Gateway to the Black Sea-#4: Veliko Turnova and Arbanassi, Bulgaria

Mon. June 8-Veliko Turnova and Arbanassi, Bulgaria: Around breakfast time we docked in Ruse, Bulgaria. Everyone was on the buses by 8:45 to begin the day. Our Guide was a Ruse(pronounced Roo-say) native named Ross and he has great pride in his town. As we drove out the narrow streets he told us some of the history of this port town. First settled by the Romans in 79CE it still shows signs of the fortifications around the old town and has a rudimentary Promenade along the river, lined with now decrepit buildings which were originally built in the 18th and 19th centuries with strict guidelines that included buying materials and ornamentations from western Europe. The city name was originally Latin for "60 Ships" or Berths, which were what the Romans had here. It was known for hundreds of years as a Naval/Marine base for different groups and in the 1800s became known for its sports activities with the first sports club in Bulgaria and the first water skiing on the Danube. Ross mentioned several times the tyranny of 500 years of Ottoman rule and then later of the Soviet rule and how welcome freedom was in 1989. It is still a drab, gray city and with most signs in their Cyrillic alphabet looks more like a part of Russia than the European Union to which it now belongs. Ross's English was a little halting and he talked for 45 minutes as we drove so we didn't catch everything that was said. Not much time was spent getting out of town and then we drove a good two lane highway through the rolling agricultural fields of the "breadbasket" area of Bulgaria to visit the old capital city of Veliko Turnova. Along the way we saw herds of sheep, cows, horses, and goats, and even several stork nests with babies on board (if storks bring human babies, what brings stork babies?). For safety, the farmers originally settled in villages with their fields surrounding the villages and owned and used large implements cooperatively. That worked well when the Soviets came in and set up coops, and continues to this day, only the villages are filled with rapidly aging people whose children have no interest in farming and the houses are falling into visible disrepair. Ross told us that the birth rate is .9 children per family where once families would have 10-12 children to help with the farming.  Furthermore, 2.75 million of the 7 million Bulgarians live out of the country, primarily students who study abroad with no intention of returning.

Stork on its nest

Veliko Turnova is built along towering cliffs in the foothills of the Balkan Mountains.  There are rebuilt fortifications of the medieval city that were strategically situated to watch over the entire Yantra River valley. When the Ottomans invaded they burned the city to the ground. The capital city was in Veliko Turnova until 1879 when several smaller principalities united into the Kingdom of Bulgaria and Sophia was chosen as the new capital for its central location. First we drove to the edge of the rebuilt fortifications to take pictures then returned to a hotel at the edge of the old city for refreshments. Two of the four groups combined and split into a group which would wander the fortifications with Ross, and another group which would visit the very oldest street which is now lined with shops of artisans doing and selling traditional crafts. Because the fortifications are not original the four of us chose to get our introduction to the crafts, including icon painting, clay pottery, silver and copper smithing, wood carving, and lots of Rose Oil products for which Bulgaria is famous. We learned that there are huge fields of roses in southern Bulgaria, which made me wish we could visit them. An hour of wandering brought us back to the hotel for a traditional chicken stew lunch and a chance to eat and talk with local high school students. At our table was Kiro, who graduated from high school last week and is going to Spain in the fall to study History, but plans on returning to teach History in Bulgaria. It was fascinating to talk to this outstanding young man who is fluent in 4 languages, and to learn about his family and growing up Bulgarian in a middle class family after Communism. His view is that freedom is preferable but he sees how Capitalism has led to 7-8% unemployment, which never happened when the Communists were in charge and everyone had a job.

Fortifications of medieval Veliko Turnova 

Bulgarian bottle of Coke 

Looking up the artisans' street 

Artist working on distinctive pattern found on early Roman ceramics found in the area

Similar pattern on the small bowl we bought

Looking down the artisans' street 

Marv with a traditional costume worn to chase away winter

After lunch we drove about 10 minutes up the hillside to the tiny village of Arbanassi where we saw an old Bulgarian Orthodox Church that is now a museum. It was built during the Ottoman rule when churches had to be very plain and unadorned, so from the outside it looks boxlike and unassuming. Inside there is a hidden but requisite dome and every inch is covered with painted icons. It is magnificent and breathtaking when one first sees the interior. To add to the magic a quartet of professional singers dressed as priests processed in and sang some of the songs from the Orthodox mass. The acoustics are perfect for showcasing the performance and it was one of the high points of the day. From there we visited a restored merchant's house from the 17th century to see how they would have lived. 

Walkway in Arbanassi

Our guide explains the icons in the "Men's Area"

Sitting and sleeping area in Merchant's house

Another room in the Merchant's house

We drove back to the ship and had a few minutes to relax as we waited for the other buses to arrive. Before dinner we had a performance by a troupe of Bulgarian Children doing traditional dances in traditional costumes with traditional music followed by a presentation by a Bulgarian Orthodox Priest about the beliefs and practices of their church, and an Icon Painter explaining her craft and the three weeks of steps it takes to make them. We met up with Sim and Phil for dinner along with Ross and Pat and had a rollicking time. There was a Cabaret Dance Show in the Lounge after dinner which seemed to me to be a group of girls from a Gentleman's Club who added black bras under their skimpy costumes and came to do their show. I watched a few songs then returned to our room to type up the day's activities and Marv joined me later.

Bulgarian children dance