Koprivshtitsa

The most infuriating thing about Bulgaria is the total lack of signage on their highways and main roads. This trip saw more unintenteded detours than any I have ever taken. The greatest one was on the road to Koprivshtitsa; we drove almost 100 km out of our way because we couldn't find the road. We think that since no one can pronounce this town, this is why no one knew what to write on the signs.

Koprivshtitsa was the center of the Bulgarian rebellions against the Turks in the mid-1800's, resulting in the infamous Bulgarian atrocities in which thousands of Bulgars were slaughtered in retaliation. It wouldn't be until 187 8 that Bulgaria would become independent. The town today boasts beautiful homes from the period of the revolt; it was one of the only towns in the area not burned to the ground by the Turks. Horse-drawn carts make up the majority of transport.

The town sees relatively little tourism, but there is an army of pensioners who are incessantly knitting and doing lacework for the hoped-for tourists. The town is incredibly charming - with the afternooon spent exploring the cobbled streets and walking into homes as though we were visiting neighbors on a Sunday afternoon.

Here we also learned some more about Bulgarian restaurants: No matter where we went, the menu was about 40 pages long! The number of options was just mind-numbing. On my last trip in 1986, I remember that in Plovdiv they had nothing by cherries and vodka! Maybe this is all part of trying to improve their image!

Around 11 p.m. we had the storm to end all storms - the only rain we would see on the holiday. The thunder echoed through the valley as the rain pounded against the slate roof of our hotel. The most action this town saw all day.