Sokolski/Tryavna/Dryanovo/Bacho Kiro Cave/Etar Ethnographical Village/Veliko Tarnavo

Så er vi på vej til Tryavna, men gør ophold ved Sokolski Klosteret med den mest fantastiske kirke jeg endnu har set i Bulgarien. En nonne kom næsten løbende med nøgler ved sit bælte for at lukke os ind i kirken. Det var som at træde ind i en anden verden. Da jeg jeg trådte ind i en helt anderledes atmosfære, føltes det som at komme tilbage i tiden. Så smukt, og så rent. Jeg skal helt sikkert tilbage til dette sted....og gerne snart.

Turen gik videre til Tryavna. Og højt oppe over byen blev vi inkvarteret på et dejligt hotel "Seasons" med udsigt over Tryavna til den ene side og højdedrag/bjerge til den anden side. En tur på gåben ned til byen er ikke så slem, men tilbage....hold da op. Det gik opad og opad, så benene var trætte, da vi nåede tilbage. Men vi fik besøgt et rigtigt interessant museum, med nogle fantastisk flotte træskærerarbejder. Her fik vi også lidt forståelse for, hvordan en bulgarsk familie havde inrettet sig i tidligere tider. Tryavna er åbenbart kendt for fremstilling af smukt bomuldsundertøj, specielt til kvinder, så selvfølgelig blev det min souvenir fra denne smukke by. I byen er der en fontæne.....omgivet af mange katte.....med det smukke navn "Kærlighedsfontænen". Vi fyldte vore flasker, for måske var der mulighed for at møde kærligheden ved at drikke vand herfra. Ha ha.
Vi skulle overnatte på hotel "Seasons" i to nætter, og brugte dagtimerne på besøg på bl.a. Dryanovo Klosteret, som hørte Ærkeenglen Sct. Michael til. Et af de få klostre, hvor der er munke og ikke nonner. Vi besøgte kirken, og gik derefter de ca 300 m. bag om klosteret til grotten Bacho Kiro. En usædvanlig stemning der er i en sådan grotte. Her hang der flagermus fra loftet, og vand løb ad gangene.
Efterfølgende besøgte vi et andet kloster. Desværre er mine papirer om dette blevet vandskadet, så jeg ikke husker navnet, med det lå i meget smukke omgivelser, og jeg vil gerne besøge det igen.
Hvis nogen, ud fra mine billeder, skulle vide, hvad det hedder, håber jeg man vil skrive til mig. På forhånd tak.
Tryavna er en by med en meget særegen stemning. Jeg er meget betaget af stedet, og befolkningen er hjertevarme. Mange syntes, det var ret usædvanligt, at en dansk kvinde på min alder rejste rundt på denne måde, uanset om jeg havde en bulgarsk guide med.
Vi besøgte Etar. En etnografisk landby, som et museum. Vældig interessant, og masser af fred og ro, da vi jo var udenfor den store turistsæson. Der var dog stadig få boder, der arbejdede, så vi fik smagt både mad og drikke.
Så gik turen til Veliko Tarnavo. Med besøg på et museum og naturligvis Tsarevets fortet med kongeborgen på toppen. Et usædvanligt sted med en fabelagtig udsigt. Smukt. Hvert år er der lysshow på stedet, og det er utroligt smukt.
Vi besøgte en butik med alverdens ting og sager. Jeg måtte da eje en DVD med lyshowet. Da ejeren af butikken fik oplyst, at jeg var dansker på tur rundt i det centrale Bulgarien , fik jeg en fantastisk flot kalender med en masse smukke billeder. Vi gik gennem Veliko Tarnavos smalle gader, hvor to biler knapt kunne passere hinanden. Så der stod på skilte for enden af gaden, max 2m. På en lille restaurant, hvor Nikolay kendte ejeren, fik vi et fantastisk måltid, og det var på sin plads, for al den traven rundt gav virkelig appetit, og maden i Bulgarien er vikelig en oplevelse. Mums. Og så tilbage til Tryavna og en sidste nat på "Seasons".

Now we're on our way to Tryavna, but had a stop at the Sokolski Monastery, with the most fantastic and beautiful church I yet have seen in Bulgaria. One of the Sisters at the Monastery came running towards us, with keys dangling from her belt. She opened the church for us, and let us in. It was just like stepping in to a totally different world, and the atmosphere was amazing. It was like being in another time. So beautiful....so pure. I am definitely going back there....and hopefully soon.
We continued driving towards Tryavna, and we checked in at our hotel "Seasons" high above the city. We had the most amazing view over Tryavna to the one side, and over Mountains to the other side. What more could one want. We went on our feets down to the city, and it wasn't so bad, but gosh....when walking back to the hotel, it went up, up and up. We did manage to visit a museum though, and got familiar with a beautiful bulgarian tradition of woodcarving. Wow...and we did get a little knowledge about bulgarian lifestyle years ago. I was told, that Tryavna is very known for it's production of very good and beautiful womens underwear, so obviously, some of it became my souvenir from this place. We went to see a fountaine, called "The fountain of Love", and of course we did fill our bottles with water from here. Maybe we were lucky to meet love, by drinking this water. LOL. When we got back to the hotel, our legs were very tired.
We were to stay on the hotel "Seasons" for two night, so we spent the daytime visiting some interesting places. Dryanovo Monastery, for the Archangel Michael. Here we saw monks, where we mostly have seen nuns on other places. We visited the church, and after that we walked about 3oo m. to the Bacho Kiro Cave. There is an unusual atmosphere in a cave like this, with bats hanging from the ceiling, and water streaming on the floor.
After that we visited another Monastery, and I am sorry to say, that because of some waterdamage, that ruined some papers, I don't remember the name, but it was in very beautiful surroundings, and I would like to visit again. If anyone, knows the name, by looking at my pictures, I would be very grateful for getting a message with the name. Thank you in advance.
Tryavna is a place with a very particular atmosphere, and I am very fascinated of the place. The people are so warmhearted and nice. Some of the people thought it was very unusual for a woman, my age to travel like this, even if I had a bulgarian guide by my side.
We visited Etar. The Ethnographical Village Museum. A very interesting place, with peace and quiet, since we were there out of season. Though there were a few working shops, so we got to taste both food and beverages. Yet once again I was back in time. Awesome.
Next stop Veliko Tarnavo, with a visit at a museum, and of course the Tsarevets Fortress with the Patriarchal Complex at the top. And amazing place with the most fabulous view over Veliko Tarnavo and Yantra River. Stunning. Every year they make a lightshow here, and it should be so beautiful. We went to a shop with a lot of souvenirs, and I just had to get a DVD with the lightshow. When the owner of the shop realized, that I was a danish woman travelling alone, with only a guide, through the central Bulgaria, he gave me a calender for the next year, and it contained a lot of beautiful pictures from Bulgaria.
We went on a walk through Veliko Tarnavos narrow streets, where two cars could have problems passing by each other. At the end a sign said max 2 m. At a small restaurant, where Nikolay knew the owner, we got some really good food. We had a very good appetite after all the sightseeing, and the food in Bulgaria is just yummi.
After the meal, back to Tryavna and the last night at "Seasons"