a full day with several stops

so off we went on another day and a few more UNESCO World Heritage sites-  

I loved the white horse- here in detail- 

but the first stop this morning was the History Museum from the town of Kazanlak - on the way to the Thracian tombs- no photos there but it was an excellent multifaceted museum with an art collection and archeology exhibits and musical instruments 

then on to the Thracian Tombs- 

from the UNESCO website- Thracian Tomb of Kazanlak - Discovered in 1944, this tomb dates from the Hellenistic period, around the end of the 4th century BC. It is located near Seutopolis, the capital city of the Thracian king Seutes III, and is part of a large Thracian necropolis. The tholos has a narrow corridor and a round burial chamber, both decorated with murals representing Thracian burial rituals and culture. These paintings are Bulgaria’s best-preserved artistic masterpieces from the Hellenistic period.

then on to the Museum of Roses- Kazanlak is the center of rose oil extraction in Bulgaria and the oil-producing rose of Kazanlak is one of the most widely recognizable national symbols. The museum stores more than 15 000 exhibits related to rose-picking and rose-production in Bulgaria. The museum includes original pictures and documents of the development of rose production, instruments for processing of the rose gardens, vessels for storing and exporting rose oil and rose water. Restorations of a rose warehouse and the first laboratory for examination of rose oil created in 1912 are in the museum. One of the biggest attractions in the museum is a rose oil vessel which had been used for the last time in 1947 to this day a strong rose scent can still be smelled around it.

then on to lunch - where we were joined by our guides wife and son (Boris- cute little guy of 4!) he had the chicken "flingers" LOL

then on to Shipka Pass and the church at the same sight-

The Shipka Memorial Church is located 7.5 miles north of Kazanlak, at the south foot of the Stara Planina mountains near the town of Shipka. It was erected after Bulgarian independence as a monument to both Russian and Bulgarian dead. The golden domes and the green and pink coloured facade loom against the mountains and attract the attention of the travellers in the Shipka pass. The project design following the 17th-century Russian church architecture with arks, friezes, pediments, and gold-plated ornaments, was the work of the Czech architect A.I. Tomisko. The main entrance has three arks, topped off with the distinctive 160 feet high spire of the bell tower. There are 17 bells, the heaviest of them weighs about 12 long tons; 13 short tons. The lime-tree iconostasis is richly decorated with gilded wood-carvings and is of great artistic value. The icons in the church were presented by Russian monks from the monastery of St. Pantaleimon on Mount Athos, Greece. The honoured dust of the Russian soldiers killed at Shipka Pass (1877–78) have been kept in 17 stone sarcophagi in the crypt. The Shipka Memorial church was ceremoniously consecrated on 27 September 1902. (wikipedia)

  

then we headed on to an open air museum of a village from the countryside-

and that night we spent in Veliko Tarnovo. Our dinner was at an excellent Inn a short walk from our hotel-  the night was chilly but the pastry covered mushroom soup helped warm us...

I had mine with a salmon salad and Phil had his as a starter followed by a meat course- I am pretty sure it was beef...

off to bed- tomorrow morning we are off to the top of the hill - which is the view from our room...so stay tuned - more fun and games to follow...