The windy roads continue as we travel to the former medieval capital of Bulgaria, Veliko Tarnovo. A trip of approximately three hours from Sofia. We left Sofia after breakfast and arrived at Veliko Tarnovo with plenty of time to do some sightseeing. Our local guide Yama directed our Tour bus driver through the town and pointed out many historical monuments, and then directed him seven kilometers out of town to a place called Arbanasi.
Arbanasi has a population of around 300 people. It was very old, dating back to the 17th -18th century, and is known for it’s rich history and some very old buildings. We wandered the narrow streets stopping firstly at 17th century merchants house.
Just off the bus and venturing the streets of Arbanasi to see the different housesThere was a lot of overgrown grass and plants, and narrow streets with stone wallsOutside the Merchants houseOne of the rooms, possibly for the whole family to sleepMostly Turkish style in furnishingThe mothers birthing room and bed for the new baby.The kitchen and stoveThis believe it or not is the toilet!These stairs are the exit at the back of the house
We then wandered on to the Church of the Holy Nativity, dated 1632. We weren’t allowed to take photos inside the church, but it was highly decorated on every wall with biblical scenes. It is also well known for it’s enchanting acoustics.
We are all waiting to go into the church. It is quite small but has about four separate rooms. Another tour was already inside and we needed to wait until they had left before we could go in.
And even though Arbanasi was only a small village type of town, there were about four restaurants on the main street and we all dispersed to have lunch before heading back to Veliko Tarnovo.
Waiting for our lunch to arrive 🙂
Veliko Tarnovo was known to be one of the strongest Bulgarian fortification between the 12th and 14th centuries. The whole place is surrounded by walls as you will see in the photos.
The view of the walls from our hotel
The most popular landmark is the historic hill Tsarevets which Robin and Len went and visited and took several photos for us.
Walking over to the fortressSome of our tour party following the guide to the fortressWalking in with a view of the wall to the left sideThe wall to the right sideThe guide is explaining the area from the mapThe mapThe ruins of the old fortressRobin wandering the fortress with some others from our tourLen at the fortress ruinsTime to go! Back to the Hotel 🙂Wandering back to Veliko TarnovoThe view of the Yarna River belowZoomed in to the river and bridge. Look at the houses!
Judy, Teresa and I went and had a look at the shops. It was very hot and we were actually feeling a little weary from the bus ride again. It was nice to just have some free time and wander around. We ended up sitting at a local cafe and just enjoyed doing nothing in particular.
Judy at the shopping street near our HotelYes…. it’s a selfie!
Our Hotel was really quite nice and after a very hot day I went down the three floors to the swimming pool and had a half hour swim before tea.
We had a lovely meal at the Hotel with the rest of our tour group and ended up having a sing along and dance. A super ending to another lovely day of ‘Touring the Balkans’ 🙂
So we are now in Bulgaria, staying at the capital city of Sofia. The first morning we did a walking tour of Sophia and in the afternoon we chose to take the extra tour to The Rila Monastery. None of us had even heard of The Monastery or even seen any photos of it, so we were in for a surprise. The Monastery was only a nearly two hour drive, but the day before we had traveled from Ohrid to Sofia, and it ended up an all day trip. The roads were kind of windy (curvy) and some of us felt like we had a little motion sickness going on in our heads. Not the kind that makes you feel sick but the kind that gives you a woozy head, even on land. Now the trip to The Monastery, as I said, is nearly two hours, but we have to come back to Sofia and that totals another big day of traveling… on a bus… and including windy roads! We were thinking that this Rila Monastery better be worth the trip!
Tour of the Balkans – Sofia to The Rila MonasteryOn the bus again but we have the back row to ourselves!
The drive to the Monastery was broken up with a stop at Kocherinovo to see the nesting Storks.
These Storks obviously aren’t real but they have become a bit of an icon for the town, so advertising them is very useful for the tourist trade 🙂See the Stork nest on top of the building?And another one
We also stopped for lunch. A lovely meal of fried trout, tomatoes, shredded cabbage and potatoes… yum! And the view was so relaxing.
The restaurant was by a mountain stream with a path leading down to itHappy at lunch with an amazing view behind usTwo very happy men as well
So that good break in the traveling was such an great idea! Next stop was the Monastery. Reader prepare to be amazed when you look at the photos! It’s a wonderful place to see!
Going into the MonasteryAs we enter, we were all just speechless! The view was outstanding!The amazing stone courtyardResidential areaResidential part of the MonasteryThe mountains behindThese porches look amazing… all three storiesCan you see us?Looking out to the hills beyondAnd here we have Judy in front of one of the monks!Judy posing at a door that is a side entrance to the churchRobin sitting under the porch at the churchAnd sitting on the monks chairs with beautiful mosaics behindthe mosaics were on all walls of the porch in front of the churchMamluk influence with the striped painting and the domesFabulous Mosaics. We couldn’t believe our eyes!A Mosaic in a ceiling dome!Just look at that MosaicMosiacs and a fountain in the church porchA fountain in the porchway – looking outthe outside arch windowLooking through the arch windowOutside the monasteryOutside the monastery but still part of the groundsPart of the exterior buildingsAbove one of the entrancesGoing in from the lower entrance
Now for all the details about the monastery. I’m going to let Wikipedia tell you all about it….
The Rila Monastery is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria and occupies an area of 8,800 m². It is situated in the southwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River at an elevation of 1,147 m above sea level. The rectangular monastery is named after its founder, the hermit Ivan of Rila (876 – 946 AD). It is regarded as one of Bulgaria’s most important cultural, historical and architectural monuments and is a key tourist attraction for both Bulgaria and Southern Europe. In 2008 alone, it attracted 900,000 visitors. It was destroyed by fire in 1833 and then reconstructed between 1834 and 1862 with the help of wealthy Bulgarians from the whole country.
The main church of the monastery has five domes, three altars and two side chapels, while one of the most precious items inside is the gold-plated wall of icons and religious paintings. The church is also home to many valuable icons, dating from the 14th to the 19th century. Porches in the courtyard have Mamluk influence with the striped painting and the domes, which became more popular in the Ottoman Empire after the conquest of Egypt. It is truly a remarkable sight to see.
The four-storey (not counting the basement) residential part of the complex consists of 300 chambers, four chapels, an abbot’s room, a kitchen (noted for its uncommonly large vessels), a library housing 250 manuscripts and 9,000 old printed matters, and a donor’s room. The exterior of the complex, with its high walls of stone and little windows, resembles a fortress more than a monastery.
Yes we traveled nearly an extra four hours, two hours there and back. Was it worth it? definitely. I am very happy to say that we have been there. That I have seen that wonderful place with my own eyes. Ahhhhhh! What a pleasure it was! Looking at the photos do you agree? Let me know by adding your comments 🙂
