Bulgaria
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The narrow-leaved helleborine is a rhizomatous herbaceous perennial plant in the family Orchidaceae. It is widespread across Europe, Asia and North Africa from Ireland and Morocco to China.
It usually grows in damp woodland places (mainly oak and beech), forest edges and rocky slopes. These plants prefer calcareous soils and in well exposed places, at an altitude of 0–1,400 metres above sea level. (Wikipedia)
Teshel, Bulgaria. May 2016.
This is another view of this amazing Bulgarian fortress . Built originally by the Romans taking advantage of the mighty rock formation. The name Belogradchik literally means "white construction" , with the walls ca. 2m thick. Some of the ancient sandstone rocks are up to 200m high.
Click on image to enlarge.
Beglika is an area in the western part of Rhodope mountains in Bulgaria. It is located in Batak mountain ridge, on altitudes mainly between 1500 and 1700 m. There are two main peaks nearby- Golyama Syutkya (2186 m) and Batashki Snezhnik (2082 m). The terrain is quite plain, so these peaks are not clearly exposed. The area is rich with many streams and small rivers, branched in a labyrinth of valleys, finally gathered in Devin River to the southeast and Sarnena river to the south.
The whole area is covered by almost 100% taiga coniferous forests, with many glades and meadows on the valleys and near the lakes. You can meet bears, wild pigs, sometimes wolves, deer and other typical European forest animals along with many species of birds. (JourneyBeyondHorizon.com)
Beglika, Bulgaria. May 2016.
In 1444, the Ottoman Empire invaded Bulgaria, burning and raping their way across the country. Girls who were captured by the Ottomans were either kept for the pleasure of the officers or sent to join the Sultan’s harem at Constantinople. When the Ottoman army approached Cape Kaliakra, 40 local girls fled to the end of the headland with the intent of killing themselves. They tied their hair together to be sure that none of them would yield to their fear and jumped together from the 70 metres high cliff. A memorial obelisk known as ‘The Gate of the 40 Maidens’ now stands at the entrance to the cape.
Legend or true story?
Photo taken in the fortress on the cape
In 2016, most of BDZ narrow gauge railcars for the Septemvri-Dobrinishte line were refurbished. The classical BDZ red-crème livery is not just a optical goody - now again it is possible to enjoy opened windows on this scenic railway!
A walk through the Ethnographic Museum Complex Etar, Bulgaria. You can see the Yantra River, which is still very small here, but together with the cool mountain air, it provides a refreshing atmosphere.
View from the Musala Peak (2925 meters) at dawn, towards the Pirin Mountains, painted by the first rays of the rising sun in red.
Kavarna (Bulgarian: Каварна), is a Black Sea coastal town and seaside resort in the Dobruja region of northeastern Bulgaria. It lies 64 kilometres northeast of Varna, 49 km from Dobrich and 43 km south of the border with Romania. It is the principal town of Kavarna Municipality, part of Dobrich Province. A little yacht port, a fishing base, a spacious beach and a resort complex exist in the town. The landmark Cape Kaliakra is located a few kilometers to the east, as is the tiny beachfront resort of Rusalka. During the 2000s, the town became famous with the annual Kaliakra Rock Fest featuring famous rock bands from around the world.
The town was founded in the 5th century BC by Ancient Greek colonists who settled on the Chirakman Plateau in the colony Byzone. During the 3rd and 2nd century BC, the town played an important mediating role between the local Thracian settlements and the Greeks. Despite being unsuitable for wharfing because of its rugged cliffs, this part of the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast was an attractive centre due to the fact that the local people produced and traded high quality grain.
During the second part of the 1st century BC the ancient town fell in the sea because of a disastrous earthquake. The frontal part of the Chirakman broke off and together with the richest citizens fell into the Black Sea's waters.
During Roman times the town was restored under the same name and quickly flourished, the settlement revived and the port brightened up.
In the 7th century AD the Slavs and Asparuh's Bulgars destroyed the Byzantine town and later founded a new settlement, which entered the First Bulgarian Empire. In the late Middle Ages the settlement grew and was subject to Tatar raids; in the 14th century it became part of the Principality of Karvuna, which broke away from the Second Bulgarian Empire under the rule of the despots Balik and Dobrotitsa of the Bulgarian royal Terter dynasty. In 1397, the Ottoman Turks nearly destroyed the city, which was abandoned but resettled again and rebuilt by the early 17th century. Its present name was documented for the first time in the early 15th century.
The town was considered an economical and cultural centre during Antiquity and the Middle Ages with rich and various remains – stronghold walls, early-Christian basilica, medieval churches, and public buildings.
Between the 15th and 19th century the town becomes popular under the name Kavarna, as a Christian settlement and port for grain export. From that time remain a Turkish bath, a medieval necropolis, a bridge, fountains, Christian churches and many inscriptions.
During the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878 Kavarna's Christian inhabitants, Bulgarians and Gagauz alike, rebelled against the bashi-bazouks and Circassian hordes. After the liberation the town became part of the Principality of Bulgaria.
From the beginning of 20th century Kavarna achieved a rapid progress as an economical and cultural centre. The town renamed Cavarna came under Romanian rule after the Second Balkan War in 1913 and again after the First World War in 1919. This however, was met with resistance by the local Bulgarian population and its Internal Dobrujan Revolutionary Organisation. In 1940 the town was ceded back to Bulgaria by the Treaty of Craiova. (Wikipedia)
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Beautiful view from our hotel out over the Black Sea. So much history in Bulgaria and yet most people come for the beautiful beach resorts in this area.
Kavarna, Bulgaria. May 2016.
Neophron Tours.