April 26 2005 page 13 |
2005 BALKANS TOURBen Oostdam |
Sofia BULGARIA |
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In Dimitrovgrad, we got off the bus and Irene asked me to help her transfer her abundant luggage to the train. I did so, then found myself a first class cabin.
Just a few minutes after I "installed" myself, she came over and invited me to her second class car. This was fine with me and she pointed out various sites we passed,
though I did not take photographs any more because I had drained the battery. We arrived in Sofia when it got dark, and there was an hour time difference between Serbia and Bulgaria. I helped Irene with her luggage because she refused a porter even though I offered to pay and was exhausted lugging around her and my own gear what with non-operative escalators and no elevators. Fortunately she consented to share a taxi once we decided that it was too late for me to go to Hotel Brod in some suburb where I had reservations, and she assured me that her mother would put me up for the night. |
 Georgia and Irene view from window |
 Once there, in a pleasant apartment on the 6th floor , I met her 78 year old mother Georgia who was to have an eye operation the next morning. She spoke a little German and we spent the whole evening looking at Irene's photoalba, talking with her 73 year old uncle and eating potatoes, cabbage and sausage. |
| Irene also made a phone call to cancel my hotel and assured me there was to be no charge, so I gave her the same amount I saved that way to help cover (half of) the cost of mother's operation. |