Keepin' It Rila

Spent too long writing the last two days so for this one I'll keep it realer/Rila (shut up okay).

Rila is the site of the largest monastery on the Balkan peninsula, the crux of Bulgaria's largest religion: Eastern Orthodox Christianity. I had planned to combine a visit here with hiking the seven lakes, the emerald alpine lakes of the Pirin mountains. But after the tour I'd booked called it quits over excessive snow cover, I had to change it up. So instead I shared a taxi with two American girls, Emily and Davey, and Bristolian boys, Kieran and Johnny from the hostel. Two taxi hours shot by as I learnt way more about Berlin threesomes than frankly I bargained for, though I do have a fun fact for you: Kieran holds the world record for losing a game of countdown by largest ever margin.. so I've officially met the world's best celebrity, it's only downhill from here🔥🔥

The monastery itself was massive, but being tucked away in the nooks between the mountains, had a calming air of tranquility. And although forbidden to photograph, the internals were a sight to behold too, glimmering in gold and punctuated by rich tapestries of religious imagery.

A mere £4.30 train trip later from returning to Sofia, and I was plodding in Plovdiv, where I devoured a sensational £2 burger from a kebab shop, and decided it'd be great character building to ascend the endless stairs of the Alyosha monument at 11 pm at night. Could've been sketch, but sadly I survived to see the panoramic views from the top, where there were only a few doggers. Result!Read more