Friday finds

Hey guys! This is something I’m considering trying. As I love to search the web for new and interesting things, most often linked to my interests, I’d like to share these finds with you. And what better day to do that than Friday – I’ve had all the work week to gather some very interesting things. I’d like to start with these:

The first one isn’t exactly a find but I’d love to share it nevertheless. It’s a project I’ve been working on from the start of the year and I’m really proud of. So, if some of you want to discover the beauties of my country, you can and must totally use this website, whose content is my doing:

Почивка в България

The English version will be online soon, so I’ll keep you posted on this.

My other shares are proper finds. An inventive shoes designer whose flats can be turned into heels in one simple movement:

http://tanyaheathcanada.com/

And these super cute jewelry I found on Etsy and really considering ordering one of those. You know I’m a sucker for animals:

https://www.etsy.com/shop/merrymexMaryLou?page=1

Road tripping art

This past weekend I was be able to combine some of my favorite things – traveling and art. We went to the mountain city of Bansko for a graffiti fest. It was held in a secluded nice hotel in the woods just off the road to the ski slopes. The place has the fitting name “Secret hotel” as we needed around 40 minutes to find it. But it was worth it as we were warmly welcomed by a cool couple. And the next day was the Bansko secret graffiti collaboration – a great event with talanted artists, cool music, beautiful scenery and lots of laughs. Too bad we had to leave on the first day as Martin departed for the Czech republic this morning. I couldn’t take pictures of all the finished pieces but if I get hold of them a second post will follow. In the meantime, enjoy the ones I’ve got and I hope you spot the theme:

Paris week: graffiti part 2

Today is the second part of the amazing Beauvais and Paris street art I wanted to share with you. You can see the difference between the storage house in Beauvais and the little streets in Paris. We were there with some artists and they took the camera that Space Invader had put in the wall so I was able to take a photo. I also loved the stencils that seemed very popular in Paris. Batgirl and the Skeleton playing with a brain were particularly cool. Hope you like them.

Paris week: graffiti part 1

I’ve been missing out on my maze a lot but I’m finally finished with my other works and projects. So I took a much needed break and I’m back for good with great stuff to share. First of all, this year is going to be my best travel – wise. I was in Romania in March, two times in Greece already, and me and Martin visited Paris, Vienna and Prague in the last two months. And I’m planning some more trips, but we’ll see.

So, what better way to start than to share the best trip we had so far – the one to Paris. I’ve been there a couple of times since I have some relatives in France (and, no, that’s not why my name is Manon, it comes from the opera) and I really liked the city. But this time I saw with new eyes, both the eyes of a grown up who knows all about history and the eyes of kid when we went to Disneyland. I have lots of stuff to tell you about this exciting city but first, I will start with the photos of a friend of mine. Yes. this will be our first “guest star” here on Manon’s maze. He took the pics for me as he knows how much I love street art and these pieces found in Beauvais, where I landed in order to get to Paris, are simply amazing. Enjoy!

A place to call home

I guess everyone has experienced the sensation to go somewhere new and to feel instantly at home, at peace with yourself and filled with joy. I love travelling, as you may know, and all the places I’ve visited have charmed me in some way. But there are a few I felt at home. And one of them is Greece. It’s not exotic, it’s not something unexpected, but the minute I cross the border I feel happy. I can  taste of sea food in my mouth, the sun on my skin and the clear waters of the Mediterranean or the Aegean sea spread before me. And being able to experience this a few times a year makes me very lucky, I know. And a few weeks back was one of those times. We visited Kassandra, which is one of the peninsulas of Chalkidiki and I’ve heard it’s very crowded and expensive but at the beginning of May it’s just perfect. Great hotel, lovely food, amazing beaches, astonishing views and warm people. I was glad that we could go to my favorite places, located on the other peninsula Sithonia, Nea Marmaras with the best tavern you can ever imagine Ta Kimata, Kalugria beach with the small pond where turtles live and Kalamitsi with the little island just off the beach and the amazing view of Mount Athos. If you ever get the chance – go, it’s totally worth it.

The Easter bunny VS Count Dracula

As some of you may know, as Orthodox Christians we Bulgarians celebrate Easter a week after most of the world. Me and my folks had a great plan to visit a small picturesque village in neighboring Greece called Keramoti. They’ve been there before and I’ve heard amazing things about it. So, naturally, I wanted to share my great experience here. Sadly, this isn’t possible, as I came down with the flu and all plans for a sunny holiday by the sea fell through. I spent the last 5 days in bed, hardly moving, with no desire even to open my laptop. Now that I feel better, I decided that I could share some pics from the time we spent in Romania a month ago. We were wondering between a Milan city break and this. However, my fascination with history, castles and Count Dracula won. Bellow you can see some photos of Peles castle, a Neo-Renaissance castle in the Carpathian Mountains, near Sinaia. It is a beautiful and impressive building due to its architecture and style, and also thanks to the very well preserved interiors. The king wanted to bring together different styles and there can be seen German, Italian, French and Oriental influence in his Summer Residence.

These are some pics from our trip to Bran Castle. It’s a formidable 800 year old fortress built strategically on a hill in Bran, the home of the notorious Vlad Tepes, the Impaler.

Graffiti calendar

With Christmas just around the corner I decided it’s time to share the most special thing we’ve seen from our trip to Berlin. 12 guys, 12 months, 12 pieces, one metro station, one amazing calendar. Happy holidays, everyone!

Berlin week: All I want for Christmas is snow

A little more than a week till Christmas and there is no snow here in Bulgaria. There wasn’t snow in Berlin either, but at least the Germans know how to keep up the Christmas spirit..

Berlin week: Tierpark

I have this thing with zoos. If there is a zoo in the city I’m visiting, I always go. I’ve been to all the zoos in Bulgaria, I even worked next to the one in Sofia and had my lunch breaks there. So, naturally, we had to go the one in Berlin. Even though I was coming down with the flu the penguins were waiting for me 🙂

Berlin week: kisses and selfies

I’ve been MIA for the past week but it wasn’t because I didn’t have anything to share but because me and Martin went on a little German escapade before the holidays. We were in Berlin for approximately 5 days and although we both came down with the flu we had a great time. What I have to say for the city is that I don’t think it’s for everyone. It’s not your typical big capitol like London, Rome or Paris, filled with sights and tourists. Berlin has a more urban charm that suited us well and made the trip worthwhile. So this week I’ll try to share this charm with you.