Koprivshtitsa – hard to pronounce, easy to take in

Koprivshtitsa – hard to pronounce, easy to take in

Early spring has awakened the vegetation in the  folds of the Middle Mountain where Koprivshtitsa is tucked. A place that has a special place for Bulgarians. Walking into house after house of revolutionaries who 135 years ago helped organize the revolution that would eventually start the Russo-Turkish War which in turn would end five centuries of Ottoman rule over these lands, for the first time I actually felt the connection that no history book had managed to pass on to me.

Putting history aside, this place is like a balm for the cement soaked eyes of a city dueler.

 

Unlike most of the preserved towns around, this one has managed to do it in a way that is genuine, simple and devout of cheap flashiness or over eagerness to please the visitors coming down the road. One can feel the years and stories soaking in the stone walls and the wood, which abounds not only in the woods around.

We walked on the cobble stones and savored the wood burning smells that filled the air in the early evening. Boys showed their skills on old bikes while my girls laughed and walked off with a mumbled “show offs” on their lips.

Ahhh, it is so good to be back on the road. I had forgotten quickly how freeing this feeling is. And Koprivshtitsa was probably the best first stop for our second year of life as nomads.

See for yourselves.

 

 

April 14th, 2012, Bulgaria
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