Rousse & Veliko Tărnovo, Bulgaria

So today we will tour Rousse and then go to the former Bulgarian capitol of Veliko Tărnovo. While in Rousse, we stopped at a 4-star hotel for traditional local pastries, coffee and a potty break.

Of course we passed many more examples of Communist Revival architecture.

We then come to our hotel. I can tell you it was not what I was expecting!

While we were still in Spain, we saw the flooding that was hitting the Balkans and were a bit concerned a out our travels on the ship through that area. Obviously we were able to sail but you can see that the rivers were still over their banks.

Drove through the countryside to the old Capitol. I was surprised at the amount of agriculture. I didn't know that Bulgaria was known for roses. In fact, they produce 85% of rose oil in the world.

We had a very interesting guide on this trip. He was Bulgarian but earned his Masters degree in England and spoke with a pronounced British accent. He talked about the triangle of religious tolerance in this area. He said that Denmark, Albania and Bulgaria were the only countries that did not allow The extradition of the Jews during WWII. He also gave us his definition of the difference between socialism and communism - socialism makes everyone equally rich and communism makes everyone equally poor.

The income in this area was around €400 per month while in Sofia it was around €900 per month. Quite an eye opener!

I mentioned all the storks we had been seeing. Our guide said that in Bulgaria they are considered good luck and conversely it would bring bad luck to destroy a nest. To the point that if a stork made a nest on your chimney, they would just put up another chimney so they could heat the house. I didn't realize that storks always return to their nest, as well as mate for life. As we were walking around, I would see red and white ribbons or what seemed like bracelets hanging from tree branches. The guide said that in March, people make bracelets of red and white ribbons to wear. When they see their first stork of the season, they take off the bracelet and tie it to a tree branch and it will bring them good luck.

We went to a restaurant for a great lunch consisting of a cucumber and tomato salad (they grow the best tasting cucumbers here), a local vegetable soup and a chicken stew. While we were eating , there was a Bulgarian folk show.

We then visited a beautiful guild house museum.

Of course - STAIRS!

The detail on the ceilings was so beautiful.

The light in these older building just captivated me.

They were quite advanced - his (first photo) and her (second photo) indoor bathrooms!

 

Oh no, more stairs!

Returned to the ship for our last night on board. Had a beautiful 6-course meal and then had to pack before the presentation on the stories and truth about Dracula!!!

Have to say that for all the traveling we've done, there is still one area Ernie and I are still trying to figure out how to do it without killing each other --- PACKING!

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