My Bulgarian Shangri-La

My clever boy Sausage helped me discover an amazing trail a couple of days ago. Today was the first chance I had to get back up there with a camera!

We headed straight up the mountain.

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This is a very steep like slope, with foot holds cut in. You can barely see them in this picture.

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Here’s my feet in two of them. They turn the slope into a staircase.

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Metchka and Sausage ahead of me just before the tough bit.

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I don’t know why, but this final bit up is still a challenge.

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Here’s my village, Malak Izvor (Little Spring). Population of about 300.

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I used to stop here and then go down another path. But Sausage was keen for me to know there’s more through here.

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This is a logging road. I know because I saw a logging truck go down it.

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I followed them up the logging road.

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Sausage then veered off to show me this footpath.

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That goes to this trail that parallels the logging road.

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Amazing views from that path when the trees clear!

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Metchka’s waiting for me, Sausage is sniffing around.

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I got to the end of this trail at least three times before I realised that Sausage was trying to tell me that there’s more beyond it!

Some pictures of my Bulgarian Shangri-La.

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Max is here for the weekend and arrived with a present. I’d reported that the 10-year-old cooktop had developed a leak, so he brought me this gorgeous shiny thing to cook on!

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15 thoughts on “My Bulgarian Shangri-La

    • It probably would be nice for x-coutry skiing! Glad you enjoyed the videos! And my dogs are wonderful. I will miss them!

  1. Rae, I have been reading your blog for the last couple of years and really enjoy it. Your photos are quite interesting, and I have noticed that your photography work has improved dramatically. Did you recently get a new camera?

    Dee
    Summerville, SC, USA

      • The photos you last took have a lot of color and contrast and are crisp; the landscape photos you took on May 18, 2015 at Bandelier National Monument (which included your climb to the cliff dwellings) must have had too much light from the wrong direction, just seemed to be taken from a different camera. I guess I’m primarily interested because I’m shopping for a really good small camera. Thanks for the info.

        Dee
        Summerville, SC, USA

        • To be honest, I don’t care about the technical aspects of photography. 🙂 My Pentax photos have generally gotten good reviews. I sometimes have to take pictures with my iPhone, which takes crap pictures compared to the Pentax. I can’t remember which one I used for Bandelier, but it could very well have been the iPhone.

  2. Rae,
    One of the reasons that you might have been treated more rudely that most non-Bulgarians is your head scarf. I don’t know what it is like in Bulgaria now but there was a lot of animosity toward Pomaks. Now with the Muslim invasion of Europe it could be even worse.

    • That’s a good thought, but they were rude to everyone! All the folks on my walking tours commented on the poor service.

  3. What an awesome place. I would want to take a picnic & rest & read for the afternoon or so.
    Great video again.
    Good puppies 😀
    Hugs

  4. Pingback: Exhausted Pups |

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