So Monasteries ARE Worth the Visit

My thinly veiled disapointment about missing the Rila Monastery was cured yesterday. I spent the entire afternoon (in +90 degree weather) hiking up to a remote monastery in the hills above Veliko Tarnovo. The hike alone was worth it; amazing views of the city, the fortress, and the surrounding hills and valleys. Also, I didn't meet even one other person during 4 hours of hiking. Bulgaria has a ton of well blazed trails which even I didn't get lost on, despite the fact that I had no map and had gotten only sketchy directions from my hostel.

There were a few tourists visiting the Monastery, but they were all Bulgarians out on Sunday drives. It has been amazing how few tourists I have seen in Bulgaria, and of those tourists only one has been an American. Most of the tourists have been Brits or Germans who are passing through on their way to Turkey. I've enjoyed the lack of tourist traps and overrun attractions. Even Missoula had more tourists than Sofia or Veliko Tarnovo!

I was picked up by my Hotnitsa host, Eileen, this morning from Veliko Tarnovo. I was relieved to find that Eileen and her husband Allen are incredibly kind and welcoming people; working with them will be a sincere pleasure. They have a beautiful home in the small village of Hotnitsa and their strawbale house project is progressing nicely. I have especially enjoyed their British expressions and the frequent tea breaks! We got right to work this afternoon and I enjoyed getting my hands dirty. I'll have pictures of the project and the village soon, but now it is dinner time . . .

The pictures of the monastery and hike are now up and added to the Veliko Tarnovo album. Hotnitsa pictures still to come.