Pizza Napoli

Nothing beats the atmosphere of a cozy Italian homestead on a chilly Sunday night in Blagoevgrad. Pizza Napoli, just a minute's stroll from the American University in Bulgaria, is the place to go when you long for comfort food in a warm and easygoing setting where the service is friendly and fun in that familiar "make yourself at home" kind of way.

READING ROOM: Eight time zones away

Following their hopes and dreams for a better life, for more than a century, Bulgarians have been making the long, and often frightening, trek to Canada.

Mostly from rural backgrounds in the early years, they were young and poor and became unskilled labourers on roads and in building construction, mines and mills. In fact, there's not a railway in Canada that hasn't been worked on by Bulgarians. But what brought well-known Bulgarian musician Tisho Balinov to Canada is a different kind of story. At the age of 39 he left his home for love - his wife Mary, who

Maple Leaf Maverick, part III

I was given two great ideas tonight: Jamieson suggested I write a series of travel books, similar to Lonely Planet, but tailored for daredevil women - like me - facing quarter-life crises. Darren suggested I pitch a weekly travel column for the newspapers within my media group. The guys somehow sensed I was experiencing something like postpartum depression for a country I had just lived with for a month.

Pearl among the swine

It started out clean - my experience with a website dedicated to Bulgaria's expatriate community. I answered the pertinent questions: I'm Canadian. I'm living in Sofia. I enjoy lattes and easy conversations. My eyes are brown. What's my love style? Passionate, I suppose…but I'm not looking for love, just someone to wander with. I posted a few questions on expatinbulgaria.com's discussion board: Anyone know

A Canadian's encounters with Bulgaria

It's impossible to read instructions, understand directions, or say no and mean it at the Alexander Nevski Square Flea Market. But that's precisely the reason I chose to visit Bulgaria, a country so foreign to Canadians that my sister actually believed me when I told her I had to bathe in the river. Feeling claustrophobic in the small town I've called home for seven years, I wanted to get away, escape all things familiar. I wanted to go