This 16-day trip begins with an overnight flight to Sofia, Bulgaria, followed by a welcome dinner upon arrival. The journey includes exploring Sofia, its historical sites, and landmarks such as the Roman roads and Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The itinerary features various clinical practice days in geriatric and pediatric centers, cultural excursions to Veliko Tarnovo and Gabrovo, and a kids’ camp at the N&N Retreat Centre.
Participants will experience a blend of hands-on clinical work and cultural immersion, including visits to significant sites like Devetashka Cave and Krushuna Falls. After the Bulgaria segment, the journey continues to Greece, starting with a food tour in Athens, followed by a ferry ride to Santorini.
In Santorini, activities include exploring Akrotiri, Oia, and enjoying the picturesque views of the Aegean Sea. The trip concludes with a return to Athens to visit the Acropolis and the Temple of Olympian Zeus before flying back to the United States.
Any major United States Airport
(contact info@nandntours.com for quotes from smaller airports)
3 Hours Before Flight Time
info@nandntours.com
We depart from the United States to Bulgaria
After you arrive at Sofia International Airport, you will pick up your luggage and find your private transfer to the hotel to begin your trip together. Look for the Therapy Abroad signs after you exit baggage claim. You’ll be able to settle into your room, grab a prepared snack, and relax until you meet up with everyone for an early dinner.
This morning you will enjoy a guided walking tour of Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria and largest city of the Balkan nation. Various landmarks in the city reflect histories dating back to the Greek, Roman and Soviet-led times.
After the walking tour, you’ll have lunch and drive to Stolat, a village in the municipality of Sevlievo in northern Bulgaria to the N&N Retreat Center, or home away from home while in Bulgaria. You’ll unload your bags, join an orientation, and get settled. The group will end the day by having a cultural dinner at Kolyos.
After breakfast, you begin your clinical time in the villages of Stolat. Today you will meet with patients and staff at the elderly home. Lean into hands-on services at the local facility focused on the geriatric population. The senior center home has 30 residents.
After breakfast, you will go to the children’s center in the village of Gabrovo. During your lunch break, head to Etara and step back in time to how Bulgarians lived in the Open-Air Ethnographic Museum.
Enjoy a delicious lunch before going back to the pediatric center for afternoon sessions. There are 55 children mostly ages 7-18 years old that go to the pediatric center daily. Uniquely, Gabrovo is known as the longest town in Bulgaria, as it’s 15 miles long and less than one mile wide in several places. After returning to The Center for the evening, take time to write out any notes and necessary reporting.
Today you will continue clinical work and work with patients and staff. This may include assessments, sessions, staff training and/or caregiver education. You’ll gain more experience working with translators as well.
After breakfast, you will head to Veliko Tărnovo (VT) for the day. Veliko Tărnovo is one of the oldest settlements in Bulgaria and coined the cultural capital and historical center of Bulgaria. On your trip, walk the Roman roads and shop the cobblestone streets. Learn about the culture and history while meeting with a local professor. Enjoy dinner out on the town!
Today you host our summer camp at the N&N Retreat Center! Children will arrive from all over the Sevlievo region. This camp will be a combination of typically developing children and children you will have seen earlier in the week. Municipal leaders will also attend. Have fun with those who join us at The Center!
Sevlievo is a well-developed community with a population roughly greater than 30,000 in northern Bulgaria. You’ll spend a full day of hands-on clinical practice with patients as they come from villages in the surrounding areas. We will have areas set up with translators to visit OT and SLP stations. You will meet families and individuals from villages surrounding Sevlievo as well.
Go on an outdoor adventure to explore beautiful waterfalls and caves today! You will drive to Devetashka cave and the Krushuna Falls. Rediscovered in 1921, excavations on the Devetashka cave began only in the 1950s and revealed almost continuous human occupation since the late Paleolithic. Earliest traces of human presence date back to the Middle Paleolithic around 70,000 years ago. The Krushuna Falls are famous with their picturesque landscape and are formed by many travertines.
Today you will work with clients in the morning and then return to the Center. This afternoon you’ll have time for planning, documentation, and relaxing. This evening enjoy some local entertainment with dancing and music!
After breakfast, you will head back to the Sofia International Airport to take a flight to Athens and check into the hotel. This afternoon you will experience a food tour of Athens. Taste your way through Omonia Square and the Central Market, while you hear about the history and tradition of local foods.
Wander around the historic city before settling in for the night. We will enjoy a local dinner at a traditional Greek restaurant.
After breakfast, you will begin the day by taking the water ferry to Santorini. As you approach the island, marvel at the natural beauty and whitewashed houses lining the coast. Explore the ancient town of Akrotiri and the 18th century monastery. In the evening, watch the sunset over the Aegean Sea before dinner.
Today you’ll explore Oia, which is a coastal town on the northwestern tip of Santorini. The town has whitewashed houses carved into the rugged clifftops, and overlooks a vast caldera filled with water.
Head back to Athens this morning followed by a visit to the Acropolis. You’ll explore the phenomenally built Parthenon and learn about Grecian culture in the Acropolis Museum. Wander down the hill to the Temple of Olympian Zeus, completed in the second century. Pick up traditional crafts on the way back to the hotel for an early night.
