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Category: Bulgreek Trip

17.08.09 – Ribni Ezera Hut – Rila Monastery
By Garik and Lena

We woke up in the morning like every day, at 06:30. Another night we couldn’t sleep well, this soviet beds are terrible! We packed our staff and went to eat breakfast. The man with the underwear was already in the kitchen and helped us make an order. The breakfast was very simple; bread, feta cheese, butter and jam. This old man with underwear continues to Malyovitsa… while we decided to cut off and head to Rila Monastery.

We started our way at 08:30. At the beginning, the way takes you down to the lake from the hut through many large unsteady rocks, until we reached pine grove. When we struggled on the rocks, some local guy passed us almost running! He had many bags, on his back and in his both hands. Our guess was that this is the guy that brings supply to the hut. Next we passed RIla river several times, going on wood bridges. Later the path became to a secondary road, right after the Tiha Rila. On half of the way to Rila Monastery we passed the Kiril Meadow. Most of the way was not shaded but it was an easy walk. So yes, we got a tan but didn’t get tired much. In the Kiril Meadow, there is a small hotel, and it has a nice restaurant. We took a break there and had lunch. This place has no calculator, so the waitress had to calculate the total amount on a piece of paper!

We continued along the road and in the pine forest alternately. The river which was by our side all the time, made a lot of noise. After the Kiril Meadow we searched for a small turn to Sveti Luka, it’s a small abandoned monastery with a cave behind it, where Ivan Rilski lived. The place supposed to be right where the camp site is, but we couldn’t find it. I went to the camp site to ask there, but no one knew. Lucky us, there was a bus at the entrance to the camp site, so we asked the local bus driver. So he told to go back a little and turn to a small path in the bushes. We did so. When we reached the turn that supposed to lead to Sveti Luka, all that was there is a car traces in a bush. We started walking but after 5 minutes we saw a snake so we turned back and ran away! We continued walking to Rila Monastery when suddenly after 15 minutes or so, we saw Sveti Luka monastery! Stands on a hill. We decided to go up to the monastery, the path is steep! But when we reached there we realized that this place was not worth our visit. All is closed and no one there. Complete mess around! We took a break there and went down the hill, back to the road to Rila Monastery, without looking for a cave!

When we came back to the road, we saw the fellow from yesterday with his son, the one that helped us with ordering food in the hut. He told us that he had changes in his plans and now he’s on a rush! I must say it was a little strange… Yesterday they planned to go to Malyovitsa and now they walking to Rila with us…

We reached the monastery around 17:00. We booked a place in the monastery, for three days from now… So when we asked if there a place for us tonight we got negative response. Tomorrow they have some big religious festival there or something like that! So the monastery is full, they suggested us to try the local hotel near the monastery.

At last a bathroom!!! Shower and a lavatory seat!!!… for 60 Lev. After such a refreshment we decided to go out, have a decent dinner and see the monastery at evening when it’s almost empty of tourists. We went to a restaurant the Lonely Planet suggested. The waitress there didn’t speak Russian nor English. After the dinner which included “Dusheni Ovoshi” (boiled vegetables) which in Russian it sounds like some one choked them, we visited the monastery again, hoped to see it lighted at the evening but at 20:00 still was not dark enough so we decided to go back to hotel.

The plan for now is to have a good rest, tomorrow visit the monastery and then take a bus to Blagoevgrad and try to rent a car there for two days, this way we still might see the seven lakes.