The Prinsendam docked at the ancient port city of Nessebur. One of Bulgarias' oldest settelements, it has been inhabited for more than 3,000 years. In 1983, it was placed on the UNESCO list of World Cultural Monuments.
Our half-day tour started with a relaxing drive in the countryside to the quaint little town of Goritsa. First stop was a simple rural Orthrodox church, where the priest and his wife welcomed us, and proudly expounded on the gold-ornamented icons lined up along the church's wall.
We then had a short visit with a rural Bulgarian family. The lady of the house had laid table of pastries, freshly baked bread, and grapes in the garden, and her husband was busily pouring grappa for their foreign guests. Across the street was the local school. The schoolchildren were playing tag in the schoolyard, and eagerly struck up poses for the tourists' cameras.
At the steps of the town hall, a 90 year-old lady was selling crocheted doilies. Next was a formal welcome by the local mayor, punctuated by plugs to invest in Bulgarian real estate. “Sunny Beach, Bulgaria” was apparently the up and coming Riviera. Ummm.
The cruise ship tour buses obviously contributed greatly to the l
ocal economy. The people were very welcoming, but I couldn't help but feel that everything was scripted, like like that old Chevy Chase movie were he paid the townspeople to help him sell his house. True enough, as I looked through the back window while the buses were pulling away, it was as if someone had yelled, “cut.” The locals had gotten up from their stations, and were slowly filing back to reality.
The rest of the morning was spent browsing the touristy shops in Nessebur, lining the streets alongside Roman ruins. On-board, the so-so port of call was made up for by the excellent Chateaubriand dinner. We were then treated to local dances and the sounds of the angklong, while sipping rasasayang during the Indonesian Crew Show.
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