When we checked in at the hostel last
night at midnight, we immediately reserved 2 spots on the 7 hour day trip
to Rila Monastery knowing the weather was supposed to
be cold and rainy. We figured we might as well spend part of the lousy
weather in the comfort of a warm car driving 2 hours each way there rather than
walking in the rain around Sophia. Imagine our disappointment then after eating
a mouth watering breakfast that was included in the room rate (more on the
hostel in another post), and finding out that the other 2 hostel guests who had
planned to go on the tour had cancelled and therefore the tour was a no go.
That just seemed like a challenge to me so I went up to all the tables asking if just 2 people wanted to go with us! I'm
not sure if it were my powers of persuasion, my winsome personality (!!) or my
hustle, but I was successful having successfully coralled
Carlos and Rohanna (more about them later) to join us!
Rila Monastery is the largest of Bulgaria's many
monasteries - we even had picked up a brochure of the 17 around just Sophia –
and it receives a a stream of visitors now arriving by bus or car rather than
on foot or by mule as did pilgrims in the old days. Despite its popularity with
tourists, the monastery, surrounded by forests, exudes the air of a wilderness
and it’s easy to comprehend why 9th C. holy man John of Rila chose
this valley as his retreat. What began as a hermitage became an important
spiritual center after his death.
The monastery,
recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, is ringed by mighty walls giving
it the outward appearance of a fortress. Once we got through the gate, this
impression was dispelled by the beauty of the interior as the graceful arches
surround the flagstone courtyard and support tiers of monastic cells and wooden
stairways ascend to the top floor balconies. Bold red stripes and black and
white check patterns brighten up the façade contrasting with the somber
mountains behind, creating a visual harmony between the cloisters and the
church within.
I'm thinking after all this you just want to see photos rather than any more descriptions so here you go.
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Our first full
view of the fabulous Rila Monastery through the small entranceway. We were
incredibly fortunate that we had gone on that chilly day because it had scared
off the less hardy souls so we virtually had the place to ourselves. I gather
that is very unusual as the monastery is usually mobbed by tourists.
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| The majority of Orthodox churches we've seen have VERY dark interiors just like like this one. |
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Rohanna, one of the 2 hostel guests I cajoled into
accompanying us on the day long tour! She’s from Australia and only 18 but had been traveling for 7
months by herself the entire time all over Europe, even working in one of Budapest’s hostels to get extra travel money as
needed. Every time I look at her lovely smiling photo, I am reminded of what an
incredibly self possessed, wise and mature, way beyond her tender years young woman
Rohanna is. What an absolute delight she must be to her parents. I sincerely
hope that Steven and I’ll be able to entice her to visit us in Colorado one day.
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Carlos, our other tour partner, is a 39 year old
psychologist from Madrid who has traveled extensively in 58 countries including
EVERY province or territory in Canada except for Nunavut and NWT. I know of very few Canadians who’ve
been to the Yukon, let alone the other 10 provinces! He must have an almost
photographic memory as when the four of us were chatting about Australia, Carlos remembered in great detail his
travels there and suggested a possible itinerary for us if we make it there as
we hope. He was so gracious saying his doors in Madrid would be open to us as are ours to him
too if/when he makes it back to the States. We were incredibly blessed being
with such friendly travel companions for the day as both Rohanna and Carlos.
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When we entered the monastery, Steven discovered
from speaking with a staff member that we could later buy a combination ticket
to see 5 museums inside the monastery which made all the difference in truly
appreciating the full breadth of the monastery. For some unknown reason, there
was absolutely NO publicity about it, no signs, nothing and so we’ve tried to
spread the word to our fellow travelers that they need to take advantage of
seeing the museums, not just in the courtyard but also upstairs. There were
rope barriers to all the upstairs rooms preventing any tourists from visiting
UNLESS one happened to ferret out info about the combination ticket as Steven
did. As a result, we alone were escorted to the upper sanctuary by a guide who
led us from small room to small room making sure to turn on the security and
turn off the lights each time. What an amazing privilege seeing not only the
Ethnographic Rooms but also seeing the monastery from other vantage since we
were a couple of floors higher than we had been in the courtyard.
Our first museum |
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| One of the gifts donated to the monastery by Balkan leaders in deference to and appreciation of the monastery's founder. |
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| Russian 19th C. priestly vestments |
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| Our next stop was the Icon Museum; only able to take a couple of photos of the priests but imagine all 4 walls of a medium sized room covered by photos all like these. |
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| Photo from the Icon Gallery |
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| Still on the main level, outside the Icon Gallery waiting for our guide to take us upstairs |
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| My beloved still smiling even in the non stop drizzle. |
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| Upstairs at last. To me, being there in the mist and rain made it MORE special, magical and indeed spiritual. |
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| Our private tour of the Ethnographic Rooms begins. Interspersed between seeing the many rooms, are even more photos of the monastery. |
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| The first striped blanket was made from goat hair and was the thickest blanket I can ever remember seeing. |
