Amazing store and Christmas decoration in New York...

 

The stores in New York are not simply stores...they are an entertainment avenue, a colourful and breathtaking world, a place to be! It is something special just to wander through the biggest shops and check their interior design and decoration, another trick for more clients (as I was taught during my studies)! But even if its just a trick to get more money out of you, its a very pleasant and good-mood-spraying water-pistole...

 

I have smiled and laughed in the M&M shop, then admired at the variety of products in the Grand Central Market (first picture, the ceiling there), watched the starts change their colours in the entree of Shopping Mall Columbus Circle...

 

...and of course end of November the Christmas decoration in the shops and in the streets...is soooo putting you in the right mood:-)))

So just have a look and enjoy, as I did!

Modern buildings in New York...

 

There is so much to see in New York (known also as "concrete jungle"), that one may actually oversee some of the real beauties...
This blog is dedicated to few buildings that are worth mentioning, at least according to me:-)
- Flatiron Building (first picture) is a triangle masterpiece which when finished in 1902 was one of the highest buildings. At the beginning the locals were making bets how much wind will out it down;
This month an artist paint paper coffee cups and hangs them at the exhibition room on the ground floor.

 

 - the Grand Central Station (third and fourth pics) is another architectural beauty, created by artists from the "Ecole des Beaux Arts de Paris"...It does not feel like a station but like a huge (public) palast. The ceiling depicts the sky and its star constellations, a beautiful eye-catcher!

 

- when the lights go on the Chrysler Building really stand out with its lovely at-deco crown. It is 319 meters high and it was the tallest building in the city before the Empire State Building was finished in 1931. Nowadays it holds place number three.

 

- the Guggenheim Museum is a piece of art also without the art inside of it...Its shapes and the changing day-light make its interior different all the time. The current exhibition of the Italian artist Catellan looks like a creative hanger where all his masterpieces are put on display...

New York impressions in few pictures and words...

 

 My first time in New York city...The city is at the same time magical and majestic, big and cozy, multicultural and American, busy and quiet:-) This time I have decided to share with you my travel impressions in likes and dislikes, about my one week in Manhattan...

My top  LIKEs are:
- the extremely diverse and impressive architecture
(from art nouveau to headturning skyscrapers and shiny ads on enormous screens);
- the  very friendly, polite and helpful locals;
- the yummy greenmarkets: like the Farmers market at Union Square  or the one on 47th street;
- the incredible art and culture programme
(with several pieces of art in the streets and tons of great museums)
- the beautiful and charming shops displays and  their interior decoration;
- the breathtaking views that some platforms (as top of the Rock or the Bar "View, last picture)
offer of this big and busy city;
- the cute and curious welcome-greeters in Central Park, the sqirrels
(one even came to me and show me the nut she/he has found before going up on a tree to hide it for the winter);

 

...As everything has two sides, here are also my top DISLIKEs:
- the stinky food carts at every second corner;
- the crowds in Manhattan at certain times of the day;
- the (American) addiction to non-stop shopping and consumption
(yesterday when I was in front of Macy`s almost squeezed from shopping-addicts and when I saw how full the shops are-both with people and products, mostly made in China, I start to wonder how did mankind could change that way, or was this just the job well done of all advertisement industry)....

Some more of my discoveries to come in few days...

Sculptures in Sofia center : open-air and between autumn leaves

 

In the middle of the center of Sofia several beautful sculptures are literally hiding in the garden behind the National Art Gallery. They are located around the cozy bar-cafeteria "Toba&co" I had already written about. Most of the sculptures depict ordinary people.

I had difficulties finding the names of the artists, however I have to admit that I love the mix of pieces of art in this open-air setting and their different colours and materials....What do you think?

The delicious Bulgarian cuisine/ Bulgarian food: starters (part 1)

 

One of the things I miss the most as a Bulgarian living abroad is the Bulgarian...cuisine! Thats why today I would to talk about/ show you (some of) the delicious and healthy dishes I have grown up with:-) In this entry I will start with the starters, as we have many (both cold and warm). You need to know that the Bulgarians eat extremely a lot of vegetables, I dont refer only to salad, as almost every meal starts or contains a salad. A lot of the ingredients or often the whole dish is just veggies (not that we dont have meat and fish dishes), even if one does not see it at first glance..

 

One of the most famous cold starter is the mix of baked peppers, aubergines and tomatoes (known as  "кjopolu"(bg. "кьопоолу"). The yoghurt salad made out of yoghurt, cucumber s, walnuts and dill is called "Snejanka" (as the girl in the fairy tale ). Both starters (as presented and served at one of best traditional restaurants in Sofia, "Pod lipite") are on the third picture. Another typical Bulgarian starter are the baked red peppers, peeled and served with oil.

 

The white cheese baked in the oven, together with honey and fresh thyme, is very yummy warm dish or starter, depending on your hunger. A dish, that symbolises the arrival of the warm months is the grilled courgettes-plate. It is always served with yoghurt sauce, granished with garlic and dill...I enjoyed the plate below this weekend in the very good restaurant "Manastirska magerniza" in the center of Sofia.

De Horsten in Wassenaar, a sunny autumn walk

 

This Saturday on suggestion of (David from) my photo club IMAGES we went to the absolutely amazing park De Horsten in Wassenaar. This huge piece of land is a royal property, open to the public during the day...

 

 

Its was an extremely lovely place for a walk in the autumn sun! Next to forest, lake and a tea pavillion one may encounter different birds, mushrooms and other shy or less shy inhabitants...

 
This time I did not discover anything bigger than a lady bug... So I think I have to go back:-) ... to look for the hedgehogs, butterflies and deers!

Favignana, one of the beautiful Egadi islands next to Sicily

 

The biggest island of the three Egadi islands in the west of Sicily is Favignana. The other two are called Levanzo and Maretimo. Some time ago Favignana was a fisherman island. Nowadays there are still some fisherman left (however the tuna factories are closed and working as a museum). The waters around Egadi island sare marine park. The most important industry for the island is now the tourism. There are ferries to Egadi both from Trapani and Marsala several times a day. .

We had a lovely sunny bike tour and discovered the hidden beaches, the colourful houses and at the end met Pietro. The ex-carabinieri , now a pensioneer still goes diving and brings back rests form sunken ships. This time he has gotten rest of vessels: one from the Middle Age and one (much older) from the Roman times!.