Rock Monasteries in Bulgaria

October 8
We visited two different monasteries built within rocky cliffs.

The first were the rock monasteries of Ivanovo, Bulgaria. These were created in the 13th century. There are numerous "rooms" carved out of the limestone cliffs. Some were meant to be chapels. Others were sleeping chambers.

The caves are over 32 meters from the valley floor. Luckily a trail has been constructed for the ascent. It is much easier to negotiate than the stairs we took going back down!

Here is the view from the cave looking down!

We ducked into a narrow opening.

I was astonished by the frescoes painted on the walls and ceilings so many centuries ago.

The frescoes depict many of the stories of the Bible.

A "calendar" was carved into the floor. Our guide explained that a rock was put in one of the holes, and moved to an adjacent hole each month to keep track of time.

A crack has appear in the ceiling. It cuts through some of the frescoes.

The crack is being monitored by a university. Plastic tapes were adhered to both sides of the crack in different locations. If the crack were to widen, the tape would be torn.

We took a short ride to the second monastery. This one is still in operation today.

There are a number of small chapels tucked up high above the parking area.

The stairs were narrow and steep. But once we got to the top, we saw interesting chapels. 

There is a variety of art in the different chapels.

I loved this carving. The camera view makes it look like the Saint is wearing aviation goggles! In person, it looks much different.

In each of the rooms you could see tiny pieces of paper and coins left by people seeking special prayers. 

Afterwards, we stopped in Ruse for lunch at a local restaurant.

 I was surprised that the bathroom has not been updated with a more modern toilet.

OMG: My Favorite Day of the Trip!

October 8

We began our day with  a visit to a home in Vidin, Bulgaria. We were greeted in the traditional manner, with bread and a paprika-mix dip and  local brandy by our hostess, her aunt, and her uncle.

Romania's house is not typical. She lived in the US with her husband, and upon their return, built a home with a large open area, similar to American homes. 

Romania, her aunt and her cousin demonstrated how to make traditional Banitsa. While her pan was in the oven, we worked in teams to created another Banitsa pastry. 

Banitsa is an egg-custard dish made with phyllo dough. It an be savory or sweet. It is most often part of celebrations, such as Christmas or New Year's Eve. I enjoyed the pastry and will be making it at home for special occasions.

Then, we were off to the "Kindergarten"

We were greeted by twins in traditional clothing. They offered the traditional greeting of bread, with something to dip the bread into. This time it was honey.

The "Kindergarten" is a school for children ages 10 months to six years. The oldest group entertained us with a cute skit. 

After the skit, the children sang a number of songs, in English.

And some songs in their tongue.

Then, they all came to sit across from us. We all worked on making scenes with cut out papers, colored pencils and glue. 

"Our" kids were cute as can be. Dahu and Noaha. They didn't speak any English. We spoke no Bulgarian. They write in a Cyrillic alphabet, we write in a Latin alphabet. But, we had fun creating our scenes, trading them, and giving hugs. I wanted to take the kids home with me!!

The Director of the school took us into a conference room and patiently answered our questions. She showed us the "curriculum" they use in the school to prepare the kids for elementary school, which begins at age 6. This particular school is paid for by the government, except that parents must pay for the meals provided to the children. 

As thrilled as I was to see these beautiful children perform for us, I began to think of the movie, "Groundhog Day". I realized that having tourists come to the school must be a money-making proposition for the school. That's great. But... how many times each week do these children "perform"? Are there other things the kids should be doing? Ach... the educator in me puts a negative film over such fun experiences!