Thursday, July 17, 2008

Ann Marie Borders--Thursday, July 17























Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, ding, 6:00 a.m. ring the tower bells. “Good morning sunshine!” calls out one of the 5 roommates as we burrow more deeply under the covers of our cot beds. This is the coldest weather since arriving in Bulgaria and we’ve just completed a night in the Rila Monastery. We need to dress quickly for the 6:30 a.m. service in the church. Some make the trip to the “squatty potty” others head outside for pictures.

The monastery itself is an amazing complex of rooms in four stories. While our room on the third floor is simple with six cots a table, a chair and a sink, the ceiling is an elaborately carved flower with three dimensional petals and inner shapes. Flower boxes appear in a variety of places. We watch the sunrise as mist rises from the tree covered mountains. The serenity and peace in this early morning hour is accompanied by the knowledge that we survived a night without ANY modern conveniences.

The Church of the Nativity centered in the courtyard is the largest monastery church in Bulgaria. Icons cover a large part of the facade and appear to have been recently renovated. They include clear, bright pictures of Saints, Angels, and Bible stories. Darker visions of hell complete the bottom portions of the walls. Inside, elaborate carvings and icons fill the room, murals cover the walls and yet the feeling is austere in its darkness.

One’s focus is immediately drawn to the light coming from the three domes and candles shining on the iconostasis (wood carving and icon filled altar screen) created by Samokov woodcarvers working under Atanas Telado from 1839 to 1842. Thirty-three feet wide and at least twenty feet tall, it is an elaborate set of carvings and icons covered in gold leaf. (The writer met an Italian speaking woodcarver/carpenter working on this and other renovations in the monastery.

The service begins with one priest intoning prayers. Responses come from behind the altar screen. Dressed in elaborate vestments, another priest emerges bearing incense and blessing church icons. It is difficult for us to understand the prayers spoken in Bulgarian, and we are unused to standing for long periods of time but it was worth it to hear the warm, rich voices rolling like gentle waves over the listeners as monks worship using a variety of musical styles. Vocals covered intoned prayers. Some songs include the traditional Bulgarian drone. Finally, monks sing music divided into parts. Being non-Orthodox it is a gift to be allowed to attend services that are usually reserved to church members. The realization that there are differences between our cultures is again brought home and leads to a variety of discussions as we leave in search of COFFEE. No luck.

Walking around the grounds of the courtyard, the most impressive sight is of the original kitchen. Built by a man considered illiterate, it is honeycomb shaped and carved with years of soot covering the walls. A tour guide explains that the soot from the cooking area rises through the building coating the walls in three distinct places. Once the smoke reaches the opening at the top it is “white.” Hence, it is sited as being the world’s first ecologically clean building. The kitchen can feed hundreds of people at a time. One pot is touted as being big enough to hold a cow.

The museum contains an amazing collection of artifacts dating from the 16th through the 20th centuries. Chalices, gold and jewel encrusted manuscripts, keys, icons, woven epitasplios (shrouds) from 1855 and 1859, and vestments fill the glass covered cases. Most impressive is the printing machine, (1865) metal clichés and copies of these first prints displaying pictures of the Saints and Mary. The same room contained illuminated manuscripts and copies of manuscripts with musical notation from 1888.

Breakfast and COFFEE followed by a side trip to Happy Donuts brought smiles to all everyone. We packed, loaded the van and began our departure from the monastery. Making a three point turn on a road the size of a ribbon with the mountain on one side and a steep cliff edge on the other had everyone praising yet again our fantastic driver, Jorge. We really appreciate his skill.
It is impossible to relate everything we see on this trip. Here are a few views as we leave the monastery and head for Blagoevgrad.

*Crystal clear, baby blue skies replace the overcast, heavy rainclouds of the previous day.
*Tree covered mountains fill our line of sight for miles
*Bubbling river sounds fill the air as we cross the bridge.
*Young girls sit under a red-stripped umbrella selling honey at the side of the road.
*Wildflowers of purple, yellow and white turn their faces to the morning sun.
*Dusty roads lead to small villages and gardens.
*Jagged rock face borders the road with an occasional bush or vine struggling to grow.
*“Fish crossing” sign is seen outside the fish hatchery.
*Yellow fields of freshly cut hay are interspersed with green fields of corn and other plantings.
*“Oh my gosh!” punctuates the silence as storks perched on lampposts and chimneys are sighted.

Finally, Blagoevgrad, we are home. Home to room and roommate changes, key changes, new linens, luggage, food, laundry, and email. Once settled, some head to dinner with Nadia, Pamela and Margaret, some to the grocery store and some to the computer room.

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