While exploring Varna, we decided to drive north a bit and see the “famous” Golden Sands…. Turns out it’s basically a resort. The beach is probably nice though. A bit further north we found a very nice cliff overlook of the beach. On the way back, we stumbled across the Aladzha Monastery. It’s a 13-14th century monastery carved directly into the side of a mountain face.

More pictures in my Aladzha Monastery Flickr set.

On Saturday we took a trip to the Visoki Dečani Monastery in western Kosovo just south of Peja (Peč). The Monastery is part of the Serbian Orthodox Church and was built between 1327 and 1335. The monks are very friendly (though make sure you show up show up during visiting hours or you won’t be let in). The Monastery’s church, like most Orthodox churches, is covered with frescos inside. It’s worth the visit.

The monks use cats to control the pest population. One of the latest additions was very friendly. When I went to pet it, I ended up holding it…

The Monastery also sell Rockia (a homemade moonshine Whiskey), Cheese, and Red Wine. The cheese is delicious, but I have no tried the wine or Rockia. More pictures inside the Monastery:

As usual, more pictures are in the The Visoki Dečani Monastery Flickr Set.