Overview
This post covers the Bulgarian portion our 9 country 35-day adventure across Europe and picks up the adventure as we pass out of Romania. This included a trip to Transylvania in Romania, a 23-day Viking River cruise across Europe from Bucharest to Amsterdam and then a trip that we arranged after the cruise to both Belgium and The Netherlands.
An overview of this trip can be found at A European Sojourn with links to the other segments of the trip listed below in the summary.
Day 1 – Ruse
After a night of cruising, we wake up and find the ship is anchored at the town of Ruse, often referred to as the “Little Vienna”. It is the fifth-largest city in Bulgaria. It is renowned for its 19th and 20th-century Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo architecture. Since the focus of our stop is a road trip to Velko Tarnova, we only get a glimpse of the town as we leave the dock and head out into the country for our destination.
Ruse
Our trip today starts in Ruse and goes to Velko Tarnova. When we are done with our tour, we return and catch up with the ship in the town of Svishtov. As we pass through town, our guide tells us the story of all the closed communist factories skirting the town. As was the case in Romania, these factory-built products could only be sold in the communist block and when communism fell, the factories closed as the market collapsed. The economy is slowing being rebuilt with more modern industry but still lags behind much of the world.
Ruse to Veliko Tarnova
Outside of Ruse, the country breaks into massive stretches of farmland which our guide tells us are now controlled by large corporations. He tells us that when the communists took over and made all the farms into large collectives, the small farms were destroyed. Later, when the communists were overthrown, there weren’t any small farmers left that could go back to doing what they did in the past. After about 2 hours we move through the town of Veliko Tarnova which is close to our first destination of the day.
Brandy Tasting at Kaloyanova Fortress
A few miles out of town is what looks like an old fortress, however, it is a fairly upscale event venue. Here at Kaloyanova Fortress we are given some refreshments including samples of local brandy and traditional Bulgarian pastries. After about an hour it’s time to move on to our next destination, Arbanasi.
Konstantsalieva House in Arbanasi
Our next stop is a restored and well-furnished example of a 17th century wealthy merchants’ home. The house was originally built in the 17th century and was gradually expanded and renovated over the following centuries. It was owned by the Tafrili family and later purchased by Atanas Konsantsaliata, from whom it gets its name. Konstantsalieva House is designed like a small fortress with high stone walls enclosing the property. It has two entrances: a double wooden gate for caravans and merchandise, and a single door for residents. The ground floor accommodated guards and included residential areas, while the first floor housed reception halls, living and dining rooms, and a special room for pregnant women and young mothers. The house showcases the daily life and culture of Arbanasi in the 19th century. The interior is decorated with white fretwork, drawings, applied items, and hand-carved wooden features.
17th Century Church in Arbanasi
Located in the village of Arbanasi, The Church of the Nativity is a great example of 17th-century Bulgarian Orthodox architecture. This church is renowned for its intricate frescoes and historical significance and it didn’t disappoint as we toured the interior of the church. The interior is adorned with stunning frescoes covering over 6,000 square feet of wall space. These frescoes depict various scenes from the Old and New Testaments, as well as the lives of saints. The mural decoration was completed in several stages between 1597 and 1681, showcasing the work of leading icon painters from the Balkan Peninsula. It is unlike any other church we’ve ever visited.
Lunch
After our visit to the church, we head down the street to a local restaurant for a late lunch. In addition to traditional Bulgarian food, we are entertained by a local music and dance group. At one point Nancy and about 40 fellow passengers get up and dance with them.
Tsarevets Hill
After lunch we head back to Veliko Tarnovo to visit the medieval stronghold that served as the primary fortress of the Second Bulgarian Empire between 1185 and 1393.
Samovodska Charshia District
Next, we head a short distance to the Samovodska Charshia district, which is located in the heart of Veliko Tarnovo. This vibrant area is known for its cobblestone streets, traditional crafts, and bustling atmosphere. It dates back to the second half of the 19th century. It was originally a marketplace where villagers from nearby Samovodene came to sell their home-grown produce. There are numerous workshops where artisans practice traditional crafts such as pottery, wood carving, weaving, and icon painting. We walked around window shopping and run into new friends Jo and Graham. We decide to stop for some tasting of a few local Bulgarian wines which were excellent. We end up buying and taking a couple bottles back to the ship for use on the sun deck later.
Veliko Tarnova to Svishtov Bulgaria
Since we left Ruse this morning, the boat has moved upriver so we take a different route to the town of Svishtov to reboard the ship. We pass again through some of the large agricultural areas and it’s a very scenic and pleasant journey back to the ship. Once we board, the ship immediately continues to sail upriver as the sun sets. We have a couple hours of day light left when we get back to the ship and enjoy a very pleasant evening up on the sun deck as we continue our cruise and watch the sun set.
Day 2 – Vidin
After cruising overnight, we pull into the Bulgarian port town of Vidin and dock. Today’s excursion begins with a road trip to Belgradchik Fortress up in the Balkan Mountains.
Vidin to Belgradchik Fortress
As we head to the small town of Belogradchik, we pass through a large agricultural area. Soon the countryside starts to get hillier as we head towards the Balkan Mountains.
The Town of Belogradchik
Our destination is on the other side of Belogradchik and we get to drive through the town before ending up at the fortress.
Belogradchik Fortress
Belogradchik Fortress is a historical site located on the northern slopes of the Balkan Mountains in northwestern Bulgaria. This ancient fortress is one of the best-preserved strongholds in the country and has its origins back to Roman times, between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. During the 14th century, the fortress was expanded and strengthened by the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Stratsimir. It became one of the most important strongholds in the region, second only to the Vidin Fortress which we will visit later in the day. The fortress was captured by the Ottomans in 1396 and underwent significant modifications to adapt to the needs of the Ottoman military. It played a crucial role in suppressing local uprisings and protecting the region. Belogradchik Fortress was last used in warfare during the Serbo-Bulgarian War in 1885.
The fortress is built among stunning rock formations, which provided natural protection and sweeping panoramic views of the Balkan Mountains.
Return to Vidin
We return to the ship for a late afternoon lunch before heading out to the town to explore more of the area.
Memorial to the Victims of Communism
Located near where the ship is docked, we find a Memorial to the Victims of Communism which honors the memory of individuals who were persecuted, imprisoned, or lost their lives during the communist era in Bulgaria.
Danube River Park in Vidin
After a quick late lunch on the ship, we head out on our own to explore the town. We start at the river walk.
Bada Vida Fortress
Bada Vida is a medieval castle located along the Danube at the far end of the Riverside Park. It consists of two walls and about nine towers of which three are preserved to their full medieval height, including the original battlements. We paid a small admission to get into the fort and spent time exploring the various towers and corridors.
Vidin Town Square
Next we head down to the town square where we find a large public area containing monuments, ruminates of the old city gate and a number of street side cafes. After a bit of exploring and picture taking, we find a little cafe and settle down to people watch and to watch the world go by. As it’s close to the time we need to get back on board, we go to pay our bill and find out they don’t take credit cards! Bulgaria officially doesn’t use Euros but our waitress takes them and so all is good and we head back to the ship.
Time to Sail
The ship begins sailing about a hour before dark so there is enough time for us to go up on the sun deck to watch the world go by and talk to some of the folks we have met. We also get to enjoy a glorious sunset.
Summary
This part of Bulgaria seemed economically behind Romania in its transformation away from communism. The regions of the country we saw, in particular the Balkans, is very beautiful and it seems to hold a lot of promise of the future. All in all, we enjoyed our visit and would come back to visit other parts of the country on some future trip. On adventure now continues in Serbia.
The other segments of this trip can be found here:
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