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antidote to the ubiquity of the selfie
Tuesday, April 3 2018
location: room 311, MS Joy, navigating up the Danube River towards Nikopol, Bulgaria
Eventually we docked in Nikopol, Bulgaria, and, while Gretchen got off the boat to ride a tour bus to the town of Pleven, I stayed back on the boat so I could continue some engrossing work I was doing around the periphery of a project management system. Using my telephoto lens, I snapped some pictures of our group (including Gretchen) climbing aboard the bus. Later I took pictures of a pair of teenage girls because they were hanging out in an easily surveilled place for well over an hour. I also took pictures of a pair of shepherds and their flock on the hill high above the river. The level of candor one can get with a good telephoto lens serves as an antidote to the ubiquity of the selfie.
At some point it seemed like I should visit Bulgaria since it was right here, so I got off the boat and strolled through town. I considered buying a beer in a small grocery store, but my showing of a credit card revealed that nothing could be purchased without Bulgarian currency. It didn't look like that was something easy to attain in this dusty, crumbling shambles of a town. But it was a nice day for walking and I made a circuit anyway, mostly marveling at the dogs and cats I encountered along the way. There was a somewhat-shy chow-style dog whom I followed for some distance until he went into the open door of a house (in a manner that suggested there were other houses he was free to visit as well). I took a picture of some cats hanging out at what appeared to be a mom & pop auto repair place. There was also the sweet sight of seeing an old woman aggressively petting a cat in the middle of a parking lot. She looked at me, I smiled, and she squealed with delight.
[REDACTED]
At dinner tonight, one of the options was quesadillas, so that was what I ordered. Though quesadillas are not my favorite Mexican food, Mexican food is so rare in Europe that it's always what I'm craving. The quesadillas were actually pretty good too. The onion soup, on the other hand, was way too salty.
Shepherds (with sheep and goats) above Nikopol, Bulgaria.
Boarding the bus to Pleven. Gretchen (all black with the light blue bag) is with Tara, the boat's photographer. Tour guide Dirk is the tallest guy on the right.
A selfie in front of a political poster in Nikopol, Bulgaria.
Cute cats in Nikopol, Bulgaria.
I can read Cyrillic and Hebrew well enough to know this is a park for "Beth Josef" (quotes are evidently important). But why the Hebrew? This is along a small creek that enters the Danube in Nikopol.
Across the Danube, looking at the Combinatul Chimic Donauchem chemical plant in Romania. Click to enlarge.
Random teenage girls in Nikopol doing teenage girl things.
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