Bulgaria and being gone

Hey, guys! Flat out, I really didn't expect to not open up my blog or reader for so many days straight. Even with the holidays I planned to get a post or two in, not to mention catching up with my favorite blogs as usual, but that'll come. Unfortunately, I spent my last couple of days in Bulgaria not feeling well and have been trying to get better ever since.

I'll  make a quick post tonight and make proper ones later on, just so I feel like getting back to it and I hope from now on, mostly, I'll have more time to keep a regular schedule, because I myself find unpredictable, chaotic blogs hard to follow and not as fun to keep up with.

Anyway. As I've mentioned before, my boyfriend and I were invited to a wedding in Bulgaria, which we were both really excited about, since none of us had ever visited Bulgaria before. The packing was a pain, first of all... You'd think that after moving to another country and basically traveling on somewhat regular basis I'd have an easier time with it, but - not really. I do make lists, though to keep organized and not forget things, but other than that - pretty much everything needs to be laid out, so I can see it and then I can pick, what I'll bring with. Mess.

The wedding was awesome, however and I couldn't have been happier to experience it and see it. Everything was so thought-through and we felt very much taken care of - with the translating, accomodations, we vere constantly entertained and everyone was super sweet and caring. The ceremony was beautiful and the party - so much fun. My feet were hurting in the best way possible - after a long night of dancing. I loved my friend's dress and couldn't get over the cute little details - such as the wedding presents in a swan shape - so beautiful!

After returning to Sofia (the wedding was in my friend's home town), we had a tour around, shopped a bit, went out for drinks and enjoyed the amazing (yet, very hot) weather. I ended up finding a leather belt at H&M on sale (15 LV, which is approx. 60 DKK), that I thought was a steal and the picture below is taken just before we went out for dinner and drinks, however, the very next day I was feeling very sick, couldn't keep anything down, had stomach pain etc. and ended up being taken to the ER and spending the night there getting 5 bottles of fluids in. Those were not the most fun couple of days I've had, to be honest. Turns out, I was very dehydrated and had probably had something bad to begin with, combined with the heat, going out and eating unfamiliar foods. I'm just now starting to feel better and trying to drink as much water as I can, which I sometimes tend to forget, so it's new.

On our last day, after getting checked out of the hospital and handing over our hotel room, we walked down the pedastrian street in Sofia and I got some last minute bits and pieces. The brown bag is from Zara and was a pretty good deal for about 200 DKK. I liked the color and the style was simple. The bag is big enough for my books, which is important, since I'm still in school and it had a zipper, which is important for me - I don't feel comfortable walking around town with a completely open bag. I got a couple of magazines for the long trip (takes more than 8 hours total) and a couple of random bits.

The "Rose of Bulgaria" is a brand my mom got me into, because she loves it and always brings me something on her trips to Bulgaria (she's been there multiple times). I love their lip balms, because they're extremely buttery and soft and last for ages. I keep them in my bathroom and put them on at night just before bed. In the morning my lips are soft and moisturized and the lip balm is still lingering on - in a very nice way. I have tried their soaps, body lotions, my mom swears by their face creams, they're paraben free and extremely affortable. Basically - if you happen to go to Bulgaria - give them a try. Not at the airport, though, then the products are more expensive. But the little shops along the streets are if anything - a really cute place to check out. 

I also picked up two матрёшка - the Russian doll-in-a-doll-in-a-doll... dolls :) Because I've always thought it's a nice souvenir to have, but have found them very expensive and never been to Russia to buy it there. On the streets of Sofia we found a little outdoor market with them and I got a couple for my friend and I. They were 16 or 18 LV each, which means about 70 DKK. So, although it's not Bulgarian and it's basically a very non-related buy, I'm very glad to have picked them up!

And lastly... Probably one of my favorite finds of the month - the Bioderma cleansing water. I've been hearing about it for ages on youtube, but haven't seen it in Denmark (haven't looked also, to be honest) and haven't had the urge to order it online. When I was in Latvia, I saw it at the pharmacy and picked up the 250 ml bottle. I knew it was most likely very good, since everyone was so impressed, but even so I was surprised. It feels like water on my face, but takes makeup off effortlesly, doesn't irritate my eyes, doesn't break me out (on the contrary, it cleared up my face). So I was sad, when it ran out, I bought a Biotherm cleansing water, which sort of did the same job, but then again - not as well. And then, being in Bulgaria we walked into a pharmacy, because I was prescribed a bunch of pills for my stomach etc. Sure enough, I spotted the Bioderma 500 ml bottle, which cost me the same as the small one back home - about 100 DKK and without thinking picked it up. It really is an amazing product and I'll probably try to find it here in Denmark as well. Another pharmacy, maybe? Seem to be seeing a pattern of finding them there :)

Anyway, that's my little haul and update as to where the hell have I been. I hope everyone had a great couple of weeks and I'll talk to you soon!

Renate ❤