After a drive into the flat and verdant plains of the Danube, we reached the Border of Romania. The Kingdom of Romania emerged when the principalities of Moldavia and Wallachia were united under Prince Cuza in 1859 under the Hohenzollern monarchy. The independence from the Ottoman Empire was declared on May 9, 1877, and was internationally recognized the following year. At the end of the WWI, Transylvania Bukovina and Bessarabia united with the Kingdom of Romania.
Greater Romania emerged into an era of progression and prosperity that would continue until WW II. By the end of the War, many north-eastern areas of Romania's territories were occupied by the Soviet Union and Romania became a socialist republic and member of the Warsaw Pact. With the fall of the Iron Curtain and the 1989 Revolution , Romania started a series of political and economic reforms. When we visited the country, it was still making the transition to capitalism,
We had planned to cross the border into Romania by way of the Ruse Bridge, but it was closed while undergoing repairs. We did see the famous bridge, the largest steel bridge in Europe. It was constructed in two and a half years with the aid of the Soviet Union. The Soviets named it the "Friendship" Bridge, but since the fall of the countries' socialist regimes, the bridge has had the more functional name of "Danube" Bridge.
A detour led us away from the bridge to an auto-ferry dock. Our skillful driver had very little trouble moving our large bus aboard and parking in an assigned spot. The border guards were not as uptight as when we entered Bulgaria (no armed soldiers walking through the aisle), but they did extort “gifts” from our tour guide “to clear up problems” before we could pass.
From the Danube River it was just a short trip to Bucharest in Romania. Bucharest was founded by a legendary shepherd named Bucur. It was named Bucharest in 1459 by Vlad the Impaler, a.k.a. Dracula. City’s population is over 2 million, about the same size as Budapest.
Our city tour began with Revolution Square where the Revolution of December 1989 took place overthrowing the Communist Government. The Communist Party Building is featured here.
Next we concentrated on the Secret Police Building, which was all shot up during the Revolution.
Nothing is left but the shell of the building.
From here, the bus took us to the House of the Republic, or Ceausescu’s Palace, an incredible Stalinist structure. It had been 90% completed when Ceausescu was overthrown in 1989. Some 20,000 workers and 400 architects toiled for 6 years on this massive place at a cost of 16 billion led. On the previous map it is located on the left side with a symbol representing the site.
Our next tour destination was the Romanian Military Academy. In front of the Academy was a monument of three military men representing the three branches of the Romanian military. On the previous map it is located to the right of the Palace.
We drove on an old road to the impressive complex surrounding the Patriarchal Cathedral, white building in center of the photo. To the left one can see the dome of the Chamber of Deputies known as the “Old Parliament.”
The Patriarchal Cathedral (1658) offered us an opportunity to see an Orthodox service being conducted. The priest could be heard on my camcorder recording.
Next door was the Romanian Patriarch’s Palace. The Romanian Orthodox church body is the second largest autocephalous Orthodox church (recognized as such in 1925) with 18 million members, behind the Russian Orthodox Church with 125 million members and ahead of the Serbian Orthodox Church with 15 million members. While Romania was ruled by communists, the church functioned, but anti-communists were purged and the organization was controlled.
At the end of our tour we checked into the Hotel Dorobanti, located conveniently in the central downtown region. The hotel used to be a luxurious carryover from the pre-communist era. More modern structures were in the process of being constructed with the changing economic structure of the post-communist era.
May 31st, Saturday
The morning was set aside for an optional tour that would include an interesting museum of Romanian rural and village life over the ages. We stepped back into history here at the Museum Satului.
The name of the old wooden church with a steeple was called St. George’s.
The afternoon was for free time. Since the Dorobanti Hotel was strategically located in the downtown area, Dar and I put together our own walking tour. We headed for the Civic Center of Ceausescu’s
Budapest, which had a large ornamental fountain in the middle of a Square.
In an attempt to make Bucharest a great capital like Paris or Moscow, Ceausescu decided his new city needed a river, so he ordered that Dambovita River be re-channeled through Bucharest in a tremendous engineering project which involved building a large dam. On the right hand side of the river (photo) is the Palace of Justice. The construction of this river not only destroyed all the old historic buildings in its path, but drained the economy.
We went back to Revolution Square on our return walk to the hotel. Here at the Square was a memorial with an inscription to honor the martyrs of December 1989. Over 1000 citizens died and another 3000 wounded during the revolt. Ceauşescu and his wife Elena were tried and executed shortly after the revolt.
As we neared our hotel, we came across this pre-communist bank building built in the style of French Second Empire.
June 1st, Sunday
Our breakfast buffet this morning was worth taping on the camcorder, but even the recording failed to do justice to the sumptuous meal. The Romanian sausages (right) were outstanding. We thought best not to ask what was in them besides pork.
On our way out of town, we drove past the Heroes Cemetery where many of the 1989 revolutionaries were buried. White crosses marked the individual sites.
Down the road was a gypsy camp, which prompted our guide to tell a “joke” about a Gypsy father having a conversation with his wife about their boy who came home filthy dirty. The father asked his wife: “Should we wash him or just make another one.” There are many gypsies in Romania and they are held in distain. Officially there are about 30,000 but estimates range between 2 and 3 million.
We retraced our trip back to the Danube Bridge. The bridge, now repaired, was usable and I took shots of the river below.
We were now in Bulgaria, one of the strongest supporters of Communism and the last in Europe to change from it.
There was still much evidence of the old collective farming in collective-type buildings, many of which are now dilapidated. At the same time we saw individual farmers tending their own herds or tilling their own fields.
As last we arrived at Veliko Tarnovo. Here we were given free time to explore. Our bus parked in view of the Tsarevets Citadel,which had been sacked and burned by the Turks in 1393. Above the vast fortress at the top of the hill is the Assumption Patriarchal Church.
Just below and to the north are the ruins of the extensive Royal Palace on three terraces. Twenty-two successive kings ruled Bulgaria from this palace.
Vendors, with a capitalistic fervor, sold their wares to our fellow passengers. I saw a beautiful vase offered for three dollars US, which seemed so reasonable that I did not barter for a lower price. I surprised both the sales lady and myself, not to mention my travel companion.
We left the old capital of Bulgaria and headed westward into the open country with the Rhodope Mountains for scenery.
Occasionally we came across animal driven carts
Then we arrived in the Bulgarian capital of Sofia, just south of the Balkan Mountains (orange star on the left side of map). Sofia fell to the Ottoman Empire in 1386 and was not liberated until almost 500 years later. Most of the buildings date from after the liberation of Turkish domination in 1878.
We checked in at the Hotel “Rodina,” the tallest four-star hotel in Sofia, located on the “Russki Pametnik” (the Russian monument) square. This huge hotel is in close proximity to the National Palace of Culture, the administrative and business center of the city. Note the tram rails in the foreground that lead to the central city.
When Dar and I took trips on our own into the historic district, we boarded the tram in front of the hotel and were dropped off at a major downtown square. See map below.
Sofia was a city of wonderful sites and they were all walking distance from each other. Even if one did not use the tram, the walk into the central was only ten minutes.
June 2nd, Monday
Our included city tour started out with a short drive from our hotel to the city central for a walking tour with a Bulgarian guide. While we were gathering I took a video of the two-headed lion symbol of Sofia on the Sheraton building.
Our tour began at St. Nedelya Square with the National History Museum (see left hand side of previous map). This is the country’s largest museum and holds around 680,000 pieces of fine art spanning the entirety of Bulgaria's history, with around 10 per cent of the collection display.
Also at this location was the St. Nedelya Church. The church was razed in the communist assault in 1925 that claimed over 150 victims. After the assault, the church was restored to its modern appearance between the summer of 1927 and the spring of 1933. In a sunken section by an old building was a conglomeration of shops and vendors -- and illegal money changers.
Behind the Sheraton Hotel was the Rotunda of St. George. Build in the beginning of the 4th century AD during the rule of Emperor Constantine The Great , the Rotunda St. George (Sveti Georgi) is the oldest preserved covered building in Sofia. It is now situated in the inner court of the House of President. Next to it are the ruins of a 3rd century Roman Temple that had served as a mosque and later as a church.
Leaving this site, we walked through the President’s Building to a square dominated by the former Bulgarian Communist Party’s Headquarters. It is an example of Stalinist architecture. Under the triangular roof over the portico remains a stone symbol of the Communist red star.
Our guide next pointed out the Black Mosque. The so-called Black Mosque was built in 1528 on the order of Suleiman the Magnificent with the intention to be more impressive and beautiful than the Christian churches in the city. When the Bulgarian Orthodox converted the mosque into a church only the central hall and the dome of the former mosque were preserved, with four oval bays, a narthex and an altar section being added.
Close by was this Mausoleum of George Dimierov who pushed Communism in the 1930s when it was outlawed, and rose to prominence when Communism became established, He died in 1949, but only lately were his wax-like remains cremated and the ashes placed in a cemetery. The red star is still on the mausoleum. The city plans to either tear down the structure or make it into something useful, like a museum.
The ornate Church of St. Nicholas reflected the Russian influence, with its onion-shaped domes. We stepped inside and looked over the many icons placed throughout the church.
Up the street we could see the famous Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. The golden domed structure is a magnificent example of 19th century architectural achievement. This 1912 neo-Byzantine church is a memorial to the 200,000 Russian soldiers who died for Bulgarian independence.
It serves as the cathedral church of the Patriarch of Bulgaria and is one of the largest Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in the world, as well as one of Sofia's symbols and primary tourist attractions. The St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral in Sofia occupies an area of 34,100 sq. ft. and can accommodate 5,000 people .
At the Church of St. Sofia we visited the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. The church was originally a church, then a mosque, and then back to being a church again. It is the second oldest church in the capital, dating to the 6th century CE. In the 14th century, the church gave its name to the city, previously known as Sredets (Средец). I took a video of a Gypsy girl and rewarded her with a few leva. Our guide then chased her away.
Dar and I chose not to take the tour bus back to the hotel, choosing instead to tour more on our own. We walked over to the National Assembly Building and looked over the 1905 statue of Alexander II, the Russian tsar who freed Bulgaria from the Turks.
Before taking a streetcar back to our hotel, we purchased (negotiated) a couple of icons, one at a street adjacent to the park and another at an underground flea market (Fred’s icon on the right).
We stayed at the Hotel Rodina.
June 3rd, Tuesday
Fortified with a full breakfast, we checked out of our hotel and boarded the bus to travel the mountainous road to the Rila Monastery, one of Bulgaria’s most famous shrines. It is traditionally thought that the monastery was founded by the hermit St. Ivan of Rila, whose name it bears, during the rule of Tsar Peter I (927-968).
The hermit actually lived in a cave without any material possessions not far from the monastery's location, while the complex was built by his students, who came to the mountains to receive their education.
In the center of the courtyard was a beautiful eastern style church, the worship center of the complex (1834-1837).
Above the entranceway of the church were beautiful painted murals. These magnificent frescoes of the main church were the work of famous Bulgarian master-painters of the National Revival period (18th-19th century).
Hrelyo’s Tower next to the church was built in 1335.
Hundreds of monks used to live in the monastery rooms that surround the vast courtyard, but only a handful of monks reside here today. Some of the quarters are rented out to visitors. The gift shop was managed by monks and Dar purchased miniature icons of Christ there. All the time we were there the weather cooperated, but a heavy rain fell as we were about to leave. The downpour created an interesting subject for video taping as gargoyles spouted rain water.
Back on the bus we motored our way by Blagoevgrad through the tobacco producing region into the Strouma Valley, Traveling through the Rupel Pass we crossed over into Macedonia. We arrived in Thessaloniki (Salonika) early enough fora walk along the beach front of our Hotel. We were actually south of the city proper and we could see the skyline from across the Gulf of Salonika. Our evening closed with a stroll into Aghia Trada where we found a farmica.
June 4th, Wednesday
While we were eating breakfast a conversation was struck up with two Germans from another tour group staying at our hotel Dar had a chance to brush up on his German. A little later were on the bus to tour Salonika on our own. The bus dropped us off at the Archeological Museum (see map below). We looked over the large sarcophagus located at the entrance.
As we walked toward the White Tower, we stopped for a look at a monument to Paulos Mecas, 1870-1904, who obviously was a Greek national hero.
Ahead of us was the White Tower. See map. Originally constructed by the Ottomans to fortify the city's harbor, it became a notorious prison and scene of mass executions during the period of Ottoman rule. It was substantially remodeled and its exterior was whitewashed after Greece gained control of the city in 1912. It has been adopted as the symbol of the city and placed on banknotes.
Surprisingly, there are numerous archeological excavations and ruins in the city easily accessible to tourists. We looked at the extensive ruins of the Palace of Galerius from the 4th century
With its well preserved octagonal hall. Galerius had the reputation of being a persecutor of the Christians.
Walking northward we came to the Arch of Galerius, constructed in his honor.
The arch was composed of a masonry core faced with marble sculptural panels celebrating a victory over the Persians.
This illustration shows the Temple (ruins) on the left, then the Arch, which leads to the massive Rotunda of Galerius to the right.
The Rotunda in the background is clearly visible from the Arch.
The Rotunda was a massive circular structure with a masonry core that had an oculus like the Pantheon in Rome. It has gone through multiple periods of use and modification as a polytheist temple, a Christian basilica, a Muslim mosque, and again a Christian church (and archaeological site). A minaret is preserved from its use as a mosque, and there are ancient remains exposed on its southern side. As a Christian church is called the Rotunda of St. George.
Dar and I headed back to join the group at the bus. Our bus journey took us past the mythical Mt. Olympus then on to Delphi (middle of map on right)
We stayed at the tourist class Hotel Aiolos. Our room was on the third floor of the hotel, which was actually a floor down from the road level entrance — because the hotel was situated on a mountain side.
What a spectacular view of Corinth Bay from the dinning room window!
Since it was still light out, Dar and I walked down the road to our right out to the edge of town to see the Temple of Athena in the valley below. We did this in lieu of the optional tour offered by Cosmos tomorrow. I had toured the ruins earlier on a trip I led with college students in 1992.
June 5th, Thursday
Instead of the usual full breakfast buffet, we had our first truly continental breakfast of dry bread, jam, coffee and watered down juice. The hotel was rather simple. but the location was really great. The rest of the morning was free time for us. An easy afternoon drive along cotton fields took us to Athens. In Athens we checked in at the Hotel Christina, the same hotel we had used when we first arrived in Athens.
GO ON TO 1997 BALKANS PART III
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