Why this trip?

3 JULY 2014 Look for OK SUPERTRANS TAXI at the airport. Chosen Hotel Aris Seliolu str. 1, 1202 4 JULY 2014 City visit. Arriving in the old town we can enter the synagogue for a charge of two leva each. Large building with an enormous brass chandelier. The Banya Bashi Mosque is closed for works in progress. The Sveta Nedelya cathedral, on the other hand, is open and stands, as a landmark, in a large square surrounded by several tourist attractions. Not far away rises a gigantic female figure on top of a column with a laurel wreath in her right hand. It is the monument to the city. Beginning to walk along the area paved with yellow bricks we reach the Rotunda of Sveti Georgi, an ancient and interesting church with interesting paintings inside. Where to eat: Happy Bar&Grill 145, Rakovski Str. / 4, Sveta Nedelia Sq. /Mall Sofia / 101, Al. Stambolijski Blvd.

5 JULY 2014 We organised ourselves with the Hostel Mostel boulevard Makedonia 2. It organises trips to Rila Monastery also for those not staying at the hostel. You just need to book two days in advance. Trip by car: 20 euros. E-mail: info@hostelmostel.com. The drivers take us to see, before the Monastery, the Church of Sveti Luka, where photographing the interior is not forbidden, though it is partly completely dark. To reach the Church you have to walk for 15 minutes uphill through the woods. The driver acts as our guide and also shows us the cave where a hermit named Ivan Rilski lived, and a wishing well. Rila Monastery is a Unesco site and the most famous in Bulgaria. The centre of interest is the Church of the Nativity, where you can admire numerous paintings inside and out. The outside ones can be photographed. We also visit the ethnographic museum.

6 JULY 2014 The Boyana church is reached with buses no. 64, 107 or 21, but a taxi ride costs only 12 leva to the Boyana church, and then you can choose various mountain itineraries. Return by Bus 64 and Tram 9. 7 JULY 2014 Coach to Plovdiv: 8.15. We chose the Hotel Leipzig boulevard 'Ruski' 70. We go to see the fortress, the Roman theatre and the cathedral where works are in progress. Fortunately there are fountains with fresh water available. 8 JULY 2014 Tsentralina station times Assenova krepost (Asen's Fortress) train 7.30 8.30 9.30 return 14.00, 15.00, 16.00, 17.05. From the fortress you dominate the valley. At the base there is an ancient church dating back to 1200, full of swallows and with icons. Of the fortress only the ruins remain. Along the way we came across two fountains with mountain water. 9 JULY 2014 BACHTOVO.

There are numerous minibuses from the Rodopi station; the trip lasts 40 minutes and costs little. 10 JULY 2014 Departure for Sofia by coach 8.15 and 9.00; more than two hours between Plovdiv and Sofia. After eating along the way we stop at the archaeological museum, where pensioners enter free. We see the Roman remains of ancient Thrace. Very beautiful is the bronze bust of Golyama kosmatka found in a mound near Shipka. In the museum there are numerous icons. 11 JULY 2014 Visit Sofia 12 JULY 2014 Sofia Blagoevgrad. Having reached the town with the 9.45 coach, we book the return for 16.30. Seats are assigned in order of booking until they run out. 13 JULY 2014 Visit Sofia. In the afternoon we went to the mall, the shopping centre. 14 JULY 2014 Visit Sofia. The ethnographic museum is in the old royal palace.

The aim of the museum is to collect, preserve and display everything connected with Bulgarian culture 15 JULY 2014 Visit Sofia. Nevski crypt. The Mosque. Departure at 18.55 with Alitalia flight. Total spent for two 1,800 euros, of which 300 on various purchases.