Return to Sofia via Troyan
Troyan Monastery
On the journey back to Sofia, we visited Troyan Monastery, the third largest in Bulgaria. It is still active, though our tour guide thought there are only about 8 monks, and we didn’t meet any. Guests can stay here, and often come before an important event.
It was founded in the XVIIth century, but the present buildings are XIXth century. The inside of the church was obscured by scaffolding and polythene; restoration and/or cleaning of the frescoes in progress.
The monastery contains a museum, showing the hiding place of the revolutionary leader Levski (apparently many other places make similar claims); the small chapel of SS Cyril and Methodius; and a rooftop shrine with running water.
The motorway back, along the spine of a mountain range, was quite spectacular, and crossed several long bridges. So we returned to Sofia and the Grand Millennium Hotel, Our final dinner was just a short walk away, a busy restaurant well-known for the entertainment – folk music and dancing, diners joining in the latter with enthusiasm. Not so good for thoughtful conversations!
emeritablog: life after work 