Bulgaria 2: Rila and Sofia

A four-hour drive from Plovdiv takes us to Rila, the site of the largest Orthodox church and monastery in Bulgaria, which is on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

As we climb into the Rila mountains, the riotous display of red poppies continues.

 

Rila: Every house in this town has the vine growing in front.

 

 A major decision faces us: to eat before or after we see the monastery? The drive is taking longer than planned, partly because our guide is a very careful driver but also because there are cameras installed to catch speeding cars, an EU mandate. We realize we are on vacation and choose to eat first.

Rila: excellent and inexpensive lunch by the river, including Bulgarian Burek (left upper) and a claypot (not shown) 

Lila Monastery



Lila Monastery

Lila Monastery

 

It is finally a two-hour drive to the capital.

This eye-catching statue of St. Sofia is located, well... in Sofia.

Our hotel is close to the pedestrian district and we walk to a most interesting restaurant for dinner. The 30-page menu is supposed to consist of recipes from different monasteries. It even has a before- and after-dinner prayer with an obvious attempt at black humor.

Sofia: Street musicians in the pedestrian district - kind of generic

Sofia: On Page 20 of the menu at this restaurant, mysterious descriptions of rabbit dishes are found.



Sofia: Nothing mysterious about this salad, where all 14 ingredients are there to see.




Blueberry beef, "green" stew, and that crazy rabbit dish with an expired shooting license. And rakia (a national drink).  We went with server's recommendations after being totally overwhelmed by the encyclopedic menu.

 

Now equal coverage to breakfast.



Some claim Bulgarians invented the yogurt ("Check the name of the Lactobacillus!") There are only a few kinds of cheese (maybe only two) in Bulgaria, but they seem to pop up at every meal and are virtually in every dish.

According to our guide, the best place for picking up silver ornaments for souvenir is the Museum Shop at National Art gallery. As odd as it may sound, we have trusted him so far on everything, and we are not going to change now.



Sofia: Traditional costume on display at the National Art Gallery shop

Boyana Church houses important 13th century frescos which are some of the earliest to depict individual faces and have earned the church a spot on the UNESCO World Heritage list. At nearby National Museum of History, Thracian gold treasures from a few hundred years BC are in display, along with artifacts from even older settlements. 



 Sofia: inside Boyana Church, the middle section has 13th century murals of great historic value.

Sofia: National History Museum is in an impressive building.



National History Museum: Thracian Gold

We visit a home where a lady has prepared traditional Bulgarian lunch for us. As the owner of what could pass as a typical middle-class American house, one would think she is doing reasonably well, but to the contrary. She can barely pay utilities on her meager pension and is worried that her grandson's unemployment may continue. She states bluntly that life under the Communist rule was better. "Now we even have to pay for a doctor's visit!" Our guide chimes in and declares he is not optimistic about the country's future because of lack of a vibrant young workforce, a result of "brain drain" and the low birth rate.

 

Home-hosted lunch in Sofia: there was a lot more food after this interesting and delicious bread. Large portions seem to be the operating principle in Bulgaria. The host is nostalgic about the Communist days.

 

 

 

In front of Alexander Nevsky Church: a school "prom" - class unknown, reasons for picking this site, unknown. I am sure these youths would not go back to the Communist era, or come to think of it, they have no such knowledge.

 

At a Sofia party: these people are good at making extremely loud noise with simple instruments.

 

Sofia: Aleksandar Nevsky Cathedral: Just around the corner from the chaos

 

There is something symmetrical about starting and ending our Romania/Bulgaria tour in respective capitals. Part of the enjoyment has been the knowledge and intellect of our fantastic guides in both countries. Since I started with a dance photo in Romania, it is fitting that I end with a dance photo in Bulgaria.




Sofia: Bulgarian folk dance