Today I had booked a tour to the Rila Monastery which is a famous Unesco site and important location for Bulgarian culture. Originally I wanted to go here but decided not to as it was out of the city and I wasnt sure how to get there.

Luckily my hotel had a flyer for day trips to the monastery for 25 euros ($32) so I wouldn't have to worry about getting there. Also as I had a spare day having booked three nights in Sofia I had time to do it as I did all the city sights on the first two days

I had to be at the big cathedral at 9am for pickup. The van ended up with three sets of pensioners and a guy from Finland that was taking time off after finishing high school and before his military service

There were retired teachers from Australia that had taught in Canada for three years in the 1970s, a pair of posh ladies from London, and a pair of Dutch women. They had paid double for a different tour and were put with us due to a mix up so there were disputes about why they had to pay double what the rest of us did

The ride was bout 90 mins deep into the countryside. The only way to get here is by car or private tour as there is no public bus here. Entry to the monastery was free but there are museums you can pay extra for.

It was like a Korean temple set in the mountains with a stream running. Our guide was very detailed in explaining the history. The original monastery was from the 13th century but only the stone tower remains. Everything today is less than 100 years old.

When the Turks came they demolished the outer wall but left the church inside alone. There were two fires due to candlelight that destroyed the outer terraces where the monks lived.

The third time they rebuilt it they used more stone and fire separation walls to stop the spread of fire. In the last century an outer terrace to the church was added in Ottoman style as they were still part of the empire. People were free to worship here under Ottoman rule

There was a lot of art in the outer terrace in the last century as people couldnt read or write so they illustrated a lot of the Bible stories

Inside no photos were allowed. There was a big hanging gold chandelier in Ottoman style. The insides were decorated with more art on all the dome interiors but were not as rich in colour. There were streaks of light shining thru some of the windows

The guide explained the differences in Bulgarian Orthodoxy from Russians and Greeks. They were ruled by the Patriarch in Constantinople, but the Bulgarians outnumbered the Greeks 3 to 1 so wanted independence from Greek control. He also explained other theological differences.

Inside is also the remains of the Bulgarian Tsar who died in 1943. Bulgaria was allied with Germany but to avoid fighting he made an excuse that Turkey may attack (even though Turkey wasn't interested) so kept his troops in Bulgaria.

On a visit to Germany he died five days later so it is suspected he was poisoned. His young son was sent to Spain as the family is related to Saxe-Coburg familes of western Europe. He returned after indepdence and served as Prime Minsiter

Also they Jews of Bulgaria were not sent to Germany so were spared the fate of other European Jews. For Christ's last supper they painted Bulgairan food on the table

You could climb the stone tower for 3 Lev, visit the museum for 10 Lev, or goto a small room with exhibits for 3 Lev. I was trying not to spend any money and stretch what I have till I leave Bulgaria on Monday. Also you cant take pics in the musuem so it wasn't worth it either.

During Communist times the monastery was made a museum and the monks were made to leave. In the 1990s the monks were able to return. Now that more tourists are coming you are no longer able to go onto the upper terraces where the monks live although our guide wouuld go when he was a kid

For lunch we drove to a local restaurant that specialized in local trout. It was taking so long I thought they were still fishing for it. It was worth the wait as it was a giant sized fish. I had ordered the potatoes with it that were lumpy mashed potatoes.

Total was 11 Lev ($8). Menu price was confusing as they show you the price per 100g but you dont know how much your fish will weigh or how they weighted it

After that we drove back for an hour to the outskirts of the city for Boyana Church. This is another Unesco site with unique frescos from the 13th century

Again no photos are allowed and they only allow 10 people at a time inside for 10 mintues only as it is small and to avoid humidity from body head damaging the art. Entrance was not included and we had to pay 10 Lev ($6.50) though the Finnish student was able to pay 2 Lev with his ID

There are two levels of frescos plastered on top of each other and you can see some of the original versions where the plaster has broken off.

The original version was very simple with less detail, more like stick figures and a childs drawing. The second level was much richer in detail and colour, with more realistic features.

I'm bad and I snuck in a couple of pictures with my camera behind my back taking them backwards.

Locals felt the church was too small so wanted to demolish it and build a bigger one. The then Queen recognized its importance and did not give permission for the new church. She is now buried beside in the gardens

After the drive back to the city I made my way back to the hotel and stocked up on some food for my next leg tomorrow to Plovdiv and onto Istanbul the next day