Culture Beat Club Sofia

[Delmiro Fain]

Forgetthe chocolates and flowers, and focus on sharing something. Fly to Geneva, take the ferry to Venice, and have the island for yourself. Book easyjet to Milan and eat pizza or gelato (ice-cream), rent a car and drive to nearby Morzine, one of the most beautiful villages in the Alps, and snowboard like a banshee during the day, and enjoy the view of Mas de la Coutettaz during the night. Fly to Singapore, drive to Tarida, immerse yourself in the sexy style of Abu Dhabi, and take the ferry to Tangiers for some exotic shopping.

Even the cliches can be charming if you know how to embrace them. Milan, for example, though renowned as a city of fashion and finance, once away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life, can be a truly romantic city.

2. Chervilo club (The Club of Lipsticks) ..

If you are trendy, funky and groovy person, then Chervilo Club is the best one for you. Large rooms with different music (electro-lounge vs techno-house music) and hip local clients. Even at 8 am you can see people reentering the bar. So, Dear Readers, put on your best clothes, take your best friends and head over there.

It was early September, and we (me, my father and three other men) were in the middle of a 15-km trip down the Struma river through the Kresna Gorge with Bulgarian Raft Adventures. Rafting the rapid waters of the river Struma, and upper course of the river Arda in the Rhodope Mountains, are the best places in wild Bulgaria suitable for our outdoor adventure. The adrenalin arises, and the rock monsters become scenery for the water action, where you are the main actor.

Few people pitched tents; most just laid a mat on the beach and slept under a sheet. At dawn, the mournful call of a conch shell signalled that coffee was ready. It would have been nice to linger over the hearty breakfasts (eggs, French toast, pancakes and lots of fresh fruit) but the guides always wanted to put in some river miles, and soon we were pushing off, back out into the current of bubbles, dwarfed by the massive rock walls.

By the time we rowed the last stretch, our clothes and hair held about a pound of silt each, but nobody cared. Some people were ready to return to civilization; others, like me and my father, wanted to drive back to the start and do it all over again. I welcomed the chance for a shower, but the trip left me with a desire to run away and become a river guide.

The taxi is outside, and then here I am hurtling into the harsh incandescence of South Terminal of Gatwick Airport, running with my suitcase so I can wait in a long security line. And then, after 4 hours stuck in the terminal with a cup of caffeine and Veggie sandwich, the plane took off to Milan, Italy. And then, 2 hours later, I was there.

In most cases, however, we travel because we want to. We travel in order to get away from the stressful pressure of work, from the home boredom, etc. We travel because flights are on sale, because Venice is Venice.

What does this have to do with travel?Being far away from the place we spend most of our time, makes our mind aware of all those awkard ideas we had suppressed. . As a neural tangle of near-infinite possibility, the brain spends a lot of time and energy choosing what not to notice. As a result, creativity is traded away for efficiency; we think in literal prose, not symbolist poetry. A bit of distance, however, helps loosen the chains of cognition, making it easier to see something new in the old; the mundane is grasped from a slightly more abstract perspective.

Set Godin provokes the open-minded thinking and encourages a longing for change in the readers. His book influences anyone who wants to be authentic, to dance to the beat of their own music, or make a difference in the world. Are you a inner critic, or the one being told that you are not enough, or your work is not good enough, then buy this book. Let your freak flag fly high.

The greatest concentration of bars and nightclubs in Sofia It is located at the Bulevard Vitosha and Ulitsa Rakovski. Entry into these clubs is usually free or at most about 10 euros in most elegant nightclubs and trendy area of Sofia.

In addition to the city centre, the sofia nightlife is alive even in the student district, Studentski Grad, the area where are located the 16 Sofia University. In that place are concentrated some of the greatest clubs in Sofia, with many young people.

Open daily from 23.00 to 6.00.

The Plazza Club is located in Studentski Grad and it offers mainly folk music and disco music, mostly pop. Due to its location (Studentski Grad is where most universities have their headquarters for which the concentration of students and young people is very high), good music and great drinks, the Plazza became one of the most popular entertainment venues of Sofia.

Mexico was a quick hit of color, flavor and street life, four nights and three days based in the Roma district of the 20-million-person megalopolis they call CDMX. It was, I feel compelled to say, a reminder that much of not most of the world, while beset with the usual array of challenges, hums along with life and joy. I saw a vibrant place full of people making things happen. Taylor is our in-house travel master planner, and she found us a great place to stay on a small park/plaza as well as a walking tour of taco stands and street vendors in the center city, led by a wonderful city native who knew the best spots. The art and archeology museums and the city streets were dazzling. I was also impressed by a slick and moody mezcal bar where we sampled the smoky liquor and I had one of the best margaritas of my life, as well as a couple crunchy crickets from our bowl of salty bar snacks. Thanks to my wonderful wife for this and so many tasty adventures over our 20 years of happy marriage.

I used to relish stating my truth and mixing it up online about American politics and sometimes world affairs, but I confess it\u2019s become much harder in these darkening and stupefying times. Just now though, it\u2019s impossible to reach out to you with new music writing without also acknowledging my grief and fury at the assault that\u2019s been waged so brazenly and with such genocidal madness on the people of Israel. While every rocket, every home invasion, every kidnapping, every murder is deeply shocking, the fact that Hamas targeted a music festival as part of its assault, taking at least 260 lives, brings this tragedy closer to me emotionally. I know those fans. I am them. The news broke while my wife and I were on a long weekend in Mexico City celebrating our anniversary, and at first, I couldn\u2019t let it in, but this week I\u2019ve tried to sit with the stories and to understand the terror and shock and grief that\u2019s rippling out from Israel across the Jewish world. To all who mourn and to all who passionately desire justice, humanity, and (ultimately) peace, I\u2019m with you.

Here are a few more highlights since I last reached out, some of which resulted in journalizing. In August, I attended my first hi-fi show in an attempt to better understand the industry and culture around the quality audio I\u2019ve grown to love so much. I heard astonishing music in the suites and hotel rooms of the Raleigh, NC Sheraton, and I wrote this report. The event also led to my meeting analog guru Michael Fremer, who invited me to contribute to his fascinating record and gear review site The Tracking Angle. I wrote my first review for them about Molly Tuttle\u2019s second album City Of Gold, which is very good, though not quite as magic as her Golden Highway debut Crooked Tree.

Back in Nashville, I saw a glorious show by my new favorite local jazz composer Sofia Goodman, as she led an 8-piece band from her drum kit on complex but accessible works that excelled harmonically as much as they did rhythmically. With the awesome sound system at the slick Analog club, the expertise of her musicians truly sang. The show celebrated Sofia\u2019s new and exceptional second album Secrets Of The Shore, which is among the best jazz albums to ever come out of Music City. It was just recognized as such by the Nashville Scene and got a strong review in Down Beat. I haven\u2019t had the chance to write about Sofia\u2019s music yet, but last year I interviewed her for a two-part video, which captures a bit about who she is. This new album captures just how much potential she has.

In September, I lit out for NC again, this time by car, to attend the second Earl Scruggs Music Festival at the Tryon Equestrian Center, not far from where Earl was raised around Shelby. Y\u2019all may know I have a decade-long relationship with Shelby\u2019s Earl Scruggs Center, having directed their museum films back when I did such things, so I feel invested in the success of this festival, which they put on in partnership with the venue and with radio station WNCW. I went as a fan and civilian this time, not with a reporting agenda, and I really enjoyed its three days of fair weather and eclectic roots/bluegrass music. My highlights included the Jerry Douglas Band with guitarist Mike Seal and my pal fiddler Christian Sedelmyer, Michael Cleveland and Flamekeeper, the new lineup of Sister Sadie, a small-stage performances by the awesome Irish band I Draw Slow, and a masterful solo acoustic set by Shawn Camp. On the drive home I had the good fortune to stop for a visit with Darrell Scott at his Cumberland Plateau farm two hours out of Nashville. That led to a special episode of The String, which is clipped below.

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