July 29 – Rousse, Bulgaria

Our shore excursion today is a drive to Veliko Tarnovo, the City of the Tsars and the ancient capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire.  The hour plus drive took us through farmland that was planted predominately in sunflowers.

First stop was the town of Arbanassi, high in the hills with great views of the surrounding area.

Next stop was an ancient church of Arbanassi, The Nativity of Christ Church.  The church has a very low profile because it was built during the time of the Ottoman Empire occupation and they required that the churches be very unobtrusive.  

However, the interior was anything but unobtrusive...beautiful, well preserved murals on the walls and ceilings.  Unfortunately it is still a working church and photos were not allowed inside. 

The town appeared to be very old with many stone walls and buildings.

After lunch in an authentic Bulgarian restaurant (great food) we walked a short distance through town to a shop that specialized in rose products.   The cultivation of roses for the use in the production of rose oil and other rose products is one of the major industries in the area.  We sampled some rose products such as rose brandy and rose Turkish delights. 

Next stop was a nearby museum, the Konstantsalieva House, a 17^th century home of a rich merchant that is now a museum.  

All the rooms that we toured were furnished.  The bedrooms had these massive beds that went from wall to wall.

And the kitchen seemed fully outfitted...

down to having a loaf of bread on the table.

Then it was off to the Church of St Michael and Gabriel for an awesome concert by four people singing acapella.  They were amazing.  

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Watch video of singers.
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As were the frescoes.

We then took a short drive to Veliko Tarnovo with great views along the way. 

Veliko Tarnovo was the strongest fortified city in Bulgaria during the Middle Ages.  We walked part way up to the castle on the top of one of the hills.  Unfortunately there wasn’t enough time for a walk all the way up…negatives of large group tours.

There were certainly great views of the city from where we were at.

There was a little time to walk up a nearby street with lots of craft and souvenir shops.  

Then it was back on the bus for the long drive back to the boat.  It started raining shortly after we got back to the boat.