Thursday evening 21 July. Silistra

Written by Jack van Ommen on July 21st, 2011

After I had posted the earlier blog I came upon this gorgeous Orthodox church. St. Peter and Paul. They had recently renovated it. It has a very interesting history as you can  read in one of the pictures.

In one of the parks all the benches were filled with a much darker skinned ethnic group than the Bulgarians. At first I thought they had to be gypsies but then I realized that they are ethnic Turks. Left overs from the nearly 5 century occupation of these countries during the Ottoman empire that lasted till the beginning of the 20th century. In 1925 one of the very first Americans to descend the Danube, Negley Farson, wrote in his book “Sailing across Europe” about the Turkish quarter of Silistra.

When I left the church a gentleman greeted me. He was Roumen Tchernev from Kansas City. Silistra is his home town. He teaches math in Kansas City. I met his wife and a few of his friends. He had obtained a green card in the lottery, years ago. He had served in the Bulgarian Navy and worked as a merchant mariner.

 

2 Comments so far ↓

  1. Hello Jack, I am so sorry that I didn’t offer you to spend the evening with me and my friends in Silistra -BG The next morning we went to the river port to see you but you had already sailed. It was a great accident to find your blog and to read some of your postings. Have a great time and if you are at sea – fair wind and 3 feet under the keel. Roumen Tchernev – Silistra (BG)/Kansas City (USA)

  2. jackvanommen says:

    Dobar Vechar Roumen,

    Yes, I remember you and your wife, across from the St. Peter and Paul church. I hope our paths will cross again. The Missisippi is on my list… I have put you in my address list. Right now I am stayijg put in an Amsterdam marina with less than an inch under the keel. Keep an eye on my blog.

    Dovishdane!