Posts filed under Travel Diaries

My holidays in Bulgaria... aka, the pursuit of finding real snow.

Haha, yeah... I went home with the hope of experiencing a snowy winter for the first time in years. Instead, this is what I got. Hello, 65 degrees, sunshine, and no sign of precipitation! Long time, no see :). 

So what is one to do when your skiing trip (almost (but more on that later)) falls apart? As it turns out, plenty of options exist. Such as...

YOGA. In your own yard. In UGG boots :). Namaste never felt this good. 

HIKING. And LOTS of it. I averaged 7-8 miles a day (it turns out that getting lost in the woods helps with mileage :). And I was almost able to burn off all the calories I consumed. Almost :). 

FALL in LOVE with NATURE. And how could you not? Having lived in Houston for almost 8 years, I found myself craving to disconnect from urbanism for once. The sights and sounds of the Bulgarian forest helped handsomely and effortlessly. 

VISIT the CITY. That said, I couldn't not visit my hometown for a day or two... At the very least, I had to do my annual let's-pretend-we-are-a-tourist walk around the city. 

PHOTOGRAPH some RANDOM ANIMALS. Namely, every sheep, goat, dog or cat I encounter. Because they are just too darn cute. And free-spirited. And happy. And in their natural habitat. 

SKI. Even if it's fake snow. With your 60-year-old dad! In sunny 50-degree weather. Best ski trip ever. 

And FINALLY, enjoy some REAL SNOW. On your last day of vacation! Mission accomplished.

I must say, I closed 2015 in the best way I could imagine. I'll miss this year. But having such a good year is an inspiration to ensure 2016 is even better. My ambitious self is already plotting away how to make that happen :).

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged hometown home for the holidays beautiful Bulgaria Christmas Happy New Year.

Oh, hi there!

As I was rushing to post one more Christmas theme while waiting at the airport lounge (ahh, gold status, I will surely miss you next year! :), it dawned on me that I am defeating the purpose of what I need... a real vacation. So... with that said: Hello from Bulgaria, where the skies are bluer, the grass is greener (most of the year) and the goats are smarter. Or at least that's how glorious it feels to be home right now... 

See you soon everyone and Happy New Year! 

Posted on December 22, 2015 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged bulgaria home for the holidays.

Austin is weird. ACL is even weirder!

And, oh-so-fun!

The music! The people-watching! The fresh air! Oh, wait, never mind this last statement... (but more on that below...). ACL is pretty much the biggest party I have ever been to. And for this first-time attendee (a first-time introvert of an attendee, mind you), it was also incredibly overwhelming. Let me explain...

Austin City Limits is undoubtedly thrilling. It's so rare to find an event that can exhibit this much spirit, character and chill, all at the same time. However, for someone who "loves" crowds as much as I do, ACL is hands-down overwhelming. On Sunday alone, there were more than 75,000 people crowding the dusty fields of Zilker Park. 75,000!!! And, after a day of crowd surfing, the only high you are left with (other than the "sweet" aroma of second-hand pot smoking (I told you I was joking about the fresh air)) is the high from the incredible show put on by your favorite artist. And that alone made it absolutely worth having three-to-five layers of dust and sweat on you...

A few quick observations by this first-timer...

Let's start with the fashion... Below is my look for the day. And despite the animal print you're seeing, this was probably the most "tame" outfit you could see in the entire establishment! It would seem that ACL is the Halloween of hipster girls. An excuse to put on as little clothing as possible and still be allowed in public! (Told you... the people-watching was priceless! :)

Continuing with the fashion topic... there are apparently two mandatory things you have to wear in order to attend ACL: a wide-brimmed hat (modeled above and acquired way too late, aka, after most of the blistering sun was gone) and a pair of Ray Bans (as modeled above too but technically not pictured :).  

Then there's the food court... which felt like the most popular spot in the entire festival. So much so that it put the Hozier show to shame in the popularity contest! It was also the home of the most delicious watermelon/mint popsicle ever (I know, I never thought I would write this either). I suppose that's what severe dehydration and 93 degree-weather would do to your taste buds!

Last but not least, the music... Ah, the music! I can't believe I was able to see three artists I absolutely adore in one day! First, there was Of Monsters and Men, the band I had just seen in Houston the Monday prior and the band that inspired this last minute trip in the first place. Then, there was Alt-J, another one of my absolute favorite bands that hails from England and has the power to completely electrify a crowd of thousands. And, of course, Florence + the Machine. I had heard that she is... weird. I had heard that she has a powerful voice. But none of that prepared me for one of the most engaging and well-sounding performances I have ever seen. She is a sheer genius (and no, I am not just talking about her sheer clothing, which she gracefully displayed throughout). 

All in all, I cannot believe I have lived in Houston for almost 8 years and am just finding my way to Austin City Limits. I can see this becoming an yearly tradition... 

PS: This post delivered to you a week late due to the severe lack of sleep and this blogger's need to catch up :) But, as someone smart once said on Pinterest, "no one looks back on their life and remembers the nights they had plenty of sleep." Right? 

PPS: Featured below... behind-the-scenes of "How to Make a Wine-Filled Water Bottle Look Like Art Photography." Real skills, indeed :) 

Happy Sunday!

Posted on October 18, 2015 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged Austin ACL Music Festival.

Houston Treasures | Rienzi

Ah, the Rienzi, my home away from home. Okay, this is wishful thinking. But this former home of philanthropists Carroll Sterling Masterson and Harris Masterson III is the most potent reminder I have ever had of one of my absolute favorite places in the world, dad's store. Ever since I was 5, our antique store was a safe place for play, inspiration, and socializing. Read, my happy place! 

So when I heard that the Rienzi was open on Labor Day (oh, Labor Day... the best way to celebrate work (by not working) sine 1887), I quickly switched my original plans for the day (sorry, Brazos Bend, you will have to happen next weekend). I also suspected that not a lot of people would know that the Rienzi is open today.  And boy, was I right. For all intents and purposes today I toured this expansive mansion alone. Literally. There was no other visitor in sight. Which, amazingly, turned into a private 2-hour tour of the house with 4 of their very knowledgeable docents.

One of my favorites, by the way, was the Mexican Room. It's part of the original house that was designed by the prominent Houston architect John Staub in 1952. It boasts gorgeous Spanish tiles, beautiful white stucco walls and 4 stunning wooden columns (you can see a detail from that below).

But wait, there's more...

The gardens of the Rienzi are worth their very own gallery (conveniently featured below). In the heart of River Oaks, these grounds are some of the finest in Houston's oldest and richest neighborhood. 

Stunning finish to a much needed three-day weekend! Happy Monday (that feels like Sunday!). 

Posted on September 7, 2015 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged houston rienzi MFAH.

Not too bad, eh? Hello, Canada!

Calgary, you are outstanding! Who knew I would love a city this much? Granted, I visited it at the right time of the year (ahem, when it's not below 0°F), I was entertained by the right kind of crowd (one who knows their way around the gourmet wonder that Calgary is!), and I stayed in the right hotel on the right floor, with the right view (evidence below). Truly, everything about this city is tasty, hip, and very appealing to my tastes.

My personal favorites in Calgary revolve primarily around the food there. I am astonished at how many great places there are to try out! If you are ever in town, check out some of the best ice cream you will ever have (and yes, they are open in the winter too... it's that good), the place that has had 165 menus in the last 250 weeks (their shrimp and grits are to die for) or the best German sausage you will have outside of Germany (and bear in mind that the large bratwurst platter can feed an army rather than two skinny girls). And please notice how gorgeous each of those spots are! It felt like design porn for this blogger.

And honestly, the summer in Canada is absolutely glorious. Everything about Calgary was showered in golden summer light and fresh air. It was the most refreshing business trip I have taken in years. No jet lag, just pure joy! Happy Sunday!

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged calgary canada alberta model milk village ice cream wurst.

Home: Where Old and New Live Happily Ever After

When you love something, every time you come back to it, it feels like you never left and you find something new to love about it... And my hometown Plovdiv has been undergoing a sort of Renaissance in the past few years which makes it even more interesting to visit: old ruins learning new tricks, playful modern novelties throughout, and art and culture beaming at every corner. What I love the most about Plovdiv though is how all of these seemingly contradicting things about it live so easily together.

So, here is a quick look at the old (Plovdiv's Roman stadium that housed more than 30,000 spectators; Plovdiv's Roman amphitheater which is still a home to nightly performances and houses a good 5,000 people; the main cathedral; Plovdiv's City Hall; the Main Street; and sights from the Old Town from the 19th century):

And here's a look at some of the new the city has to offer (a sign celebrating Plovdiv's selection to be European culture capital for 2019; some gorgeous murals I came across and a look at the lovely decor of a restaurant I visited):

Happy Sunday! 

Posted on June 28, 2015 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged home plovdiv bulgaria theater stadium.

Celebrating Life (or at least my first 30 years of it) in Istanbul!

When I was planning my escapade from any sort of mention of my birthday in the US (I love attention, said no INTJ ever), I had one thing in mind: going home and doing absolutely nothing which (as usual) I awesomely failed at. Case in point? While at it, I figured I'd take advantage of one of the best things about Europe (its tiny size) and take a quick 4-hour drive to one of the greatest cities in the world.... Istanbul. So here is how I got to spend my (30th) birthday:

- I walked 22,000+ steps throughout Istanbul in one day, visiting Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque, Topkapi, the Grand Bazaar and everything and anything in between. 

- Yet I still somehow managed to gain a good 5 pounds in that one day because the food is just that good there.

- I took the longest possible taxi ride anyone would ever willingly sign up for (3.5 hrs) to get to dinner. Well, scratch that, it was not willingly. Istanbul traffic is intense!

- But, I got to experience the most amazing birthday dinner I could ever imagine (chef's choice for every bite and sip is a sure way of getting the finest (and, ahem, priciest) items on the menu).

- And most importantly, I got to spend my birthday with the people I love the most in this world. 

While there, I also got to capture some of my favorite things about Istanbul (and sadly, no, I still haven't found a way to digitally capture aromas and tastes): the city's gorgeous and awe-inspiring textures, colors, and shapes... 

I'd say this is one heck of a way to close out the first 30 years of one's life! Now I am just hoping the next 30-40-50-60 years are just as fun! And... there is so much more to share from this amazing trip (e.g. the 1,987,267,473,864 pictures I took). Coming soon!

Posted on June 21, 2015 by Katya Popova and filed under Travel Diaries and tagged istanbul turkey home europe vacation.