A derelict Soviet UFO on the top of a mountain - amazing!

Our journey to discover the Communist UFO

The Ottoman Monastery

After collecting our old green Volvo (16 Euros for the day!) from the centre of town we spent the morning driving south through the lush forest on our History tour of Bulgaria, hoping to learn a little more about the quirky country.  Although the road signs were in the Cyrillic alphabet a combination of luck and planning meant that we arrived at our first destination,  just outside the village of Dryanovo to visit the 17^th century monastery and caves. The Dryanovo Monastery or “Saint Archangel Michael Monastery” is located in the gorge of the Dryanovo River.   It was an idyllic setting below the towering cliffs and after a short walk along the river we ended up at the Bacho Kiro caves.  We entered through some prison like iron bars and although the caves were not the largest the bats roosting above us and the dripping stalactites gave it a very spooky feel.   After heading further south through the town of Gabrovo we headed up the twisting mountain road climbing over a thousand metres to the top of the Shipka pass, from where we could head through the forest in search of the old Communist HQ.  At the top of the Shipka pass there was a huge memorial as it marked the site where of a series of conflicts collectively named the Battle of Shipka Pass were fought between the Bulgarians and aided by Russian volunteers against the Ottoman Empire.  The giant memorial is up 700 steps through the trees (although at the top we discovered you could drive) and provided an amazing 360 degree panoramic of the surrounding scenery.  We also got our first glimpse of the UFO across the mountain tops which spurred us on to climb back down the steps.

Entrance to the bat cave

The Shipka memorial

Buzludzha monument

After a 30 minutes drive from the memorial along a road full of potholes and sheltered by a tunnel of tress a huge concrete structure appeared through the canopy.  Formally known as the House-Monument of the Bulgarian Communist Party, the monument at Buzludzha is like something out of a 1950s sci-fi movie.  The huge building has the largest communist star in the world at its top and looks out at its vantage point of 1440 meters above the whole area, signifying the former position of the Communist Party above all else in Bulgaria. We approached the abandoned building which now has ‘forget your past’ spray painted ominously above the old door.  The building has been sealed shut and abandoned by the Bulgarian government as the roof has fallen in in places but there is a small hole to clamber through for the more adventurous.  Inside provided an equally surreal feel as the exterior.  As we got to the top of the crumbling stairs we discovered a vast, circular conference hall surrounded by low benches. The ceiling is now no more than a metal exoskeleton, a rusting shell, jewelled in the centre with an immense hammer and sickle.  Despite the condition of the building it was a reminder of the collapse of communism and added to the intense atmosphere within the building. Around the outside the walls were coated with fine mosaic designs. The mosaics depicted various scenes of workers and the struggle against the bourgeois and were accompanied by three familiar faces portrayed in richly coloured tiles, those of Engels, Marx and, of course, Lenin.  It was an amazing experience standing in the centre of the arena and imagining the past splendour of the building and its significance to the political power of the Communist party in Bulgaria.

Inside the centre of the monument

Our final stop for the day was to Etara, an open air museum dedicated to the lifestyle, customs and culture of traditional Bulgaria. The museum contained crafts and products such as leather, metal and wood work made in the restored cottage industry of pre industrialised Europe.  Gabrovo (the local town) was once referred to as 'the Bulgarian Manchester' due to the range of products produced and the museum was a nice way to finish exploring the history of Bulgaria.   Hiring a car is definitely an excellent way to explore northern Bulgaria and to get a feel for the history of the country with the UFO a must for any trip to the country,