Bucharest București: Little Paris / Pleven Плевен (22nd-23rd July 2014)

Most people want to go to the City of Lights. To see the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the Notre-Dame de Paris, among other famous Parisan landmarks. While I do have some regrets over not going to Paris, I'm happy enough to visit Little Paris!

Bucharest București, is the capital of Romania and earned it's nickname because of the city's architecture and the elite and high life reputation it has. It even has its own Triumphal Arch (Arcul de Triumf). Unfortunately, it was under renovation and I was not about to post another photo of a piece of cloth again.

There were lots of delays along the way into Bucharest and it meant there was no time to explore much. But when you're travelling in a race against time, you take what you can get.

Seen here is the Romanian Athenaeum which is among the iconic landmarks of the city. More about it when we get there again.

Still on the Danube Bridge but entering the Romanian half of it before driving straight through Giurgiu and onwards to Bucharest.

Staying along Bulevardul Unirii had one single benefit and that was to be able to see the Parliamentary Palace of Romania in full view.

This massive palace houses both chambers of the Romanian Parliament and serves several purposes. It holds a number of records including Most Expensive Administrative Building, World's Parliament Building and Heaviest Building. The neoclassical palace was completed in 1997, having taken 13 years to build and costing a whopping 3 million €uros!

Not necessarily the symbol of Calea Victorilei but it is certainly distinctive enough to immediately tell anyone who's been to Romania that you are along Victory Avenue. Besides being the avenue where most of the landmarks were, it also houses multiple luxury brands, which I had no money to bother and clearly no interest in seeing.

Located opposite the National Museum of Romanian History is the eclectic-styled CEC Palace. CEC stands for Casa de Economii şi Consemnaţiuni, the state-owned bank.

The dome at the top of the palace is quite unique in that its made of both glass and metal. The domes at the 4 corners are Renaissance domes that do not resemble the one on the top. The front entrance has an arch that ends with a twin of columns.

Located diagonally opposite the CEC Palace, is the Zlătari Church (Biserica Zlătari), an Orthodox church that has been listed in Bucharest's Historical Monuments list. I reckon it's not easy to miss because it stands out from all the commercial buildings surrounding it.

Going further down Calea Victorilei, you'll see the Cercul Militar Naţional. It translates to Palace of National Military Circle. It houses the National Military Library as well as the headquarters to the National Military Circle (the Romanian Army's cultural institution).

This architectural beauty is unmissable and is yet another iconic landmark of Bucharest. The eclectic style is seen clearly in the twin columns at the front of the building. It was believed to be the most beautiful and most impressive palaces built back then. Maybe that's why they needed to up the stakes for the Parliamentary Palace.

It's a long avenue... And after Bucharest's Odeon Theatre, you'll see a very unique church called the Kretzulescu Church (Biserica Crețulescu). It's just beside the Royal Palace next door and the Palace Hall. Incidentally, Julio Iglesias was in town for a big concert at the Palace Hall that night. Pity there weren't any tickets left.

The Brâncovenesc style that it is built in is a hybrid of 4 different styles, namely Baroque, Byzantine, late Renaissance and some Ottoman influence.

Also seen here is a memorial bust of Corneliu Coposu, identified by locals as one of the "greatest Romanians of all time".

The Central University Library of Bucharest (Biblioteca Centrală Universitară) with King Carol I's statue. He was the one who declared Romania as a sovereign country after the Russo-Turkish War, although it must be noted that he was not King yet at that time. Another interesting fact that links back to the time I was at Burg Hohenzollern in Germany, Carol I was also the "founder" of the Romanian branch of the House of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen.

Located opposite the library is the Royal Palace/Romanian National Art Museum.

The Palatul Regal (Royal Palace). Probably didn't do justice to the palace with this photo but I was kinda limited because the roads were in a mess and there was no way to get a good shot of the Palace so this was the best I could get.

The neoclassical styled palace was home to the monarch until 1947. The last king, King Mihai led a coup from inside here against the pro-Nazi government during WWII. It is now the Romanian National Art Museum, while the Palace Hall at the back is used for performances (like the one by Julio Iglesias that night).

Here we are, at the Romanian Athenaeum (Ateneul Roman). Built by French architect Albert Galleron, the Athenaeum is famous for being funded by the public, through the "Give a penny for the Athenaeum" campaign. It was built with a high dome 6 distinct Doric columns at the entrance.

This Neo-Classical and Romantic-styled beauty is the iconic symbol of not just Bucharest but Romania as a whole. It is the home of the Romanian George Enescu Philharmonic and is widely regarded as one of the best concert halls in the world with world-class acoustics.

The Headquarters to the National Bank of Romania, the central bank of Romania. The equivalent of the Federal Reserves in the US, Bank of England in the UK and the Monetary Authority of Singapore. It issues the Romanian currency, leu and manages both the national reserves and the exchange rate.

The signature Citrus Lemondade at Caru' cu Bere. They describe themselves as "a true living legend and one of the oldest breweries of Bucharest". It was jam-packed with people, but I still managed to get everyone in for dinner ;)

Back at the Parliamentary Palace where it's illuminated by the night lights. The darkness at night doesn't make it any smaller because it's still huge! I think they've got to have employed some of Romania's best builders to finish this giant.

The Village Museum is an ethnographic museum much like Etara in Gabrovo, Bulgaria. Drove by here after seeing the Triumphal Arch covered in cloth. I guess one ethnographic museum was enough.

Headed back to Bulgaria, towards Pleven...

Needed to rush back to Bulgaria for the night because we were staying in Pleven so that we could be closer to Sofia...

Power plants in Ruse on the way across the Danube Bridge.

Through the Bulgarian border and en route to Pleven.

Pleven was more of a stopover before we headed back to Sofia. Figured that it was the right thing to do though because a direct drive from Bucharest to Sofia would have been impossible.

The one thing I remember clearly from Pleven was the place we stayed in. It was right in the middle of Kaylaka which to us, meant in the middle of nowhere. We experienced yet another episode of Bulgarian helpfulness and friendliness in the best possible way!

While searching for our home for the evening among the Kaylaka Nature Park, we got to meet this incredibly friendly and helpful Bulgarian man. Even though he couldn't understand a single thing we said but did us a favour by driving us through the trees to get us to our place for the night. He was only supposed to pick up his wife after work but took a 30 minute detour, just for us. Thank God for sending us this guardian angel!

This was next morning on the way out of Pleven and to Sofia. Somewhere near the town hall I believe. Honestly, I wouldn't consider myself as having been in Pleven cos it was just a rest up for what was to come.

I was initially supposed to join the rest to bring them up to Slovakia and Czech Republic but there were some complications. So I had to meet them in London on the 30th, almost a full week later!

Ruse Русе: Little Vienna (22nd July 2014)

#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.

Велико Търново Veliko Tarnovo: City of the Tsars (21st July 2014)

The City of the Tsars, Veliko Tarnovo, was the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire (1185-1396). Sofia was only named capital in 1879, which was after the Ottomans and in the early years of what is known now as the Third Bulgarian State.

There was much to learn about the city but unfortunately, time was never on my side and I only effectively spent most of my time at the Tsarevets. It was also unfortunate that there was an invite-only event at the top meaning that much of it was out of bounds. That said, I wasn't going to just come all the way up to Northern Bulgaria and not learn anything. So I'm glad I learnt something, however little :)

Featured here in the cover is of course the Tsarevets Царевец. The home to the royals and the fortress of the 2nd Bulgarian Empire. This magnificent stronghold sits on a hill (also called Tsarevets). Tsarevets refers to the entire fortress. So what's sitting at the tome of the Tsarevets hill then? We'll come to that in a while.

It took 50 years to restore the fortress from its much-more-ruined state, which probably gives you an idea how much work was required for it.

Take a moment to just appreciate the fortress in all of its magnificence and beauty. The walls and ruins are really quite impressive!

Arrived into the city just past 4 so we needed to settle in first before heading off to the Tsarevets. Guess we needed some directions too...

Taken just outside Hotel Central along Hadzhi Dimitar Street which has this street sign, so it's unmissable!

Before heading up the Tsarevets, we had to find a place to park, so it's a good thing I found a place close to the Rozhdestvo Bogorodichno Cathedral.

This has got to be one of the most easily spotted buildings in Veliko Tarnovo if seen from above. It does seem to bear resemblance to the St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral minus the golden domes of course. Doesn't make it any less magnificent.

Once you get on the fortress walls, the first instinct is to look out for the standout Patriarchal Cathedral of the Holy Ascension of God. It sits right on top of the fortified Tsarevets Hill. It used to be the Eastern Orthodox cathedral of Veliko Tarnovo city but is no longer a place of worship. It was reconstructed sometime between the 1970s and 1980s with a beautiful dome and bell tower. Even before its reconstruction, it was declared an "architectural monument of culture of national importance" and its ruins protected.

"Roaring like a lion" never gets old. Let's see, there's Der Hacker-Löwe on the Schlossberg in Graz, the Dutch Lions, the Hungarian ones outside the Parliament, the Sofia Lion outside the Court of Justice and now the Veliko Tarnovo Lion. I'm pretty sure there were a couple more though... ROAR!!!

Managed to gain access into the fortress grounds even as it was slowly being cordoned off in preparation for the arts event. There were still some remains of ancient time weapons, although I don't think they were actually from ancient times themselves. The ruins reminded me of Devin Castle in Bratislava but the Tsarevets ruins were definitely better maintained and preserved.

It's funny how people rarely find out about the history of flags. Very often it does tell you about the history of the country as a whole. Decided to ask a little bit about it and do some reading and here's what I got: The tri-coloured flag was established after the end of the Ottoman Empire (i.e. the Third Bulgarian State)

The Third Bulgarian State covers Bulgaria's history since the fall of the Ottomans, through the Balkan Wars, both World Wars and the Communist era, where Bulgaria was a satellite state of the Soviet Union. Throughout this time, the flag had multiple iterations that sometimes included the state emblem.

The fortified walls of Tsarevets having been restored have been kept well-maintained over the years. Despite it being actually reconstructed, it still retained its intimidating fortress feel.

Continuing on from the story of the cathedral... It turns out that prior to its first construction during the 11th century, a Roman basilica used to stand on the top of the hill. After the cathedral was built on top of the old Roman basilica, it was the seat of the Bulgarian patriarch up till 1393. Obviously the Ottomans were never going to have a church standing around. They destroyed it during the Siege of Tarnovo in 1393.

With everyone on the Tsarevets fortress walls, with the Cathedral and the Bulgarian flag in the background.

Came down from the Tsarevets to explore some of the churches around the hill. The first one was The Holy Forty Martyrs Church. It lies at the foot of the Tsarevets and along the Yantra River. Aside from the fact that it was dedicated to the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste and built on the request of the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II it is of huge significance to Bulgaria because it was in this church that Tsar Ferdinand declared independence from the Ottomans in 1908.

Just across the Yantra River (on the right bank), is the Church of St Demetrius of Thessaloniki. Based on the historical documents available, this church was built to honour St Demetrius, the warrior saint of Thessaloniki, by Asen and Peter, the 2 brothers behind the Uprising of Asen and Peter.

The uprising was caused by new tax laws levied upon the people during the Byzantine Empire (before the 2nd Bulgarian Empire). Seems like the people then had their own fair share of tax problems. This quote comes to mind: there are 2 certainties in life, death and taxes!

Back up to the Tsarevets again to watch the sunrise. Would have picked this as the album cover had it included the fortress walls. But I reckon this was a good shot on its own thanks to the sunset glow.

There's one important story to tell and that's the "Fall of Tarnovo" but I guess it's one for another time...

Away from the Tsarevets and now closer to the old town centre, here's the Monument to the Assens. You could say that this was another iconic Veliko Tarnovo landmark.

The monument was built and dedicated to the Bulgarian Kings, Ivan Asen I, Peter IV (the duo from the Uprising), Kolayan the Romanslayer and Ivan Asen II (son the first Ivan Asen). They preceded over the city's political, economical and cultural peak and were hence honored through the monument.

Alongside the State Art Gallery (behind me from where I took the photo), the monument sits on a terrace above the Yantra River. It's probably one of the easiest landmarks to spot in Veliko Tarnovo.

It was time for dinner and I had absolutely no idea where to go because I couldn't remember the suggested good food places. Thank God we bumped into a very helpful Bulgarian boy who was with his mother's teenage sister.

"I'll take you to the best food place in all of Veliko Tarnovo. You'll like it" And so we ended up in this dinner place with low lighting with no clue whatsoever. That's until I opened the menu... Hey, it's Shtastliveca! I just had this in Sofia 5 days back for dinner!

And because it wasn't a newly opened one, the staff knew the menu well and we had yet another amazing Bulgarian stuffing! That wasn't the best part either...

The best food in Betina's home province also has the best seats to watch the Звук и светлина zvuk i svetlina, audiovisual performance!

A combination of laser lights, dramatic music (similar to those by Hans Zimmer but unique in its own way) and the church bells (towards the end) brought to "life" the period between the 2nd Bulgarian Kingdom and the Liberation from the Ottomans. A large part of the performance was focused on the Siege of Tarnovo.

Led by Celebi, who was appointed by his father, the Ottomans attacked Tarnovo in Spring 1393. They came up against troops led by Patriarch Evtimiy (Saint Euthymius of Tarnovo). In spite of the strong resistance by the Bulgarians, 17th July 1393 marked the end of the siege with Tarnovo captured, with heavy bloodshed on both sides :'(

The audiovisual performance was really enjoyable (along with the food) despite the fact that it told the tragic story of Tarnovo. The lights kinda reminded me of my over-excitement over lasers when I was still that science kid ;)

Veliko Tarnovo at night, sitting above the Yantra River. Really liked how the manner in which the buildings were arranged, sort of stadium-like don't you think?

Was quite disappointed that there wasn't enough time to go to Samovodska Charshia. Wanted to see how the marketplace was like but I guess it'll have to wait for another time. Although the time spent here wasn't long enough to fully appreciate the city's rich history, I really enjoyed the medieval feel of Veliko Tarnovo.

Maybe next time then... Heading to Ruse before crossing over to Bucharest. It's going to be a crazy rush again!

Etara Етъра (21st July 2014)

Located 9km away from the city of Gabrovo Габрово, Etara Етъра, is an ethnographic complex that showcases Bulgarian culture and customs. The open-air museum features Bulgarian revival houses, craftsmen workshops and many water-driven "devices" like water mills, among others.

This was a mid-route stop from Burgas to Veliko Tarnovo but a necessary one. Not just because of the route itself but also because it was important to get a look into the history and culture of Bulgaria. Would be a little silly to leave Bulgaria after spending a week here and not knowing anything about it.

Perhaps Etara could provide some insights to that...

The album cover features the Fulling Mill which was built in the mid 19th-century. It's used for the mechanical fulling processing of home-woven woolen textiles to thicken it. Picked this instead of the more iconic Water Mill "Dolapkinya".

The Mosaic composition stands tall, just outside the complex itself. If you look carefully, you'll see Etar on the bottom left. Doesn't come across immediately as alphabets, but it's in Bulgarian, so you still do see Етър.

A little hut just opposite the Balkan plank house (Renaissance Tavern) which is now a restaurant, that also features the traditional bread baking oven and mechanical spits equipments.

One of 2 nap-raising mills around the complex. People would use these mills for their woolen blankets, fleece rugs etc. After the nap-raising process, the woollen textile softens up and has a smoother surface. The nap-raising equipments were also used for washing carpets and coverings.

Here's my family seeing the nap-raising mill in action.

Helping myself to some washing now. The water flow is really quite fast and it's no surprise then that the washing process is said to take about 20 minutes or so. That's faster than your modern day washing machine. Is it possible?

After walking past the outdoor exposition and the clock tower, you'll come to the two-vaulted bridge. After crossing the bridge, you'll see a huge difference in the houses. The first you'll see is Sakov's House, which is now a shop selling souvenirs and works by the Etara craftsmen.

The Crafts Bazaar Street. Perhaps the busiest street in all of Etara. But don't mistake this busy for the metropolitan type of busy. It just means there are more people walking about and appreciating the fine works that are crafted by the carvers here.

Water-mill "Dolapkinya" is often used as the icon of Etara but I've only featured the close-up of the water wheel with the water pouring out. The wheel's name is "Dolap" and hence the water mill is named as such.

I'm really quite an aquaphile as you can see. When there's a waterfall or fountain around, I'm never far away from it. When it's an iconic water mill, you can bet I'll be playing with water here!

Here's the one-vaulted bridge on the way back to the Crafts Bazaar Street. You'll also see 2 houses, one is a house from the Gachevtsi village (right) and the other is one with a tannery. What's not seen here is the Church St Epiphany which used to serve as a school.

Traditionally baked bread comes from the oven below this chimney seen here. Already had my fair share of the bread at lunch but the smell of freshly baked bread was really quite tempting.

Etara was established in 1964 to showcase the cultural highlights of 18th and 19th century Bulgaria within the complex. So, to say that it has always been like that would not be right. But the beauty of it is that it brings together the many Bulgarian traditions and preserves it here. It's therefore a very popular place for the locals who truly value their traditions.

For me, it was an educational tour, sort of like a learning journey, where I got to see a little bit of traditional Bulgaria and its culture, up close and personal. Pretty apt, since it was Racial Harmony Day back in Singapore then.

Headed next for the capital of the 2nd Bulgarian Empire - Veliko Tarnovo!