Lost origami

Despite the green backdrop, Elena is actually resting alongside Gurko street, one of the oldest streets in Veliko Tarnovo. Some of the houses on Gurko street have been there for over 300 years; I doubt Elena will stay so long! It is a popular street for tourists, who enjoy walking along it and taking photographs of the impressive views over the Yantra River and the art gallery and monument of the four horsemen, visible here in the background. Elena is, as I said, a very Bulgarian crane - in touch with her roots and traditions, but not afraid to look outwards and forwards, facing the modern world. So Gurko street is a good place for her to rest a while. She is sure to meet people from all over the world here, and who knows where they will take her? But for now, as you can see, she is very comfortable and happy in her leafy repose.

One other point about Elena is that today - 21st of May - is her name day. This is another Bulgarian tradition: Name Days. Most Bulgarians share their name with an Orthodox saint, and the saint's day is also that person's name day. On a name day, it is the custom for anyone with that name to celebrate with their friends, and to present sweets or chocolates to friends, family and colleagues. So perhaps whoever finds Elena will be given chocolate. It wouldn't be asking too much in return to give this simple little crane a home, would it?

How nice! We finally have a paper crane in the land of origamis - Japan. 

On Saturday I received the nicest message ever. I girl, sweet as a teddy bear, wrote me in Facebook that she has read the blog and she had already left one paper crane in Japan. That's why I decided to give her name to the origami. So if you find this yellow fellow you could call it "Natsuko" or "Sweety", both suits very good.

Natsuko (the girl, not the paper bird) lives in Saku-shi, Nagano Prefecture but she left the origami under cherry blossom tree in Nagano city.  Nagano is most famous for Zenko-ji, a 7th century Buddhist temple which overlooks the city. From the photos which Natsuko has uploaded from the city I could easily say that this is one amazing and very beautiful place. 

Now we have the perfect Asian picture - cherry blossom tree, origami and sweet and polite Japanese girl. 

But like every good story, we need a pretext... or simply said - how lostorigami managed to go to Japan so fast?

Ones upon a time there was one sweet 22-year-old girl who lived in mysterious and beautiful land. Suddenly she found herself in another mysterious but very different place. The name of this new land sounded like the native people of it will be always hungry. Still, the little girl was exited about this new land. She thought that everything so far away should be different but actually she found other people - just the same like her. She also realized that there are people who cherish her culture, even though her home is so far away.
One day she met another boy, who was far away from home. He was leaving paper cranes in central places this new land. She was interested why the boy does that and he explained her that he is simply spreading them everywhere he goes, hoping that someone will continue the chain. He took photos of the paper cranes and sent them to another girl, living in even more exotic place. The girl from the faraway land was amazed by the story of the boy but most of all - she was exited. She wanted to continue the chain. So when she returned to her faraway land she did...