Bulgaria - Lake Batak to Varvara on the Black Sea

In Bulgaria, nature is still pristine and not “overrun” by tourists. Many highlights are mainly visited by locals. There are also many rest stops with seating and viewing opportunities that serve the local population.

Trip to Plovdiv (8.6.25)

Today would be the Rose Festival and thus the start of the rose blossom harvest in Kasanlak. Around 70% of the world's rose oil comes from Bulgaria. Unfortunately, rose employees are increasingly working in the arms factory that produces for Ukraine. More wages are currently being offered there. The long-term consequences of this for rose oil production cannot be foreseen. The festival has to start without us because we won't be there until Wednesday. Nevertheless, we notice the increasingly frequent beautiful rose bushes.

We arrive at the Glamping Alliance near Plovdiv at 1 pm. Until today I didn't know the word or the glamping sites. You can choose between a pitch with electricity, with a sun canopy and with your own bathroom. You can check in online and use the QR code to operate everything, even the dishwasher. There is also a dog bathroom. The wet rooms are first-class and modern. The swimming pool area is included and costs all-in Euro 26/day (for us without electricity). There are three buses 1, 20, 27 to the center of Provdiv. The 20 is the quickest at around 30 minutes and all cost 0.50 euros per journey. We stay here for two nights in the middle of a developing residential area.

We sit comfortably on our forecourt. Who's coming around the corner? Our Australian friend from Ivan's campsite in Sofia. He's here to replace his battery. He can no longer stand without power because the battery no longer works. He is trying to get a replacement battery from a garage here. He is dependent on electricity because he is producing YouTube films of his trip.https://www.youtube.com/@gottabtrippin3487. He joins us for a while and we talk about this and that. Tamara and I enjoy the beautiful place and the somewhat different (urban...) sunset.

Plovdiv the second largest city in Bulgaria (9.6.25)

The temperature is already over 30 degrees at 10 am. After our morning routine, we wait for the bus to Plovdiv. Number 27, which takes a long time, arrives and has air conditioning. As we board, we notice the 20-seater bus approaching. We take the faster one and on boarding we notice that it has no air conditioning. Instead, it leaves all the doors open while driving... This makes more ecological sense, but is very unconventional for us as safety-loving Swiss :-).

We don't actually know exactly where we have to get off and where the bus goes through. I ask a woman sitting opposite if this bus is going to turn left around the bend into the city center. She says “there” and shakes her head. Tamara and I are confused and ask again with our hands and feet. The woman, who is getting desperate because of us, just shakes her head reassuringly. We are amazed to see that the bus is now rounding the bend into the center after all. Only now do we remember that we have read that in Bulgaria nodding your head means “no” and shaking your head means “yes”. A funny experience.

The city of Plovdiv is built on various hills. The hill in front of us is the old town. And here we really mean “old” city. Archaeological finds dating back to the Stone Age and Bronze Age (4000 BC) have been found on this hill. 4-500 BC, the Thracians also built their settlements here before the Roman Empire.

The old town is dotted with interesting buildings from the 16th to 18th century.

A temple, similar to the Acropolis in Athens, was once enthroned on the same hill. However, a church was built on the same site as early as 337. The church was named after Emperor Constantine the Great and his mother Elena. After several destructions, the present church was preserved from 1832. The paintings in the church are currently being restored by the iconographic school Debar.

In Kapana, we let ourselves drift and “feel” the artists' quarter. We also have a leisurely meal in a local restaurant there.

The most impressive thing in this city, the Central Square, is the Roman Forum Philippopolis with 30,000 seats. It lies beneath the city and is only visible in a few places. The walls are buried under this shopping street. We can hardly imagine how many inhabitants lived here during the Roman Empire.

An excavation site is located in the basement of a shopping center. We only realized this when we ate an ice cream there for 5 euros a scoop...

Another positive aspect is the many parks with green spaces. There are fountains with drinking water everywhere in the city. Older people meet to play chess or cards in the park. A very nice place to linger.

Plovdiv was a closed book for us. Now that we have experienced it, we highly recommend it.

Finally in the Rose Valley or Valley of the Thracians - Kasanlak (10.6.25)

In the morning we meet a young German. He has just completed his bachelor's degree in psychology and is traveling to Georgia for his master's degree. He is traveling for 2-3 months and gets to know a lot about people and himself while traveling. I think it's very brave of him to take this trip alone at the age of 23. Hats off! Then we also say goodbye to the “Aussie”, who unfortunately wasn't successful with the battery change in Plovdiv. He has to go back to Sofia to a garage. Hopefully he will have more success there. Thank goodness Bulgaria is very small and the driving distances are therefore pleasantly short. By the way, every vehicle in Bulgaria needs an e-vignette. This can be purchased online for 7 or 30 days. The many cameras on the roads check whether the license plate is registered. The cost for 30 days is 40 euros. Or 80 lions (levs), as the local currency is called. This name has been used since 1881 because the Bulgarian coat of arms with a lion was printed on the coins. A lev has 100 stotinki and means a hundred or “hundredth” in Bulgarian.

UNESCO - Thracian tomb in Kazanlak

This tomb has been faithfully reconstructed and can be visited. The tomb is from the 4th century BC with the best preserved paintings

After this impressive excursion into the past, we visit Kasanlak. This town also makes a good impression. Car-free promenades and beautifully maintained parks.

The roses are in their full splendor. What a sight and the smell of the roses is breathtaking. The most beautiful red rose is in the bottom center picture on the right.

Valley of the Thracian Kings (11.6.25)

We wake up from our deep sleep at 10 am. The comments on the sleeping place said that young people chat together until 11 pm and then go home. However, the comment was in winter, when it's minus 10 degrees here. Tonight it was 24 degrees and it was busy all night. There was no alcohol, but there was a lot of chatting. As we drove off, each driver demonstrated how their car sounds in low gear with the throttle in between. Everyone was probably very enthusiastic... Tamara sleeps soundly next to me with the Oropax and I turn over twice more until I fall asleep. After breakfast, we talk to our beloved daughter on the phone. It's currently around 30 degrees in the camper and, as you can see, our air conditioning is on manual mode.

Today we want to learn something about the Thracians. The Thracian capital “Seuthopolis” was completely submerged in the Koprinka Reservoir. Therefore, a visit there will not be possible. The valley was flooded during the communist era. Today, there are plans to surround the city with a concrete wall and drain it. That would be cool, but who would pay for it? So we visit the tomb of the king in the Valley of the Thracians. Today, this area is also known as the Valley of Roses.

There are burial mounds everywhere and we visit the one of Seuthes II.

The tomb consists of 4 chambers and the precision of the carved stones and the shapes of the stones are impressive. In the rearmost chamber is the king's stone bed with the grave goods. The second last chamber is in the shape of a dome and has two marble doors to the next chamber. The tomb is from the 4th-5th century BC.

Our journey takes us 1500 years into the future. The bronze lion is a reminder of the Bulgarian coat of arms and guards the Shipka Monument. One of the decisive battles for the liberation of Bulgaria from Ottoman rule took place here on this pass. From here you can see the wonderful view of the Rose Valley and the reservoir.

The view from the 1185-metre-high Schipka Pass is fantastic. We can already see the famous Buzludza monument in the distance from here.

It was built in 1974-1981 at a cost of around 14 million leva. Conferences and congresses were held here for over 10 years. Since 1989 it has mutated into an impressive ruin. Chadschi Dimitar successfully led the Bulgarian insurgents against the Turkish Ottoman army in 1868.

We look for a secluded place to sleep on the nearby hill by the monument and are surprised to see that there are already a few cars there. A Bulgarian greets us warmly and gives us tips for our journey. Two Frenchmen and a Belgian warn us that there is a birthday party today and it could get a bit noisy. And I can assure you that the Polish campers are certainly not sleeping a wink next to this birthday party. The music is loud and the drunken singing echoes through the valley. This is already the second night that we've only slept intermittently. Around midnight, the wind becomes too strong and the night too cool. The singing becomes weaker and weaker until everyone finally falls silent.

Drive to Zagora through the Rose Valley (12.6.25)

Before we leave, I take another photo of this impressive place.

The drive to Stara Zagora leads through the rose fields. Most of them are pink and smell wonderful. There are fewer roses than expected. Instead, we see a lot of agriculture and local villages.

In Stara Zagora, the navigation system guides us to the parking lot of the university hospital. Shortly afterwards we find the signpost and park at the side of the road. We arrive at the museum and archaeological site on foot. The door is locked. Fortunately, Tamara had read this beforehand and we look for the small hidden bell button. A “Bulgarian-nice” woman opens the door for us. By “Bulgarian-nice” I mean that the Bulgarians look rather unfriendly at first and only thaw out with the second or third smile. The friendly woman leads us into the excavation site. It is the oldest and best preserved "settlement from the Late Stone Age and the Bronze Age. People lived here 4-5000 years ago. This house is dated to several millennia before Christ. There are over 100 sites in this area and corresponding copper and tin mines from the Bronze Age. The house was built on two floors with poles, branches and clay. It fell victim to a fire. The objects found are so well preserved because the ash has preserved them so well. The museum employee explains to us in detail which objects fell down from the upper floor. For example, the oven from the “attic apartment” is in the middle of the kitchen of the first floor apartment.

It is astonishing that two-storey houses were already being built in the Late Stone Age. The tools were made of bronze, stone and bone. Whatever material was available or useful at the time. The vessels for grain and other things are amazingly decorative. This means that people have “always” been creative and connoisseurs.

Ritual objects were also found in the apartments. Drinking horns for ritual masses, representative figures for special prayer requests. The most important concerns were fertility, animals, house, fertility and fruitfulness. Did I already mention fertility?

Die Leute vor mehreren tausend Jahren waren in Ägypten, Griechenland und hier die gleichen wie heute. Ästhetische, kreative, gesellige und gläubige/spirituelle Über-Lebenskünstler. Auf jeden Fall hat es die ganze Familie aus dem Haus geschafft. Es wurden keine Überreste von Menschen gefunden.

People several thousand years ago in Egypt, Greece and here were the same as they are today. Aesthetic, creative, sociable and religious/spiritual super-lifers. In any case, the whole family made it out of the house. No human remains were found.

Brief personal reflections on the Stara Zagora region. If you are not interested, please scroll to the next but one picture. Here are a few basics about the trade routes of early mankind. The Silk Road is 6400 km long and led from Venice via Damascus to China. The Amber Road connects to the Silk Road in Udine. It is 1700 km long and led from Udine to St. Petersburg. The Frankincense Road is 3400 km long and runs from Dhofar in Oman to Damascus. The Nile with its 6650 km was one of the longest trade routes. The Royal Road also leads from Cairo via Israel and Damascus to Resafa (northern Syria). Here is a photo of the Via Maris and the oldest trade routes in the world. Many roads lead to Damascus, one of the oldest cities in the world.

In the Bible, this route (Via Maris) is already referred to as the Road of Egypt or the Philistine Road. Conclusion: The oldest trade routes lead past Damascus in a star shape. Here is my thesis: Trade routes only existed after enough people had spread around the world. The migrations of the clans and tribes therefore started at the place where the first people lived. In my opinion, this was in Mesopotamia. Which means “between the rivers Eufrat and Tigris”. I will explain how I arrived at these thoughts in the following text:

The ark landed after the worldwide flood, depending on the calculation between 2578 and 2282 years before Christ on Mount Ararat (5137 meters above sea level) , the highest mountain on the borders of Turkey, Georgia, Iran and Iraq, near Russia. The family of Noah migrated straight south towards Babylon. Babylon is located in Mesopotamia between the Eufrat and Tigris rivers in Iraq, around 90 km south of modern-day Baghdad. This journey of around 950 km took at least 1-2 months. The people settled in this area and the Tower of Babel, the ziggurat Etemanankki (90x90 meters), was later built there. Since King Sargon of Akkad (king of Mesopotamia, which means between the rivers) completely destroyed Babylon in 2300 BC, the dispersion of the people must have been earlier. Abraham, as an old man, walked with his wife Sarah and his son Isaac and their servants around 2000 BC along the 1900 km long road from Babylon.

In Stara Zagora, we stroll through the pedestrian zone and eat a local lunch (kebab, Greek salad and chips) for a total of 9 euros. The Bepanthen cream is twice as expensive as in Switzerland. It's over 30 degrees and so we treat ourselves to a delicious ice cream at Raffy.

Now we drive to the Black Sea to Varvara and sleep right by the sea. The

sunset was still waiting for us.

Day at the Black Sea (13.6.25)

This day is quickly told. Sleep in again and enjoy a quiet night. Breakfast as it should be. Put on our swimming trunks and go to the beach. Stay there until evening and go back to bed. That's a vacation day when travelling ;-). I'll reveal the details of the beach day in private here. Tamara lies and sits in the sun all day and reads a book. I clean the beach around Tamara because I know that she likes pure white sand. Somehow the hours pass and at some point I ask Tamara what I'm doing here. In the meantime, 20% of the bay has been cleaned up. Tamara is a “connoisseur” and I am a “busy” person. That's how it works for us. I like to see what I've done in the evening. If you look closely at the picture, you will (hopefully...) notice the cleaned area in the middle of the bay :-).

Our sleeping place is just above the bay. I took this photo as before-and-after proof. If you are still interested in my technique. Here are the instructions: make a pile, dig a hole, put dried algae in the hole and fill it with sand.

Particularly striking are the young people who are already there in the morning and everyone goes home with at least a 35 liter garbage bag of plastic. That's why the bay is so beautifully clean. Thanks to everyone who takes more from the beach than they brought!

On the beach we strike up a conversation with a Bulgarian who is as hospitable as he is and shares his delicious biscuits with us. He is originally from Turkey and went to school in Sofia. His brother does brake dancing and he paints pictures. His parents have a house nearby. He loves Bulgaria and the sea and would never want to move away.

The Bulgarians are on vacation from July to August and travel around then. We really enjoy the few people. However, it's a shame that the bar isn't open yet. It looks really cozy. A few locals still come to the beach for a quick dip. What is also noticeable are the nudists enjoying the warm summer evening.

Just before the end of the day, I make a cairn in the sand with a shell necklace. We don't go home without collecting shells and stones and using them creatively ;-). The beautiful green stones in this bay deserve a special mention.

This beach day was really good for us because we were traveling a bit fast this week and are still processing a lot of impressions.

This is how we imagined the Black Sea to be. Incidentally, I went swimming in the Black Sea today for the first time in my life. The Black Sea is unique because it has so many freshwater inlets that the sea has only half as much salt as the oceans. That's why it has no dangerous fish or stinging jellyfish. For us, the perfect sea for swimming.

Varvara (14.6.25)

We love the bay in Varvara, which is only 23 km from the Turkish border. It is considered one of the most beautiful beaches on the Black Sea. Today we spend another day on the beach and try to do our shopping in the village. As we don't wake up until 10.30 a.m., it is lunchtime before we walk into the village. Before that, however, we have a hearty breakfast. The little bells of goats grazing on the hillside in the bay and the shepherd taking a break with his sheep in front of our camper soothe our senses.

Once we arrive at the village store, we buy fresh vegetables and fruit. Afterwards we want to visit the harbor of Varvara. Each of us has a certain idea when we hear the word harbor. Even the path there is overgrown and I'm always on the lookout for snakes. We spot the first ship in the bushes. The harbor can't be far away.

Arriving at the harbor means having seen everything. The harbor consists of small houses in the forest. It has something of the architecture of our very old allotment gardens. The kitchens and washing troughs are all outside in the garden. Each boat has its own “ramp” with a winch. A harbor where all the ships are pulled ashore.

The harbor is a dead end, so we walk back to the village. In the village we find new modern houses with well-tended gardens, about four hotels, many dilapidated but inhabited houses and also dwellings built from leftover materials. Still completely confused by the impressions, we suddenly hear chilled lounge music. An inviting garden with a pretty restaurant. It's called Boatswain and we receive a warm welcome. The food was surprising because I wasn't expecting Bulgarian cheese on the seafood risotto. Even if you order fries and don't say anything, you get cheese on top. The waitress recommends we walk a little to the right to the beach. There are supposed to be beautiful rocks there. And she's right.

The rocks in the sea form a natural swimming pool. The waves are broken and the locals swim their lengths in the calm water.

This village beach is very popular. Every day we are there, the same middle-aged group comes to the beach and has their 3-SCH routine. Swimming, chatting and getting a nice tan:-). We leave Varvara beach tomorrow and will have fond memories of it. In a month's time, the parasols and cushions will be put into operation. Then this idyllic bay may feel different. This is how we will remember it.