Travel Day
Veliko Târnovo, Bulgaria to Bucuresti, Romania
We were on the bus at 08:15 and on our way by 08:20. Our first stop was maybe two or three blocks from the hotel at Tsar Ivan Asen I square. Tsar Ivan Asen I was Tsar of Bulgaria from 1187 to 1196. He was co-ruler with his elder brother Peter II. The First Bulgarian Empire was established in the 7th century, and last nearly 400 years. In 1087 Bulgarian became part of and subject to the Byzantine Empire, and what we would now call Turkish rule. Then 1187 comes along the brother Asen and his brothers, Theodor (Peter) and Kaloyan. They are described as Vlachs. Vlachs is a term and exonym used from the Middle Ages until the Modern Era to designate speakers of Eastern Romance languages living in Southeast Europe—south of the Danube (the Balkan peninsula) and north of the Danube. Exactly who they are or what their background is isn’t known. They were probably of mixed Bulgarian, Cuman and Vlach ancestry.
Anyway, the story goes that in 1185, Asen and Theodor went to see the Byzantine Emperor Isaac II Angelos in Thrace to possibile ask for or demand an estate in the Balkan Mountains. Apparently, the Emperor refused and humiliated them. This rightly upset the brothers and they persuaded their Bulgarian and Vlach compatriots to rise up against the Byzantine Empire. Before the end of the year there was an new master in the area, Peter. This was the beginning of the Second Bulgarian Empire.
In 1190 Peter “donated” his throne to his brother Ivan Asen I. Exactly what donated means or why seems a little lost. However the square we stopped at is just below a very large fortress. We don’t have time today to explore it, it would easily take several hours, so we’ll have to come back and find out more. It is drizzly and we have a need to move on, so we only spent maybe twenty minutes looking up at the castle and surrounding area. Looks very interesting.
Back on the bus and on our way to Arbanasi a village set on a high plateau between the larger towns of Veliko Tarnovo and Gorna Oryahovitsa. It is known for the rich history and large number of historical monuments, such as 17th- and 18th-century churches and examples of Bulgarian National Revival architecture. The name of the village is derived from the word Arbanas meaning "Albanian" in Bulgarian, of the medieval period. During the Ottoman era, the Turkish term Arnavud meaning "Albanian" was also used as a name for the village.
Arbanassi owes most of its glory to its Orthodox churches. Seven Christian churches were constructed from the mid 14th century to the late 18th century. Most prominent among them is the Nativity Church. A small church consisting of several different rooms. There is a naos (men’s department), narthex (women’s department), a chapel to St. John the Forerunner with a narthex joint by an L-shaped gallery on the Northern and Western walls. The mural or icon decoration of the church are majestic and tell the story of both the new and old testament. All the walls and vaults of the church, over 2 000 square meters, are covered in murals and icons. Hundreds of compositions were painted, while the number of figures in the compositions exceeds several thousands.
The frescoes were made in several stages in 1597, 1632, 1638, 1643, 1649, 1681. These splendid mural decorations had an powerful influence upon the worshipers. The murals and icons tell a visual story to people who couldn’t generally read or write. The walls of the church were actually an illustrated book developed, in the Christian population, the notion of a lifestyle corresponding to the recommendations of the Church.
It did dawn on me that there really isn’t much difference between the Catholic and Orthodox Christian faiths. The icons, or the use of icons seemed to be a big difference,, however now I come to realize there isn’t really any difference. Ok, the Catholics seem to use statuary more than painting. However, what is the Sistine Chapel? The painting of Adam and God on the ceiling is an icon. An icon is a way to telling the story of the Bible through the use of paintings.
Catholics use paintings to do the same thing in most medieval churches. Why? Because people couldn’t read and the paintings were a way of communicating with them. Michelangelo’s painting of the Last Supper is a very famous catholic icon and a theme often seen in the icons or paintings of eastern or orthodox churches. These frescos are no different. Many western christians have an icon or copy of the Last Supper in their home. Maybe, but one can not be sure, the eastern icons are more elaborate or have silver and gold in them than western icons, but they are still the same.
It was only 10:30 when we stopped at an OMV gas station in Polikraishte for a potty break before leaving. It seems like we have already have done a lot today, but it is only starting. It is another hour before the reach the board in Rousse between Bulgaria and Romania on the Danube River. Along the way we dropped Nikolai at a bus stop between the two cities.
Rousse or Ruse in English or Pyce in Bulgarian, is the fifth largest city in Bulgaria. Rouese, as it appears on the road signs, is in the northeastern part of the country, on the right bank of the Danube, opposite the Romanian city of Giurgiu. It is approximately 42 miles south of Bucharest or Bucureşti. Until the summer of 2013, when the Ruse-Giurgiu Friendship Bridge (aka The Danube Bridge) was the only bridge that crossed the Danube between the two countries. It is both a railway and highway bridge.
This made Rousse Bulgaria’s most significant river port and served as an important part of the international trade of the country. It is the 12th largest of all cities on the Danube river. Rousse is known for its 19th- and 20th-century Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo architecture. It is often referred to as Little Vienna. We stopped here for a quick walking tour of the city and lunch.
The walking tour took us pat many of those Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo buildings and dropped us in Svoboda Square. Svoboda is the ultra nationalist political party in the Ukraine, not important just an interesting factoid. Svoboda, or Freedom, Square contains the Monument of Liberty. The monument was built in the 20th century by an Italian sculptor. Over time is has gained significance as one of the city’s symbols and now’s a part of the city’s coat of arms.
The pedestal is a pyramidal one and there is a female figure on top of it. She is holding a sword in her left hand, while pointing with her right hand to the direction from where the national liberators arrived. One of the two bronze lions at the base is tearing the yoke chains with his mouth, whilst the other defends the Shield of Freedom. There are reliefs of resistance scenes on the base of the pedestal. Two cannons are placed at the rear.
We broke from the group and headed to find a place for lunch. We stopped at the Art Café Theater, although there no theater here we could see, for lunch. We ordered Пилешки стрипс с корнфлейкс (chicken sticks with cornflakes), Сандвич с пилешко филе и кашкавал (chicken filet and yellow cheese sandwich) and Кашкавал и бекон на скара (grilled cheese and bacon, looked like a grilled chicken filet). It was all quite interesting, and not all that bad tasting. We washed it down with two Staropramen beers from Prague. All of which set us back $17.30.
We walked around the square again getting our steps in. We met the group and walked back to the bus outside the pedestrian area. There would be another potty stop at yet another OMV gas station, this time in Giurgiu in Romania, before we we arrived at the Intercontinental Athénée Palace Hotel in Bucharesti about 17:00.
This is one really nice hotel. Five stars! And they deserve all 5! We have a lovely room with a very nice bed.Perhaps more importantly there was a Davidoff of Geneva shop located in the hotel. I was able to by a nice cigar! We had dinner in the hotel’s restaurant – Roberto’s. The appetizer was marinated fresh buffalo mozzarella served with sun-dried tomatoes, arugula, walnut pesto, crushed black pepper and virgin olive oil. The main course was a grilled chicken breast served with basil-mashed potatoes (looked like squished peas) sautéed chanterelle mushrooms, and a creamy sauce with Romanian white wine. Dessert was a slice of lavender cake – nice an purple. Mary enjoyed a glass of Romanian pinot Grigio.
After dinner we went to Café Athénée in front of the hotel and and coffee, and I got to have my cigar (the first in a month). Harry IV I used your IHG rewards number when checking in so you should have a few more points. After that it was off to the very nice comfortable soft bed for a good night’s sleep.
Buonanotte e ciao, Enrico e Maria
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