Village Hopping, Part 2

Kirkovo to Osmar

The village of Kirkovo, only 2 kilometers distant from Preslav is separated from town by another vast sunflower field and very little else, giving the impression that the field actually serves to somehow both connect and separate the two places. If it weren’t for this field, I am sure that the towns would run together. In fact residents of Preslav refer to the village as “kvartal Kirkovo,” suggesting that they regard Kirkovo as a part of Preslav, despite the fact that they have little in common (other than the apparent proximity).


It’s a quiet little place with little of interest, save for an exceptionally picturesque church in the center. I sat by for a bit, just enjoying watching the laid back life in the village, disturbed only by the occasional clatter of donkey hooves or a tractor revving its engine somewhere in the distance. It was easy to appreciate the seemingly total change of pace evident in a town that lies so close to my own before heading on to tackle the greater part of my journey that day, which would eventually top 20 kilometers (or roughly half a marathon).

5 kilometers later, past another wide sunflower field and a small patch of forest that opened into a valley filled with wildflowers, I reached the train tracks that mark the boundary of the village of Kochovo. I had passed through Kochovo several times, as it lies on the bus route between Shumen and Veliki Preslav, but I had never really given any thought to the place while passing through. Walking slowly in the streets of the village I was able to notice many things I had never seen before – notably the center, which lies outside of the main bus route but contains a nice clock tower and monuments to fallen soldiers of past wars.

The most striking characteristic of Kochovo to me, however, was the complete lack of activity. Often when I go to a village there are people milling around getting things done, but during my time in Kochovo, I saw almost no people. Stopping in a small shop off the center for water, I asked the shopkeeper if there was a café or restaurant in town. The surprising response was that she didn’t know. I was alarmed by the response because it is a small and pretty compact town, but I later realized that this is the case in many places in a country such as Bulgaria, in which the small towns are getting smaller every day. This leaves the people who stay behind saddled with more work and fewer options to think about much else.

Not having found a place to get something to eat, I pressed on 5 more kilometers to the village of Osmar, which despite being similar in size to Kochovo seemed infinitely more alive. I ate a short lunch of Shopska Salat and kyuftes at the one restaurant in town in the center before heading away from town, following a sign I noticed that pointed the way to “Rock Monasteries,” something I never knew existed in this area. 3 kilometers into the hills outside of the village (Shumen lies on the other side of the same hills), I reached a sheer rock face. At the top of the cliffs were some holes leading into the mountain, and these were only accessible by a wooden ladder. Climbing the ladder into the holes revealed a complex of tiny rooms in the rocks, carved several meters into the mountain, and containing everything a religious hermit could ever need to live his life in peace. A small altar, candle stands, several icons, and places set aside for meditation were scattered around in the cave.

However, the real treasure was found by looking out from the monastery, revealing an amazing panorama over the hills onto the valley beyond. From this point I could see not only Osmar, but also Preslav, Kirkovo and the sunflower fields, all ringed by a chain of mountains in the distance. It is understandable that people would have sought this place out for meditation and reflection, and I couldn’t help but feeling relaxed myself during my time up there, looking down at the world, and having uncovered my own hidden treasure in the hills.