Baba Marta

This post is about me getting my martenitsa in Lozen, Bulgaria. It’s Baba Marta Day and I’m about to Germany for a medical checkup.

When I woke up I didn’t know where I was or how I had gotten there.

I looked around and remembered that I was in the loft of my friend’s house. It was located in the village of Lozen, not far from Sofia. I had arrived in the evening before. First I had showered and changed into new clothes, then I had eaten a tasty warm dinner, and then I had read Bulgarian books with a little friend. Or rather: I had pointed at pictures in her books and read out individual words that sounded funny to her.

the plan

I was really here. The Caboose was asleep in a garage, my sleeping bags and my tent were in a corner in the loft, and I was here on the bed. In a few hours I would have to be at the airport.

The plan was simple: fly to Frankfurt, get checked up for my MS, then stay a few weeks and get some physical therapy. I felt nervous about the checkup. What if they told me my condition had worsened? It was better not to think about it.

my martenitsa

We had breakfast and tea, and then I was asked to stretch out my arm. Today was the 1st of March, or Baba Marta Day, or the day of “Grandma March”, and therefore I needed to get my own martenitsa. Baba Marta was the one responsible for bringing spring, and apparently she liked people who wore martenitsi around their wrists.

And now I was one of them.

pictures

Getting my martenitsa:

Martenitsafied:

Mme La Cabouse in her garage (with a bodyguard):

Daily photo with airplane:

Two kittehs in the nei

Sofia Airport:

Looks like Sega Airport: