Drive Into the Countryside of Bulgaria

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Geo: 43.6231, 25.3539

We docked at Svistov, Bulgaria for a full day trip through the area. While we were on the bus going from one site to another, the boat sailed on down the river to pick us up at Rousse, Bulgaria.

On the way to Veliko Tarnovo we saw fields of corn and sunflowers and herds of sheep, goats, and cattle, but no fences to keep them in. The guide explained that the herd of animals belonged to everyone in the nearby village. They had a shepherd who would collect the animals every morning and take them to a rich field with good grass to eat. Then he would stay with the animals all day, so they didn't need fences. In the evening he would take the animals back to the village. The animals would stay together until each one got near his home, then that animal would turn and go in the gate where he belonged. The Bulgarian animals are very smart, she told us.

We visited The Church of the Nativity in Arbanassi. It was built in the 16th and 17th centuries, during the time that this area was controlled by Turkish Muslims. They would not allow anyone to build a church that looked more elaborate than a mosque, although they tolerated the people who believed in Christianity. The church looks like a stable on the outside, but the interior walls are completely covered with religious paintings in the customary Orthodox style. There are three rooms for worship and an altar area just for the priests. Men and women worshipped separately and their rooms are decorated especially for them.

As I write we are sitting at the dock in Rousse (Ruse), Bulgaria. Just outside our window, local people are sunning, swimming and fishing in the Danube. There is no beach, but just a concrete embankment with steps leading down to the river from a grassy area about twenty feet above. The river is only about three feet deep. Homeless, I suppose, people are taking their baths in the river, too. We're seeing more of these local people than I care to.

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