Day Two - Rousse, Bulgaria
Rousse, Bulgaria
Today was a busy day! We left the boat at 8AM and boarded a bus for a tour to Risa, Bulgaria (which is just across the river from where we boarded the boat in Romania). From there, we rode to Veliko Tarnovo which is a hillside town that was once the capital of Bulgaria during what was called Bulgaria's second golden age. We then took a half hour ride to a resort town called Arbanasi where we visited an old church with wall murals dating back to the 15th century, visited a reconstructed house from the early 1700's, then had lunch at a local restaurant. After lunch, we returned back to Veliko Tarnovo and took a hike up to the ruins of a fort that was used to fend off the Ottomans. It was really hot so we were exhausted when we finished hiking. We then returned to the boat, which had moved up river during the day. The entire crew greeted us as we arrived - it was fun to be the center of attention in such a fashion. We had a practice emergency drill just now...we all had to put on life preservers and assemble at predetermined locations. Now it's time for dinner!