In May 2022, Eric and his wife Magi planned an extended trip to Bulgaria, which may have become a bit more permanent than originally intended. Spending time in Plovdiv, Sofia has opened Eric's eyes to a number of new design and construction challenges. For example, in both cities, there are many layers of history on top of one another, from the Roman Empire, the three Bulgarian Empires, the Ottoman Empire, and the Communist Regime, just to name a few.

In Sofia, we took a walking tour, and they pointed out that, unlike most European cities, Sofia does not actually have an Old Town. Instead, they brought us to at least one location where you can experience certain items from each era of Bulgaria's history at the same time. There were ruins from two different Ancient Roman periods in front of a Stalinist Building from the Communist Regime, which was opposite a modern subway station.

In Plovdiv, almost without fail, when they start to dig a foundation for a new building, they will discover something ancient that has been buried for years. The Roman theater of Philippopolis was actually excavated in the 1970s, and it is rumored that it was discovered by someone digging in their backyard. Today, this is considered one of the world's best-preserved Roman theaters, and you can actually see modern entertainment.