#5 in the "largest city in Bulgaria" list, Ruse is in northeastern Bulgaria (think Punggol in Singapore). Nicknamed "Little Vienna", it lies on the right bank of the Danube River where the left bank is Giurgiu (75km from Bucharest), Romania.
Ruse was just a quick stopover point before crossing the Danube and the Ruse-Giurgiu Friendship Bridge into Romania to get to Bucharest for just one night.
Featured in the album cover is the Pantheon of National Revival Heroes. It honours the Bulgarians who volunteered during the Russo-Turkish War, those who fought for Bulgaria's liberation, educators, cultural activists and basically those who fought and/or sacrificed themselves for the freedom of Bulgaria.
Taken at the banks of Danube, looking across to Romania. Nothing spectacular about this but it was especially significant to me because it is here where the Danube passes through the 6th and 7th (out of 10) countries I've been to. There's still Serbia, Ukraine and Moldova left to go, but that will have to wait...
Ruse is among a unique list of 6 other cities that have been called "Little Vienna". The Neo-Baroque and Neo-Rococo buildings around the city (especially near Freedom Square) do remind you a bit of Vienna.
None more so than Dohodno Zdanie which you can see in the background on the right here. It literally means "profitable building". It was built to provide funds for the school board through the library, theatre, casino and shops built into it. It is regarded as one of the significant landmarks in Ruse. So I'm a little disappointed that I didn't have time to go in.
You'll also see The Monument of Liberty here, but a bit of that in just a while.
My obsession with statued lions remain. Standing on either side of the monument are a pair of Bulgarian lions, one guarding the Shield of Freedom and this one, biting on some chains. Presumably, it means liberation. In the background is the съдебна палата sudebna palata, Court House of Ruse.
The Monument of Liberty is the symbol of Ruse and is also present in its Coat of Arms. Built by Italian Arnoldo Zocchi, the lady standing on the pedestal, carries a sword on her left hand while pointing, with her right hand, in the direction of where the liberators first arrived into Bulgaria.
Heading towards the Danube Bridge, which connects the Bulgaria and Romania over the Danube. It was previously known as the Friendship Bridge during the communist regimes and was built with the help of the Soviets between 1952 and 1954. Both years are inscribed into the 2 pillars just before you get on the bridge itself.
Crossing over to Romania on the Danube Bridge and needing to get through border control because both countries have yet to enter the Schengen Agreement.
This agreement was created in 1995 and has since allowed for a borderless Schengen Area in many countries in Europe. It is a crucial portion of EU Law and as such all EU nations are legally obliged to join the agreement, except for the 2 opt-outs, the UK and Ireland.
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