Fam Trip Report: My Favourite Experiences in Bulgaria

Eastern Europe has a special place in my heart; having grown up in a few ex-USSR countries and Eastern Europe, there is always a connection I feel with the cultures. Each country keeps its own traditions and individuality, but in a bigger picture there are many similarities to their neighbours, and a shared experience.

The first time I came to Bulgaria was a short trip with The Adventure Connection for a fun team getaway, as a thanks to the team from our MD, Mark Wright. We saw the highlights of Sofia, Rila Monastery and Bansko with a quick skiing day. I couldn’t imagine how much more Bulgaria had to offer; my naive preconceived notion that I had seen everything worth seeing was very quickly proven wrong by the incredible itinerary our DMC, Odysseia-In, created for our October Fam Trip. 

Every meal was a button-breaking experience — bring comfortable trousers, even better if they are elasticated — every interaction with a local was an insight into the love and adoration they have for their country, every landscape left you catching your breath from the beauty surrounding you. Bulgaria has so much to offer, and not everything can be included in this list, but I hope I can give you a quick insight into the country. 

Odysseia-In Office Visit

Working remotely has its perks, but it can also sometimes feel harder to connect with people. Starting our trip with a visit to Odysseia-In’s office, meeting the wider team and getting to know each other, as well as going through our planned Fam Trip, was a great start to the Fam Trip to get everyone comfortable with each other. 

We were told we were going for a “light lunch”, but what met us was a feast — this was a foreshadowing of the amount of food waiting for us on the trip — as well as delicious meals, we obviously also had some wine.

The Hermit Cave and Rila Monastery

I find people’s dedication to religion a fascinating subject to learn about. Bulgaria has some incredible churches and monasteries which are all worth a tour to view, but one aspect that I loved the most is visiting the Hermit Cave, or St. Ivan Rilski’s Cave. 

St. Ivan of Rila is the most important saint in Bulgaria. Born around 876 AD, at the age of 25 he decided to dedicate his life to God and become a monk. After studying for a short time in a monastery near his village, Skrino, he became a hermit and devoted his life to fasting, prayer and to God.

Eventually St. Ivan settled in Rila Mountain and lived in a cave, which you can visit. The tiny space makes you wonder how he lived there, through every season, for 12 years. 

Rila Monastery is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was founded by St. Ivan in the 10th century, the monastery was built by his devoted students. The monastery we see today was rebuilt in the 18th century after a fire destroyed the previous building. The artwork is typical for the 18th and 19th centuries renaissance, National Revival, the country saw during this period. The frescoes on the walls of the church and domed porch surrounding it show scenes of each sin, saints, angels and stories from the Bible.

In the shadow of the surrounding mountains, you’d think Rila Monastery would look small and hidden, but the colours and structure of the monastery makes it stand out beautifully. You are transported to a tranquil and peaceful space, and can feel the spirituality of the area.

Deshka’s Guesthouse

Odysseia-In had previously told us all about about “Deshka and the Grannies” but nothing had prepared me for this wonderful local interaction. With our minivan pulling up to the guesthouse, we saw a group of people — and of course the grannies — in traditional dress, holding hands in a circle learning traditional Bulgarian dances, with a sun setting in the background. It was the most magical welcome. 

We all ran out of the van to take photos and videos of the scene, before being ushered into the guesthouse to also be dressed in the traditional clothing. Now in our new attire, we went outside to learn an easy traditional dance — I say easy, because looking at it as an outsider it was an easy dance, but in reality I realised I had two left feet and couldn’t get the dance at all.

After an introduction into the culture, we went into the guesthouse to enjoy our feast. During our meal, we had a folkloric performance from two of the grannies that played an accordion and sang some traditional songs. We were also lucky to steal some time away from Deshka who told us the story of how she started the guesthouse and experience. 

Deshka is the epitome of creating an authentic local encounter for travellers to experience the real Bulgaria, people and introduction to the culture. It was easily one of my most favourite experiences from the trip. I thought this would be the peak of the trip, but once again was proven wrong.

Pirin Mountain hike

Although our trip took place at the start of October, a few days before we set off to Bulgaria there was unexpected snowfall which changed our itinerary a little bit. We experienced all seasons on the trip in the six days we were there; snowy mountain peaks, rainy city walk, autumnal coloured trees and beautiful sunshine. Odysseia-In were brilliant at adapting our itinerary to make sure everything still worked and felt safe in areas where there was lingering snow. They also tweaked our packing list so we were properly prepared for the ever-changing weather. On top of that, they reshuffled the plan so one of the walks happened later in the week, when temperatures were a bit warmer — which made a big difference.

I’m not much of a hiker and usually any uphill walking quickly turns my mood down. Yes, the views are always worth it, but I’d much rather take a stroll on a level road or forest path, but it’s good to get out of your comfort zone and the Pirin Mountain hike turned into one of the highlights of the trip.

The terrain here was extremely rocky, and due to the snow, made some parts of the walk slippery however, I enjoyed having to work out the route to take, ensuring my foot and hiking sticks were steady on the next rocky step before climbing up. It was easy for a beginner hiker, but do be mindful that this may not be the best route for older, less fit travellers.

Starting our route from Vihren hut, we made our way via Banderitsa route to Muratovo Lake. Due to the terrain, it took a lot more focus on where to safely make the next step, which made looking at the surrounding views harder. With regular stops, we were able to catch our breath and admire the beautiful mountain vistas, while the snow added a winter wonderland feel to the trek.

Arriving at Muratovo Lake, we were met with jaw dropping landscapes and got to enjoy the lake all to ourselves. With a healthy break full of photoshoots, we enjoyed the peaceful scene before making our way back down on the other side of the lake. Here we met lots of people on their walks and realised how lucky we were to be able to enjoy the lake with no disturbances and take in the views without any crowds; although luck had little to do with it and was the brilliant planning of Ani from Odysseia-In and Denitsa, our amazing guide.

Ribnovo

The last highlight of the trip for me was visiting the village of Ribnovo. The locals, Pomaks, are a Muslim minority group that are descendents of Bulgarian Christians that converted to Islam during the Ottoman Empire. They have a truly unique wedding tradition that is preserved from Bulgarian customs and with Islamic influence.

Although a happy accident, our Fam Trip group was full of women which made the experience at Ribnovo that much more special. Before I get to my experience there, let me give you some context to this beautiful custom. 

Ribnovo has a wedding season, usually between December and February, during which young women will be at their childhood home, with a local bridal makeup artist, and surrounded by any close female relatives such as mother, sisters and cousins. The bride is dressed in the traditional attire, then laid on the floor to begin the makeup ritual. Her face will be covered in white clay, have jewels added and then finished with red lipstick - a process that can take around three hours from start to finish. Traditionally, the women would sing songs to the bride to keep her calm and still. Once lifted, she will have the rest of her outfit put on which includes a face covering. The labour of the makeup is only seen by the women in the room, and the groom. 

After leaving her childhood home behind, the newlywed follows the roads to her newly built home, which the groom needs to finish before they are able to marry. From there the groom carries his wife to their new bedroom and has to take each jewel off her face; the more patient the groom is with taking off the makeup, the better husband he will be. This is done as a test for the bride to make sure her husband is kind and patient.

After learning the fascinating history of this custom, I was chosen as the volunteer to get my makeup done because I was the next person in the group to be married and they wanted to make it as authentic as possible. I was dressed in the traditional clothes and gently laid on the floor before the process started. Being surrounded by women during this ritual made it that much more special; the room was filled with feminine energy. It was extremely hard to keep my face still, especially when the group were chatting and joking quietly about our trip. I am truly grateful for the opportunity, one that only a very small percentage of people ever experience.

After being lifted off the floor by the women surrounding me, my outfit was finished and I was given a mirror — another part of the ritual that I didn’t mention, but if you’re interested in finding out more, check out Bettany Hughes’ documentary “Wonders of Bulgaria” — when I opened my eyes, I honestly didn’t recognise myself. It was as if I was looking at a different version of myself, one that grew up in this beautiful, mountainous village.

I received lots of warm wishes for my future marriage, and for many children for me and my future husband! After taking the makeup off, I was offered my jewels, which I happily accepted as a beautiful souvenir of this amazing ritual. 

As you’ve probably gathered, I could keep writing and writing about my trip to Bulgaria. Odysseia-In did such an incredible job of fitting in so many unique experiences and interactions in six days of travelling. These memories will stay with me forever, and I can’t wait to come back to Bulgaria and experience even more of this alluring country. 

This trip has also given me an incredible insight into Odysseia-In; from the itinerary they planned for us, to the adaptability and flexibility they showed when the weather changed unexpectedly, and, most of all, the incredible people we met on this trip who represent Odysseia-In perfectly. Good people attract good people.

Odysseia-In builds true relationships and friendships with the people they work with. Denitsa, our guide, was incredible. She brought a vibrant energy to the tour, with karaoke sessions in our minivan, and her funny and engaging way of sharing knowledge of the sites. 

If you’re interested in finding out more about the destination, or our fantastic DMC, reach out to steph@theadventureconnection.com and she will happily help you.