 |
| Eger city view from castle |
As we arrived late in the evening we sleep near the airport in Budapest before starting our short trip through Hungary. As we visited Budapest before we decide this time to go to Eger, a city of great importance to Hungarians as here the Ottoman advance in Europe was halted (for a few years at least) after a long siege by a small band of people vs the entire might of the Ottoman empire. More recently the Eger's "Bulls Blood" wine is one of the most well known wines produced in Hungary. The accomodation we found sounds almost too good to be true - a house with three rooms for the price of a usual hotel room. Everything in the house is as advertised (including the great views) - we have three rooms upstairs with two baths, a balcony with views of the city and a kitchenette with a full size refrigerator.
 |  |
| Eger accomodation - great price for the size | Thematic for the house |
 |  |
| Internal staircase | One of the bedrooms |
 |  |
| Bathroom with washing machine | View from the house |
The major attraction of the city is the castle that dominates the view from almost every point of the city. While we arrived in the afternoon luckily it is open until late in the evening so we decide to visit it today. After paying the entrance fee we walk along the castle's wall for quite some time till we get to the interior entrance - this was so that invaders could be attacked all along the way. However now the only "invaders" had wings so they are not troubled - swallows are flying in crazy formations everywhere.
 |  |
| Entrance to the castle | Plan of the fortress |
 |  |
| Entrance to the interior area | One of the current inhabitants of the castle |
As we arrive at the top inner area we see multiple cannons all placed in positions to cover the main entrance - it looks quite impregnable. The interior is at first a bit barren with no major building visible except the wall where an impressive tower looms. We check it out - it is an exhibition that is already closed so we go to take a look at the views over the walls.
 |  |
| Protecting the inner gate | Inside the castle aiming at the gate |
 |  |
| Parade grounds? | Close by view of tower |
The views are breathtaking in all directions. WE can see the mountains in the distance and the city close by spread in front of us. We are surprised (even though we shouldn't have been) by the number of churches - everywhere we turn there is one visible including the major one - the Eger Basilica - the second largest cathedral in Hungary..
 |  |
| View from the top | One of the many churches |
 |  |
| Another view of the city | Eger's well known Basilica |
After some walking we arrive at a cluster of buildings that seem to be more modern than the castle. One of them is the Castle Museum however unfortunately it is already closed. The other ones are not yet renovated and some of them seems to even have had a fire in it not so long ago.
 |  |
| Walking on the walls | Museum building inside the castle |
 |  |
| Not yet renovated | This is new - not from the Turks (likely) |
We enjoy more the ruins of the old cathedral that are further up ahead. It is clearly visible how the church was build where the altar was and were some of the columns were standing. You can even go down towards the catacombs and as we did that we found a few old tombs but then the way was blocked so we had to retrace our steps up.
 |  |
| Remains of a church inside the castle walls | Another excavated church in the castle walls |
 |  |
| Going down | Old tombs (we think) |
WE continue wandering around finding a few more non-renovated areas and closed gates but finally we get on another section of wall with great views of the castle entrance.
 |  |
| Non-renovated area | View from the wall of the entrance |
In fact the views of the city from here are different and we even see the renowned thermal bath of Eger. Hungary has a lot of thermal baths a fact that we were not aware before researching the area and the ones in Eger are one of the better known ones. Also we see the minaret - a reminder of the Turkish occupation which is the northernmost remaining minaret as after the Ottomans retreated the mosquees were destroyed and minarets torned down in most cities.
 |  |
| The most northern minaret in Europe | Easier to invade this way |
 |  |
| View of thermal bath | Another impressive view |
After all the walking we are craving for some sweets and right next to where we parked the car we find a sweets shop from which we buy some sweets to eat later at our accomodations (and they are really good).
 |  |
| Sweets shop | Right in front |
 |  |
| What is inside? | Yummy |
In fact our plan is to go out and buy some local food but it starts raining heavily so in the end we order takeout and it is as far from Hungarian cuisine as possible but at least we don't go to sleep hungry. And that is what we do as we are still really tired and jet lagged.
 |  |
| Complimentary wine | When in Hungary eat...pizza? |
 |  |
| Gyro | Dinner dish for today |
 |
| View from the Lyceum |
Today we plan to visit the downtown area of Eger but first we have to find a parking place. Luckily our host points out a free parking area and there are still a few spots when we arrive so we park there and start walking towards downtown which is just across the central park. It is a nice park with quite a few birds and the trees are in flower but what we like most is the pond full of lilies and quite a few frogs hidden between them.
 |  |
| Painted house near the park | Main avenue through the park |
 |  |
| Flowering tree | Beautiful bird |
 |  |
| Pond in the park | Spot the wildlife:) |
In the downtown area there area quite a few interesting historical buildings but the one we are walking to is the basilica, the second largest one in Hungary. It is quite impressive but it is expensive to enter so we just see it from the outside before hopping across the street to the Lyceum.
 |  |
| Nicely ornated building | Detail on building |
 |  |
| Basilica | Archbishop's Palace |
The Lyceum has an interesting history as it was intended as a religious university by the bishop however the Empress Maria Theresa forbid it so he had to settle for a college. It is quite impressive as we walk through to the astronomy museum and camera obscura that we intend to visit.
 |  |
| Lyceum from the distance | Lyceum corridor |
 |  |
| Inner courtyard | That is where we want to go |
What we didn't know is that the camera obscura is at the top of a tower with no elevator so it is slow going as we climb the 8 floors up to the camera obscura. On the way we study the Foucault's pendulum (that is not working) that is suspended in the interior of the stairs we are climbing. There are also exhibits at different floors that we can visit and catch our breath.
 |  |
| Climbing near Foucault's pendulum | Mineralogy collection from space |
 |  |
| Basilica and Lyceum - we are high already | Catching our breath in front of an exhibit |
Right before the camera obscura we have to wait for the guide and we are ushered to wait on an observation deck of the city. The views are beautiful as good as the ones the day prior from the castle - this time we see the castle however in the distance.
 |  |
| View from the observation deck - breathtaking | Older part of town |
 |  |
| Newer part of town | One of the many churches |
The guide arrives and we enter the camera obscura. The best way to describe it is as a periscope of the city that provides a live view of the area. The guide moves it around showing us different spots of the city on the white table in front of us which is where the projection appears. It is quite interesting and it was in vogue before movies where invented but now only two camera obscuras survive one in Eger and one in Scotland.
 |  |
| Eger camera obscura | This is the screen for the images and the controls |
Besides the camera obscura our ticket also paid the entrance to the astronomy exhibit and the science exhibit. The astronomy exhibit is explained first by a guide but only in Hungarian this time (there is a flier in English that can be read) and then we can walk around through the room. The most interesting thing is an old time keeping device showing when it was midday - at the exact time a spot of light hits the ridge on the floor. Quite an ingenious solution but not helpful when it is cloudy, I think. Fortunately we are there just as this happens as the spot of light is visible only for a few minutes. The science exhibit is also interesting with a lot of hands on experiments and a lot of information about scientific phenomenons that we didn't know.
 |  |
| Finding the time of day the hard way | Not midday yet |
 |  |
| Part of the old observatory | Old instruments and the heating stove |
After exiting the Lyceum we walk around the downtown area a bit more looking into courtyards, examining a few buildings and buying some interesting streetfood.
 |  |
| Looking inside a courtyard | Central avenue |
 |  |
| Detail on building | Old downtown building |
We decide to return using a slightly different route so we can pass near the minaret. It is quite impressive and high when we get close but we decide not to climb it - we had enough of stairs for one day. We also wanted to visit the central square - Dobo square - but unfortunately it was closed due to construction so we walk on. We arrive back at the park and as we pass through it back to the car we find another beautifully colored bird playing around in the afternoon sun. We still need some food so we go to the supermarket and do some shopping before eating dinner and going to bed as tommorow we are going to drive to Romania to the city of Cluj Napoca a relatively long drive.
 |  |
| The minaret | Closeup of minaret |
 |  |
| Central square is closed | Multicolored bird |
Today we have a long way ahead of us and a border crossing so we don't have many stops planned. We leave Eger on a different way through the nearby Bukk mountains and arrive at the small village of Noszvaj where we intend to see a small castle that supposedly is located in the central area. We think that we will find it easily however we are wrong and while searching we enter a dirt sideroad that we can barely exit. We decide to park and to explore ahead as the wall nearby seems to be the castle wall but after a tough descent the road leads to some troglodyte homes (made in stone) and not the castle which is also interesting. We go backwards with the car to the last intersection and lo and behold there is the castle. It is a small one but it is weird that we missed it while we passed multiple times right in front of it. We walk in front of it however it is closed so soon we move on.
 |  |
| Is the castle really this way? | Garages built in a stone wall |
 |  |
| De La Motte castle in Noszvaj | Detail at the entrance gate |
After this we don't stop a lot except near a lake and a few times to see some flowers. The road is good interstate-like leading towards the border to Ukraine.
 |  |
| Lake on the way | On the lakeshore |
 |  |
| Flowering tree near the road | Kilometer stones on the side of the road |
However our destination is not Ukraine but Romania so we soon detour through Debrecen a major city were the road passes right through the suburbs with a lot of stop and go. After that it starts to pass through every village along the way which makes for slow going. Still what we get are some great views of storks that seem to be everywhere but unfortunately it is quite difficult to take pictures from a moving car.
 |  |
| Debrecen from a distance | Commuter station |
 |  |
| What is that on the lightpost? | Aaaah....a stork |
In the end we stop in a field to relax for a bit before crossing the border and we walk around a bit finding lots of beautiful wildflowers. It is quite beautiful especially the bright red poppy flowers that are everywhere intertwined with the blue and yellow from the other flowers. And then it is on for the last stretch ..the border crossing is uneventful and we are in Romania now.
 |  |
| Beautiful field | Mix of wildflowers |
 |  |
| A few blue ones.. | And a lot of red ones |
Right after passing the border we pass through the city of Oradea which starts unauspiciously with lots of industrial buildings some of them not in use anymore but the downtown area is interesting and possibly worth a visit another time.
 |  |
| First view of Romania - not really but close | Industry at the border |
 |  |
| Start of the tram line | Building in downtown Oradea |
On the way what draws our attention are the churches which are in every village no matter how small and how poor and they are well maintained everywhere. There are no dedicated rest areas but rarely there are road side stalls and we stop once to see what they sell - mostly souvenirs. And quite often we see cows on the side of the road and horse drawn carriages on the road (even though they are not allowed) both of which require careful driving.
 |  |
| Churches are in every village | Impressive building on the way |
 |  |
| Rest stop on the way | Is this safe near a major highway? |
After about three hours of driving we arrive in Cluj Napoca and pass initially through the suburbs with communist era apartment buildings but soon we arrive in the downtown area which has some beautiful palaces built in the late 19 - early 20th century built by wealthy merchants and politicians.
 |  |
| Football stadium | Cluj Napoca - Berde Palance |
 |  |
| Szeki Palace in Cluj Napoca | Downtown is full of interesting buildings - Babos Palace |
In the middle of the city is the large Catholic St Stephan Church. In front of it are the ruins of the old Roman city, Napoca which were newly excavated. The Central Square is surrounded by old, majestic buildings including the Banffy Palace which now houses the Museum of Art. Of course we can't resist eating some sweets and also some traditional food (from a mall so not sure how traditional it was).
 |  |
| At the center of the city - Catholic church | Area in front of the church |
 |  |
| Tough to find a parking spot | Speology Museum - unfortunately closed |
 |  |
| A storm is coming | Who can resist this? |
Today we take a day trip to Targu Mures a medium sized county seat town about two hours drive from Cluj Napoca. We are leaving from Cluj in a different direction than we have arrived which makes for different views including one of the half constructed and half abandoned Greek Catholic Church in the downtown area. Then the road climbs precipitously on a hill with great views of the city and then we are over the hill and pass through small villages on the short hop to the next major city Turda which is still in Cluj county.
 |  |
| Cluj - Modern building | Cluj - Old church |
 |  |
| Roadside view | City from a distance |
Turda is an old city, there was a Roman city here 2000 years ago, but besides the downtown area it is full of non-descript Communist era apartment buildings especially in the adjacent city of Campia Turzii. The few houses that attract the eyes are the so called "gypsy houses" which it is said were built bt rich gipsies but are not lived in.
 |  |
| Communist apartment building | Palatial gipsy building |
 |  |
| Transylvania landscape | Horse drawn carriage on the road |
We don't stop anywhere on the way and arrive relatively soon in Targu Mures where we scramble to find a parking space in the downtown area. We find one and then we have to identify how to pay it as it is only through mobile phone which makes it a bit difficult for us. After finally solving that we move to the Luxor Plaza an interesting square anchored by the National Theather and surrounded mostly by stores. On the other side of the downtown area is the City Hall a beautifully decorated late 19th-early 20th century structure.
 |  |
| National Theater | Luxor Plaza |
 |  |
| One of the most beautiful city halls I have seen | Detail on city hall |
Next to the City Hall is the Culture Palace another beautiful building that houses multiple museums and in front of it is a gift from Rome - a statue of Romulus and Remus with their wolf mother.
 |  |
| Culture Palace - houses multiple museums | Romulus and Remus statue |
One of the things that the people from Targu Mures are really proud of is their flower clock in the middle of the pietonal central strip that goes along the downtown area. In fact the city likes to call itself the "Flower City" even though this is a bit of stretch if you go outside of the downtown area. Today in the pietonal area there is an Expo - The Targu Mures Days - with a lot of arts and crafts which is perfect for us so we spend some time browsing.
 |  |
| Pro science and peace communist murals | Flower clock |
 |  |
| Entrance to Targu Mures Days expo | Lots of local crafts for sale |
The whole downtown area is beautifully restored and as we walk through it we admire the beautiful houses and churches - it is a miracle that it survived mostly unscathed during the Communist regime.
 |  |
| Beautiful downtown house | Old Military Circle House |
 |  |
| Teleki House | Catholic (far) and Orthodox (near) Churches |
Another major attraction in the city is the fortress which sits on a hill near downtown and is quite massive. It can be entered through multiple entrances and it is free but also there isn't really anything noteworth inside. Outside of the walls is the "Alexandru Papiu Ilarian" Lyceum one of the first Romanian ones in Transylvania and still considered ones of the best ones in the city.
 |  |
| Fortress wall | Fortress Tower |
 |  |
| "Alexandru Papiu Ilarian" Lyceum | Unirea University |
Next we decide to walk a bit along the Mures River the major river that passes through town. It is a nice walk along a paved promenade with the river down below and a few birds trying their luck at fishing. In fact we are walking on the flood banks protecting the city from flooding which actually happened about thirty years ago.
 |  |
| Mures River | Pedestrian bridge over the Mures |
 |  |
| German language school | Shaded apartment building |
After all this walking we are really hungry so we stop at a traditional Romanian restaurant and we order the specialty which is soup in bread - it is a huge bread container we cannot even finish it. Of course we also have to stop to eat some sweets at a downtown bakery but they are not as good as expected as they are the last ones and not so fresh.
 |  |
| Soup in bread - humongous | Sweets are everywhere |
After this we start on our way back to Cluj but this time we decide to take our time and take pictures and even stop if we find something interesting. There are quite a few interesting houses that we see as we pass from village to village and of course farm animals mostly horses and cows.
 |  |
| Village houses | Impressive village house |
 |  |
| Horse on the pasture | ...and a cow |
Our next stop is the Oarba de Mures Monument commemorating a huge battle where the Romanians and Russians defeated the retreating Germans. As this was just after Romania changed sides it is said that the Russians still unhappy with the Romanians that they fought for over 4 years sent them in battle in unfavorable conditions to get them killed so they can get revenge. The monument is difficult to find as it is not signed from the main highway and the road has a few potholes. The monument is quiet with no one else visiting it. We climb to the top to the monument and examine the different weapons placed here, pay our respects to the dead and then move on.
 |  |
| Climbing to Oarba de Mures Monument | Oarba de Mures Battlefield Inscription |
 |  |
| Tombs of the Dead Soldier | One of the weapons at the site |
Our last stop is the village of Luncani mostly due to the Banffy castle clearly visible from the highway. It has an interesting and tortuous history being damaged multiple times and even now being uninhabitable. It is said that it had the first elevator in Transylvania as its owner couldn't walk and needed a way to get to the top floor. It cannot be entered as a private foundation helping underprivileged children is owning it which is as much a blessing as it is a curse for them given the expense needed to renovate it.
 |  |
| Luncani castle and Turda gorge | Old Luncani Church |
 |  |
| Hidden castle | Close up of castle |
After a short hop by plane from Cluj to Bucharest we drive through the city taking pictures of the more interesting buildings and monuments we see including the Triumphal Arch and the Intercontinental Hotel right next to University Plaza where there were major demonstrations during the first years after the fall of the Communist regime.
 |  |
| Entering Bucharest | Triumphal Arch |
 |  |
| Intercontinental Hotel | Apartment Building |
We cannot help but notice that today is the Museum Night when a lot of the Museums in Bucharest and across the country are open all night and free so we decide to take part in this event in Bucharest. We start late so the first stop the Belu Cemetery has already finished the majority of events (a play and a concert) and as we cannot find the supposed bus that will take us from location to location we drive to the next one that we are interested in the Old Court. There is no waiting line here so we enter quickly and take the tour through the ruins. The ruins are relatively newly excavated and prepared for visit but they are interesting especially as we descend to a small maze of corridors that we have to navigate multiple times as we cannot find the exit.
 |  |
| Old Court Description | Old and modern |
 |  |
| Inside the Court | Spooky corridor |
The wall patterns are nicely redone and are quite interesting and after admiring them we exit to the upper area where we enjoy our walk through the ruins in the darkness...you can almost feel the ghosts passing next to you.
 |  |
| Nice wall pattern | Altar? |
 |  |
| Old Court at night | Saint Anton Church |
The next and last stop of our tour (it is 3 AM almost) is the National Museum of Contemporary Art inside the Parliament Palace. We make an unfortunate mistake and from our parking spot at the front of the Palace we take the wrong direction which means we walk three sides of the Palace at 3 AM through some deserted areas before arriving at the entrance. And there to our surprise is a long queue waiting to enter so we have to wait for another half hour to enter. While waiting we see a long procession of helicopters/UFOS almost 20 of them - really surprising this late at night. Inside after being passed through a metal detector (which is the one that was creating the queue) we are ushered inside. There are lots of stairs to be climbed to get to the exhibit halls and we are really tired already from having walked along the perimeter so we stop at almost every stair to see how much there is left to climb ( a lot ).
 |  |
| Parliament Palace at Night | Going up |
 |  |
| That is a lot of climbing | Exhibit hall of Modern Museum |
There are three exhibition areas one at the bottom and then 2 at the top. The exhibits are what you would expect in a Contemporary Art Museum - thought provocative and not necessarily comprehensible (maybe that was just us at 3 AM in the morning). Then we have to descend the stairs (why is there no elevator we grumble) and return to the car and home and fall asleep for almost 12 hours.
 |  |
| Short clips projected on the walls | Exhibit |
 |  |
| Lots of people | One of the photos |
Another thing that we visit in Bucharest while we go to the mall is an old motorcycle exhibit. It is surprising how many motorcycles are in private collections in Romania with the most interesting ones being the ones used by the Ceausescu (last Romanian Communist dictator) security detail.
 |  |
| Old motorcycles | Mall motorcycle exhibit |
Bucharest has also quite a few green spaces and one of the major ones is the Carol Park (formerly Libertatea (Liberty) park). It has a few points of attraction the major one being the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier with a never extinguished flame in front of it. It also houses the technical museum but unfortunately due to time constraints we did not have time to visit it.
 |  |
| Carol Park - Tomb of Unknown Soldier | Statue in the park |
 |  |
| View from the tomb | Cantacuzino Fountain |
Today we want to visit the Comana Natural Park lying about half hour south of Bucharest which protects the Neajlov Delta the second largest in Romania after the well known Danube Delta. The road from the main Bucharest-Giurgiu road is well marked and we know that we arrived when we see the large swan statue at the entrance. Almost immediately we see also real swans which is exciting as it means that we are in the correct area for birdwatching.
 |  |
| Wonder if we will see any? | Ah there they are |
But before that we visit the central area of the Comana village. It is well maintained with a lyceum and the village hall and a few stores including a bakery where we buy some baked goods that will become our lunch.
 |  |
| Village Hall | Old pharmacy |
 |  |
| Village center building | Village coat of arms |
 |  |
| Canal near center of village | Nice flower arrangement |
Next we go to the more developed tourist area with a restaurant, and adventure park and a few nice trails. There aren't many visitors in the middle of the week so have the area almost for ourselves.
 |  |
| Comana Pond | Nice view of the pond |
However as we do not see many birds we return to the initial area where we saw the swans and notice a path that goes into the marshlands from a large parking area. It looks like it was supposed to be built for tourists but it is in disrepair now and at some point even mildly flooded. Similarly the watchtower likely built for birdwatching is flooded now and cannot be reached.
 |  |
| Trail through the wetlands | Inaccessible watchtower |
 |  |
| Water control of the wetlands | Road from the wetlands |
The path while not well maintained leads in a great area for birdwatching with birds almost everywhere. They are not that used to humans so they run away when they see us pass but it is a surprise to see that many birds especially after the previous birdless area. After looking and taking photos of them we have to return to the car and then to Bucharest as tomorrow we leave for Bulgaria.
 |  |
| Gulls enjoying a rest | Egret fishing |
 |  |
| Geese on the shore | Trying to fly |
Today we are leaving towards Bulgaria, the border is just about one hour from Bucharest, where we plan to do a three day trip through the northern part of the country. On the way we pass through Jilava which is the location of one of the most infamous prisons in Romania and pretty soon afterwards we are in Giurgiu. The road to the border crossing through Giurgiu is a bit convoluted but we get there in the end, pay the toll for the bridge and then we are on the bridge. It was the only bridge connecting the two countries for quite some time until a second one opened in 2013 between Vidin and Calafat further west. It is not in best shape with a few potholes but it is impressive as we pass over the Danube river which is overflowing due to extensive rains further up the river.
 |  |
| Gipsy house at the outskirts of Bucharest | Prison city of Jilava |
 |  |
| Giurgiu-Rousse bridge | Cruise ship on the Danube |
Rousse on the Bulgarian side is a city worth visiting according to our guide books but this time we don't have enough time so we pass only through the outskirts where the apartment building don't really make such a great impression on us.
 |  |
| Rousse apartment building | Bulgarian street |
Our first destination is the Rusenski Lom area with its rock hewn churches which are an UNESCO protected landmark. We start with the only church which is still active the Basarbovo Church. Right after arriving we are blown away but the view of the church in the stone face, it is quite impressive. There are stairs going up and we have to investigate the church so up we go.
 |  |
| Basarbovo Info | Working rock monastery |
 |  |
| View from the bottom | Who can resist climbing these? |
 |  |
| Maybe we should have passed on climbing | Richly decorated windows |
We are following an Orthodox priest who is climbing ahead of us to, as we find out on top, open the small gift shop in a rock cave next to a small church also in a rock cave. As we walk along the top floor we also find a few empty caves likely hermits were living here or they were storage areas.
 |  |
| Orthodox priest | Altar in stone church |
 |  |
| Candle lighting area | Entrance to an empty room |
The view from the top is great with the Rusenski Lom river and the monastery down below and nice views of the valley. After enjoying the view we climb down to the car and drive back towards the small road that unites Rousse with the main part of the Rusenski Lom National Park.
 |  |
| Church tower in the hillside | Former hermit cells? |
 |  |
| Rusenski Lom River | "Bridge" over the swollen river |
Before the main road we notice a dirt road climbing to what appears to be a nice view of the area so we stop and hike up through fields of flowers..really beautiful. The view is nice but what draws our attention is the stork next to the road hunting for frogs or who knows what in the tall grasses near the river.
 |  |
| Hiking up for the view | The view |
 |  |
| Stork near Rusenski Lom | Narrow paved road |
 |  |
| Flowers are everywhere | Wild strawberry flowers?! |
We follow the signs to the central area of the National Park even though it doesn't look that inviting - the road is narrow no one else is driving and then it becomes potholed, we pass a delapidated building and then suddenly arrive at a parking spot. It has a few people selling souvenirs so we assume this is the correct spot and the nearby map confirms it. We find a sign and of course it points up towards a set of stairs disappearing in the forest. And then we see where we have to climb perched high on the cliffs - it almost looks impossible that you can get there.
 |  |
| That is where we want to go | Of course we have to climb to get to it |
 |  |
| Really - it is that high up? | Yes - and is that a balcony? |
The climb actually is not bad and there is a stone path to the entrance where we pay the entrance fee and then enter the small stone church. The main attraction are the 1,000 year old paintings that are explained to us by the curator on site and then we take a look from the balcony before exiting and continuing on the loop trail on top of the cliffs.
 |  |
| Ceiling painting | Another old painting in the rock hewn church |
 |  |
| View from the balcony | Treetop view |
Soon we exit from the forest to a great view of the surrounding area. The wildflowers are stunning and we even find some native wildlife, a likely viper looking at us from the grass.
 |  |
| Hiking on the ridge | View of the Valley from the ridge |
 |  |
| Flower mix | Meeting Bulgarian wildlife |
On the way back we stop at the abandoned visitor center to take a look inside and then decide to explore the area more and cross the river on the nearby bridge to reach the cliffs on the other side.
 |  |
| Abandoned visitor center | Look inside the visitor center |
 |  |
| Going to the other side | Passing the swollen river |
Almost immediately we see multiple caverns in the cliff face and we decide to investigate one. There is a path going to it and inside it is clear that it was inhabited at some time...obviously this was a large community at some point in time. In fact the guide at the church told us that there are at least 7 known churches but the other ones are closed to protect the Egyptian vulture who is nesting in that habitat.
 |  |
| Side road..where is it going? | This looks interesting |
 |  |
| Is that a path or are we imagining it? | Was this a church or a house? |
 |  |
| Room in the cave | One end of the cavern |
The last destination for the day is the Cerven Fortress in the same general area of the Rusenski Lom National Park. We pass a sheepherder that we met also while hiking and who seeme to have moved really fast in order to cross also in front of the car with all the sheep. Finding the fortress is a bit more difficult than expected but we find it in the end - there is a huge parking area with no other cars in it.
 |  |
| Sheep herder on the way | Common bird |
 |  |
| Going to Cerven | Entering the town |
After paying for the entrance we have to go up again. Really up - there are almost 200 stairs according to our count but when we arrive the tiredness is forgotten as we start admiring the castle.
 |  |
| Tri-lingual information table | This is how the fortress looked like |
 |  |
| Up we go again | Still going up |
The fortress is a mix of reconstructed areas and areas that are left alone that are really interesting to see. The views are also beautiful - the whole setting reminds us of the Anasazi hilltop fortresses back home in Arizona.
 |  |
| Reconstructed part of the fortress | Church outline |
 |  |
| View from the fortress ramparts | Nice cliffs on the other side of the valley |
There is no one else in the area so we wander to our heart's content through the ruins, we even find a storage area for stones that seem to be part of the old buildings. Among the ruins there are lots of wildflowers and with them there are lots of bees and insects and the birds that eat them.
 |  |
| Outline of old buildings are everywhere | Excavated stones storage area |
 |  |
| Lots of wildflowers this spring | Interesting plants |
From time to time there are informational signs that educate us regarding what we are seeing. The best preserved church is an old cathedral that has been even covered to protect it from the elements.
 |  |
| Signs are relatively plentiful | The cathedral is the only protected building |
 |  |
| You can walk inside the cathedral | No one else is around |
The city is actually split in two areas - the military/governmental area and the city proper where the cityfolk where living. Until now we walked through the military one so we exit it through the old entrance gate and pass a long wooden bridge to the city area. Unfortunately the city area is not excavated and the ruins can barely be seen so after taking a look we return to the initial area and then back to the car. We cannot resist on the way to look more closely at one of the reconstructed towers but soon after entering we retreat as fast as we can as some wasps decided to build their nest right on the stairs.
 |  |
| The old entrance gate | Dangerous tower - even now |
 |  |
| Cherven view from the fortress | View in the distance from the top |
From here it should be an easy drive to the major highway and then on to Shumen however the road is closed due to construction and we are rerouted over some one lane roads that don't seem to be going nowhere and are quite potholed in places. Finally we arrive at a village that is on our GPS which seems to us to be almost out of time with geese crossing the street, donkeys meeting storks at the edge of the road. And children and adults looking at the car as if it is the first they have even seen. After passing the village we arrive at the highway and after only one pitstop to get some coffee to the driver ( all the climbs were showing their effect) we arrive in Shumen.
 |  |
| Donkey/stork meeting | Had to wait for them to cross |
We are prepared here with some directions which is good as the hotel would have been difficult to find otherwise. The hotel is an interesting and quirky one quite unexpectedly, and the girl at the reception is really friendly helping us to get settled and complete all the paperwork that needs to be completed. After settling we exit a bit to get some groceries and then we eat and go to sleep as the next day is also promising to be a full one.
 |  |
| Hotel in Shumen - Our room has the balcony | Rimini Hotel Entrance |
 |  |
| Interesting theme in the room | The other room is also nicely furnished |
We start the day with the included breakfast. We are the only visitors in the restaurant and therefore we get a lot of attention. The food is made to order and is quite delicious and with a bit of exploring we find even a cage full of birds in a corner of the restaurant.
 |  |
| Breakfast room | Homemade breakfast |
Our next stop is the Tombul Mosque the largest mosque in Bulgaria and the second largest in the Balkans. We are not sure where we can find parking so we park near a Park and then walk towards the mosque. There is an underpass that passes under the main street to the mosque but it looks to our surprise really unused even though it is in a relatively central area. And then we are right in front of the mosque and it is impressive in size from the outside so we decide to see if we can enter it.
 |  |
| Shumen Central Park | Underpass does not seem used |
 |  |
| Nope not used | This is what we want to visit - Tombul Mosque |
There is a caretaker to whom we pay the entrance fee and after taking our shoes off we enter the mosque. In the middle there is a group of women that seem to be learning the Quran so we walk only on the periphery and then we climb a staircase to see the interior from higher ground. There is some nice detail in the paintings however unfortunately for us a lot of the interior is under renovation.
 |  |
| Beautiful but it really needs renovating | Mosque detail |
 |  |
| Carpeting is needed as we are barefoot | Working on renovating the interior |
After visiting the mosque interior we visit the interior courtyard of the madrasa (Muslim school) which has a nice fountain in the middle that is used to perform the wudu by Muslims- the ritual washing before the prayer.
 |  |
| Entrance to mosque | Interior courtyard of the madrasa |
 |  |
| Fountain in middle of courtyard | Fountain detail |
After we exit the mosque it starts drizzling so it is good that our next goal is the Historical Museum. This time finding a parking spot is easy but it is a paid one (not expensive though). We run with our umbrellas to the museum where we deposit them at the entrance and pay the entrance fee. There are very few visitors to the museum even though it is interesting showing the history of the area through the ages. There are a few rooms especially the Treasury where the museum employee has to come to open the doors so we can enter. The Treasury holds a nice collection of gold objects and when we visited there was a travelling exhibition of gold coins found in Bulgaria.
 |  |
| Driving in Shumen | Shumen Historical Museum |
 |  |
| Reconstruction of Old Thracian Tomb | Old tools |
 |  |
| Model of Shumen Fortress | Mosaic fragments |
Next we want to visit the monument visible from everywhere in the city the monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria a relatively new monument built in 1981. The stairs to it look too much for us after all the climbing we did so we decide to take the car and drive to it. However we get completely and utterly lost almost immediately trying to find the road up and we get in a dead end on a dirt road in front of a few houses with dogs barking ferociously. WE turn around and find another way up that the GPS is showing to be the correct one. It is a one lane road curving up and then it becomes worse and worse and suddenly it is barred with no warning sign where the stairs from the city are joining the road. And we are stuck as there is no way to turn around. There is a nice parking area after the blockade but of course we cannot get there - really weird place for the blockade. So we have to drive backwards to the surprise of a few Bulgarians finally finding a place to turn and to park a few hundred meters down. From there we have to climb the stairs but there is no way that we are searching for yet another way up with the car.
 |  |
| Shumen major downtown avenue | Start of the climb to the monument |
 |  |
| Road after leaving the car | Stairs - what else? |
 |  |
| View from the top of the stairs | Shumen View |
The Monument can be walked into and it is interestingly decorated with modern sculptures and mosaics. It is quite huge and impressive to be walked into and we take a lot of pictures as we move through it. There are no other people around so there is an otherworldly feeling inside it like you are in an alien monument and behind every corner you expect something unexpected to jump at you (which never happens of course...or does it?).
 |  |
| Inside the Monument to 1300 Years of Bulgaria | Detail on the cubist sculptures |
 |  |
| Not a lot of "real" people in the monument | Interesting mosaic on the monument |
We walk back to the car from the back of the monument where there is a nice trail and then road (the one that is blocked in our direction for cars) without any stairs straight to the car. There are some great views of Shumen on the way and an impressively big green lizard lounging on a metallic surface.
 |  |
| Back of the monument from a distance | Another view of the city |
 |  |
| Path on the back of the monument | Huge lizard relaxing near the monument |
Our last goal for the day is the Madara horseman a large stone relief dating from the 8th century which is an Unesco World Heritage Site and is depicted on the smaller Bulgarian coins. It is only about 20 km out of Shumen and is one of the reasons we decided initially to stay the night in Shumen. There is a large parking lot in front of a restaurant where we park, then we pay the entrance fee and then up the stairs (!) we go. We deviate from the straight way up to examine some ruins nearby - in fact there are only foundations left from an old church.
 |  |
| Entrance to the Madara horseman area | Yes...there are stairs here also..a lot |
 |  |
| Old church area | Better view of the church foundations |
After that it is up again and soon we arrive at the platform from which we can see the rider and the dog. It is quite impressive even though we are far away and with binoculars we can see quite a few of the details. Again we are surprised that no one else is around and we have this site to ourselves.
 |  |
| The Madara horseman is up there | Horseman through the trees |
 |  |
| Close up of horseman and dog | Well preserved given its age |
In front of the horseman the path splits with one direction pointing to the fortress and the second to the caves. We start with the fortress and after a short level hike we arrive to a steep climb using ladders and bridges going up to the cliff. We do not have that much time and a rain is approaching but we climb a bit to marvel at this complex path and to see Shumen and the valley from above.
 |  |
| Stairs to the clifftop | Going up |
 |  |
| Trail bridge and view | The rain is coming |
We return back towards to the caves but again we take a detour first as we find a sign pointing to "TOMB". After a short descent we arrive at an alcove that clearly has two stone beds that likely where were the caskets were sitting. Again we return to the main trail and after passing the Madara horseman we soon arrive at the first caves...some larger and some smaller. One of them has been transformed in a mini church while the other ones can be explored using the flashlights that we have with us.
 |  |
| Wonder what is that way? | This is the tomb |
 |  |
| Interesting cave to explore | Alcove church |
And then we are at the Big Cave, a huge alcove that has water dripping down the walls and ferns growing everywhere. Here we see the most Bulgarians on the trail all of them seemingly collecting the dripping water - maybe there is some supposed medicinal benefit to it? There are some ruins also nearby that we explore but then it is back to the car as we still have a 2 hour drive to where we intend to spend the night - Veliko Tarnovo.
 |  |
| The Big Cave - more like a huge alcove | Moss is growing at the base |
 |  |
| The dripping water is collected by people | Ruins at the bottom of the alcove |
We are not sure how to approach Veliko Tarnovo so we use the GPS which is not a good idea as twice it is taking us on small mountain roads to virtual dead ends. The third time we pass through Arbanasi and then we descend at such a fast rate that the brakes start to smoke so we have to stop to wait for them to cool down before entering the city. We find the hotel easily to our surprise and the views from it are stupendous as we can see the Tsarevets castle in the distance and the whole city around us.
 |  |
| First view of Veliko Tarnovo | The Tsarevets hill |
 |  |
| Spacious room | One of the beds |
Today's hotel is paid as half board (haven't seen this in a while) so we go to eat dinner at the restaurant at the top of the hotel. The food is good even though we cannot order from the full menu and the views from the window are also really great.
 |  |
| Traditional Bulgarian food - filled meat balls | Kebab at our restaurant |
After dinner we go to our room to write emails and prepare for the next day until suddenly we hear sounds from outside and we rush to the balcony and we notice that castle walls are suddenly illuminated in various colors with fireworks appearing across the horizon. The light show is impressive and we enjoy it until it finishes as sudden as it began. It felt short but maybe only because we wanted it to go on for a few hours as it was mesmerizing. After this we go back to the room and then to sleep.
 |  |
| Laser show from Tsarevets | View of lighted castle |
 |  |
| Both hills are illuminated | Entrance gate and church on top of hill |
 |
| Trapezitsa and Tsarevets Hill View |
In the morning we can select from a list of four items one of them being macaroni and cheese which we select and isn't at all what we expected. The eggs however are what we expect and quite good while the coffee is really strong but in small cup - Bulgarian style.
 |  |
| Breakfast - macaroni and cheese - not what I expected | Scrambled eggs |
Before starting the visit of the town we want first to check the brakes so with a bit of hand and sign gesturing we get help from the reception who locate an open car shop and point us using a map in the right direction. Of course nothing is going smoothly there is a parade through the area that we have to go - in fact when we leave from the hotel we are already inside the closed zone which leads to some nasty looks and comments from the Bulgarian crowd as we try to somehow turn around and exit the zone. Finally with a bit of help from the only English speaking people we get on the right road and soon we are at the repair shop. They check the car and do some repairs which takes the whole morning - at least we see a non-touristic area as we explore the surrouding streets while waiting and then afterwards we go to a nearby supermarket to buy some gifts for friends before returning back to the downtown area to visit the Tsarevets Castle.
 |  |
| Road near car shop | Outskirts of Veliko Tarnovo |
 |  |
| Hotel from the outside | Downtown intersection |
Veliko Tarnovo was one of the medieval capitals of Bulgaria until the Ottomans conquered it and then it took the same honor for a few brief months after independence. As such it is full of both ruins and churches many of them predating the Ottoman occupation.
 |  |
| Another view of Tsarevets | Trapezitsa Hill - not that reconstructed |
 |  |
| Holy Forty Martyrs Church - Veliko Tarnovo | Cathedral near our hotel |
The entrance fee is not paid where we would expect at the start of the drawbridge of the castle but in a nearby house (no credit cards accepted again). The start of our Tsaravets tour is impressive - walking across the drawbridge with a view of the town and the imposing fortress looming in front of us you wonder how it ever got conquered (before cannon and airplanes of course).
 |  |
| Well known statue at bridge start | View from the bridge |
 |  |
| First castle gate | Second castle gate |
Inside we start by going right along the wall towards the Baldwin Tower which is a dead end so we have then to return back to the gate and go left to see the rest of the castle. The interior is a mix of renovated areas, areas where only foundations are visible and then wild areas where wildflowers grow.
 |  |
| Ruined walls inside the castle | Not really safe |
 |  |
| Walking on the ramparts | Protected from the enemies outside |
Of course as we walk along the wall there are multiple places where we can take a look over the thick walls and see the city and the Yantra River below.
 |  |
| Nature has taken over | Nice mix of wildflowers |
 |  |
| View of the city from the ramparts | River in the valley |
The Baldwin Tower can be climbed however you have to be careful as the stairs are on the outside and there are no safety barriers. Luckily there are no other people climbing when we try to do it so we do not have to learn how it is to be on the outside of the stairs. Even so the climb from the first floor to the top gets the adrenaline pumping however the views from the top are worth it.
 |  |
| Baldwin's Tower - Dangerous(?) to climb | But we still do it |
 |  |
| View from the middle section of the tower | Forest view from the top |
After returning to the main gate we go left this time and soon reach the Little Gate Tower. Our hope is that we can exit through it and visit the area below before returning to the castle. Our hopes are dashed soon as we arrive at the gate which is closed and it doesn't seem to have been opened in quite a while.
 |  |
| Little Gate Tower | View from the Little Gate - not used for some time |
 |  |
| Rampart view | Looking up the hill |
Whenever possible we take another look over the walls as the view changes almost constantly. We also observe as we walk trough the ruined walls how the area has been reconstructed with modern materials. Most of the time it is unnoticeable but sometimes when you see it halfway being build it is shocking to see cement and wire coming out of supposedly old structure.
 |  |
| Not medieval | Reconstructed area |
 |  |
| Yantra River | Bridge over the Yantra |
Soon we arrive at another viewpoint however this one has a more dark history. As a sign explains this is Execution Rock from which traitors were thrown off the cliffs into the river below. Actually only very few were executed this way to make a point to the masses and nobility.
 |  |
| Mosaic near execution rock | Execution Rock |
 |  |
| Destroyed building | Church in the distance |
Next we climb towards the top of the hill where the Royal Palace and Cathedral are sitting. The Palace is more reconstructed than the other buildings and there is one main narrow entrance that we have to use to enter the Palace courtyard.
 |  |
| Old church(?) ruins | Outline of church |
 |  |
| Who is flying in front of Royal Palace? | Tombstone used as part of the wall |
 |  |
| Entering the Royal Palace | Nice arches over the entrance |
Soon after entering the courtyard we notice that there is an open entrance to one of the buildings that they are working on. Our curiosity gets the better of us so we decide to enter and then climb the interior stairs to the top floor. There in the darkness from an alcove we notice a shadow coming towards us which makes our hearts jump before we notice that it is another tourist that was exploring similarly to us. We exit towards the platform which allows us some great views of the castle area.
 |  |
| Inside the reconstructed part | Palace with Cathedral in the background |
 |  |
| View in the distance | Should we pass over the arch |
After climbing down we explore the courtyard more thoroughly while trying to find a way to the cathedral. The climb is a bit exhausting and then we arrive at a seemingly unsurmontably climb of a retaining wall right next to cathedral. We walk around the wall and finally find a rickety staircase that we use to climb to the top.
 |  |
| Looking back at the reconstructed area | Looking back from the cathedral |
The cathedral is also reconstructed as it was destroyed by the Ottomans when they conquered to city in the 14th century. Inside to out surprise the frescoes are quite modern which led supposedly to it not being reconsecrated after being rebuilt.
 |  |
| Patriarchal Cathedral from up close | Modern interior |
 |  |
| Frescoes depicting the history of Bulgaria | Looking up |
It is getting late in the day so we have to leave the castle and return to the car and then we have to leave Veliko Tarnovo. The road is quite impressive in the area going through a gorge and multiple tunnels and bridges as it exits Veliko Tarnovo.
 |  |
| Church on the way | Tunnels at Veliko Tarnovo |
We don't go far before we stop again - this time at the Transfiguration Monastery. We are a big stressed out by the road up which is narrow and has large potholes and elicits flashback of our climb to the Shumen monument but we get to the entrance without any problems and there are a few more cars in front of the monastery. There are some great views of the valley from here but we are interested more in the monastery so we enter through the fortress like gate to arrive at the interior church.
 |  |
| Entrance to Transfiguration Monastery | Destruction from rockfall? |
 |  |
| Exterior of Transfiguration Monastery | View from the monastery |
The church is beautifully painted with the paintings being restored on one side of the church - the one towards the entrance - and left in their original state for now on the other side of the church. We always enjoy this exterior painting typical of Orthodox churches and always look for the depiction of hell as each church almost competes with the others to make it look like the worst place ever for the sinners.
 |  |
| Beautiful painted walls | Depiction of hell |
 |  |
| Less renovated part of the monastery | What is this? |
Next we return to the main road and start looking for the turnoff to the next point of interest Nicopolis ad istrum an old major roman town, the capital of this region in the Roman times. Finding the way is more difficult than we expected with the signs giving contradictory information. We are delayed by this a bit as well as the cows laying on the road so when we arrive at the entrance it is 10 minutes till closing time and we cannot get in. At least on the way we saw quite a few storks which makes up for the disappointment of not being able to visit the ruins.
 |  |
| Another one lane road | Relaxing on the road |
 |  |
| Barely seeing her | Much better |
And still not all is lost. In a nearby village which almost feels stuck in the communist times with patriotic music blaring out of loudspeakers and people looking mistrustful through the windows there is a small park with an open air exhibition of objects from Nicopolis that we visit. It is an interesting walk and it even has some interpretative signs that help us understand better the former importance of the city.
 |  |
| Nicopolis ad Istrum exhibition | Columns in the park |
 |  |
| Column tops on the ground | Old inscription |
It is really late already and it is starting to rain in the distance so we drive almost without stopping back to Romania and Bucharest. The only stop that we make (besides the perfunctory border control) is at a monument near Rousse not because of the monument but to take a picture of the beautiful rainbow that was following us for some time. Overall it was a great trip and we really would like to return to this beautiful country that doesn't seem to be yet on the itinerary of most tourists who mostly just go to the Black Sea resorts.
 |  |
| Monument to the history of Bulgaria - they are everywhere | Rainbows are everywhere |
Our last day in Eastern Europe is spent in Bucharest and we plan on visiting the National History Museum. We wanted to visit it during the Museum Night however it was not possible as there was a huge queue in front of it. We start again near the Old Court area so we have an opportunity to see it also during the day.
 |  |
| Old Court Princely Church | View of the Old Court area |
 |  |
| Old Court during the day | Street near the Old Court |
The old town area has been reconstructed in the past years and some parts of it are chock full of bars and cafes while others look abandoned at least during the weekend. There are some beautiful old buildings including the Savings Bank building remnants of the time when Bucharest was called the "Little Paris".
 |  |
| Old Town Street | Savings Bank building |
During our visit the museum is housing an History of Romanian Fashion exhibition which likely is the reason the queues on museum night as else it only has the treasury and lapidarium open with no section about the history of Romania to our surprise. The fashion exhibit is quite interesting following the changes across the years and the influences of the different surrounding cultures on the Romanian fashion.
 |  |
| Fashion exhibit in National History Museum | Old clothing patterns |
 |  |
| Huge jewelry | Old pieces of jewelry |
The major point of interest of the exhibition are the different dresses and uniforms of the Royal family as well as a few thrones from different Romanian kings and queens.
 |  |
| King's uniform | Romanian Throne |
 |  |
| Romanian traditional dresses | More modern attire |
The lapidarium occupies one floor with statues and sargophagi from the Roman times up to the recent times. The room is built around the top of the copy of the Trajan's column that we are going to visit next.
 |  |
| Statues from the lapidarium | Richly decorated Cantacuzino tombstone |
We have seen the original Trajan's column in Rome but the copy here is much better explained. As you go round the room you go up the column explaining the different images. The reason that the column is so important to Romanians is that the official history teaches everyone that this is the starting point of the Romanians who are according to it a mix of the conquering Romans with the conquered Dacians.
 |  |
| Trajan's column hall | Building of a castrum |
 |  |
| One of the fights against the Dacians | The death of Decebal |
The highlight of the museum as it is now is the treasury. The best individual piece in my opinion is the Getic helmet with the items from the Pietroasa hoard coming in a close second.
 |  |
| Getic helmet | Jewelry in the treasury |
 |  |
| Gold getic jewelry | Fibula from the Pietroasa Hoard |
Another important historical piece is the steel crown that the first king of Romania, Carol I, wore on coronation day constructed out of the steel of an Ottoman cannon captured during the war of Independence.
 |  |
| Plate from the Pietroasa hoard | Golden Bible |
 |  |
| Crown for the king and queen used at coronation | Jewelry box of the Queen |
We are tired and hungry after walking around for hours so we stop in the downtown area at a streetside restaurant and eat some traditional Romanian food (meat :)) which is quite good even though the salad offered with it is a bit dated.
 |  |
| Street food in old downtown | More traditional presentation |
Reenergized we go to a downtown shopping mall to check the prizes before buying some good sweets and returning back to the base to pack and prepare for the flight next morning back to Phoenix.
 |  |
| Downtown shopping mall | High rise apartment building |
 |  |
| Last chance | Airport before leaving |
No comments:
Post a Comment