What to see in Bulgaria Pt. 3: the Rhodopi Mountain

I started talking about what to see in Bulgaria and I mentioned two mountains: Rila and Pirin. Now, I would like to tell you a bit about the Rhodopi Mountain, which is also amazing to see… and a bit magical. Why am I saying it is magical? On the first place, it is very, very  beautiful. The Rhodopi Mountain is one of the oldest mountain ranges in Bulgaria.  You can easily tell because it is not very high, nor steep.  Steep mountains like the Alps are newly formed (which of course means they were formed several billion years later than other mountains but still billions of years before us). Back to the Rhodopi Mountain… It could be divided into two main regions: the Eastern Rhodopi and the Western Rhodopi. The Eastern part is amazingly green and beautiful; you could find old Thracian remains there. The Thracians were ancient tripe that lived in the Bulgarian lands around the new era. They were very interesting but not so much is known about them because they had no  letters and scripture. They worshiped the sun and carved stones into interesting forms. For example, there is a cave, namedVulvataor the Vagina because it looks like a vagina. Its entrance does. The Thracians  carved it, so that it would resemble the female reproductive organ. Just like other ancient tribes, the Thracians worshiped the female body and the idea of conception and birth. Beautiful, huh? In the Eastern Rhodopi you could visit some old Thracian temples and cities. The most popular one is named Perperikon. It consists of a series of stones but it is interesting to see.  Some of the stones have interesting forms or holes in them. Then you could visit some of the many dams. The views you will find in the area are amazing  due to the large dams (a.k.a. artificial lakes) and  the green forests. I am a bit sorry that huge areas of trees have been cut down to make place for the dams but still, the  result is beautiful. One of the most famous dams in the Rhodopi Mountain is  Dospat. It is big and has some guest houses and hotels around so it is quite nice for a nice break. I believe you could also swim or do a boat trip inside Dospat but I am not absolutely sure about this. The whole Eastern Rhodopi region is worth seeing.  There are many small typical villages there and I have heard  that if you are a traveler and do not have  a place to stay, some nice old grandmother would host you without a problem.  People tend to be very nice and hospitable in those places. One of the main problems (at least for Bulgaria) is  that there is a very strong Turkish influence in the region and there are some villages in which the  inhabitants cannot speak any Bulgarian at all, which is a bit weird if they live in that country.

Then you have the Western Rhodopi area. It is also very beautiful and worth seeing. You could go to the small town of Gotse Delchev. It is a nice place right between the Rhodopi Mountain and Pirin Mountain. The town itself has nothing  so special to see but it is very nice. Its center is small but pretty and it is a proper example of a typical Bulgarian town. People are friendly and ready to help you.  You could also find some local products (I mean fruit, vegetables, and milk products), so it could be a good place to visit. Not to mention that in towns like that there are many cheap restaurants.  When you have in mind that there is a different currency in Bulgaria, you could eat almost for free. One Euro equals more or less two Bulgarian levs (lev is the name of the local currency). One Dollar equals about one lev and fifty stotinki (stotinka is like the Euro cents or the American cents). I guess you get the picture. For five or six leva you would be able to order a salad and  a main course, so it would cost you about two fifty to three Euros. Nice, ah?

If you go to Gotse Delchev, you should go a bit up in the mountain and definitely visit some of the local villages. The first one when leaving Gorse Delchev is Ogniyanovo. Ogniyanovo is  a small village but it has natural mineral water springs. You could visit one of the several swimming pools in the area. There is one which is public and the entrance costs about three or four leva (one fifty – two Euros). It consists of one outer swimming pool, which is great during the summertime; one inner swimming pool (great for wintertime) and one very small and hot “pool” which you could visit in the winter. You sit inside  and you are really hot but, while it might even be snowing outside.  It is really amazing. Sometimes people swim in the big inner pool and run quickly to sit in the small outer one. They enjoy the view and the feeling of being inside hot water when the temperatures are minus something. If you prefer some luxury, you might want to go to one of the private hotels which also have swimming pools. I am not sure about the prices but I doubt it they would cost more than  twenty to thirty Euros per night.

After you have swum and enjoyed the nice hot  mineral pools in Ogniyanovo, you can go a bit higher in the mountain. You will see three peculiar villages. The first one worth mentioning is Leshten. Leshten in is a typical Bulgarian village whose houses have been built in the traditional for the region architectural style. So, there are  nice little houses with stone roofs and wooden  construction. It is very beautiful. Besides from certain parts of the village, you can see Pirin Mountain. You go on and you reach another village, named Gorno Driyanovo. Gorno Driyanovo has nothing to do  with the traditional Bulgarian architecture. It is interesting to see because the local population is a peculiar group of people that exists only in the Rhodopi Mountain.  They are calledpomatziand they are Bulgarians but follow the Muslim religion (Bulgaria’s official religion is Christian Orthodox). Bulgaria was part of the Ottoman Empire between the fifteenth and the nineteenth centuries.  Most Bulgarians managed to preserve their language and religion but some decided to convert to Muslims. That is why they are calledpomatzi.They have Bulgarian origins, they are Bulgarians actually, but they have a different religion and different customs than the rest of the country. They tend to be very nice, friendly and hard-working people. In a village not far from Gorno Driyanovo, named Ribnovo, there is one very specific custom. The population there also consists ofpomatziand they dress their brides in a very interesting way.  At the day of the wedding the bride’s face is covered with a thin white mask… well, mask is not the best word here, but some natural substance is being placed on her face and it hardens, so it resembles a mask. The bride is then dressed very colorfully and her hair is hidden in a sort of a scarf. It is decorated with shiny buttons and other stuff. The result is very colorful. You cannot see the bride’s face. Actually, when I come to think about it, those brides look a bit like the Japanese Geishas.  Their faces are white and their clothing and hair are full of color and shiny objects. It is a very peculiar custom which cannot be seen in any other part of the country, so if you ever have any reason to go to Ribnovo and see a local wedding, consider yourself lucky.

After you leave Gorno Driyanovo, you reach Kovatchevitza. Kovatchevitza is one of my most favorite places in Bulgaria. It has the same type of architecture as  Leshten and it is one of the places, protected by UNESCO. If you  want to build a new house inside of the village, you have to follow the traditional style, so typical for that village.  The houses are again made of natural materials: stone and wood. The whole atmosphere in Kovatchevitza is very special.  Thracians have lived in that area as well and you can see archeological discoveries above the village.  Kovachevitza has a river. In other words, there is a river not far from the village and you can go and visit it.  It is about twenty five minutes walking from Kovatchevitza and it is named Kanina. It is  a clean and beautiful mountain river full of fish, river crabs and all sorts of other animals. I have seen turtles and hedgehogs. If you are really into mountaineering you can climb a high rock right in front of the village. It is not hard to climb, do not think you will need ropes or anything of the sort. No, you just need to walk. There is a narrow path with beautiful views and it does not even take a lot of time to climb. If you are really into mountaineering, you should go  to theSiniya vir.It is a part of the Kanina river and it  consist of series of small waterfalls and lakes. It is difficult to reach, though. You have to either follow the river  or go by car to a certain spot and then walk down. The problem with the first option is that you will walk a long way and need about three hours to get there. Also, the path that follows the river is difficult and it disappears at times. Besides, you never know when it is going to rain. The weather is unpredictable and you do not want to be by the river in times of a storm. The second option is better but you have to know two things. First, the road is really bad, full of holes and road bumps. If you have a car or are renting a car, you should be very careful. Then when you go down toSiniya vir,you have to walk slowly and carefully because the path is very steep at times. Still, it is worth visiting. Please, be responsive and take your garbage with you. Some people do not do it and the place is impossible to clean. Have in mind that there is wild life there and the animals might suffer due to the garbage.

Once you leave the Kovatchevitza region you  can see other parts of the Rhodopi Mountain. Go to Chepelare, which is an old skiing region. Actually, the skiing area is a bit above Chepelare (maybe about five or six kilometers) and it  is named Pamporovo. The slopes are very nice during the winter and the whole region is beautiful at any time of the year. There are some hotels, some of which are not expensive at all. Some are more luxurious and offer swimming pools, saunas, spa centers, etc. But first visit Chepelare. Chepelare is a small village and it is nice to see. It is one of the places where skiing has become a tradition. You can visit the Chepelare skiing museum where you will see different type of skis and skiing equipment from fifty years ago until now. It is interesting to see how the first skis have been  of wood, while  the modern ones are so different.  The boots have also evolved a great deal. You can also visit a caving museum.  Caving is a popular sport in Bulgaria. There are many caving clubs, full of nice, happy people. They find a way to always travel and explore. The same applies to climbing clubs. There are nice places where you can climb in Bulgaria. The Chepelare region is beautiful but the main problem with the town is that it is very diverse in terms of architecture. There are old houses, built in the twenties or in the thirties which have Viennese influence. There are typical Bulgarian houses, and there are Communist blocks and buildings. The restaurants and the coffees are not expensive, so you might enjoy great food. This region has its own traditional meals, which you should definitely try. First, there ispatatnik. It is made of potatoes and eggs (I think, but I am not sure about the eggs) and it is very tasty. Then you haveRhodopski klin.It is made of flour and it has rice and potatoes inside. It is very tasty. You should have somekatchamakas well.Katchamakis prepared of corn flour. Then some sunflower oil and traditional Bulgarian white cheese are added to it and it is very tasty. The last but not least is themarudnikor a sort of a pancake. It is thicker than the typical pancakes and you could  eat it with either cheese (white, Bulgarian ;)) or with some sort of jelly. Usually, they will  give you strawberry or blueberry  jelly, produced in the region. Yummy!

Chepelare has one of Europe’s skiing factories. It is owned by Amer Sports, the company which produces established brands, such as Atomic, Salomon, and n Arcteryx. Some of the Atomic skis are produced in that factory. Right next  to the factory, there is a store which offers cheap skiing equipment. No surprise to that, after all they produce it next door. 

When leaving Chepelare, go to Asenova krepost. It is an old fortress from the Middle Ages. It is interesting to see what Bulgaria’s architecture was like in that period.

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