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Bulgaria

We were given a tour of the school

A hand made map of the world teaching the students about world geography.

Walking through the local park.

my locally. They do the best they can on very little.

Vidin is currently the poorest city in the EU, but it is a beautiful town with many historic and cultural landmarks. Tourism has experienced a decline except for groups that come along the Danube on cruises, but a visit to Vidin is definitely worth a visit. The people tend to be more hospitable here than in larger cities like Sofia. This is a main sidewalk/street in Vidin. There were few people anywhere that you could see.

Many residents work on farms in nearby villages, raise domestic animals, and sow plants, and so this region is famous for its production of food.

Monument of 3rd Battalion infantry regiment in the central square of the town of Vidin. The Bulgarian sate started to build many military memorials after the WW1, mainly in the 1920’s and the 1930’s.

Vidin was formerly surrounded by the Ottoman fortress of Kaleto, of which many of the ornate gates have been preserved. The elaborate defensive system dates to the 17th-18th century . the Istanbul Gate is perhaps the best-known because of its impressive architecture and the beautiful fountain in front. Conveniently, it also lies on the edge of the main town square, so you have no excuse to miss it!

The statue of the Three Sisters, the legend of the founding of Vidin. According to legends the town and the fortress were named after Vida who was the daughter of a wealthy ruler. After her father’s death Vida and her two younger sisters inherited the lands. The two sister married foolishly and lost everything. The third sister Vida declined all marriage proposals. She chose to stay single and dedicated her life to her nationals. She built an inaccessible fortress and a castle where she lived to a ripe old age. Vida was a powerful and just ruler. After her death, people named the fortress after her- Baba (Granny) Vida, also known as the Towers of Baba Vida.

Unfortunately, because of its economic issues, Vidin has many problems. Lack of funds has caused the sidewalks and streets to fall into disrepair, and many buildings are vacant and crumbling. There is no university in the northwest region, so young people mostly move to other cities or countries.

As typical for mid-sized Bulgarian towns, Vidin’s central streets are an eclectic mix of fine Viennese-inspired town houses and mildly brutalist public buildings from the communist era.

Before departing Vidin on the Danube River a last look at the New Europe Bridge connecting the countries of Romania and Bulgaria.

After our tour and leisure time walking around Vidin we were treated to some local folkloric music and singing from The Talja Folklore group from Vidin. They put on a fantastic musical show for us on board the Concerto.

After the performance the children walking among with a game. They gave us hints of an item and we had to guess it. A great way for them to practice their English and for us to meet them.

You can see that we were enjoying it as much as they were.

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