With over a million visitors annually, once you visit the magnificent Rila Monastery you’ll see why people flock to it! Located two hours drive from Sofia, it’s a “must do” for any trip to Bulgaria. The original structures date back to the 10th Century, but due to fire and war, certain sections have been rebuilt in the 15th and 19th centuries.
The Monastery has been a spiritual and cultural center for Bulgaria throughout the years.
The colors are bold and the frescoes are quite lovely…
The picturesque city of Plovdiv, is a wonderful day trip from Sofia, Bulgaria! Ranked as one of the world’s oldest cities and located just two hours away by bus, you’ll find cobbled streets, art galleries, and beautiful architecture! You’ll have difficulty trying to book transport ahead of time though. I went to the Central bus station in Sofia at 7:00am and purchased one way tickets for myself and my tour participant, leaving at 8:00am. The women working behind the counters at the bus stations are not friendly and at times are rude, but I’m sure it becomes tiresome having to deal with foreigners that don’t speak their language.
We joined a free two hour walking tour upon arrival through Free Plovdiv Tour that supplied us with some of the amazing history of Plovdiv and Bulgaria. While making our way from the bus station in Plovdiv to the meeting point in front of City Hall I snapped a few photos.
The man in the above photo reminds me of a grumpy “Joker” and didn’t appreciate me sneaking a photo in.
This fountain is really cool!
Their pedestrian only walkway is quite lovely…
I always take photos of fountains!
I’m writing to you from my European Odyssey through eight European countries and wanted to share my adventures while on the road! Acting as a Tour Director through my site “Travel Spirit Meetup” I have one lady (Jing), whom I now consider a friend, that is with me for the entire 33 day adventure. A gentleman will join us for six of the eight countries beginning in Finland.
We arrived in Sofia, Bulgaria in the afternoon on June 4th and took a taxi from the airport to our centrally located and very stylish two bedroom Airbnb. I love to stay in Airbnbs because they’re typically less expensive than hotels and you’re able live like a local, picking up breakfast items and food that can be prepared quickly from the local supermarket.
This was our view from the living room…
We settled in, stopped at the supermarket, and walked a mile to join a free 2-hr. walking tour of Sofia through Free Sofia Tour. Our guide was very knowledgeable and enthusiastic and in addition to showing us the highlights of Sofia, she spoke of the changes in Sofia since the fall of Communism in 1989.
A few of the highlights were the majestic Alexander Nevsky Cathedral…
One of the many things I love about travel photography is that when I look at a photo from a trip it brings back that exact moment to me in perfect clarity, the excitement of seeing something new and beautiful…aromas wafting through the air…the breeze caressing my skin…foreign sounds creating curiosity! Here are some of my travel memories edited with software that take me back to that moment…
Halong Bay, Vietnam – 2009
The view from a boat I spent the night on, very much like the one I captured here…
Vieng Vang, Laos – 2009
Petra, Jordan – 2009
Reaching “The Treasury” in Petra, Jordan while hiking…
A young girl begging while hiking for two days in the incredible UNESCO World Heritage Site of Petra…
Peru – 2009
Spending three weeks exploring Peru, this little girl and her baby Llama…
Reaching Machu Picchu, Peru, after 3 1/2 days of hiking at high elevation…
Cairo, Egypt – 2009
An old man at the Pyramids in Egypt pointing “the way”…
A chaotic, but every day life scene from Cairo…
Africa – 2012
A beautiful village woman in Zambia, Africa while on a 35-day Overland Truck Adventure through six countries…
Men from the Masai Mara tribe in Africa…
Path to the Baobab tree in Africa…
Fethiye, Turkey – 2015
Istanbul, Turkey – 2015
Antigua, Guatemala – 2016
Love the bright colors!
Near San Juan del Sur, Nicaragua – 2016
Horseback riding…
Roatan Island, Honduras – 2007
Our world is amazing and I’m leaving tomorrow to explore eight more countries in Eastern Europe…I’m so excited!
I finally visited the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center yesterday! Opened in 2004 on the banks of the Ohio River in Cincinnati, according to the Center, their mission is to reveal stories of freedom’s heroes, from the era of the Underground Railroad to contemporary times, challenging and inspiring everyone to take courageous steps of freedom today. They serve to inspire modern abolition through connecting the lessons of the Underground Railroad with today’s freedom fighters.
The museum’s eternal flame is representative of the candles that were placed in the windows of Underground Railroad operators and there’s a scenic view of the Ohio River and Kentucky shoreline.
Taken from their website–some of the exhibits are:
The Struggle Continues examines the desire to fight for freedom around the world and reminds us that slavery in many forms and guises continues to exist in the world around us. Iconic and abstract images on each of two long, facing walls, symbolize and evoke freedom and slavery throughout the world. The images are accompanied by audio that creates an intriguing yet reflective mood.
This exhibit explores six conditions or circumstances – which we call “unfreedoms” – that prevent people from achieving freedom and protect basic human rights. These unfreedoms are hunger, illiteracy, slavery, racism, tyranny and genocide.
From Slavery to Freedom portrays three centuries of slavery from its introduction into the Americas to its abolition at the end of the American Civil War. The exhibit describes who the enslaved were, why they were brought here, how they lived, how they worked, and also who their allies were – and how ultimately they became free!
One of the museum’s key attractions is a walk-through exhibit documenting the rise and fall of the slave trade in the United States and North America. Starting with the European colonization of Africa, the exhibit follows the journey of slaves from their homeland to aiding the Union in the American Civil War to the Civil Rights Movement of the mid 20th Century.
Invisible: Slavery Today is the world’s first museum-quality, permanent exhibition on the subjects of modern-day slavery and human trafficking. Using a variety of techniques and media, this exhibit offers a comprehensive examination of slavery in the modern world through the life experiences of five individuals who were caught up in one of the five most common forms of exploitation: forced labor, bonded indenture, child slavery, sex trafficking and domestic servitude.
The morning of my last day in Panama City, I decided to take a walk from my hotel to the promenade along the water. It only took me about 20 minutes to get there. With the sun still low in the sky, the City seemed fresh and full of possibility…
I walked for another hour along the promenade, taking photos of the boats and City…
I have to admit, I wasn’t that excited to see the Panama Canal. I guess because I’d seen photos and have gone through the locks/dam on the Ohio River a number of times, so I had a good idea of how it worked. Having said all that, I was glad I went. The driver at our Hotel, the Doubletree by Hilton, offered to take my group and I anywhere we wanted to go for a flat rate of $25 an hour, so we decided to have him drive us to the Amador Causeway and Miraflores.
This is a section of the viewing platform at the Panama Canal…
If you’re planning a trip to Panama City, Panama, it wouldn’t be complete without a visit to the Jungle! I found an excursion through a company called JungleLand Panama that picks you up at your hotel, drives you to a small boat for a transfer on the Panama Canal through Lake Gatun to a privately owned lake house, where a delicious lunch and cold beverages await! After lunch, there were a variety of fun activities to choose from. Jumping into an ice cold river, which by the way felt wonderful, on a hot day!
Here are the others I brought on the trip…
Laying around in hammocks relaxing…
Here’s a view of the lake house from a kayak…
On the boat ride to the lake house we stopped at various places to see alligators and monkeys. Captain Carl (seen feeding a monkey here) gave everyone an un-shelled peanut and some banana to feed to the monkeys…
I find it interesting what our preconceived thoughts/images of a country or city are, or sometimes we have no idea of what to expect. I knew Panama City, Panama would have high-rise buildings and palm trees and hot weather…
and beautiful flowers…
friendly people…
I led my group on a subway ride from our hotel a few stops to visit the Casco Viejo or old town section of Panama City. We had to make our way another 10-15 minutes by foot through a very poor section. These vultures tearing through a smelly garbage dump were both fascinating and repulsive.
Laguna de Apoyo, located 15-30 minutes drive from Granada, Nicaragua (depending upon where you visit the lake) is as you can see, absolutely gorgeous! For my second and final day in Granada, I decided to visit this magical lake. After speaking with a local tour guide, she offered to take myself and one of the other ladies in my group to a couple of spots on the lake and also to the town of Catarina, where they make pottery. The charge was $20 per person for a 4-5 hour day trip.
After savoring the stunning beauty from the viewpoint, we made our way to the Laguna Beach Club for some relaxation and fun activities! The entrance fee was covered by our tour guide and we were provided with a locker and key to store our things. They have a restaurant and bar on the premises, along with swimming decks, kayaks, and lounge chairs.
It was quite windy, but Jing and I took a kayak out for a while…
In the town of Catarina, we stopped at a pottery studio and watched a man make his beautiful pieces of art.
Leaving off from yesterday’s post of our 2.2 mile walking tour in Granada, we finished off with a visit to the Xalteva Park and Church. Along the way we passed this shoe shine man and his customer deep in conversation…
This is the same shoe shine man, different customer, on the way back…
Iglesia de Xalteva was also quite lovely…
In yesterday’s post of our 2.2 mile walking tour of the highlights of Granada, we visited Parque Central, Cathedral de Granada, and the Guadalupe Church. Today, we’ll visit the San Francisco Convent, the ChocoMuseo, and the Iglesia de La Merced.
The brightly painted carriages and architecture contrast against the crumbling concrete…
Our next stop was the San Francisco Convent. The brilliant blue sky was the perfect backdrop for the creamy color of the Convent…
My group and I were picked up by private shuttle in San Juan del sur early on the morning of Saturday, February 27, for the 1 1/2 hour transfer to Granada. We dropped off our luggage at the beautiful “La Gran Francia Hotel”, located right in the heart of Granada, and I led my group on a walking tour. The first thing we saw were these colorful horse and buggies lined up around the Parque Central (Central Park).
The Parque Central is a lovely place to sit on one of the benches under a shade tree and people watch! This statue translates to, “Mother of all, devotion and love”.
There were also outdoor dining areas…
When you arrive in the town of San Juan del sur, Nicaragua, if you look to the right you’ll notice a large white statue of Jesus (aka Christ of the Mercy) perched high in the hills. It’s one of the 10 largest in the world and well worth hiking to!
Here’s a view looking down at the bay from the statue…
We began our hike from the center of town, making our way down the beach side road.
Past a beautifully detailed piece of street art…
Although I’ve had a variety of unpleasant experiences horseback riding, including: having a horse lay down with me on top of him (I had to jump off), a horse bolt unexpectedly with me hanging on for dear life, falling off of a horse in Spain when he tried to eat grass on the side of a rather large hill, have a horse try to buck me off and rub me against trees; well you get the picture–I continue to enjoy riding! So, I planned a ride for myself and two of my tour attendees through Rancho Chilamate. They picked us up in San Juan del Sur and drove us to their beautiful ranch about 20-30 minutes away. They have boots and hats to make sure you look and feel like an authentic Cowgirl!
They have cute young women as their tour leaders! Here’s Claudia from Spain leading us through the lovely countryside…
Sherry Lachelle Travels 