What to see in Bulgaria Pt.1: Rila mountain

I was born in the small and beautiful country of Bulgaria and I am convinced it is a geat place to either visit or to do Erasmus. Bulgaria is situated in Eastern Europe, right next to Greece, Turkey, Serbia, Romania, Macedonia, and the Black Sea (that would be on the Balkan Peninsula).

 Bulgaria has a population of about seven million people. Bulgaria has mountains, valleys, seaside, and a lot more to see. The language spoken there is Bulgarian and the alphabet is the Cyrilic alphabet. It is almost the same the Russians use. In other words, if you come from Spain, Germany, or the United States, for example, you will have a hard time reading street signs. Bulgarians are nice and welcoming people but I would advise you to be careful about your personal belongings, such as wallets and mobile phones in airports, trainstations, and bus stations. I would like to recommend certain places that might be interesting to visit.

RILA

Rila is Bulgaria's biggest mountain. The highest peak is Moussala (2,925), which is also the highest on the Balkan Peninsula. The mountain itself is very beautiful and you could find amazing stuff there. If you want to see one of Bulgaria's main (and totally worth it) tourist attractions, you should go to the Rila Monastery. It is one of the largest monasteries in the country. By the way, the religion in Bulgaria is Christian Orthodox (same as in Greece and Russia). There are Muslim and Jewish minorities as well. The Rila monastery is richly decorated. Most if not all of the Bulgarian churches are full of icones of saints and frescoes. In this monastery, you will find not only the images of saints, but geometric elements, which decorate the church walls. The Rila monastery burnt in a fire in the 19th century and was rebuilt but its origins date from way back. Legend has it, it was established by a Bulgarian saint, Ivan Rilski, who lived in a cave nearby. You can visit the cave if you are interested. The locals believe that if you trip up, you have accumulated sins in this lifetime. Back to the monastery... There is a museum you should see. The exhibition there is related to important people and events in the history of the monastery. There is even a mini Rila monastery, carved from wood. It took its creator several decades and as a result he got blind. Crazy... Once you are done with the church and the museum, go outside. There are several restaurants and hotels. The most important of these is a small shop which offers the best mekitzi. What are these? They are something typically Bulgarian. They are sweet and resemble donuts. The Rila mekitzi ate definitely the best out there. After you have eaten, you could go for a walk. The region around the monastery is very green and beautiful.

If you are a sports fan, you could go to Borovetz, which is one of the nicest ski resorts in Bulgaria. It is not too big but it is not small either. You can enjoy great views, moderately difficult slopes and good weather. If you are not into skiing but you like the mountain, go to the Seven Rila Lakes. These are glacier lakes, seven in number, high in the mountain. There is a gondola that would take you to the first one and from there you have to walk quite a bit in order to see all seven lakes. The problem is that the lakes are very precious and delicate and the more tourists go to visit them, the more problems appear. Some of the lakes have started changing and losing their crystal blue water. So, please, have that in mind when deciding on a trip.