Wednesday, 11 SEP
This morning we arrived at Vidin, Bulgaria, and got on a bus for the town of
Belogradchik (literally "small white town"). Belogradchik is famous for its rock formations and a fortress.
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| Abandoned factory outside Vidin. |
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| In Belogradchik |
One thing we observed quickly is that the Bulgarian language is written using Cyrillic characters.
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| Death notices on a public display |
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| A view of some rock formations from the center of town. |
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| More of central Belogradchik |
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| Hotel-Restaurant Belogradchik--not yet renovated |
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| Belogradchik Fortress and some rock formations |
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| More of Belogradchik Fortres |
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| View of Belogradchik from the Fortress |
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| Some rock formations |
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| Still more rock formations |
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| Even more rock formations |
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| Back in the town of Belogradchik |
From Belogradchik, we headed back to Vidin. In general, Bulgaria appeared to be the poorest of the countries we saw on the trip. It reminded me a lot of what Ukraine looked like about 10 years ago, and probably looks like today.
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| Bulgarian countryside |
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| A town near Vidin |
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| More Bulgarian countryside |
Eventually, we arrived back in
Vidin. This was the most "Soviet" looking town we saw on the trip. Lots of big apartment buildings in deteriorating condition an, and Soviet-style architecture and monuments everywhere. In all of the countries we visited, the guides were unanimous in their distaste (putting it mildly) for the Communists.
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| Apartments in Vidin |
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| Street scene in Vidin |
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| Another view of Baba Vida |
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| Vidin's synagogue, currently abandoned, but scheduled for renovation |
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| Practice your Bulgarian: "Supermarket" |
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| Housing in Vidin |
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| What I believe to be the theater in Vidin |
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| Panorama shot of central Vidin |
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| The school that our tour guide went to |
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| Central Vidin |
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| Apparently Mr. Clean is not permitted to enter Bulgaria |
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| A shopping center in Vidin. No, that's not a Food Lion on the right. |
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| Communist statuary in Vidin |
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| More of central Vidin |
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| An apartment building in Vidin |
Thursday, 12SEP
This morning we docked at the city of Ruse, Bulgaria and I took a tour to the town of Veliko Tarnovo, while Brenda stayed on the boat and tried to recover from a cold.
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| Bulgarian countryside |
We stopped at a hotel in Veliko Tarnovo for a morning snack, and then went to a Arbanasi, a small town nearby.
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| The hotel we stopped at in Veliko Tarnovo |
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| View of Veliko Tarnovo from the hotel |
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| Kaltenberg Brewery--despite my name, they didn't offer me a free sample. |
In Arbanasi, we visited an ethnological museum, located in the oldest building in town, dating from the 1500s.
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| Street musician in Arbanasi |
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| The Ethnological Museum |
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| Inside the Museum |
There are several churches in Arbanasi that look very modest from the inside, but spectacular on the inside. Unfortunately, photography was not allowed inside, so you'll have to settle for a picture stolen off the web.
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| Exterior of the Church of the Nativity |
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| Interior of the Church of the Nativity |
We then returned to
Veliko Tarnovo, which is a major tourist city in Bulgaria, known for its fortress (Tsarevets) and city views.
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| Tsarevets and Patriarchal Cathedral |
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| Center of Veliko Tarnovo |
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| What they are reading in Bulgaria |
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| View of Veliko Tarnovo |
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| More from the streets of Veliko Tarnovo |
From Veliko Tarnovo, we then headed back to Ruse, where the boat was docked.
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| Bulgarian countryside--mostly sunflowers |
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| More Bulgarian countryside |
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| Abandoned factory in Ruse |
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| Life in Bulgaria |
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| Street life in Ruse |
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| Pedestrian mall in Ruse |
Next:
Romania
