Bulgaria (Page 2: The Balkans)

Koprivshtitsa - set on the rushing Topolnitsa River, this charming village of half timbered houses lies about 2 hours' drive east of Sofia.

Koprivshtitsa - one of several old stone bridges across the Topolnitsa.

Koprivshtitsa  the town is set alluringly in a lush valley, surrounded by thick woods of spruce and pine.

Koprivshtitsa - the town played a central role in the so-called April Rising of 1876, the first attempt to throw off Ottoman rule.

Koprivshtitsa - the principal means of transport for many local residents.

Koprivshtitsa - a woman on her way to church on a quiet Sunday morning.

Klisura - a fairly typical small town in central Bulgaria, with the Balkans in the background.

Shipka Pass - the Balkans from the bottom of the pass.  It was here that 600 Russians and Bulgarians resisted the onslaught of 27,000 Ottoman troops in 1877 during the war of National Liberation.

Shipka Pass - the Shipka Memorial Church was built after the Liberation to honor the fallen, and designed by a Russian architect.

Tryavna - this small town on the north side of Shipka Pass is a national historic landmark, with many half timbered houses from the 19C.

Tryavna - the Ploshtad Kapetan Dyado Nikola, or main square of the town.

Tryavna - a small bridge leads north from the main square to another section of the town with fine homes dating from the Bulgarian Revival.

Tryavna - detail of a half timbered house.  Although appearing much older, nearly all the buildings post-date the establishment of a woodcarver's guild in 1804.

Veliko Tarnovo - this town, while lacking many specific sites of historic interest, is nonetheless spectacular for its setting, nestled between the hills which surround it.

V. Tarnovo - a quiet side street along one of the many steep hillsides in the town.

V. Tarnovo - typical street scene.  This is a town which richly repays leisurely exploring on foot.

V. Tarnovo - view of the town from the grounds of Cyril and Methodius University on the outskirts.

V. Tarnovo - view toward Tsaravets, the fortress on the hill started in Byzantine times but vastly enlarged by the Turks.

V. Tarnovo - the convent of Sveta Troitsa (Holy Trinity) was founded as early as the 11C.

V. Tarnovo - the Preobrazhensky Monastery was founded in the 14C, although the current structure dates from the 19C.

V. Tarnovo - Preobrazhensky Monastery lies directly across a broad valley from the convent of Sveta Troitsa.

V. Tarnovo - one of the remaining few monks at  Preobrazhensky Monastery.

Bozhentsi - two views (left) of this small crafts village near Veliko Tarnovo.  Nearly every building is a listed historic landmark, and most of the homes are occupied by artists or retired persons of some wealth.