10/29/2014: still not enough internet for blog
Today the boat traveled from Guirgui in Romania (across The Danube from Ruse) to the Bulgarian town of Vidin, and we had a late tour of the castle Baba Vida there, followed by trip to an old Roman fort in Belogradochic in the Stara Planina mountains about 40 km away.
In the Baba Vida we were treated (?) to a surprise stage performance in a tunnel under the fort. I'm usually against this sort of amateurish tourist thing, but it was just offbeat enough to be entertaining, and the tunnel was heated and subtilty lit. The play told the story of Bulgaria from when it had a access to three seas (Black, White, Adriatic) thru Ottoman attacks, then Roman rule (they attacked Ottomans for women), up to the 1878 establishment of current territory.
Then the bus to Belogradochic and the Roman fort set among a rock formation resembling Bryce Canyon in Utah, but on a very much smaller scale. We saw Communist-era apartments on way out of town. Ugly grey concrete, but nice inside according to guide.
Big letdown at destination: fog, rocks not spectacular, long drive. But there was a nice hotel.
We did get to hike to the top of the old Roman fort, up all the 100's stairs. No view thru fog (Balkan Mtns are said to be visible on clear day, but we had already seen them on the snowy bus trip after Plovdiv anyway) but good exercise! Judy bought a bottle of grape brandy.
No comments:
Post a Comment