Let the blogging begin!! I am currently sitting in the Turkish Airlines lounge in Istanbul (hello again) waiting for our connection to Chicago, after an early morning’s flight from Budapest. It has been a BUSY week since my last blog post with basically no down time to write! So, here goes on bringing you up to speed on what has been a very fun trip!
The last time I left you, we had just boarded the Golden Eagle and were underway, heading out of Istanbul and Turkey, and entering into Bulgaria in the wee hours of the morning. Our first (and only stop) in Bulgaria was to the town of Veliko Tarnovo, its ancient capital. The countryside was very green and lush so it was a lovely journey, looking out at the rural landscape as we chugged our way along. We had a choice of itineraries for the afternoon’s activity – either we could take a stroll down the cobbled Market Street and visit various craft stores or instead to opt for something a little more energetic and instead visit the remains of the medieval citadel, which would involve a climb up a hill. Already, we are noticing the demographics of this trip expressed in the significant level of detail that goes into explaining the physical effort that will be required for each activity, with a particular focus on the number and steepness of any stairs that might be involved. We suspect we are one of the few passengers onboard who are still in possession of their original hips and knees! And – in a very smart move – the train company has its own onboard doctor who is traveling with the group (not sure quite how that works when we split into two groups, though – so maybe its more for insurance purposes?).
We opted to take the walk up the hill to see city views and the citadel ruins – a good choice, given the chonky lunch we had just had (the local specialty is a salad that is covered in cheese (YASSSS) as well as a giant lump of pork covered in fried potato strings – tasty but not exactly light!). The walk was a slow and steady uphill (obvs for me it was nooooo problem at all, given all my hiking training) and our luck with the weather was still holding, as it was a beautiful sunny afternoon. There was a “church” (the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Ascension) at the top of the hill that we went inside to visit – it was rebuilt in the 1980’s and so isn’t actually a church, but it is decorated in a very distinctive manner, covered in stark, brutalist style paintings, depicting the medieval history of the fortress. As you know, I’m not a massive fan of the usual overgilded and ornate interiors of churches, so I really appreciated the styling of this one.
After the visit to the citadel, we drove to the nearby village of Arbanasi where we visited a couple of different attractions – firstly, we visited the 15th century Church of the Nativity http://www.arbanasinativitychurch.com/arbanasi-nativity-church-veliko-tarnovo/ It had a deliberately plain exterior, marked only by a simple cross on its roof, as it was built during a period when Christian churches were not allowed (apparently, it managed to get built through some strategic greasing of palms). But while it was business on the outside, it was a holy party on the inside! Every available surface was completely covered by intricate paintings and murals depicting various scenes of the life of Christ, saints and parables. The artistry was impressive and it was incredible to think these vivid images dated back to the 16th and 17th centuries. It reminded me of the Egyptian tombs in the Valley of the Kings we’d visited a couple of years ago. I took one picture before the guide told me that pictures were not allowed – oops.
After the Church, our next stop was at a 17th century house that had been turned into a museum where the interiors were artfully recreated to show what life would have been like back then for a wealthy merchant family. https://www.museumvt.com/en/catalog/the-konstantsalieva-s-house We made our way through a series of interconnected rooms, including one where the maidens of the house were sequestered, away from the prying eyes of any lusty locals. I particularly liked the kitchen with its assorted big pots and pans -whereas the interior privy left a lot to be desired. The triangular-shaped toilet hole will remain an eternal mystery – lost in the back passages of time, I suppose.
Following our tour of the merchant house, we all regrouped in the gardens of a hotel/historic building to have some refreshments -(some tea and a slightly wet, cinnamon-forward apple strudel thing) and a surprise! (we would come to learn that the Golden Eagle likes to plans surprises for their guests – in a good way). Today’s surprise was a traditional folk dance with performers in traditional costumes! There were four dancers and three musicians who proceeded to twirl and spin and occasionally wave spoons at each other – and who then came and grabbed some of us to join them! I managed to avoid the first round of group dancing – but my luck eventually ran out and I found myself concentrating furiously on taking 2 steps to the left and then 1 step to the right, while death-gripping the poor bastards on either side of me in the line-up. The smile you see on my face in the video is actually a rictus of fear.
Fortunately, my torture only lasted a few minutes and I scuttled back to my seat glad it was over- but also kinda glad that I’d Had A Go. I was remembering my lessons from Amanda in Nepal in trying not to shy away from new and potentially embarrassing experiences that are outside my comfort zone – public coordinated dancing being top of the list. So that’s progress, I guess. After the performance was over, it was time for us all to pile back into the buses and head back to the train. There, all that was left to do was to get fed and watered (again) and enjoy a wonderful sunset (which are impossible to photograph from a moving train, btw) before retiring to bed. Our cabin had been prepared for the night by our fabulous cabin attendant, Virag (which means flower) – she even left us little choccies, as well as a little sign to hang on our door, specifying the time we’d like our morning coffee delivered. So terribly civilized, darling. Tonight, our time in Bulgaria would draw to a close and we would cross the border into Romania and enter Transylvania proper! FUN!!!
