Лешникотрошачката

Last night I went with some friends to see The Nutcracker at the Sofia Opera House. We got the idea to go a couple of weeks ago but I didn't actually buy the tickets until Thursday, when they were nearly sold out. Luckily I was able to find three seats together (last row to the left on the first balcony) and the tickets were only 12 leva, or about 8 dollars each. It was raining pretty hard outside and we were running late because I can never seem to go anywhere on time, but we found our seats in time for the opening scene. I hadn't seen The Nutcracker since I was a little girl when my grandma used to take me every year at the Pacific Northwest Ballet. My favorite part about that production was always the visual aspect. Their costumes and sets are designed by Maurice Sendak, one of my favorite authors as a child. So in my memory of the ballet, there was a specific artistic direction and style because of how unique that production was. It was interesting to compare the two. I think that the one in Sofia was more traditional in the sense that the costumes were simpler and the focus was more on the dancing and orchestra (both of which were excellent). I really enjoyed hearing the songs that remind me so much of my childhood and seeing the beautiful interior of the Opera House.

After the ballet we went for a pizza at my new favorite restaurant, Leo's. It's authentic Rome-style pizza, cooked in a wood fire oven, and the prices are reasonable. I've already been there at least three times. Later on we went out for drinks and dancing at a club in the center. I don't usually go out to clubs in Sofia but it was a lot of fun. They played all "retro hits," mostly from the early 90's, and a bunch of other friends came out to say goodbye before Laura and I head back to the States for a couple of weeks. I'll miss my Sofia friends but I'm definitely excited see the family and just take some time to relax in Seattle. I'm going to try to meet up with as many friends as I can, too. It's hard to say when we'll see each other next because everyone is doing so many different things and we're never all in the same place. Right now I've got less than twelve hours before my flight leaves and I'm only halfway packed, so I'd better go finish that...