Bulgaria

Sorry, no pictures still.  I didn't even try them today.  The service is so slow.  I know that my MANY readers are so disappointed but you will have to wait until I get better service and suffer through DAYS   DAYS of slide shows.  We are doing very well.  The weather is pleasant with a little rain now and then.  The sky is blue outside my cabin window and I am looking at the shore which is covered with forests and a small town in the background.  It is just after 8 in the morning and we have been moving all night on the river.  (I don't have pictures so I must describe my surroundings to you)
Yesterday we had excursions all day starting at 9 and we arrived back at the boat about 6 in the evening.  The have a bus pick us up at the dock and take us to various towns.  Sometimes the drive time is about an hour or more but the countryside is interesting and the guide tells us about the area while we are riding.  We visited an old home built in the middle ages and a beautiful orthodox church with frescoes on the walls and ceilings.  It was very well preserved.
Today we are in Bulgaria again for the second day on the boat. We should be docking pretty soon as we have an excursion in about 45 minutes  We are going to a fortress and then having some time to walk around in the afternoon on our own.
I did manage to find myself a ring as a souvenir  of the trip so I am all set.  They are very willing to take our American money here so I haven't had difficulty finding something for myself.
We are having a great time and learning a lot about this part of the world which suffered under Communism for over 50 years.  They are just coming out of that difficult time and are very 'westward' looking.  They are part of the E.U. but have't  started using the Euro yet.
Bud is looking to use the computer so I will sign off my dialog and try later to upload some pictures if possible. They keep us pretty busy all day but tomorrow we have a day on the boat as we are traveling via boat through an area that has great scenery.