AUBG Camp 2010: Excursions

Stories and Pictures by:
Bora (Kosovo), Deimante (Lithuania), Ivana (Montenegro), Lucia (Spain), and Nina (Montenegro)

Last Saturday all the campers went to Rila Monastery or Sofia. We all had a great time, but we wanted to know other students’ opinions. In general, everyone liked his trip and would go there again.

Rila Monastery
The Rila Monastery (Monastery of Saint Ivan of Rila) is the largest and most famous Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria. It is situated in the northwestern Rila Mountains, 117 km (73 mi) south of the capital Sofia in the deep valley of the Rilska River. The Rila Monastery is located in 1147 meters altitude in the middle of the fragrant coniferous forests of Rila Mountain.

The monastery is a complex of cultural, dwelling and farming buildings which take about 8800 square meters. The Rila Monastery has an unique architecture. Outside, the monastery looks like a fortress. It has 24-meter stone walls which forms irregular pentagon. The church has five domes, three altars and two side chapels.

Masa Sofranac (16, Montenegro) told us that there she had a great time with all her friends in Rila, that she met a lot of new friends too and they were talking and laughing all day. She really liked that trip. Masa said they entered in one cave which was very exciting but also a bit scary. Masa bought some postcards at Rila Monastery for her parents, her sister and brothers. There were nice things to buy and to see she added.

Rita Avdiu (15, Kosovo) was in Rila Monastery on Saturday. She said that the thing that she liked the most was the architecture of the monastery because it was old but still beautiful, but she also liked the paintings and the trip to the cave. She walked around the monastery, visited the museum and the main church. She bought a cup where it was Bulgaria written and the city and the monastery was drawn on it. She said that it was funny when they walked in the main church with their hands in heir pockets and the priest started screaming at them. She described that trip in only one word that was “Amazing”. She learned that it was named after St. Ivan of Rila, and is known as one of Bulgaria's most important cultural and historical monuments. She said that she would like to visit again because it was very beautiful and she had a great time.

Sofia
Sofia is the capital and largest city of Bulgaria and the 12th largest city by population in the European Union, with 1.4 million people living in the Capital Municipality. It is located in western Bulgaria, at the foot of Mount Vitosha, and is the administrative, cultural, economic, and educational centre of the country. Sofia was originally a Thracian settlement called Serdica, or Sardica, possibly named after the Celtic tribe Serdi.

Prehistoric settlements were excavated in the centre of the present city, near the royal palace, as well as in outer districts such as Slatina and Obelya. The well-preserved town walls (especially their substructures) from antiquity date back before the 7th century BC, when Thracians established their city next to the most important and highly respected mineral spring, still functioning today. Sofia has had several names in the different periods of its existence, and remnants from the city's past can still be seen today alongside modern landmarks.

Hana Bacaj (15, Kosovo) was in excursion to Sofia last Saturday. She said that all the things were different and unique, but most of all she liked Church built in 11th century. They were walking around the city, to the museums and churches. She has learned many new things there, for example, that Sofia is one of the oldest cities. Therefore, there was nothing she did not like. She also bought some souvenirs there.

Marina Kolesnikova (17, Russia) went to Sofia and we asked her if she met new people there. She told us that she already knew everyone but the tour guide. She went to lots of souvenirs’ shops and bought wooden accessories and gifts for her friends. She also bought a rose perfume. They had lots of funny moments such as going to Mc Donald’s because no one wanted their food or taking pictures to a Ferrari which was parked at the entrance of a shop. She had a really good time.

Sayad Ibrahimli (16, Azerbaijan) went to Sofia on an excursion with the AUBG group. He liked walking and sightseeing, because he could see many interesting things like the Historical museum, monuments, and parks. Sayad liked the visit to Mc Donald’s the most because he could eat as much as he could get. He didn’t like their trip to Sofia because it was uncomfortable and there was no air in the bus, but he had a lot of fun singing songs. Sayad said that he would like to visit Sofia again in the future.

These trips connect different people from different countries with different dreams and goals.