Libana

Marytha arriving in Sofia after our long flight from Boston!

Having arrived at our first hotel in Sofia!

Linda's daughter Lexi, Marytha, and Lisa explore Sofia

Our beloved Balkan vocal coach, tour leader, and dear friend--the incomparable Tatiana Sarbinska

Tatiana Sarbinska's daughter Petya--our other wonderful tour leader, singer extraordinaire, & friend

Our 2 dear travel companions: Lusi (our great driver) & Rumi (our captivating translator/tour guide)

Presiding over Sofia, a statue of St. Sophia, after the Greek Goddess of wisdom.

Being greeted in Kaloyanovo with traditional bread, honey, & chubritsa.

Lisa dipping her bread in honey and chubritsa in Kaloyanovo.

Leaving our Kaloyanovo friends the morning after our concert & an amazing party/songfest.

Cyrillic for USA, we prepare for the performers' street parade at the Bourgas International Festival

Linda, ready to dance Afunga in the streets of Bourgas, w/our young Bulgarian USA sign holde

Cheryl with our young Bulgarian USA sign holder, waiting for the Bourgas street parade to start.

Queueing up in the Bourgas International Folklore Festival performers' street parade!

And another group waiting for the Bourgas Festival street parade to start...

And yet another group waiting for the Bourgas Festival street parade to begin!

Performing on an informal stage prior to the Bourgas Festival mainstage evening concert

Waiting to perform, Sue watches Macedonian dancers at a shopping mall street performance in Bourgas

Performing at a shopping mall as part of the neighborhood concerts of the Bourgas Festival.

Lisa, Marytha, & Cheryl at sound check for the evening mainstage performance at Bourgas Festival.

Dancers waiting their turn to perform on the Mainstage of the Bourgas Festival.

Representing the USA in the Bourgas International Festival opening ceremony...

A Jordanian dance troupe on the Bourgas Festival mainstage

Libana performs a Bulgarian song on the Bourgas International Festival mainstage

Bulgarian dancers on the Bourgas Festival Mainstage

Libana dances in the closing ceremony horo with all other Festival participants and audience members

Closing ceremony dance at the Bourgas Folklore Festival

Young women high in Rhodope Mountains prepare to dance on Aug. 15 (Mary's Day) village celebration.

A traditional dance at a village celebration on Aug. 15 (Mary's Day) in the Rhodope Mountains

Marytha with Babi's (grandmothers) at village celebration Aug 15 (Mary's Day) in Rhodope Mountains.

Babi's (grandmothers) at village celebration Aug 15 (Mary's Day) in Rhodope Mountains.

Allison dances at a Mary's Day (Aug 15) celebration high in the Rhodope Mountains.

Lisa listens to one group of village singers at Mary's Day celebration in Rhodope Mountains

Linda's daughter Lexi & village singers listen to Libana sing at Mary's Day celebration in Rhodope M

Libana sings at a village celebration on Aug. 15 (Mary's Day) in Rhodope Mountain village

Linda, Lisa, & Allison sing at Rhodope Mountain village celebration on Aug 15 (Mary's Day)

Village women singing at Rhodope Mountain village celebration on Aug 15 (Mary's Day)

A conversation among Tatiana, Sue, and one of the Rhodope Mountain village singers

Sue and one of the village singers in the Rhodope Mountains

Village singers toast with glasses of rakiya at the dinner table

Petya sings with one of the village women at the dinner table...

Cheryl and Tatiana singing with the village singers around the table in the Rhodope Mountains

Linda and Tatiana dance a rachenitsa after dinner in the Rhodope Mountain village

Marytha and Tatiana after dinner at the village celebration in the Rhodope Mountains

Libana and new friends as we prepare to leave the Rhodope Mountain village

Marytha and her Babi friend in the Rhodope Mountains

Lisa and her new friend in the Rhodope Mountains

Everyone singing, playing & dancing across the field at dusk as we head to our bus to leave

At an afternoon picnic & music party under a 1000 year old oak tree in a field near the Greek border

Marytha and Sue play with the village instrumentalists at the picnic near the Greek border

Looking down the table, through the musicians towards Greece....

A traditional hay cart in the village of Rila (Pirin Mountains)

Marytha at a lunch picnic in the Pirin Mountains

Looking into the Pirin Mountains, some of the tallest in Europe.

At a picnic in the Pirin Mountains, Libana sings Bulgarian songs to the mountains

Meeting with a group of traditional singers (Babi's or grandmothers) in Dob'rsko, near Bansko

Babi's in Dob'rsko

Linda being dressed in a traditional bridal outfit by the village women of Dob'rsko

Linda and her husband Endre dressed in traditional wedding outfits by the village women of Dob'rsko

Petya, Allison and village women of Dob'rsko

Libana and the Dob'rsko Babi's

Traditional weaving

Traditional Bulgarian weavings for sale on a street in Bansko

A traditional Bulgarian fire dance (on hot coals)

Libana had the amazing opportunity to spent a night at the Rila Monastery (a World Heritage site)

Lisa and Cheryl hiking to the Caves of Sveti Ivan nearby the Rila Monestary

Lisa emerging from the sacred caves of the hermit Sveti Ivan nearby the Rila Monastery

Singing a song to Rumi at our farewell dinner in Sofia

Allison and Petya at our farewell dinner in Sofia