Sue's Travels: Danube Trip - 6 September 2011 (Vidin, Bulgaria)

Tuesday brings us to Bulgaria. We visited the river port city of Vidin, which is about 2,000 years old. It was founded by the Romans and periodically people digging in their gardens find Roman coins or pottery. Vidin was on the road from Constantinople to Rome. The Turks controlled this area for about 500 years. They left towards the end of the 19^th century. In the distance is the half finished bridge between Bulgaria and Romania. The Bulgarian side is complete, but the Romanians are dragging their feet. They wanted the bridge in a different location. Vidin is a very poor city. Its population shrank from 80,000 to 40,000. Everything looks like it could use some restoration. It is hoped that the bridge would help the economy of the city.

The rose is the national flower of Bulgaria.

We went to see the fortress. It was originally built by the Romans, rebuilt by the Bulgars, rebuilt by the Turks and then rebuilt by the Bulgars after the Turks left. One of the towers has a picture of the sun on it. That tower was built for the king, who was defeated by the Turks in 1396. They tell the story of a king who had no sons but three daughters. He wanted his daughters to marry and produce sons. The two youngest married but the marriages were disasters. The oldest refused to marry and inherited the city from her father. She was known as Baba Vida. Baba means grandmother and in this situation is used as a sign of respect. Apparently she ruled well and long. There is a sculpture in the city called the three sisters.

The fortress is popular with movie makers and usually at least one film a year is made there.

We passed the ruins of the Synagogue which was the second largest synagogue in Bulgaria. It is a ruin because the Jewish population left for Israel. The Jewish population of Bulgaria was saved by a combination of the Orthodox Church, the government and the people. Not one Bulgarian Jew died during the holocaust.