Hi guys! This winter, our family traveled through Bulgaria, England, and Florida—and it’s been one of the wildest, most memorable trips we’ve ever had. We started in Bansko, a ski town in Bulgaria known for its budget-friendly slopes and beautiful mountain views. Even though I had never skied before, I was excited (and a little nervous) to try something totally new!
Bansko sits at the base of the Pirin Mountains and has this really cool vibe—old cobblestone streets, cozy little restaurants, and a mix of modern ski shops and traditional Bulgarian homes. The town itself was so pretty, and it definitely felt like a winter destination, even though the weather didn’t always agree.
For most of the time we were there, the snow was slushy and kind of melty, and it was actually really warm—like, warm enough that some people skied without jackets. It made learning how to ski a bit trickier, since the soft snow was harder to control and some parts of the slopes got icy later in the day. Still, it was fun being on the mountain and trying something totally different. I took lessons and had a few falls (okay, a lot), but by the end, I was actually enjoying it.
Percy, my younger brother, was learning too, and he was doing great—until things took a bad turn. Near the end of our stay in Bansko, just as he was gaining confidence, he fell and badly injured his knee. He was in a lot of pain and couldn’t walk properly after, which meant his ski trip was officially over.
And of course, in perfect ironic timing, the best snow of the entire trip came the very next day. It started snowing hard overnight, and when we woke up, there was this thick layer of fresh powder—the kind of snow skiers get really excited about. It was soft, fluffy, and made everything look like a snow globe. It was exactly what we’d been hoping for the whole time… but Percy couldn’t ski at all.
He had to stay at the apartment with his leg elevated, while I got to go out and enjoy the amazing snow. It felt kind of unfair that the best snow showed up right after he got hurt, and I know it was tough for him to miss out on it. But he tried to stay in good spirits. (even though he was clearly super bummed).
After our time in Bulgaria, we flew to England to visit our cousins. We were only there for three days, but it was such a good break. Percy was still on crutches and healing, but it was nice being around family. We stayed in, played games, and caught up with everyone. It wasn’t a big sightseeing trip, but just being cozy and spending time together was exactly what we needed.
From there, we flew to Florida, where we’re staying now with our other cousin and grandparents. After all the snow and cold, Florida feels like a completely different world. The sun is out, we’re wearing shorts and T-shirts, and we’ve basically flipped from winter mode to beach mode. Percy is still not seeming to be getting as much better as we hoped he would be, he is still in crutches and his knee is still super swollen. But we are hoping it will get better before we fly back to Guatemala!
This trip was overall amazing even though we expected powdery snow and perfect ski days every day, and instead we got slush, an injury, and a weird mix of weather. But we also got to try something new, spend time with family in two different countries, and switch from snowy mountains to sunny beaches in just a few weeks. Even though parts of it were tough (especially for Percy), this trip is one we’ll remember for a long time. Percy says even if he knew he would have gotten injured he wouldn’t have changed the fact we got to go skiing and he is already talking about when he gets better we should go again! Sadly the entire time we were there it really never snowed down at the bottom, it only snowed up top and it only snowed the last few days! And OF COURSE the DAY we left it snowed buckets! My friend sent me pictures of the snow down at the bottom being many feet deep and looking gorgeous!
Funny how we had been there for 6 weeks and it barely snowed yet the day we left it snowed a lot!! But yea this is my post about our recent travels!