Monday 12th July

 12/07/04 - Day 9


It is a long way to Rila, for only a short look around a small (albeit pretty) monastery. FACT.


We were fortunate enough to walk straight up to the Rila bus in Sofia's bus station. We were also fortunate to have a lovely cool refreshing howling gale for the 2.5 hr journey. Heather, of course, complained she was cold.


Rila Monastery really was very quaint, snuggled in the folds of lushious mountains, with forrested sides opening out onto grassy slopes higher up. The area is a popular hiking destination and there were a fair number of people with packs around. So we wandered around the monastery. Spotted a couple of monks, risked death taking upshots of a % mad greek (?) family and got back on the bus. Then it rained.


Now let me attempt to convey the two side of 'ruin'. Yesterday 200 homes were destroyed by lightning in Romania - these thunderstorms extended about as far south as Sofia. We saw the approaching storm, watched the jagged sorts of light stabbing down at the ground, then we came over a small rise and proceeded to get pummeled by a hailing gale and torrential rain.


The bus, of course, leaked.


But it paused long enough for to get to an the hostel where we started cooking. (I should add here that last night we bought three meals worth of good for just £1.40 each from a fantastic supermarket which consisted of lots of small veg/meat/cheese/bread/grocery stores. Yesterday's dinner was a vegetable 'thing' with cheese topping (Bulgarian cheese: not good), tonight's was Heather's risotto. Both very satisfying, and very cheap.It was brought to my attention that an important point had been missed out from today's account. As we were being hassled by a segian beggar (for the second time!) I was just thinking that if she were to learn just a few words in English (even if she were just 15th) she might get further. Well, I was put firmly in my place as we walked off after a firm "no" when she finally came out with a "money??", then, to our % retreating backs: "bastard!".


What a novel way to beg!


12/07/04 - Day 9


It is a long way to Rila, for only a short look around a small (albeit pretty) monastery. FACT.


We were fortunate enough to walk straight up to the Rila bus in Sofia's bus station. We were also fortunate to have a lovely cool refreshing howling gale for the 2.5 hr journey. Heather, of course, complained she was cold.


Rila Monastery really was very quaint, snuggled in the folds of lushious mountains, with forrested sides opening out onto grassy slopes higher up. The area is a popular hiking destination and there were a fair number of people with packs around. So we wandered around the monastery. Spotted a couple of monks, risked death taking upshots of a % mad greek (?) family and got back on the bus. Then it rained.


Now let me attempt to convey the two side of 'ruin'. Yesterday 200 homes were destroyed by lightning in Romania - these thunderstorms extended about as far south as Sofia. We saw the approaching storm, watched the jagged sorts of light stabbing down at the ground, then we came over a small rise and proceeded to get pummeled by a hailing gale and torrential rain.


The bus, of course, leaked.


But it paused long enough for to get to an the hostel where we started cooking. (I should add here that last night we bought three meals worth of good for just £1.40 each from a fantastic supermarket which consisted of lots of small veg/meat/cheese/bread/grocery stores. Yesterday's dinner was a vegetable 'thing' with cheese topping (Bulgarian cheese: not good), tonight's was Heather's risotto. Both very satisfying, and very cheap.throughout the evening and night it continued to rain (and I mean really rain) and thunder (and I mean really thunder). We counted up our spending, watched some news, did a bit of diary, and collapsed into bed for another disturbed night (late arrivals, rain, thunder, server...)


Two things to comment on about today - (1) migraine (2) rain. Nice monastery though - thought it'd make a good boarding school.

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