Rila monastery is an absolute gem. This is the 2nd time we've been there - there is a campsite 15 minutes walk away. and it's as good the second time as the first. Photography is not permitted inside the church, but there's enough outside to keep a photographer busy. Entry is free. The last Bulgarian king is buried there, poisoned only a week after meeting Hitler. The paintings are lavish, and they seem particularly keen on pictures of hell (and the same is true in Romanian monasteries).A couple of the images are included in my first set, but I wanted to make this set complete and standalone.
The details of our 2 months driving round the Balkans are here: www.pippins.me.uk Albania was really the target of our trip, Bulgaria just happened to be on the way home. (NB, we LOVED Albania.)