Derelict School, Fake Pyramids, an Impressive Monastery and Cats!

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As the crow flies, Rila Monastery is really close to us in Borovets. However, those who know me can verify that I'm no crow and so Glyn had to drive us around the mountains, taking around 1.5 hours to get there, but it seemed a lot longer. The sky was dark with storm clouds, but it was very warm. The last bit of road up the mountain was twisty as always, with a huge landslide covering half the road at one bend, that wasn't worrying to see, no not at all!

I struggled to stay awake as did Glyn, but we got to the Monastery safely and soon woke up. There were a few tourist coaches, a car park attendant who charged us 5 levs and the obligatory stray dog. Rila Monastery is buried deep in mountain forests and is impressive, worth the drive. There are still monks living there in the upstairs area. The large courtyard was surrounded by wooden pillars, rows of balconies and quaint outdoor wooden staircases. The misty mountains towered over the courtyard and made a great backdrop for photos accompanied with the purple sky. There were quite a few tourists but it wasn't heaving.

One of the best things about monasteries is that they always have a few cats and this one was no exception. Glyn found a chubby black fluffster with a chewed ear that posed on a bench and tolerated me stroking it. Japanese tourists soon stepped in as often happens when I find a cat in a tourist area, they made cooing sounds and took more photos of it than I did.

Walking around, I heard angry shouting behind me. I turned to see one of the Japanese guys being yelled at by some priest type bloke all in black. I wasn't sure what his beef was, but he was livid, barking in Bulgarian at the baffled Japanese bloke. I'm assuming the guy had taken the priest's photo as there was nothing else wrong he could do. He took his camera to the priest, motioning that he would delete the photo, but this didn't stop the yelling that sound like swearing because it was so furious. The priest went on his way, shouting as he did and the Japanese guy shrugged at me.

There were lots of bright religious (obviously) icons on the walls that were in good condition. The church was dripping in brass, gold and candles with lots of paintings and no photos allowed.

As we wandered outside, it was time for the rain, but this did lessen as I drove back down the mountain to Stob's Pyramids that couldn't be any less like a pyramid. We went there because our original plan to go to Seven Lakes was scuppered when we discovered the short looking drive in fact took a few hours and then there was a hike. And all to see some lakes which didn't seem worth it to me no matter what my guidebook says.

The town of Stob has seen far better days with many derelict buildings, closed bars wth plastic sheeting in the windows and battered bus stops. I saw about 5 people in the square and this was as lively as it got. The majority of the population were elderly, either sitting by the roadside, people watching non-existent people or tending their vegetable gardens which appeared to be a necessity rather than a hobby. Most gardens were shaded by bushy grapevines on overhead trellis' creating green canopies, they must make a lot of wine!

We briefly stopped at a small outdoor restaurant that had a friendly small cat that the owner said I could keep. It was tempting but how would I get it home? Glyn was unusually sensible and bought two bottles of water to take away as we were about to walk uphill in blazing sun at around 26 degrees. It cost about a quid each to do this.

It was raining a little at first but too hot for waterproofs. The sun soon kicked in and we were surrounded by a multitude of butterflies that refused to sit still long enough for a decent photo. We only saw a handful of other people as the path got steeper and I used my brolly to protect me from the sun.

Now these pyramids... Not pyramids. I was aware of this in advance but was promised unusual pyramid shaped rock formations battered by the weather. They looked more like chimneys, mushrooms or sharp peaks. It would have been a big deal if only I'd not been to Cappadocia in Greece where they do this a whole lot better on a far larger scale. It was still a good hike and naturally we totally ignored the 'Danger Terrain' sign, continuing up further up dodgy looking paths. I do hope my mother-in-law isn't reading this, I'm meant to be the sensible one in the marriage who should discourage Glyn from going anywhere dangerous.

The walk back down was uneventful apart from seeing a few weary adults dragging up a party of pre-teens - rather you than me! A few people tried to talk to me in Bulgarian, I must look like a local!

On the way back, we stopped at a derelict school in Stob. In its heyday, it looked like it was a really nice place to learn. The now rusty overgrown playground was a sad reminder that there are very few children left in the town. Looking through the windows, I saw children's art on the walls and a forgotten teddy face down on the floor.

Further down the road we stopped to photograph a communist looking monument and a lone working horse with a trap by the roadside waiting for its human who was toiling in the field. A huge old house that was close to being buried by spikey overgrowth enticed us in for more urban exploration. My three quarter length trousers left my lower shins open to attack from the thorns and I was bleeding before we got too close and then it wasn't all that interesting. Glyn thinks it may have been derelict before it was even finished.

The long drive back took a long time, oddly enough. We had been hearing random cracks of thunder for an hour in the heat and now the rain finally put in an appearance, meaning I got to use the squeaky windscreen wipers on rapid.

After a stop at T-Market where Glyn got a bag-for-life that he just can't wait to swan around with in Hanley. At least in Samokov they have genuine supermarkets. In Borovets, there are huge shop signs saying 'supermarket' traversing the roads, but the reality they don't even have mini markets, try 'village shop'.

We ended the day at Hrima, a wooden Bulgarian restaurant near our apartment, where we were the only customers and just one woman did the cooking and serving. Nice food though and free wifi, so we hung out there for a while writing blogs and I had a two wines plus the strongest Irish coffee ever, that didn't bother with the likes of cream, just whisky and a dash of coffee - can't complain!

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[D MJ Binkley]

Beautiful architecture
Lovely