Holy Trinity Church - Bansko - Bulgaria

The Greek Orthodox 'Holy Trinity' Church in Bansko is one of the most important and historic landmarks in the town. Therefore well deserving of a post especially to share my photos with you, although unfortunately no internal ones as cameras were not allowed.  Building of the church by local craftsmen commenced in 1835, when it was first consecrated. Within three years a monastery school had been built in the churchyard, the tower was not added until 1850 and it did not get a clock until 1865.

Since its construction during Ottoman rule the church has established itself as the spiritual and cultural centre of Bansko. Playing an important part in the revival of the Bulgarian National spirit and independence in 1912, this place of Orthodox religion was apparently supported by many educated men, that were also revolutionaries.

If you are interested in learning more about the murals, icons, architecture and general history of the building information plus photos can be found by visiting these links.  Bansko - Holy Trinity Church   About The Holy Trinity Church

It was raining when my sister and I visited, hence the spot on lens!

More rain spots, plus if you look carefully, the painting photographed below.

I was particularly pleased with the following photos of the storks nest on the church tower.  It is said that a pair of white storks return to the nest each year, something I would love to see for myself, an event that is very important  to the locals and of course a great visitor attraction. 

Just imagine this photo with a stork nesting here!

The links below will take you directly to the pages on Bansko and my earlier posts if you are interested in learning more about the church, town and the ski-slopes.  

Church:
Bansko - Holy Trinity Church   About The Holy Trinity Church

General:
Bansko - Wikipedia  Municipality of Bansko - Official Website  Travel Tales - Bansko - Bulgaria  
Travel Tales - Market Day in Bansko

For Skiers:
Bansko Blog.com  Facebook Page - Bansko Blog   Twitter - Bansko Blog

                                               All photos are my own taken in January 2014
  

 All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection

More photos from this trip may also be viewed individually in the collection entitled  

Bansko - Bulgaria at My Flickr  account.

Market Day - Bansko - Bulgaria

Those of you that have been following my blogs for the last few years will know that I have a fascination with markets, seeing them as full of great photographic opportunities.  Bansko provided me with another excuse to add to my collection, portraying Markets around the world. 

Hope you enjoyed your virtual market visit.  Which are your favourite scenes? I have one more post to share with you about the church in Bansko, which will follow soon.

The links below will take you directly to the pages on Bansko if you are interested in learning more about the town and the ski-slopes.

General
Bansko - Wikipedia  Municipality of Bansko - Official Website
For Skiers:
Bansko Blog.com  Facebook Page - Bansko Blog   Twitter - Bansko Blog

                                               All photos are my own taken in January 2014
  

 All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection

More photos from this trip may also be viewed individually in the collection entitled  

Bansko - Bulgaria at My Flickr  account.

Aberdovey - Aberdyfi - A Winter Walk

Last Tuesday saw a brief respite in the stormy wet weather here so I took the opportunity to go out for a short walk with the Walking Group. As the ground is not surprisingly very wet underfoot it is not easy to find a route in the countryside where one will not get bogged down in mud and running water! Hence it had been decided that we would leave the cars just outside Aberdovey then walk into the village via the golf course and back streets. The advantage was that we were able to stop for tea, before the return leg.

Trip Advisor Review

Aberdyfi (English: Mouth of the River Dyfi), or Aberdovey the English spelling which is still in common use is on the north side of the estuary of the River Dyfi in Gwynedd, on the west coast of Wales.

The village was founded around the harbour and shipbuilding industry, but is now best known as a seaside resort with a high quality beach. The centre is on the river and seafront, around the original harbour, jetty and beach but it stretches back from the coast and up the steep hillside in the midst of typical Welsh coastal scenery of steep green hills and sheep farms. Penhelig, with its own railway station, is the eastern part of the town.

Aberdyfi is a popular tourist attraction, with many returning holidaymakers, a relatively large proportion of houses in the village are now holiday homes, resulting in high house prices. The town is located within the Snowdonia National Park. In the 2011 census, 38.5% of the population identified themselves as of Welsh origins.

The first three photos are of the view across the estuary looking towards Borth as we headed towards the village.

Aberdovey is a very picturesque location just four miles from Tywyn and somewhere I always enjoy visiting. My photos today do not really do the place justice, but will give you a general impression.

If you have enjoyed these photos you may also be interested in a video of the area that appears on my book review blog. LindyLouMac's Book Reviews I recently read and reviewed Megan's Game the début novel from Tony Drury that is partially set in the local area. Due to be made into a film this is a novel I recommend to fans of the romantic thriller.

With thanks to the following sites for the background information included in this post. The links will take you directly to the pages on the local region if you are interested in learning more about Aberdovey and the surrounding countryside.

Aberdyfi - Wikipedia    Welcome to Aberdovey   Aberdovey Webcam   Aberdovey - Official Website
Snowdonia National Park   Aberdovey Golf Club

                           All photos unless stated otherwise are my own taken in February 2014
  

 All rights reserved by LindyLouMac Photo Collection

More photos from this trip may also be viewed individually in the collection entitled  

Aberdovey - A Winter Walk at My Flickr  account.