New-Yorker-blog-karenrobbins

We stood in front of the Cathedral of the Assumption in the center of Varna and watched for a sign that would show us where the free walking tour would begin. All of a sudden my eyes caught sight of a young gentleman standing on the steps with a "Free Varna Tour" sign held in front of him. With a sigh of relief, we walked over to him and were joined by quite a few others in the crowd milling about the Cathedral looking for the same sign.

Nicky began by giving us some background history to the Cathedral as well as Varna. He was very engaging and extremely knowledgeable as we learned as our tour went on. He led us into the Cathedral one more time. I was surprised to see that all the lights that had illuminated the sanctuary were now off. Apparently the tour buses were done for the morning. We walked around once again under the watchful eyes of the two ladies in charge of the picture takers and back out again.

Across the street, we stopped for a bit more history just as the sun began to break through. Varna looked much nicer in the sunshine. (I found that to be true in Venice as well). Before we moved on, a plain-clothed cop took Nicky aside and pulled out his badge. They spoke in their native language and when Nicky returned to the group, he told us that the police wanted to warn us of being approached by people who wanted to exchange money with you. Once you gave them the money, they would take it and either short change you or not give you money back. Those that we had met earlier who we thought were panhandling were actually scammers.

Roman bath

We started down the pedestrian was and passed by a museum and a beautiful red colored theater, one of several that were in the area. More people were now in the pedestrian way and now that the shops were open, the sun was out, and we were in a group, it didn't seem so intimidating.

There was less graffiti along the side streets we traveled to visit several small Armenian churches that were very old. Along the way we lost the group of students that had started out with us. I'm guessing there was more history than they wanted to hear. And there were a couple in our group who disagreed with some of the statements that Nicky made about past conflicts with other countries/groups of people and Communism. They weren't willing to let him have his opinion and they dropped out of the tour as well. He really wasn't political--just relaying the history as he'd learned it.

Probably the most interesting place was the huge area of remains unearthed of a Roman bath. It was quite a spa in its day and we heard how water was transported there and heated for the wealthy to enjoy.

In front of one of the churches, we came across a bulletin board of sorts with all kinds of leaflets with people's pictures on them. Nicky explained that instead of putting obituaries in a newspaper, family members posted them at the church or on trees or telephone poles through out the city in memory of them and as a way of letting others know they had passed.

As we paused in front of an old museum, Nicky stopped to talk about the Cyrillic alphabet used in Bulgaria. It was invented in the 10th century to write the old church Slavic language. It has evolved over the years and been adapted to use in over 50 different languages mainly in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Central Asia. The last word on the sign pictured is Varna.

Our wandering took us back to the port area. I hadn't realized that we weren't that far away. Near the port is beautiful Primorski Park with an outdoor Naval Museum and Aquarium. It sits on the shore next to the city beach. We walked through and stopped to look at some of the historical pieces of equipment and then continued back to another pedestrian area where Nicky ended his tour in front of the McDonald's. He pointed out the good shopping areas and how to get to the Cathedral for the shuttle or to walk back down to the ship. We thanked him, gave him some money for his time and set off to find something Bulgarian to eat.

There were lots of choices in this area just a ways from the park. We settled on one that said free WiFi and sat down. Our waiter spoke pretty good English and suggested we try a plate that was a Bulgarian sample. It was great! Sweet tomatoes with some kind of goat cheese, cucumbers and sour cream like my mother used to make (ours was Bohemian style), deep fried pork balls, and something that was like a quiche. It was all very good and we enjoyed each bite.

In the park I had noticed lots of ladies who had set up shop with all of their handcrafted and crocheted items. I don't normally get souvenirs, especially for myself, but I couldn't resist a small crocheted table scarf.

We made our purchase and strolled through the shaded park back to the port entrance to our ship. What had started out as a dreary and uncertain day had turned into a wonderful excursion and a great taste of Bulgaria.

Perhaps it was the foggy start to the day that set the tone as we arrived in Varna, Bulgaria. We ate a leisurely breakfast on the back of the Lido deck looking out at the eerie images of navy ships behind us muted and grayed even more by the mist that hung in the air. There wasn't exactly a scheduled tour or excursion that we chose for Varna but I had found online a free walking tour that began at the cathedral at eleven in the morning.

A ride on the complementary shuttle bus into town took us through neighborhoods that were full of graffiti. Not a good first impression of the city. The drop for passengers was in front of the Cathedral of the Assumption. We were about an hour early for the tour and decided to wander around the Cathedral and try to get our bearings. The area around the cathedral was dotted with sleeping bodies.

Deciding to take a look inside the Cathedral, we wound our way around several people shaking cups at us asking for money. In all the ports we'd visited, this was the first where we'd been approached by beggars. Inside the cathedral the priest met us at the door. He had a little table set up with some pamphlets, a basket with money in it under a sign that said donations and a bowl of holy water. I didn't recognize the small branch of greenery in his hand but it soon became obvious when we slipped a little money in the basket that the branch was used along with the holy water for a blessing. Bob indicated we were passing on the blessing.

Inside the Cathedral which was built in the late 1800s it was rather dark but had a lot of mural paintings. Along one side of the sanctuary were several furnace or fireplace like boxes where candles that were lit could be vented to the outside. and the sand and water that they were set in were definitely a deterrent to unwanted fires.

A sign inside the front door prominently situated said there was a charge for taking pictures. And just to be sure you didn't forget, there were two ladies who looked like they could wrestle a picture-taker to the floor patrolled the area with hand held signs that announced the price for three pictures. They never broke a smile and stared down anyone who raised a camera. I think one man was going to feign not understanding but they got him and loudly protested in their own language. I think he forked over the money. (If you'd like to see pictures of the inside, take a look at this sight of the Varna Cathedral).

I wondered what it would be like during a worship service.

After sitting in a pew a bit and walking around the sanctuary which really wasn't all that large, we went back outside. There was still plenty of time left until our meeting time for the tour so we crossed the street (by way of a tunnel under the busy main street) and began a walk down the pedestrian plaza through town.

The sun was trying to break through but it still looked kind of bleak. There was just something about the area that made me uncomfortable and then we began to have individual men coming up to us every so often and saying in English, "Change." We thought they were asking for change although they didn't look like they were beggars. I clutched my camera bag a little tighter and was thankful Bob was wearing a money pouch inside his pants rather than a wallet in his back pocket. 

Shops were just beginning to open but there was still not much pedestrian traffic. Not like in other cities where we've seen outdoor cafes and people eating breakfast or grabbing one more cup of coffee. I really was wondering if I didn't just want to go back to the ship and skip the day in Varna. I am so glad I didn't. The sun broke through. The tour guide arrived. And soon we were thoroughly enjoying this unusual city.

The Black Sea is next on our travel itinerary. In doing some research before we leave, I found an interesting story posted by National Geographic about an expedition by Robert Ballard that hoped to find evidence of ancient civilization on the floor of the Black Sea.

The theory is that when the Ice Age ended and glaciers melted, it sent a surge of water through the Mediterranean Sea eastward cutting what is now Turkey in half and causing the Black Sea to rise six inches per day thereby causing a catastrophic flood. It is from that flood that the explorers surmise came the story of Noah and his ark. An interesting assumption. From what I could glean of their dispatches from the 1999-2000 expedition, they didn't quite find what they were looking for.

There are six different countries that surround the Black Sea: Turkey, Russia, Georgia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, and Romania. The Black Sea area holds a lot of history. Biblical cities of Ephesus, newly discovered Laodicea,  Pergamum, Smyrna, Iconium, Lystra, and Tarsus (Paul's hometown) are among many in Turkey. Greek and Russian history date the area as well.

Culturally and historically it should be an interesting learning experience as well as an opportunity to see some beautiful scenery. And as always, I'll be posting our journey here.