Seaside Fun!

The Black Sea. Sounds like something off a pirate movie :) But 'tis just our local body of water.

I don't like our seaside mainly because of construction works that have taken over the entire coastline. Also, the Black Sea water is just that - black and polluted to a greater degree than, let's say, the Mediterranean Sea.

But still, I'm here, at our lovely seaside. And can you guess what? I'm lovin' it!! We are in the southern part of Bulgaria with my parents and some friends who own apartments in this cool new mini-village. It's very well built overlooking the sea from an elevated post on several cliffs. There are apartment buildings, a hotel, 5 pools, a spa and relaxation center, and the BEACH right there! (well, right down the cliffs, but still pretty close).

The best part about it all: ALMOST NO PEOPLE! No crowds, no annoying kids circling around their plump Russian moms lol, no "towely" beaches instead of sandy beaches... True bliss! Free brunch, wireless internet at the hotel and all that jazz! :D How can I not be happy?

And the sea is so pretty! Unbelievable! I've never seen it shine in that gorgeous turquoise tint.... Attached are some photos. Enjoy!

Some sunflowers along the way...

The view from our friends' balcony.

It is necessary for every Martina to have tried Martini, right? :) Background=the sea.

I was climbing some cliffs and saw these flowers which looked nice with the blue sea behind.

Mom and the sea. It was THAT blue, legit, no photoshop used ...

Off to see the sea...

Just passing by to say that I'll be off to the seaside for the next few days, so no updates from me, sadly... Not that I've been terribly good at updates this past year, but oh well ... :)

Mom and Dad are going with me, and we'll be swimming around the southern coast of Bulgaria - visiting some friends and what not. I'm looking forward to it because I haven't touched salty water since... I don't know, since last May *May of last year*.

YAY Swimming in the sea!

Will keep ya posted... :)

01:59

Once again the wee hours of the morning are slowly beginning to wallow in.
What happened to sleep? Why am I skillfully avoiding this activity of complete rest? Hmm. If only I knew.

I got an inspiration - to draw. And I thought I was inspired to use water colors, but it turned out I was in the mood for dry chalks as well... You never know. Well anyway, here are the two little pictures I drew in the last hour or 2...

Andalusian horse head, Water color

Arabian foal, Chalk

Lusitano stallion head, Chalk

Summer so Far...

It's been a month since I arrived back in Bulgaria.
And I miss London. I missed it SO MUCH, every day! I was bored, annoyed, nostalgic - all because I had left the safe confounds of my Earl's Court flat and Richmond University and had entered my 'home country' where life had changed... I mean, of course I was so happy to see my family and friends (the few friends I have roaming the streets of Sofia), but I felt lost in a way... I had been missing from Bulgaria for months - time during which everyone I know here changed, and everyone's life developed - and I missed it all... My life was back in London. Not here.

And then thankfully, I got a bit of London here - a good friend from Richmond (Kevin) and his friend from high school (Melissa) came to Bulgaria for a week. We had an amazing time exploring the country and generally sleeping and eating... I was so happy during that week and all my nostalgia disappeared ...

(in front of the amphitheater in Plovdiv)

... only to reappear after that, stronger than before! Sigh...

I also saw my dear friend Cynthia - almost a year after I last saw her on NYC ground :) Such lovely memories...

And last, but certainly not least, I got together with my best friends - Misha, Katya, Iliana, Dessi, Vessi, etc, etc, etc... Sadly not everyone is back for the summer... but we'll have to manage somehow...

As my lazy days rolled on, I thought it would be smart to take up random activities such as tennis and my most favorite thing in the world- horse riding!! :D I still haven't done as much riding as I hoped since my membership card expired and I have to get a new one... But I went to an international FEI Show Jumping event in Sofia and took some pictures (you can see more photos on my photoblog martynikphoto.blogspot.com (go-go self-promotion;))
Now I'm busier than usual because my lazy days turned to business days. I'm doing an internship which takes up most of my day and leaves little time in the evening to drive around and do whatever I want to do. It's great, I love it! (of course) For now, I'm stuck in Sofia for good, though I have random little getaway plans for the near future... Will let you know what happens...

And once again I realize that one of my greatest flaws is that I plan too much and don't do it all.. :) Weeeeell, one day I'll be good at planning everything perfectly (always leaving space for unexpected surprises though)

Bye for now! I'm sending you all lots of love!!

Time for another blog...

Summer time.
Sizzling streets.
Sun is out, 24/7 (it's actually 23/6/08).
Sofia is hot. Everyone is sort of mad... :) I guess the heat waves don't really appeal to Bulgarians that much, especially to all those individuals who cannot go swim in the sea but are forced to drive around Sofia all day - to work and back, to the mall and back...

And in that atmosphere (talk about a lack thereof), I sit at home (currently at work) and think. And since my thoughts are no good if they're just in my head, I've decided to start yet another blog and let you all know what's happening inside, around, and over my head...

So hopefully I will be able to keep you up to date with my random adventures, just like old times. After all, blogs are fun and I miss having one. Hehe. Therefore now I have a total of 6 blogs, 2 or 3 of which I might actually update... lol. Efficiency at its best :P

Yes, as of today, I will spend my online time writing blog entries too, not just stalking individuals on Facebook (bless Facebook by the way).

See you soon!