Europe Trip: Bulgaria

18 - 30 October 2013

The mighty Bulgarian Lev is similar to the NZ dollar so I'm going to work on the premmies 1 Lev is 1 NZ dollar in actual it 1 Lev = .84 $NZ so this should save me a couple of pennies along the way! But to give you idea of what things cost this way a cappuccino is around 1 Lev and our first evening out for a 3 course meal, beer and coffee 25 Leva so things are pretty good and so is the food!

Haven't booked a hostel but after trying the first on the list we discover Sofia is rather full due to a protest and persuade them to find us a place to stay for the night and get them to book us in for the rest of the week. Spoilt.

Our first night is spent at a hostel which has no heating and is cold after our previous hostel that we spend the evening in the basement bar which has a jam session happening for the night. The next morning we do have a smile when we see a fellow dorm mate has been sleeping in all their clothes including shoes...

The day has been spent second hand shopping and eating with a fellow kiwi who I travelled from Macedonia with. Lunch was neat as we meet a cute English/Bulgarian couple in their late 60's who let us know they were recently married and being inquisitive I was a little cheeky and asked how they met - to which the response was internet. Very frank and quite open to all our questions they were a lovely couple and it was a privilege to be able to spend our lunch with them. We continued on the mission to find winter clothes for my travel mate and on the way met a elderly lady selling flowers for a couple of lev, I did take a few photos and purchased a small posy. I hope that it helps out in some way.

Feeling a little peaky so am off to bed on time and the next morning I have the flu - Bleugh!!! I'm going to be cheeky blame it on the train carriage companions on the ride Macedonia to Kosovo and not having Rena at TDC sending me a yearly reminder that I need to have my flu shot!

I did pop out for lunch but it was a chore and I struggled to eat my lovely meal, had a short walk for fresh air before heading back to my bed.... gutting.

Sleep is a wonderful healer and I'm feeling more energetic and spent my day trying to stay in the sunshine! popping down to the local thermal (healing) mineral springs where the locals go to collect water and yes I'm open to anything and have taken my own drink bottle to try the stuff out. For those of you asking the question yes it's body temperature-ish maybe a little warmer and its for drinking not for washing clothes as directed by the signs must have been a problem in the past. Popped down to the local flea markets, not a lot that caught my eye, to many replica's of knives and hats from the 1930/40's.

The following day - I'm sick of being sick at the hostel and decide being outside in the mountains is the best place to be! So a day trip to Rila Monastery and Rilo Manastirska National Park to hike up to visit St John of Rila's (a hermit canonized by the Orthodox Church) cave dwelling and tomb. Its a two hour drive out from the city and it is so cool to see the hay stacks, sheep and cows out with their sheppard's grazing even a heard of horses floating about no fences but the animals seem to know road rules.

I have found my Autumn and its beautiful! The national park is flush with burnt orange and yellows. A thick carpet of leaves underfoot makes the hike up to St Johns cave a little more exciting as we trip and slip over hidden rocks. The church is very quaint and it is a pity to discover its locked but a bonus we have access to the cave where St John lived and can quietly say a prayer for those inclined and view his very humble abode. I was very surprised to find a small shrine and candles lit. After posing for some photographs and grabbing a drink from a water spigot (yes in the middle of all the trees) we pop back do to the Monastery.

The frescoes are hand painted by the monks that have lived her over the years and are retouched as and when needed. I cannot explain the grandeur of the art work that has been done here both internally and externally but I hope that the photograph I have below will tell a thousand words.

(Fresco from external of building)

I did catch a monk on a cell phone but missed the opportunity to get a photo so fingers crossed I can get a copy from a fellow tour member. The day was brilliant am tired but very content with a feed of trout and a cup of coffee in a neighbouring township I quietly doze my way back to the city.

You guys know how much I like my food - its almost considered a national pass time well today is traditional food tasting day! With 3 other kiwis, pretty spoilt. Again 3 courses 20 lev and oh its so good, soup, meat, desert, beer, good company you just cant go wrong. After allowing lunch to settle the four of us cruise out to catch the local free walking tour. Its pretty well done, the guides do know a lot of info (sometimes to much) and take us around some neat places, including the underground city gates from the ottoman times which had a interesting sign pointing us in the direction of the presidency which did have a changing of the guard (I had to come back the next day for a better photo for you guys) the tour lasts around two and a half hours pretty good going ending at the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral which is on the list to visit again tomorrow. The walk home on the other hand is extremely interesting as we get caught up in a protest against the government.

The unrest began when Bulgaria's new government tried to appoint controversial media mogul Deylan Peevski to head the national security agency in June. The locals tell me Mr Peevski has links to the mob and although his appointment has been reversed the protestors are refusing to abandon their cause. Bulgarian protestors have been gathering in front of parliament in Sofia to accuse the government of corruption and demand its resignation. From every age group it is agreed there is action needed against the corruption within Bulgarian Politics. People of my age living in Bulgaria tell me they were bought up protesting in the 80's and 20 years later they find the need to do it again and are encouraged by their elders to do so.

The following extract is from a BBC article but it gives you a feeling of the people and their unity...

"Outside the chained gates of Sofia University, a young man is being berated by a group of angry senior citizens. An elderly lady wearing a green crocheted hat slaps at him with a matching shopping bag and is shouting so furiously that droplets of her spittle are flying into his face. I assume she and the other pensioners are sick of the five months of protests in the city and am astounded when I understand that they are yelling at the young man because he wants the occupation of his university to end and his lessons to resume. "Do you know how many demonstrations I've been on to help your generation?" screams the woman. "Fight on and don't be such a damn coward!" An old man pushes the student's shoulder roughly. "You want to go back along the road to Moscow?" he shouts. "Or do you want to help pull Bulgaria on the path towards progress?"

Another interesting piece of information is according to Transparency International Bulgaria is the second most corrupt among the 28 EU member states, beaten only by Greece. So if your interested in more please check this link out for a update from the Guardian released 26 November 2013 http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/nov/26/bulgaria-student-protest-corruption and also the link

http://www.transparency.org/cpi2012/results

My second to last day is spent with my two new Kiwi friends and a gentleman from Mexico. we pop back to the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral which was created in honour to the Russian and Hungarian soldiers who died during the Russo-Turkish War of 1877-1878 which resulted in Bulgaria being liberated from Ottoman rule. We visited there not only to view the inside grandeur of one of the largest Eastern Orthodox Cathedrals but to hopefully meet Mr Dobri Dorev. A 98-year-old man who is known for his unconditional kindness and generosity.

Mr Dobri Dobrev is a war survivor who lost his hearing during World War II. He now lives somewhere in Sofia Region and walks some 10 kilometres from his village in his traditional homemade clothes and leather shoes to the city of Sofia, where he spends the day begging for money. Though a well known fixture around several of the city’s churches he has been mistaken as a homeless but it has only recently been discovered that he has donated every penny he has collected over 20,000 euros for the restoration of decaying Bulgarian monasteries and the utility bills of orphanages. He is living off his monthly state pension of 80 euros which converts to $135nz. The four of us popped a little something into his plastic cup and went of in search of a hot coffee and something to eat for this gentleman. Again when we returned to him we all wished we could communicate with with more than hands and feet. We left this lovely gentleman who is quietly going about his business. If you are really interested in his story a local news agency did a interview - its subtitled in English http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PjrwqA1gz8 two lines that hit from the interview

- where are all the politicians and organisations who have slick PR campaigns donations

and

- what point has our society reached when the greatest financial contributor among us is a poor elderly gentleman

Watch the space......