Ruse, Bulgaria

     While Ruse is the local port on the Danube, we took an hour and a half bus trip to visit the village of Arbanasi and the city of Valiko Tarnovo. The route we're taking is the main route from Turkey to Europe, across what used to be the only bridge between Bulgaria and Romania until a couple years ago. On the way, we learned about Bulgaria.

   Bulgaria has a population of 7 million people, 2 million of whom live in Sofia. Bulgaria has been primarily an agricultural society, but during the Communist regime many of the farmers moved to the cities and became factory workers, such that 70% of the population now lives in the cities. After the end of Communism, the land was returned to the original owners, but many of them didn't want to return to their farms, so they use cooperatives to farm the land, and then take the profit from their farm. We also found that the population twenty years ago was 9 million people, but they have lost 2 million to emigration or the natural aging of the population. This has led to a very generous pregnancy leave policy: for one year you get 80% of your salary, you can have a 2nd year at minimum wage, and finally a third year where you don't receive any money, but your job is still guaranteed upon your return from leave. The history of Bulgaria includes two kingdoms, the first from the 7th century to the 10th century, the second from the 12th century to the 14th century. Then came the Ottoman Turks who rules this area for 500 years until1878 when Bulgaria formed its own state.

Interior Church of Archangels Michael and Gabrielle

The village of Arbanasi we visited was founded in the 15th century by Christians from Albania, Greece, and Bulgaria. The people were privileged and rich, they ended up building seven Orthodox churches and large homes. We visited one of the churches, Archangel Michael and Gabrielle. It was small and rather plain from the outside, but inside it was completely decorated with murals - the saints, the life of Christ, and stories of the bible. It is a typical Orthodox church of the Turkish period with the altar area separated by a gate with icons, the main church where only the men worshiped, and then a large chamber where the women worshipped. Here was a unique mural of a pregnant Mary with a smile on her face. Christ was shown within a circle near her womb. While there, we were entertained by a four men singing Church Slavic, similar to what we had heard on Sunday in Constanta. In the orthodox church they don't use any instruments, so everything was acapella.

Dining Room

The home we visited was built primarily of wood and stone. We saw the reception room, dining room, kitchen, and several bedrooms, but every room had a bed, since the families were large. It looked quite comfortable to live in. Unique was an indoor toilet (a triangle cut in the floor), even today in the countryside, only 20% of homes have indoor facilities.

Fortress at Valko Tarnovo

After lunch, we visited Valiko Tarnovo, which was the capital of the country during the kingdom period. The hill is picturesque since it is built on a series of steep hills. At the top of one of the hills is the restored fortress of the city. Today, the city is a youthful city since it both has a university and an army school. For the tourists, there is a pedestrian street filled with craftsmen: silversmiths, potters, artists, etc. Our group was filled with shopaholics, who couldn't wait to get here.