Bulgaria
21st
October 2014
After a very
long day in the train, we arrived at night to see Veliko Tarnovo with its fairy lights on. It was an apt introduction to this lovely
city, once centre of the Bulgarian Empire.
This magic was not lost in daylight as we walked medieval streets,
explored historical monuments, learned about street art and took in an opera –
as you do!
My closest brush with
textiles was admiring the many leather shoe & boot options available in
town. The locals are a very fashion
conscious lot and clothes & accessory shops abound.
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| A view over Medieval Veliko Tarnovo |
Up early
with coffee in hand, we caught a bus to Sofia. Sadly, rain had set in, although we were able
to complete a walking tour and explore a few grand museums, cathedrals and art
galleries in this reserved but especially attractive city. I finally found a lovely
hand-embroidered table runner at a market stall to add to my textile
collection.
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| Costumes at the Sofia Art Gallery |
On our way to Gorno Draglishte we made a stop at the Rila Monastery. What can I say but simply stunning and well worth the stop. We had a local lunch of bean soup and monastery bread which was rather nicer than their names suggest.
After days
of experiencing big city life, it was wonderful to arrive in the village of Gorno Draglishte. We stayed in a local guest house and were
immediately immersed in traditional life.
Best of all, downstairs off our dining area, was the family’s repository
of local crafts. A large loom took
centre stage and various samples of textile work were hung around a wall. Somehow I missed a local shop where others bought
a few handcrafts.
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| Loom & costumes at the ready... |
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| Need to wash your quilts? Perfect, I have just the very thing! |
By now we
were noticing the weather was certainly getting colder (& wetter!). This was handy because Bankso is one of Bulgaria’s premier skiing resorts…and the snow
certainly arrived with us.
Luckily we
had spent an afternoon at the bear sanctuary (rescued bears) while the roads were still
passable (and the bears still awake!). However it was such fun to frolic in
mounds of that fresh powdery snow!
Our
hosts were especially kind and provided plenty of sustenance (chocolate éclairs,
red wine, rakia) and a lovely blazing fire.
We were thoroughly spoilt!
 |
| Not especially fond of humans I imagine after some very rough treatment |
We trained
through snow covered forests to the delightful city of Plovdiv. It was slightly
warmer but still wet! After a walking
tour through the old town we were able to explore on our own. I headed for galleries and museums to
continue my textile discoveries. Our
tour was nearly over! Thankfully, I
managed to find a few antique shops and at one, discovered a locally made
weaving.
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| Ethnographic Museum Plovdiv |
Links to
Bulgarian textile information as follows:
(The tour we
took was Intrepid’s Eastern Europe Explorer.
It was a general tour, not textile specific, but I certainly had the
time and expertise of our various hosts to point me in that direction. I will also confess to having done a little
research prior to taking this trip so that it was not a wasted
opportunity. You will see from the links
that Eastern Europe has a long history of folk art and textiles - at all levels
of society. It was wonderful to
experience it and we highly recommend the tour, although the travelling style
may not suit everyone.)
After a very
long day in the train, we arrived at night to see Veliko Tarnovo with its fairy lights on. It was an apt introduction to this lovely
city, once centre of the Bulgarian Empire.
By now we
were noticing the weather was certainly getting colder (& wetter!). This was handy because Bankso is one of Bulgaria’s premier skiing resorts…and the snow
certainly arrived with us. 
