Old Town Bucharest was a bit of an exception, however, with many of its buildings taking us back to the 16th Century. Walking around Old Town Bucharest we first came upon the Stavropoleos Church. Surrounded by much taller buildings, this 18th Century was originally part of Stavropoleos Monastery. Stavropoleos was originally an Eastern Orthodox monastery for nuns. “The name Stavropoleos comes from the Greek word Stavropolis, meaning city of the cross. The monastery is known for Byzantine music, expressed through its renowned choir, and the largest collection of Byzantine music books in Romania.” Byzantine music is the medieval sacred chant of Christian Churches following the Orthodox rite.
Another Romanian Orthodox church we visited in Old Town Bucharest is the the Old Court Church (Curtea Veche). It is the oldest church in Bucharest and served for two centuries as a place of coronation of the lords of Wallachia.
The CEC Palace, another impressive building, was built between 1897 and 1900. The palace was built as a new headquarters for Romania's oldest bank, the public savings institution Casa de Depuneri, Consemnațiuni și Economie, later known as C.E.C. It can be seen from various parts of the city. Unfortunately, the building is not open to the public, we all only get to enjoy its beautiful architecture from the outside.
I am including a picture of the Palace of the Parliament building, although we did not visit it and only saw it from afar, it is worth mentioning, after all, it is the second largest administrative building in the world. The building is valued at 4 billion Euros and was built by the communists at a time when people were being relocated into the simplified apartments shown below. The array of statistics about this building and its contents are overwhelming and for decades this enormous building was a very visual reminder of the country’s political elite. As people were struggling during communism rule, Romania's state-owned factories were being put to use providing for the glitz of this building that was found both inside and out. Simply put it was a momument to the opression of the people.
Are last tour location in Bucharest. Are last tour location in Bucharest was the National Village Museum. The Village consists of 123 complexes, offering a panorama of Romania's various villages, gathered from all the regions of the country. Each building is original and was dismantled and then reassembled at this outdoor museum. Time did not allow us to visit each of the various buildings. We did, however, gain insight into the diversity of construction found throughout the country of Romania. This was our final day of a wonderful trip. Sadly, we were at the airport at 3 AM the next morning to head home. And wow was the airport ever crowded for 3 AM!
                        Tuesday, September 12, 2023Ruse, Bulgaria, the Ivanovo Rock-Hewn Church and the Basarbovo Monastery August 29, 2023
Today we are off to see the highlights of Ruse, Bulgaria. We began our day visiting the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, The Holy Trinity Cathedral in Ruse. The church was built in 1632 during the Ottoman occupation. The church is built underground, which works well to provide cooling on a hot summer day. We quietly entered this church as there was a service in progress while we were there. We toured the nearby plaza where the State Opera House, Courthouse and Monument of Liberty are located. It is a beautiful city adorned with charming architecture. After touring the plaza, we visited two different museums, the Roussse Museum of History and the Museum House of Kaliopa.
The Roussse Museum of History is well organized, containing many excavated finds from ruse and the area around, from the prehistoric period to Victorian times. Items are well presented with plenty of English to explain the exhibits. The Kaliopa House was built in 1864. According to legend Katerina Kalish, the Ottoman Governor's wife was a lady from the town's elite, famous for her beauty, and she was often called Kaliopa. In order to provide a love nest for his meetings with the married lady, Middhad Pasha decided to give her the house as a prize and organized a pigeon shooting contest for the distinguished ladies of Ruse and the prize was the house by the Danube River. The enamored Turk fabricated the victory of his beloved woman and she received the prize. The place is quite small but the old rooms and furniture are interesting and the live piano player was an extra bonus. After our lunch back at the boat, we were off once again. Like we have been kept so busy. The Rock-hewn Churches of Ivanovo, a UNESCO site, consists of caves that had been inhabited by monks from the 1220s. At the peak of the monastery, the number of churches was about 40. Today five of these churches have been preserved. We hiked up to the main church, which is the most famous due to its impressive 14th-century murals. Our journey up the side of a mountain to the main church was a bit difficult in parts, most especially with it being a 100 degree day. The journey back down I felt was much easier, however. The scenery on the way up was beautiful, but the real jewel was the main church at the top. The church is actually a small cave with two sections that were a church and a chapel. The painted walls and ceilings date back to the 1300s, are very impressive, and the colors are still quite vibrant. The paintings tell stories from the Bible, they are unique in that they portray people in a way that was advanced for that time in history. Sadly, the faces were removed by the ottomans who did not believe faces should be portrayed. Leaving the Rock-hewn churches, our bus was headed to the Bulgarian-orthodox Basarbovo Monastery. The Basarbovo Monastery, established in the 12th Century, is the only active monastery today in Bulgaria. The monastery consists of residential buildings, a rock church, a bell tower and a more modern church built at the same site. A beautifully landscaped yard surrounds the buildings at the foot of a sheer rock face. In the landscaped yard is a well that the local people believe brings water from a holy spring with healing water.
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