After our quick lunch, we are back out on the streets of Ruse in a jiffy, heading in the opposite direction of the main town, out past the Monument to the Russian Soldier and into the beautiful, and virtually deserted Mladezhki Park on our way to the National Transport Museum. The walk is wonderful, although a little confusing as we are traversing the park with no directional signs whatsoever. We’re relying heavily on our Google Fi phone service and Google maps, which fortunately work extremely well here (otherwise, we’d be lost for days in this huge place). Nonetheless, it is a great place to walk with interconnected trails everywhere, topiary statues/carvings and a fabulous fall feeling with ochre colored leaves strewn all about the paths.

We walk for about 15 minutes, winding our way through the park, then take a wrong turn (or actually don’t turn) and find ourselves in this dead-end compound of ramshackle stone houses and ominous looking abandoned cars. Oops! Turning around we find our pathway, an overgrown set of stone steps leading down to another little road that leas to the road fronting the river where the museum is located. The road doesn’t look much better, to be honest, but in for a penny, in for a pound, and right up ahead (after the set of dilapidated buildings on our left) rises the Train station tower with an old train engine right out front. Phew! Found it. Now, just the challenge of getting in remains!

Fortunately we’ve done our research (who’s surprised?). The museum is run by a married couple who live on the second floor of the building. Even though the place is locked up top and doesn’t look open, if you arrive during “opening hours” you simply ring the bell at the next door over from the museum entrance (their apartment entrance) and the caretaker will come downstairs, take your entrance fee, walk you over to the museum entrance and unlock the doors for you. Which is exactly what we do – and – voila! She comes to the door, escorts us over and – we have the whole darn museum to ourselves! Totally cool!

Once inside, we are immersed in everything Bulgarian train related. The building is actually the Bulgaria’s first train station, built in 1866 and the terminus of the original railway line from Ruse to Varna (where the steamships would sail to Istanbul). This rail line was what propelled Ruse to its wealthy status as it opened the city up to international investments. Oh, and also, of course, made the trip from London to Istanbul five or six days shorter, pleasing the English, Austrian and Hungarian rulers at the time.

There is a wonderful miniature of the original railway station and yard, that provides a great perspective on just how huge and useful it was in the 1800’s – the footprint now a far cry from what it was originally. There are old uniforms, pictures of the original conductors and railway works, old luggage, a replica station masters office and telegraph operator desk, plus tons of other fascinating artifacts from the bygone era. We could spend all day in here – but – we still have the train cars outside to explore – and our museum caretaker is waiting!

So, seriously, the caretaker is waiting for us at the front door, chatting away on her phone all the while. Through a series of hand signals and pantomime (absolutely no English here!), we understand we are to wait while she locks up the museum then follow her down the side of the building to the train cars located on the side and in back of the building.

If we were besotted before, we are totally over the top now! There are 10+ steam engines out here, including the oldest in the country. But the piece de resistance are the personal train carriages of King Ferdinand of Bulgaria, King Boris III of Bulgaria and the Turkish Sultan from 1866. They are lined up one right after the other under a huge garage roof, and our sweet phone-talking caretaker unlocks one after the other for us (along with the bathroom for Ed). They are amazing in their opulence and in their completeness. From incredibly tiled bath areas to fully equipped kitchens, butler’s pantries and dining cars, we spend the better part of 30 minutes just exploring all the nooks and crannies we can find. All the while imagining ourselves traveling in such splendor all those many years ago. Yeah, right! Ha! (Warning: TONS of boring train pictures below – boring that is if you aren’t into trains as obviously we are!)

We finally let our caretaker off the hook, bidding her a warm goodbye so she can lock up behind us, and wander off through the tracks of the steam engines, then back out onto the empty street that leads us along the riverfront and back into town.

It’s barely 2pm and we don’t have to be back aboard until 5:30, so we figure we’ll hit another museum before we call it quits, but first, we’re thirsty, so a beverage stop is next on agenda. As we make our way toward town in a light drizzle, we happen upon The River, which looks like a lovely place to hang out for a beverage. (Ok, no we didn’t just “happen upon” this place, we researched it an had it on our route all along, but, well, you know….creative license and all that.)

Turns out to be just the ticket. We can sit in a great little table by the window and slowly sip our beer and wine watching while the drizzle fizzles out. The River, aptly named, is a seafood restaurant, and it is shame we aren’t hungry because they have….Black sea shells! Yes, Black Sea Shells, otherwise known to us Americans as Mussels!

Ah well, Ed will have to wait for another time to try them, as we finish our drinks and get on our way to the Kaliopa House, the Museum of Urban Lifestyles.