The Monasteries of Bulgaria

12 – 21 June 2018

It was quite a challenge to find transportation from Constanta to Varna; a coastal city Bulgaria. Finally I found a bus that was able to take me there, even though it was a bit expensive. When I got to Varna I found a place where I could spend a few hours while I was waiting for my host. I ordered a coffee with some whipped cream and caramel and I spent some time on my phone and reading a book. At 6pm I met my host Ana. She is originally from Varna, but she spent at least ten years living in the Netherlands, so we were able to speak Dutch to each other. Her place was about twenty minutes from the center by bus. She lives there with her mother and their dog Dik (a Dutch name). They invited me for dinner and we had some kebapche, which is a sort of sausage made of minced meat with spices. After dinner Ana and her friend Bruno took me to a nice isolated beach south of Varna. On the way we stopped at a viewpoint that provided a spectacular view over the city Varna and the coast. The sun was also about to go under and the sky was painted beautifully red. When we got to the beach it had already started to get dark. Besides from one couple, there was no-one else on the beach. We had taken Dik with us and he was enjoying his walk on the beach and ran after the driftwood that we threw for him. We sat down at some rocks and tried to communicate in German, since Bruno didn’t know English. This way he told me a bit about his work. After we spent some time at the beach, we headed back home.

The next morning Ana had already gone to work when I woke up and I was left alone with her mother. This was nice, but a challenge as well since she didn’t speak a word of English. On top of that she is also very talkative and she started whole conversations with me in Bulgarian. I tried to understand her and I usually responded with “dobre” (okay), “da” (yes) or with a deep frown, meaning “I don’t get it”. One time she was talking about something and I responded with the deep frown, after which she grabbed me by the arm, dragged me outside and pointed at the sun. Right, so she was talking about the sun and the weather. That’s basically how we communicated. She was very friendly though and she really was like a grandmother spoiling her grandchild. In the morning she made me some nice breakfast and after I finished it, I took the bus to the center to start exploring the city.

I went to get a map at the tourist office and I also informed about any free walking tours. I was lucky because a walking had just started and I was still able to join them. During the tour I talked to a couple from Wales and some students from Estonia, who had just finished their final exams and started traveling. A lot of people who visit Varna are actually staying at Golden Sands; a very touristy place covered with beach resorts and hotels. After the tour I had lunch with the group from Estonia in a popular restaurant chain called Happy. Here it’s possible to buy local food as well as simple fast food and prices are very reasonable. After lunch I met with a local guy and we had a drink, followed by a walk to the beach. Here I took a refreshing swim. Once I had dried up, I went to the cathedral in the center where I met with Ana, who had just finished work, and we both took the bus back home. Her mother had prepared us some delicious vegetarian moussaka, my favorite dish. That night Ana and Boris took me to another beach, which was farther than the one we went to the day before. First we drove through a forest, where we parked the car and continued on foot. After a little walk we arrived at the beach. The beach was quite large and we spent quite some time walking all the way to the other end. When we started to get back to car it had already gotten quite dark and we still had to walk through the forest. First I noticed a tiny flash of light in the woods, followed by another one. And another one. We were suddenly surrounded by hundreds of fireflies, that were all around us between the trees. It was so beautiful and it created a magical ambience. Unfortunately there was no way to capture the moment on camera since it was too dark, but the moment is captured in my mind. Is was a very special end of the day.

The next day I went on a day-trip to Nessebar, a town 2.5 hours south of Varna. It’s not really that far, but the road is winding along the coastline and goes up and down the hills. The view is absolutely beautiful though. The old town of Nessebar is located on a small peninsula and isolated from the newer part of the town, that is on the mainland. Once you enter the old town you’re greeted by the ruins of the old city walls. Once you pass the ancient gate, you enter a small town covered by old stone streets and ancient ruins and churches. The place is absolutely beautiful and definitely worth a visit if you’re in the area. Unfortunately the place is very touristy and every few minutes a new tourist bus arrives packed with tourists from the nearby located resorts and hotels, located at Sunny Beach. The architecture of the houses in the old town is also very typical with wooden beams supporting a slightly overhanging second floor.

On my final day in Varna I didn’t do very much. I spent some time writing at home, drinking coffee with my adopted grandmother and I visited the beach. In the evening I took the night train to Plovdiv, a city located between Varna and Sofia, the capital. The train ride wasn’t very comfortable and when I visited the toilet I had to be careful not to fall off the train, since the door to the outside was wide open (which actually explained the chilly wind inside the train). Once I got off the train (not by falling off) I went to my host’s place. My host was Milen, a nice guy who runs a tourist shop with designer items. He shares his flat with his friend Albert, who is a professor at the university. After I arrived, I first took a nap and then had some coffee to wake up. Because it was weekend Albert didn’t have to work and Milen had to go to his shop. This is why Albert took me out into the city and he was the best tour guide I could wish for. First we visited a hill, from where we could see all of Plovdiv. Like Rome, this city was also built on seven hills, but over here the people destroyed one of these hills because they needed the stone for construction. Plovdiv is an ancient city and thanks to Philip II (the father of Alexander the Great) the city turned into a metropolis known as Philippopolis and was also the residence of Philip II. Thanks to these prospering Roman times, the city still has an ancient Roman theatre that is still in use and underneath the main shopping street you can find the ruins of a large hippodrome, of which some parts are still visible nowadays. Albert took me for lunch at a great restaurant called Dayana-3, where I tried different types of local food. The old town of Plovdiv is located on a hill. Here you can find the beautiful traditional Bulgarian architecture. Apparently the location is very popular for weddings too, since we saw at least four or five different couples of newlyweds taking their wedding photos. After our long walk through the city we visited Milen’s shop in the center and had a break there. Here Milen gave me a T-shirt that reads “I’m in Plovediv”. In return he wants me to take a picture of myself wearing the T-shirt somewhere on my travels. I think it’s a good deal!

The next day Albert took me to Bachkovo Monastery located in the mountains south of Plovdiv. When we got there, we first took some lunch at a beautifully located restaurant, with a waterfall right next to it. At this place they prepare all the food themselves, so it is really fresh. They bake their own bread and outside they had a whole pig roasting above the fire. I had some sort of bean stew that is typical for that specific region, and it was the best thing I’ve had in a long time! After our lunch we continued to walk to the monastery that houses one of the most important religious relics in Bulgaria: an icon of Maria from the 14th century. Lots of Bulgarians believe that the icon will cure you from more severe illnesses, and therefore there is a long queue of people waiting for change to kiss and pray at the icon. We skipped the queue however, and went straight into the church to view the beautifully painted walls and ceiling. After our visit to this church we also visited a smaller one within the complex, where currently an orthodox christening was held. It was interesting to see the ceremony and how the priest was christening the young couple. We continued with a walk up the mountain, where we visited the waterfall. This was the same waterfall that we saw below at the restaurant. We took some photos and then returned to Plovdiv. In the late afternoon Milen, Albert and I went to visit the lavender fields that are about an hour away from Plovdiv. We had hoped for nicer weather with a clear sky and a setting sun, but instead it was very cloudy. Still we were able to take some great photos. Milen also took several photos of me with his Plovediv T-shirts and bags, that he could use for the promotion of his shop. After we took heaps of photos we returned back home, where we had some dinner.

The next day it was time for me to visit my final destination in Bulgaria: Sofia. I arrived in the early afternoon and went straight to my host Ventsi. He lives a little outside the center in an apartment that he shares with two other flat mates. Unfortunately he had just had a nasty cold and he still wasn’t feeling that well. I wasn’t exactly in a rush to explore the city and that’s why I stayed at home with my host. We went to the supermarket to buy some ingredients for a salad, that we then made together. Afterwards we watched a movie and then went to bed. Sometimes it’s nice to not be tourist and just have some time off.

The next day I joined a walking tour and met – to my surprise – quite some Dutch people. After the tour I had lunch with two guys from The Netherlands, who were visiting Sofia because of a cheap ticket they had found (I guess that’s how most people end up in Sofia). They were students, and some students in the Netherlands tend to use some slang that I really dislike, because I just think it sounds ridiculous. That moment I really appreciated being away from my country and being able to speak in English rather than listening to that Dutch slang. After our lunch we parted and I walked around the city for a bit, after which I returned to my host’s place. That night Ventsi’s flat mates had prepared us dinner.

On Wednesday I went on a trip to the famous Rila Monastery, one of Bulgaria’s must-sees. This beautiful monastery complex is located in the middle of the mountains. The courtyard of the complex is surrounded by a four-story high residential area, with beautiful arches on the outside. At the center of the complex is a church that is covered by paintings on both the in- and outside. Next to the church is an ancient tower that looks out over the whole area. After I walked around the complex I decided to visit the cave of Ivan Rilski. According to legend all your sins will be forgiven if you make it past the other side of the cave. My host told me the cave is only thirty minutes by foot from the monastery. After 40 minutes I still hadn’t reached the cave and I was starting to worry, since my bus would leave in an hour. That was also the only bus going back to Sofia, so I couldn’t afford miss it. Soon after I finally reached the cave, but because I really needed to get back to the bus I couldn’t make it past the narrow passage leading out of the cave. So according to the legend my sins were not forgiven unfortunately. Oh well, I don’t think I need a cave for that anyway. I made it back to the bus just in time, and I started the 2,5-hour trip back to Sofia. Once I got back in the city I wanted go out for some drinks. My host suggested to join a weekly meeting that night, that is also on Couchsurfing. So I went to the bar where the meeting was supposed to take place, but I was already an hour late. I saw plenty of people, but most of them were couples and I wasn’t really eager to jump in between them to ask them if they’re with Couchsurfing, in case I would be disturbing a date or something. But I did see a group of seven people who could easily have been from different countries. Once I had mustered the courage, I walked up to them and asked them if they were here with Couchsurfing. They all stopped their conversations and turned their heads to me with a look that said “what the hell are you talking about?”. One of the guys responded: “Sorry, are we with what?” “Never mind”, I said, “enjoy your drinks!” And I walked back to my table, finished my beer and left the place. Well, that was an awkward attempt to socialize. The next day I fled the country and continued to Greece. Who knows, I might find some friendly people there.