GENERAL INFO (Jump to Diary) Republic of Bulgaria covers an area of 110.994 square kilometres, and it is an Unitary parliamentary republic. The population is around 7.200.000 citizens, of which 61% are Christians, 31% have no religion and 8% are Muslims. The currency is Lev (BGN) worth 3,80 Danish Krone and €0,512. The GDP is US$50.446 billion. The climate is a pleasant
temperate-continental, dominated by the mountains.
DIARY
A few small towns look serious Soviet-like, then I reach
Sofia, and the first horse wagons appears. Seems strange among the real
fashionable buildings along the highway. I find the botanical garden of Sofia. I get away with paying in Euros. It is the first ever, where there are extensive glasshouses, and no outside collections at all. It is truly an old-school collection; hand written nametags on everything, and roughly sorted by families and habitat. Here are quite some caudiciforms and other interesting plants, and besides from their Oxalis, everything is well weeded and clean.
The limestone hills have some fascinating plants, and it
is a perfect sunny day. I get to some low mountains, covered in mainly pine
on the southern side, and beech on the northern
side.
Here are hardly any houses, but I pass through a few larger villages, where
time have stopped 50 years ago.
The road is being renovated, and is in a real bad stand
most of the way. Patches of the asphalt have been grinded up, leaving square
pot holes.
I
stop at a rock-wall over a nice meadow, and do a bit of walking. Then I
leave the "big" road, and medially pass a stork's nest with three chicks. I
am close to Belogradchik Skali, and
They are a bit hard to photo due to the many trees along the road. I find a gravel road, and see if it leads into the area. It does, but it is partly rained away, and causes some worries. I see a few rock formations, but have to watch the road carefully. I end up in Belogradchik - at a set of stairs. Back the same way I came. I huge bug lands on the car, and seem to fancy it. Well, they have the same size and colour...
I
do a lot of walking and climbing in and around the rocks, and I almost have
it to my self. The entire area reminds me of Willy E. Coyote and the
Roadrunner. Here are an endless number of motives, and plants and animals on
top of that. But it is getting late, and I head back down to town. I just can't find the hotel. I have an address and even two set of coordinates. Neither are leading to a hotel. Some locals are really trying to help, and I get up to six people helping at one time. One of the directions I get lead to a big nice restaurant, and I figure I can use their Wi-Fi and get something to eat at the same time. A real nice vegetarian pasta, but no hotel.
I find another one, a bit down the street, and despite I
have pre-paid the other one, I am not going to waste more 21/6. I'm up early, but I have to finish yesterdays work, and get a late start anyway. It is a long drive to the first sight (350 km, 6,5 H), and passing through Belogradchik Skali at first, don't make is any faster!
The first 100 kilometres soon turn into highway, although
here are still some horse wagons. In a mater of fact: I have now seen more
horse
I pass a village for each 25 kilometres or so, and a typical Soviet era monument each 100. The roads are lined with flowers, Cikorie; Cichorium intybus one of the more numerous. Here are a few lakes, but all seem to be artificial, with a dam in one end. Never the less, they do look pretty.
What
I reach a big crack in the else so smooth hills. It is a
river which have worked its way through the limestone, and it create some
real nice nature in Rusenski Lom Nature Park. I do a big loop through
it, and see a lot of the blue metallic damselflies and the green metallic
May Bugs. I have seen a few before, and again, the
The trail reach a high plateau with a great view over the gorge. A bit further on, some a line of small caves leads to the carved-out Ivanovo Rock Monastery. It was made in the 12-13. century, and the paintings on walls and sealing are pretty intact. I get a guided tour in the 30 square meters, and shown The Last Supper (150 years older than Michelangelo's), Jordan riding his lion and alike: Highlights from the New Testament.
Here are a few stork's nests, and all with chicks. It is not really typical stork-land, as here are no swamps, and hardly any rivers. The limestone is sucking it all up, and it runs in sub terrain rivers for most.
I
At first glance; Tryavna look just like any other
Soviet era little town, and while I walk around the centre, it starts to
rain. I find my hotel, whish is new, modern and cheep. They even have a
restaurant, serving five different courses of vegetarian meals! The rain
stops, but I rather get a look in the morning. I passes some real nice
houses on the way to the hotel, and it might be worth taking a walk around
here.
22/6. I get to sleep a bit late, as I intend to use the receptionist's offer on breakfast. I get four French toasts, and start thinking about what I will have for lunch. I drive the short distance to the old part of Tryavna. It is a nice, lively but also small village in the larger town. The location next to the little river only add to the atmosphere.
My
Here are horse wagons along the road, but the huge fields
are harvested by big machines. Only a few small vegetable gardens are
manually weeded. Etar Ethnograpic Village Museum is small, laying in the deep shadow of the mountain, and I arrival with two busses. Well, the road was nice. The next target is Shipka Pass (1150 m), and it is yet another nice road. It is a steep drive up to the pass, and the forest opens up.
The huge meadows are covered in flowers, and I find so
many orchids among all the other flowers. The pass is not really
interesting, as here are no good view, just some desperate restaurants. Besides from two large Soviet monuments, it is quite unspoiled. Here are great views down to several valleys and a distant town. Here are huge areas covered in flowers. Mainly different yellow ones, but also a lot of pink orchids. I walk around the peak, which, despite the altitude, is real warm. The highest sound is the quire from all the birds in the bushes way below.
From
I
have not seen many storks, but the lack of wetland explain it. Then, in one
little swamp, I see around ten storks. The next swampy area have several
hundreds - could be a thousand! I get a real good, sharp photo of the
guardrail... And as they are on the other side, I rather not stop and cross
the highway - but I would love to. I turn off, and enters the coastal area. I see the sea real close several times, but think I'm heading for it at Ropotamo Nature Reserve. Unfortunately, it is at one of the big rivers, and despite I do some extensive walking in the area, I fail to find anything interesting. I have a camp lined up nearby, but it is only three (CET time, not local), and I head on.
Strandzha
National Park should have the highest diversity, and I look forward to
it. Unfortunately,
I find a snake on the road, guess it is a Aesculapian
snake; Zamenis longissimus. A bit further on, a huge Beech Longhorn
Beetle; Morimus asper catch my attention. It is the female to the one
that fancied the Lupo the other day. It is mainly forest, and besides from
the shadow from the trees, it is getting real dark - except when the intense
lightning lights up. The the skies opens, and it is a torrential rain. I have to stop several times, as I can't see the road at all. When it opens up a bit, I see the road now is a 20-30 centimetre deep river. I spend the time looking for a place to sleep. A small town is the only option, and it have a singe hotel, it seems. But in on of the narrow roads? Well, I have to try.
I drive real slowly, and several times, I can really feel
the force of the crossing rivers. I can't really see the town, but among
small houses, I see a hotel sign. But no
I work with photos while I wait for the rain to stop. I wonder how these small villages cope with the amount of water they receive in these torrential rains? I finally get out of the car, and find a nice hotel behind the wall. But they don't have any room. I ask for another option, but then the boss calls. And then they do have room after all. I have bought letish and pepper fruits, but save them for tomorrow, as I expect shops will be closed. Nice restaurant, but the potatoes with mayonnaise is just that, and the mixed salad is tomato and cucumber. Well, both dishes have a singe black olive. I try to order a pancake with honey and walnuts, but that is apparently not an option. Old Tryavna, Shipka Pass, Strandzha NP and Ropotamo NR.
23/6. I spend a week in Turkey.
30/6. The border crossing was almost as slow as last
time, but now on the other side. Back from
Turkey in the evening, I drive straight to
the little hotel, I used on the way out.
I try several times further up north, but every time the
big road meet the beach, the area is stuffed with obese Russians, in way too
little cloths. Huge hotels and little more. The road inland is just as
little attractive, as it leads
Eventually, I make it to Varna, and turn left, inland. Varna it self is just another huge modern city. I get out to some huge, gentle hills, farmed with mainly sunflowers and corn. The few villages are real poor, the nature rich. At three, I finally reach a proper sight: Madara Fortress and the real special stone horseman.
Here are tourists, and I have to pay five Lev to get into
the area. Not bad - except I only have three. But, I'm not that old, and I head for the Madara Fortress on the top of the mountain. It is a steep climb by some real worn-down steps. However, the views down to the valley are good, and here are a lot of nature. The top is flat, except from some bushes and grass with herbs.
Further
I head back down, and find some real shiny green beetles. Several herbs are flowering, and as I look for them, I almost step on a Common Adder; Vipera berus, crossing the trail right in front of me. Beautiful animal, but gone way too fast.
My
I
reach the border at six, and the line seems endless. Actually, the police is
trying to get it out of a round-about. Then it start to move, and I just have
to pay €2 in some border-tax, and I'm out on the huge border-bridge. It is
one huge parking-lot, but suddenly, it moves fast as well. I show my
passport, and then I'm in Romania. Bulgaria is a beautiful country, and real cheep! I guess here are a lot more to see. I have driven 1601 kilometres and taken 830 photos. I have spend €154, where the hotels count for €61 and food and diesel each for €25. |