the electronics. I will include some rope or paracord, but aside from that nothing for contingencies. Even looking at minimal on electronics, with just the mobile, laptop, cables, plugs/adapter, and one power pack. I may even decide to ship over the supplements and hair conditioner. Got to decide on that soon.

More soon, and thanks again to everyone who has donated so far. The Bleg has raised about a quarter of the goal, which is fantastic though any and all further help would be very, very much appreciated. Stay tuned, there is more to come.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Choke Points

There is a lot going on in the world right now, and I find it interesting how many people don’t get some of the layers involved. For all that Venezuela and Iran (and other actions) had a specific geographical focus, what lay behind each is multi-layered and aimed at hitting as many targets with one action as possible.

For example, Venezuela also hurt China on several fronts, and even Iran on more than one front. Cuba is also being taken out by the action(s), and has apparently event talked with the administration about change.

Which makes this thread by John Konrad over on X very interesting food for thought. Many of the actions by Trump and the administration that people have not understood, or in the case of certain politicians and pundits have deliberately pretended not to understand, all come together in interesting ways. I will also note that a hallmark of this administration is hitting as many targets with one action as possible. This is not an accident or happenstance, but very deliberate.

More to come, but check out John’s thread and chew on things a bit. More to come.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Quite A Century

Yesterday was the 100th anniversary of Robert Goddard’s first launch of a liquid-fueled rocket. It literally was two seconds that changed the world.

Today, we have re-usable rockets and regular flights to orbit. Satellites have transformed communications, weather forecasting, intelligence gathering, and more. Research in space is unlocking secrets of the universe, transforming our understanding of matter, and setting the stage for us to get off this mudball and start on our way to the stars (to quote Glenn, “Faster, Please”).

Hard to believe that so much of the modern world started with just two seconds that didn’t even rate a mention in the local newspaper if I remember correctly. Then again, the leading intellectuals (or, at least one: one also wonders if over-credentialed idiots have always been a problem, hmmmm) of the day held forth that rockets would not work in space as there was nothing for them to push against.

I will not knock any of today’s people for they are doing amazing things. That said, they got quite a boost by standing on the shoulders of Goddard, Oberth, and Tsiolkovsky. I even seem to recall one or more members of von Braun’s team talking about what a debt they owed to them during a conversation. Each generation builds upon the previous; yet, there is always a starting point and a starting person. In many respects, when it comes to modern rocketry, Robert Goddard is that man. Salute.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Institutional Capture And Discourse

Over on X, there has been quite a tempest over the doxxing of a writer who goes by the nom-de-plume of Cynical Publius. He writes under that name at American Greatness and also holds forth on X. He uses a pseudonym because his (now former) job and general safety required it. Short version is he is a former military officer who has seen the elephant and makes suggestions based on reality as opposed to what is being passed around DC.

Recently, he joined Pete in suggesting that the War Colleges need some review and revamping (gasp! The Cad!). This led to some interesting exchanges with Radio Free Tom, who until recently was a part of that system (and in my opinion proof positive that said system needs major and serious reform starting with the removal of all the over-credentialed idiots like Tom who are a serious part of why we haven’t won a war in decades). However, in this case, it led to a rather nasty bit of politics in which Brad Duplessis, Ryan Evans, and War on The Rocks (no, no links to them, a single white feather to every individual associated with WOTR would be far more appropriate) doxxed Cynical Publius. I find it fascinating that they seem genuinely surprised there was blowback.

And there has been some substantial blowback, including a rather detailed examination of how WOTR has been captured by the swamp, with (one assumes) the willing help of Ryan Evans. For those interested, start here with Data Republican’s detailed exam with receipts; then read this by John Konrad on X (and then read some of his other articles on the situation); and, then, while it is not directly related (then again…) this article on pointing out mistakes and why the system can’t handle honest mistake fixing. Yes, I do think it applies to the doxxing and the surprise at the blowback. While I’m thinking about it, I commend to one and all Matthew Pierce’s work on persuasibility. I doubt Brad and Ryan will appreciate it, as I strongly suspect that their thoughts on CP and why he deserved harm (doxxing is ALWAYS intended to inflict harm) is a religious issue for them per the Doctrine of Persuasibility. It is a matter of faith that they are right and proper and everyone else is wrong, and no mere facts will alter that belief.

WOTR started as something good and needed; but, it has sunk into the mire and bears no resemblance to its former glory. It went rather rapidly from an outside and fresh perspective admired and respected by the troops, to being an arm of the establishment in amazingly rapid time. It is no longer worth time and I’ve even started unfollowing people on X who follow it for any reason. It, and all those behind it, need to shunned, shamed, and deprived of engagement (and the funds that come from such). The swamp will look after its own, so I suspect the founders and even any employees will find employment elsewhere at need.

Long-time readers may know, but back under Reagan I was a small part of a very large “Kitchen Cabinet” that advised him on any number of subjects. My area involved the Soviet Union and in particular their space and related military efforts — an area where he rightly had concerns about the intel and analysis coming from official sources. I do think Reagan had the largest Kitchen Cabinet of any modern President, though I do wonder if Trump might have something similar. I will simply warn them that low profile, and pseudonyms and such, are wise, as official DC does take note.

It was amazing how fast doors slammed shut after Reagan left office, and even where lines of communications stayed open they were also dark. Probably didn’t help that someone I worked with told a sitting President to “Go Bleep Yourself” Thing is, I’ve met a number of DC power players and a lot of wanna-be power players. Most of them were not worth a bucket of warm spit and have morals to make an alley cat seem virtuous and gentle. I’ve actually been thankful more than once that I did not get swept up in that game, as I’ve kept at least a small bit of virtue, honor, and integrity as a result. Maybe not much, but at least some.

It is easy to lose yourself in DC. The Swamp, The Blob, whatever you want to call it is ravenous and dedicated entirely to protecting itself and not the Republic. It can happen amazingly quickly. Looking at what’s happened here makes me glad that very few know who I am or what I’ve done. It also further reinforces that the new path I’m on is the right one for me. I’d far rather write about history and faith than politics, and have no need to secure my computer against intrusion (and interesting additions) quite as much.

As for Mr. Cynical Publius, I don’t really know him save through his work. The doxxing was a malicious and vicious act without honor or integrity in my book. I will say that if he gets this way, I’m glad to share coffee (or something stronger) with him (or Infantry Dort for that matter) and chat a bit. I will say that if Brad or Ryan were to show up, I would be most happy to discuss the concept of repentance and such with them.

Now, it is time to get back to “work” and the seminary class. Trying to get ahead a bit before going on the pilgrimage. So, more soon. Hopefully something fun that regular readers will enjoy. We will see, as sadly this year of 2026 seems determined to be interesting.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!

Pilgrimage: Finding Lodging

The good news is, I have reserved a place to use as my base of operations while on my pilgrimage. That is how I see it, rather than as a home or place to live. It is where I will lay my head, cook a meal or three, and have as a secure base as I go and explore.

When the idea of a pilgrimage first came up, I was considering doing a tour of every working monastery in Bulgaria. Take a train or fly into the east coast of Bulgaria, then work my way west staying at various monasteries along the way. That actually could be quite fun and educational; but, it would not be ideal for spiritual development and discernment. Didn’t take much to get me to reconsider that.

Basing in Sofia has a number of advantages. The Patriarchal Cathedral is there, and there have been some suggestions it would be good for me to spend some time there. There are also a number of other churches and sites to visit, and perhaps spend some time in contemplation. It is also a transportation hub with rail, bus, and air options for me to get around. Frankly, I’m looking at using the train as much as I can as fares are usually fairly inexpensive and the trips will let me see a lot more of the countryside as I go. More on that at some point later.

To be honest, I didn’t want much. My absolute requirements were a bed (pref. decent, but have slept on plywood and been grateful for it), a private bathroom, and a kitchen even if minimal. Being able to cook has a lot of advantages, and I want to make the most of them. I found a number of apartments and similar for short-term rental, and found a very good selection in the $25-$35 a day range. My ideal goal was $30 or less a day, in not too bad a neighborhood.

In my searching, I used Booking.com, RentHolidayHome.com, and a new one for me: CozyCozy.com. CozyCozy searches Booking, Air B&B, and several other sites and it ended up being very useful.

One of the things I appreciated about Booking.com is that on it’s listing, there is — way down the page — a detailed listing of what is available in a given apartment, etc. Several of the places that said they had a kitchen really had more of a kitchenette as it turned out. They might have a real oven, a toaster oven, or something else; but, quite often they did not have any form of cooktop. That detailed listing, along with the reviews from people who stayed at the property, turned into one of the most useful tools I had for comparing and evaluating properties.

When you are looking at such, do read as many of the reviews from the last 2-3 years as you can. I recommend all in the last 2 years at least. If there are trending issues, you can spot them. If appliances regularly are not working, there are leaks or other issues, it lets you know to keep looking. Not always, but quite often it’s the middle-of-the-road reviews that give you the most, or the most important, details. Caveat Emptor.

RentHolidayHomes.com was a good source as well. Different information set, but you could often find the same property on other sites and get a very good picture of things as a result. Can’t speak to booking through them, but at least for Europe they seem a very good choice for searching.

CozyCozy was one that I almost didn’t touch as the design and typography didn’t appeal to me all that much. However, I decided to give it a try given that it pulled from so many proven sources. As it worked out, I did find the apartment I’ve reserved through them.

Their search function is good, you get good info, and the ads are hosted on known/proven sites. I will be using them again if I get the chance to do more travel.

The listing I finally settled on was on Air B&B. I’ve never used them before, and have heard good and bad things about Air B&B. However, some of the bad comes from some sources who I suspect were more involved in creating the problem than admitted. So, I decided on a clean start and began reaching out to people I know for info. Net result was that all of them recommended using Air B&B, and given that some of them had used it for rentals in Europe, I decided to give it a try.

Not going to share too much information, yet, on the location but will share the following. The location is very close to ideal, in that I can easily walk to the Patriarchal Cathedral and a host of other sites in ten minutes or less (I think). There is a subway stop not very far away, and there is also bus and/or tram (looking into that) routes nearby. Going to be looking into a pass if I can, just to be safe.

I haven’t worked out the final cost per night yet (I got insurance and some optional extras), but it shouldn’t be too much above my target range if not in the upper range. Key things for me are that it has a real kitchen with cooktop, oven, hood, etc. Found out after I booked it even has an espresso machine, which I am looking forward to using. The bathroom looks very nice, and rather than being a studio it actually does have a bedroom.

Even better, the hosts are rated as superhosts and have excellent reviews, as does the property. My correspondence with them has been quite good and helpful. They seem genuinely happy to have me, and a little intrigued that I am on a pilgrimage. I’ve also been assured that their wifi is up to handling my online course, which will finish up while I’m on pilgrimage.

Oh, when I mentioned good location earlier, there are a number of markets, stores, restaurants, and the like all within easy walking distance. In fact, one of the largest markets in Sofia, with a lot of food/farm vendors, is one of them. Right now, I’m figuring that my first couple of days will be spent exploring the area and nailing down various transportation options. Should be a lot of fun.

So, deposit down and things seem off to a good start. If you are traveling somewhere and going to stay more than a couple of days, a short-term rental is a good way to go. Had some friends years back who did something similar each year in Paris. They used the apartment as a base, and got to go exploring all over. The links above will give you some good sites, and hopefully my experiences will help you along. I will be sharing more as things happen, and will let you know how things go.

Please check out my Winter 26 Bleg!