The town of Rila is a small place at the foot of the mountains that bear its name, and the Orlitsa convent stands just a short way outside it, in the valley of the Rila river. It is a quiet complex, a working community of nuns, with a small church and gardens, and it gets a tiny fraction of the visitors that go to the great monastery further up the valley. For that reason alone it is worth a stop, since you can sit in the courtyard and hear the river instead of a crowd.
Bulgarian convents often have a particular character. They are modest, tidy and built around a garden, with flowers in the beds and vines on the walls, and the nuns do much of the work themselves, from baking and weaving to growing vegetables. Many were founded in the Middle Ages and survived centuries of Ottoman rule, and some were closed under communism and later revived.
The area around Rila is a good one for riding. The road up to the monastery, about seventeen kilometres away, climbs through beech and conifer forest with long, easy bends, and the Rila mountains rise on every side. Lower down, the valley is farmland with orchards and fields of potatoes and beans. Kocherinovo, to the north, is a bigger village, and Sapareva Banya, a bit further, is a spa town with hot springs. The mountains are a hiker's paradise, with glacial lakes and high peaks, and the Pirin range lies to the south.
Fuel is available at Rila town, but the stations in the villages are few, so fill up when you can. Weather in the mountains changes quickly, with fog and rain in the afternoon, and cold nights even in summer. The best seasons are late spring and early autumn, and the quiet light of early morning is a pleasure. Be respectful of the nuns, dress modestly, and speak softly. A cup of herbal tea, and a bench in the shade, are all you need.