Nov 18: Ruse, Bulgaria

rnorell
4 days ago
2 min read

Tuesday

My alarm went off at 7:15 am, sadly, even though that’s the time I had set. Our excursion was scheduled to depart at 9 am, and after the stories told last night, we definitely didn’t want to miss the bus if we weren’t out there on time.

We had breakfast in the dining room and just ate off the buffet. There were scrambled eggs, various meats and cheese, fruits, and pastries. You could also order off the menu and get oatmeal, waffles, omelets, and more.

We had selected to go to Veliko Tarnovo and do the hike. They combined two groups into one bus, all of us doing the hike to the fortress and those who would stay in the town for shopping. It was almost a two hour drive, and we stopped first at a public restroom and then all walked into a small church, the St. Peter and St. Paul Church, which was originally built in the 13th century. We were then joined by a trio of singers, one man and two women, who sang a cappella songs of prayer, and it was beautiful.

We got back on the bus and went to the beginning of the trail for the hike. The guide explained what the hike would entail, and since it was lightly drizzling, I think he was trying to discourage those who were hesitant. Then it was back on the bus and up to the Hotel Yantra for lunch. This is the same place we ate when Vic and I were here two years ago. Lunch was a salad of cucumbers and tomatoes covered in shredded cheese, a mushroom soup, a beef potato and pasta dish, and baklava for dessert.

Lisa and I finished lunch and had a few minutes before the hike left at 1:30 pm. She had decided not to risk the hike, so we walked up a shopping street for a few minutes and then back down, and I joined the group to hike, around 24 of us.

We walked from the hotel to the entrance and up to the fortress. There were parts that were a little steep but honestly it wasn’t really difficult at all. They had rated it a 4 to 5 on difficulty, but again, that’s to discourage those who might not really be fit enough for it. According to my Fitbit, we walked for 52 minutes (plus spent a few minutes inside the museum/church at the top), walked 1.81 miles, and climbed 295 feet in elevation, the equivalent of around 29 flights of stairs. When we got back to the hotel after 1 hour and 2 minutes, the guide said that was probably a record for him.

When we did this last time, we visited the very small town of Arbanasi, and then went to a brewery before going to the hotel for lunch and being dropped off by the bus at the entrance of the hike. Then after the hike, the bus picked us up, stopped at the hotel to pick up those who hadn’t hiked, and then took everyone back to the boat.