Short Weekend Escapade

Early in April, since we both (me and Bogdan) had some difficult couple of months, we suddenly decided to take a break for the weekend. Our batteries were very low in energy, our jobs sucked out our minds and hearts, the kids were expecting us to be in great shape for the Easter holidays we planned since last December.  So, on Friday evening we were in the car, in our way to Arbanassi, Bulgaria, a small and picturesque village near Veliko Tarnovo, UNESCO heritage. The weather prognosis was bad, so we had in mind only "sleep, a lot of sleep and quiet".

But... surprise! when we woke up, the sun shone over the mountain, and our feet couldn't stand still for a minute more. Bogdan did a bit of internet research, and suddenly we had a plan: the waterfall from Hotnitsa, the monasteries from Dryanovo and Elena. Bonus: the Bacho Kiro Cave. 

Beautiful spring landscapes and lots of pictures on the way...

Hotnitsa waterfall is a piece of heaven on earth, and trust me, is not a big word.

As Wikipedia says: The Dryanovo Monastery (Bulgarian: Дряновски манастир, Dryanovski manastir) is a functioning Bulgarian Orthodox monastery situated in the Andaka River Valley, in Bulgarka Nature Park in the central part of Bulgaria five kilometers away from the town of Dryanovo. It was founded in the 12th century, during the Second Bulgarian Empire, and is dedicated to Archangel Michael. Twice burnt down and pillaged during the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria, the monastery was restored at it present place in 1845. It was the site of several battles during the April Uprising of 1876.