Today is our last day in Bulgaria – assuming that Thai Airways are not still using a jet that has been patched up with coir matting, sisal string, and prayers. We spent some time farewelling Mitch and Grace before having a last wander around Sofia.

Every day that we have been in this city we have walked along a road that was built by the Romans in 125 AD. It is on the way to our coffee shop and the main produce market – the Ladies Market. No Farquar, I didn’t forget the apostrophe. It wasn’t a market where ladies shopped, rather a market where ladies were bought and sold. It is in a part of the world that St Nicholas frequented and performed some of his miraculous deeds.

St Nick was Greek, born in what is now Turkey, and spent time in Sofia. The UNESCO chapel we saw recently is named after him. He became famous for giving (not so) anonymous gifts to children – for girls valuable items for their dowry, and for boys tools to be used in a trade. The meant that girls could be married, rather than sold into prostitution at the Ladies Market, and boys could start a job rather than becoming thieves. St Nicholas became the patron saint of children, thieves, prostitutes, fishermen and Boxing Day Sales.

He came to us in the west via the Dutch, where he was called Sinterklaas (Saint Nick). Somehow, he became the deliverer of X Boxes and excess, rather than the deliverer of children from bondage and poverty.

We have been fortunate to have experienced this time of year in a number of different countries, including one where Christmas didn’t figure (Bosnia Herzegovina) , others where Santa doesn’t get a look in (Poland, Italy) but often where Christmas is still more about family than feasting, more about gratitude than gifts. Bulgaria still has links to its Thracian past, and is definitely family focussed at this time of year, as are we. Especially today.

This morning we farewelled Mitch and Grace – they are off to Viernheim to sample Weber breakfasts for a few days before setting up in Glasgow for x years (probably two) This morning we heard from Nat, who, in typical Natalie fasion, decided to have some dental work done in India – hopefully it will be more appealing than the hair dressing work done in Colombia! And we leave tonight to head back to family and friends in Australia.

Provided the work done in Bali on the fuel pump of our plane holds together that is…

Better let you go Farquar, I think they’re trying to push-start our plane.

Farley C-S

In a museum is the glass eye of one of their citizens who was killed in the 1924 uprising – nothing else. I’m not some sort of eye expert, but it is just a bit weird.

Straight to the ugly album!