earrings

I had my ears pierced for the first time a number of months ago, and only because my six year old daughter insisted. She has had hers for two years already, and by my permission too. Well now I am in earring mania, always on the look out for feminine, ethereal, colorful, exotic, and vintage ear decor. My utmost favorite earrings are dangling soft feather ones, which I had to order from America as there were none in Sofia. The magic of feather earrings is that they are large and chandelier and quite awe inspiring, while also being light as a feather, and they are an outfit in themselves. The retro green ones above are darling, but head ache inducing due to their weight. In the middle are my gold and pearl everyday earrings.
Feather earrings purchased here.

best sofia restaurants

pastorant

before & after

brasserie

I have transitioned into primarily writing restaurant reviews for The Sofia Echo newspaper, and according to my portfolio, I could venture into calling myself as quite the restaurant critic. So in that light here are my favorite restaurants in Sofia, of the ones that I have been to. I am focusing food, and on decor and ambiance, because a good restaurant is an entire experience. Good food can be had at home too, but an enchanting serene oasis, or a visit to previous era, are what I desire in a meal out.

---Best Modern Restaurant:

BRASSERIE is the ultimate minimalist, stylish, oasis, but not in a cold and clinical way, instead comforting and highly pleasing to the senses. The cuisine has an Asian influence and everything on the menu is gourmet (except the so called Bio Breakfast) and artful prepared and presented. My favorites include, the authentic Caesar salad (a rarity in BG), Beef Carpaccio, Tuna Tartar, Duck Breast, Salmon, and more. Although the menu has been recently updated so I do not know all the dishes however I have no doubt of their deliciousness. Brasserie also offers sushi brunch on Sunday's, with authentic results, and as always their delectable cocktails including lychee mojito.
www.brasserie-bg.com

---Best Antique/Vintage/Feminine Restaurants:

PASTORANT. The name is slightly odd, perhaps signaling an inspiration by the past, and because of their menu offering primarily pasta, however it is suiting. The dishes are simple, not pompous, and of quality ingredients with a homemade feel. The decor is the main attraction at Pastorant, with themes of pale yellow and spring green, the restaurant is profuse with delicate details wherever the eye looks, ornate birdcages (without birds), golden mirror frames, delicate sconces, and porcelain jars, and so on.
www.pastorant.eu

The historic 19th century building of BEFORE & AFTER once belonged to a poetess and was the gathering place of Sofia's cultural elite, and this ambiance is still present today. On Sunday evenings the floor is cleared and Tango night commences. The interior of the restaurant is restored and magnificent in darling green with gorgeous architectural delights. At the center is a lush water fountain, and the ladies lavatory is practically a boudoir. The chocolate souffle is a incredible.

---Best Inexpensive, but Delicious Restaurant:

KRIVOTO has a number of restaurants throughout Sofia which feature large menus, including Bulgarian cuisine, Italian, and continental. My favorite items are the Norwegian Salad with ruccola, smoked salmon, nuts, and sun dried tomatoes, the spinach soup served with yogurt, and pizza Spinachi with, spinach, garlic, feta cheese, and eggs. One of the best aspects of Krivoto, is that I do not detect a presence of bullion cubes, or the artificial flavor enhancer monosodium-glutamate, which are found in virtually all cheap restaurants, making Krivoto an excellent for your finances and your health. And the interiors are not bad at all.
www.krivoto.com

---Best all Seasons City Garden:

CLUB OF THE ARCHITECTS is genuinely housed in the manor house of an architects club. The restaurant is vast, with a capacity of perhaps a hundred or more, making it a suitable choice for large entertaining, including a wedding. But it in no way resembles a large flat rectangle meeting hall of some vulgar hotel, instead the restaurant has a charming winter garden, all of glass and ornate metalwork, which can open to the luscious exterior garden with it's winding path leading to different secluded spots. Deep inside the building are further rooms used during winter months. Club of the Architects is almost treasure hunt like, with different parts one must explore to discover. The cuisine is gourmet.
11 Krakra St, in the Doctors Garden area.

amigos

My most recent restaurant review has earned me a little controversy amongst the Sofia Echo readers, in fact it has been jolly good fun reading all the comments, especially the negative ones. The absolute best negative commenter had to be banned, and the offending material deleted, sadly I did not save it but it went something like this "What does this author expect, kids romping around blah blah blah, Amigos is the best thing to happen to Sofia"

Basically the comments went into three categories, one being full supporters of the restaurant, as in the comment above, the following disliking the restaurant for example "Soy mexicana. Este restaurante es una mierda. He comido mejor comida mexicana en un basurero." translating to "I am Mexican. This restaurant is crap. I have eaten better food in a rubbish bin." And the amusing last category of hatters just insulting me with no merit. "I question whether the author has ever had Mexican food." or "I had read a review in the Sofia Echo, which was obviously written by someone who has never in her life had mexican or tex-mex cuisine for that matter. The only valid point she raised was how to clean the blankets/table cloths that cover all the tables."

Here is my response and justification: To begin with I lived in Southern California for 10 years, entirely integrating in the way of life there. So I can safely say I know what a burrito is. My true opinion of Amigos is that they must lower their price to 2 leva per burrito, to match the poor quality, or really get their act together and craft some genuine mexican food to match the high prices.

But the newspaper I work for has humane policies, of writing honestly, while also taking in to account that this is someones livelihood, (this is not perez hilton). Therefore I can't just write an entirely critical review, and put someone out of business. So I tried to show the positive, while also including the main problem (spices). The negatives are clear in my article, without my having to use the word "bad". I stand by my article!

dm

Not long ago I mentioned my extreme fondness for DM, a German cosmetics shop. To my delight there are two in Sofia already, and quite many more throughout Bulgaria. The very same day the Sofia branch opened I was there right after breakfast, with my little buddy (daughter), and we enjoyed in 15% off, on the entire store, and some freebies, and fresh flowers as celebratory gifts. The joy inducing aspect of DM, is their brand products, items that are of high German quality, and very humble prices, lower price tags then the vulgar, toxic, of questionable origin stuff that is sold in this country. This is my IKEA of cosmetics! DM's brand has different names according to the type of product:

Alverde, my favorite, for natural and organic beauty and cosmetic items.
Balea for regular cosmetic products
Babylove for baby items, including daipers, and baby wipes
Prinzessin Sternzauber for bath related items for little princesses
Dontodent for dental hygiene
Profissimo, household items
Das Gesud Plus for supplements and vitamins
Denk Mit for cleaning supplies

There are even more, and all can be identified by their smallish DM logo on each item. Now our house is entirely Dee-eM-ified: shampoo, liquid soap, toothpaste, mouthwash, hand cream, body lotion, foot butter, baby wipes, hair elastics, hair clips, kitchen gloves, dishwasher tablets, natural cellulose sponges, paper sandwich wrap, flax seed oil capsules, vitamin lollipops, hardwood floor cleaner, toilet paper, toilet cleaner, and my many natural face care items; face scrub, cleansing milk, toner, eye cream, face serum, face cream, and tinted face cream.
For the first time in my life, cleaning the toilet is on the fun spectrum of life, and being on my knees washing the floor with that nice DM cleaner with Brazilian jungle wax felt worthwhile and our wood floor is smile inducing, glossy and pretty.

Now to complete my material needs of affordable favorites Sofia needs the (soon to be open in 2010) Swedish Ikea for all home items, and H&M for family clothing, then a Californian Trader Joe's for groceries.

georgiana

There is a lady I am in love with, Georgiana Cavendish, the Duchess of Devonshire. I saw the film (The Duchess, 2008) by chance, and was enchanted, enamored, enthralled with its leading character. I immediately ordered the book from America, which after many months never came, although it was re-sent a number of times (amazon never again) resulting in my canceling the order. Finally after half a year I discovered the biography here in Sofia, and read and read all summer, and my adoration of Georgiana is ever so strong.

Georgiana lived in 18th century England during King George's rein (the one who went mad) and became the most admired and adored figure of her time, she was in fact the very first celebrity. Known as "The Empress of Fashion" for her own creative designs in clothing and hair, all females imitated her, and everyone loved her, except her husband, who's only concern was a male heir. Georgiana was also extremely kindhearted and sincere, and had the ability to carry on conversations with a number of people at a time, say at a party, and make each one feel, as if all her attention was on them (without being fake).
I highly recommend the movie, and the book. The film was incredible, Keira Knightly is stellar, as is the entire cast, for me it was the best film of 2008, and one of my favorite of all time. The cretinous Oscars only gave it a best costume award. The biography by Amanda Foreman is the ultimate Georgiana source, although it was a long read, as there is an over abundance of history and politics, with those parts being painfully unreadable for a non history buff like myself, the other parts being quite great. Therefore perhaps a suggestion of film first, book later. Still the book is the Georgiana epicenter, which I must also add that the movie changed quite a bit, but I feel both are equally fantastic.

The reasons I love Georgiana:
- For her creativity and braveness in all aesthetic aspects. Her fashion designs, her magnificent hair adornments and styles.
- Her social and etiquette talents. She had the ability to converse with all types of people and on all topics, and really care and be present in every conversation, and her ease in giving speeches in public.
- Her creative word. All her correspondence letters were beautifully eloquent, and she wrote a book named The Sylph,
- Her sharp mind. She was deeply involved in politics.
- Her tortured personal life, her unloving husband was impossibly cold, and uncommunicative. She was constantly pressured by everyone (including newspapers)to provide a son.
- Her humbleness in physical pain and health troubles. Near the end of her life, she endured horrific health treatments/surgery, with braveness and without complaint.
- And above all her mothering, she was one of the only aristocratic women of her time to breastfeed her babies, she was very present in their lives, as a mother and a friend, and she sacrificed her life for her children, by giving up the love of her life (not her husband) Charles Grey (Earl Grey, (my favorite tea)).

note: man in red hair is her brother, she is on the left, the other female is her sister.

eatery

madonna

When it was announced that Madonna would be coming to Bulgaria to perform her Sticky&Sweet tour, I was in utter disbelief, and in the following months I would glance upon concert posters while strolling the streets of Sofia, in a dreamlike state. I could not imagine Madonna knowing of my little country, let alone coming here, to sing! While I do adore her, I did not purchase tickets, as I thought them to expensive, and I am weary of such big events. Furthermore we live very very close to the stadium, and from our balcony the lighting is visible, and everything can be heard, so I would in fact have a free almost concert.
When the date arrived, August 29, I strolled into our park housing the grand stadium intrigued, to spy in on the happenings, and I discovered that tickets were still available. Quick metal calculations, on the being-alive-aspect of my favorite musicians trio, Freddie Mercury, Michael Jackson and Madonna, brought up that only one remained, and thus I decided to go to the concert. I rushed home got the necessary money, and returned to buy a ticket for the trenches, the standing only space in front of the stage.
While it was planned that I would go with a group of friends, a misunderstanding resulted in my being alone, as their tickets were for a different zone, further back then I. But its was ok, I was all decked out, in fun ensemble, in an exhilarating mood, I felt good.

The concert was not as elaborate, and extravagant as I expected, and the costumes were mediocre, and she did leave us waiting a whole hour from when Paul Oakenfold ended to when she began, but the feeling when the spectacle began, the energy, the songs, the dancing were brilliant. She kept saying things like "How are you feeling it Sofia?" "Give it to me Bulgaria", all in all about fifteen times in two hours, which was touching as it gave us the feeling that she actually knew she was in our little country of 8 million, and remembered, and cared. I was impressed. The homage to Michael Jackson, as it was also his birthday fantastic. All in all Madonna was amazing, I even teared up at one point.

fashion photography

My husband Lazar has been a fashion photographer full time now close to four years, but we only just completed his website. He designed the visual concept, a friend of ours then made it for him, and I selected, and resized, and uploaded all the images. I am extremely proud of my man, and always in awe at his talents, so without further ado, presenting:

LAZAR VISION

Be sure to click through all the images in "photography", it works like the pages of a portfolio.

stara zagora

We spent a week in my birthplace, the city of Stara Zagora.
Story coming soon.

swedish color

I discovered another darling illustrator, and when I scoped her out further, low and behold she is based in Sweden, similar to fellow Swede Cecilia Carlsted, Stina Persson's art flows and drips with vibrant watercolor. While in school, I disliked this medium for its lack of composure due to bleeding, and unpredictable shading result when dry, but these talented ladies manage controlled weeping and dripping, and their outcomes are brilliant. Notice the sun ray sparkling through the rose hips and leaves, as if they were real, the girl in the black sketch is entrancingly cool, the colors in the orange and read piece are joyous, and the composition in the aubergine/magenta is magnifique.