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This blog provides an insight into the world of our motorhome (MoHo) life. It is intended for our family and friends but we invite comments and questions from all travellers.

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Portuguese Bull Fight

Tuesday 12 December 2017

BUZLUDZHA MONUMENT



I have saved this post for when we were safely out of Bulgaria ..... 
just in case.

The "Flying Saucer" monument has become a site of pilgrimage for hunters of 
Abandoned Spaces

It offers everything necessary for the seeker: Stunning architecture, difficult to access, it is illegal to enter, (apparently) and is stunningly photogenic.

Our visit started with a MoHo drive up the remote and winding road that leads to the Budludzha peak (1,432 m).

This is the heartland of Bulgaria and the scene of historical events that have shaped this beautiful country.






THE PAST

Opened in 23 August 1981 it was built to honour of the founders of the revolutionary Marxist Party in Bulgaria (1891). Since the end of Socialist rule in 1989 the monument has suffered from politically motivated vandalism and scavenging of materials and now stands as a ruined sentinel over the Bulkan Mountains.

Official Opening 1981

Buzludha Monument 2017. (1432m)


THE PRESENT


The entrance to the monument is securely locked and threatening signs display warnings that are clear even to those who don't read Bulgarian.

Locked entrance doors, graffiti and icicles.

To access the dilapidated interior you must descend by rope through a small hole, shuffle along a narrow suspended ledge and climb down the disused shelving to the bowels of the structure.

Unauthorised access point.


Once inside you can navigate through pools of dark water and rubble to follow the labyrinth of rooms, tunnels and stairs up to the main auditorium.

Broken stairs, rubble and graffiti litter the interior.


Despite the decayed and broken state of the interior, the monument remains as an impressive hulk with traces of it's former magnificence.

Panorama of main auditorium with mosaic walls.

The centrepiece of the roof is a gigantic mosaic featuring the hammer and sickle surrounded by the Communist manifesto stating:

 "Proletarians of all countries, unite!"

Ceiling Mosaic



When completed the halls were decorated with 510 square meters of mosaics that utilised 35 tons of cobalt glass. Sadly only around 50% remain as testament to the artistic beauty of Bulgarian history told in glass.

Wall mosaics
Damaged mosaics
























Outside the auditorium is a narrow circular corridor which leads to the viewing area.
From this ring of window frames a stunning 360 degree vista of the Bulkan Mountains can be had.


Panoramic view of the frosty Bulkan Mountains. (Forty tons of glass removed by scavengers).


On a cool but sunny afternoon we spent around three hours exploring the ruin and making pictures. We also met excited travellers from the USA, UK and Bulgaria all of whom had come to share in the adventure of an abandoned place.

Outer corridor.

Panorama with view of our MoHo in the carpark


Exploring the outer corridor







Famous faces watch over the ruins.


 Despite it's state of disrepair this behemoth of a structure remains structurally sound.  

The 75,000 tons of concrete and 3,000 tons of steel endure defiantly on the mountain top.


Exterior

The Star Tower is over 70m high and the red glass stars on each side are 12 m across

Sunset over Bulgaria



THE FUTURE

A visionary new project to restore and rejuvenate the monument has recently been launched and has already gained the support of the original architect, Georgi Stoilov

Under the title Buzludzha Project Foundation, young Bulgarian architect Dora Ivanova has published plans for a non-governmental redevelopment of the site into a functional museum. The rescued building will house a cleverly displayed history of Bulgaria and restoration of the mosaic artworks.


Proposed interior.
Museum displays.

More information on the proposed restoration and history of the monument can be found at: 


As the sun cast an Autumnal glow over the Balkan mountains we settled in for the night in the warmth of the MoHo.
A freezing wind blew in an early taste of winter and in the morning the snow covered ground bore witness to another visit.

Snowy morning at Buzludzha Peak

Other than being a picturesque country loaded with history, Bulgaria is a treasure trove of Soviet style monuments and architecture that will generously reward those with an adventurous spirit.


Higher quality copies of the images presented here and others of the Buzludzha Monument can also be viewed at:





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Tuesday 5 September 2017

MERRY CEMETERY

In the small village of SAPANTA Romania, lays a remarkable and happy cemetery. 



Based on the belief that death is a passing on to a better life, these colourful tombstones celebrate the joys of life.







Just footsteps from the Ukraine border, the Sapanta Blue tombstones create a historical record of the towns inhabitants in a darkly humorous twist to the ritual of burial.





The first tombstone was carved by Stan Patras in 1935 and now more than 800 oak crosses fill the cemetery.



The head boards are loaded with symbolism developed by Patras. Black represents Death and Green stands for life. Yellow represents fertility, Red for passion and the dominant Blue for Hope, Freedom and the Sky.


There is a dark humour running through both the images and the text.

The poems are written in a local dialect and hold clever anecdotes about the persons occupation, habits (sometimes unsavoury details) or the way in which the deceased died.

There are no secrets in this village.

The town drunk is represented being pulled down by the Devil as he smokes and drinks his way to the after life.




Other symbols include White doves for the Soul and Black birds that are thought to indicate a suspicious or accidental death.



A beautiful Romanian Orthodox church is under construction next to the grave yard.

        



The unfinished interior currently makes for a strongly contrasting aesthetic to the outside

              
Walls await decoration
                  
Monogramed cushion

Mosaic Dome


Beautiful mosaics will eventually decorate both the interior and the exterior


 


The cemetery of course has a wooden gift shop




This wonderful tradition didn't end with Patras death in 1977 but has been continued by his apprentice Dumitru Pop. 

Over four decades later the house has been turned into a working museum dedicated to this visionary and his unique life's work.



One thing in life is assured, you will receive a warm welcome at the Merry Cemetery



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Thursday 9 March 2017

TAKE ME TO CHURCH. PART ONE.

I confess...  I'm addicted to churches.

In our wanderings we have visited thousands of churches of all denominations. Grand, ornate cathedrals through to quaint, one person chapels. I can't pass a small church without testing the doors and if possible having a look inside. There are never two the same.

The attraction is complex but come with me on a pictorial trip through a handful of the special places we have stumbled across.

Lets skip the well known places of worship and look beyond Notre Dame of Paris, the Cathedrals of London, Milan and Venice, the developing splendour of Segrada Familia and further afield than the Basilica of St Peter. The following are some gems that remain largely unknown but offer rich rewards to the determined traveller.

***

I'll begin with a favourite, the Cathedral of Lofoton:

Location, location, location.


The Lofoton Islands of Northern Norway have a legendary reputation for stunning scenery and with good reason. There are few locations that can match Norway for pure scenic wonder and the Lofoton Islands are a jewel in the crown.





























The attraction to this church, otherwise known as the Church of Vagan is that it is constructed entirely of wood with a slate roof. Built in 1898 it is in mint condition and a testament to the craftsman who constructed this Scandinavian wonder.







The interior is decorated in restrained tones with fine painting used to highlight the beautiful timber work. Many of the parishioners would have been part of the traditional fishing industry which still flourishes, hence the model ships hanging inside the cathedral. There is a lovely lightness to the whole building.

***

By way of contrast we recently made the pilgrimage to the Monastery of St. John the Baptist, near Gortys, Greece. I say pilgrimage because the return trip was a strenuous and rewarding half day hike through the  deep Lousios George.

Monastery of St John the Baptist


The monastery clings to a shelf of rock high above the Lousios River which provides a serene soundtrack to the experience. Embedded within the massive rock face and now surrounded by the ramshackle monastery is the atmospheric Church of St. John the Baptist. The chapel was founded by Manuel Comnenos in 1167.



The tiny church still functions for the resident Greek Orthodox monks and is lined with Byzantine frescos. The life here remains austere and all produce must be brought in by donkey.


The church is reached by following a narrow and tortuous stairway that weaves through the Monastery. The small entrance is adorned with wooden doors that conceal the treasures within.




***


Let's remain in the Peloponnese where we hunted down another oddity. Set in the mountains and only reached by narrow, twisting roads is the diminutive Church of St.Teodora. We had heard about this blend of church and nature and took the MoHo in search.

Trees sprouting from St Teodora's.


Numerous trees sprout from the stone church which remains defiant in the face this vegetative invasion. Despite the remoteness of the site near Vastas the church is a popular tourist attraction.





























The interior has been damaged over the years by the ingression of moisture.









Set by a babbling brook of crystal water the area has the added attraction of a couple of restaurants and picnic sites. When we visited in the winter the only other person there was a Greek by the name of George who approached us where he recognised our Australian accents. It turns out he had lived in Perth for three months and like most Greeks has relatives in Melbourne.

Good fortune awaited us as the next town we came across was deemed passable in our MoHo after close reconnoiter. We managed to slip through with centimetres to spare despite the close walls and tight corners.

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While many churches have fallen into disrepair in other places new architectural monuments are being built. In the contemporary genre it is hard to go past the Northern Lights Cathedral. The appropriately named church lays at latitude 69.9 degrees North in the town of Alta, Norway.

Cathedral of the Northern Lights

The external architecture is stunning but we were unprepared for the extraordinary interior made even more atmospheric with a spontaneous organ recital.




The Cathedral was designed by the architectural firm Link Architecture (Kolbjorn Jenssen) and was consecrated in 2016.

The towering carillon is just as striking from the inside. As you enter the body of the church you pass through a circular vestibule with a soaring ceiling in which gangs a golden ladder reaching towards the heavens.


***


One of the most architecturally bizarre buildings I have seen is situated across the road from the ancient ruins of Mantineia, Arcadia. Rather than being a Byzantine church as it appears at first glance is is actually a modern agglomeration of architectural styles.



Church of Agia Fotini



The temple was inaugurated in 1972 and was hand built by one man. Trained in architecture Constantine Papatheordorou sought to build a philosophical bridge between the ancient and the modern. The resulting structure is loaded with symbolic references to the world's religions but maintains a Byzantine heart.


The church is currently closed as it is undergoing restoration of the interior. As luck would have it we had "free camped" in sight of the building and in the morning a workman arrived. Seizing the opportunity we were able to take in the interior which reflected the extraordinary compilation of styles used in this remarkably creative tribute to the history of religious belief.


***

One thing about churches is that you are always welcome. If the door is unlocked there begins the adventure. We have never been made to feel unwelcome because we were not of the faith of a particular church. 

Sometimes lovely interactions occur as a result of whatever common interest is present in the visitors. 
It may be a conversation with the organist, nun, priest, cleaner or in the case of my visit to the Russian Orthodox church in Helsinki it was a group of visiting Buddhist Monks.


Russian Orthodox church, Helsinki



 The church is magnificent and comes with all of the rich iconography, symbolism and charisma of an Orthodox Church. The warm familiarity that I now have with these interiors was broken by the presence of the orange robed monks and enhanced by their kindly response when a photo was requested.





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For my final visitation I have saved the smallest and most inaccessible for last. Hiding on a vast cliff and only visible by virtue of it's painted rock doorway is an unnamed chapel on the island of Monemvisia.


If you want to experience the vertiginous view from this church and it's unique interior you can see the very brief film at:


Take the journey. You won't regret making the effort to visit another unique church.

Who knows you might become addicted too, if it isn't already too late.