rila has been a national pilgrimage site for ages.ay the mountains and walls of rila seem to cradle a rich artistic treasure reminds visitors how this monastery helped keep bulgarian culture alive through five centuries of turkish rule. [ speaking bulgarian ] mountain villages capture the rural life that's so quintessentially bulgarian. women still gather at the town laundromat to wash clothes... scrub kids, and share the latest gossip. here in the village of banya, tobacco's the main crop. villagers are busy drying hay to get their animals through the winter. this was traditionally an agricultural society. urbanization and industrialization were forced on the country by its communist regime. today, as bulgaria undergoes great changes, many people have reverted to working off the land. modernization in rural areas is happening slowly. we found that locals were quick to share a smile. poor as many farmers are, we enjoyed generous bulgarian hospitality at every turn. [ both speaking bulgarian ] [ shouting and cheering ] some villages ha