| Bulgarian Mountain Memories Album |
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| Bulgarian Mountain Memories   | 
| Page Type: Album Image Type(s): Hiking, Scenery | Page By: ojo Created/Edited: Nov 19, 2010 / Nov 22, 2010 Object ID: 679916 Hits: 741 Loading... Page Score: 87.55% - 9 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
BULGARIAN MOUNTAIN MEMORIESSome years before my real life-changing encounter with the mountains and with Spain (and with my all-time mountain guru Alfredo) I took myself off - young, green and very shy – on a couple of walking holidays. First to the Sierra de Gredos in central Spain. The following year to Bulgaria – a fairly remarkable trip to be making in 1990 (yes, 20 years ago) when tourism in Bulgaria was still mostly in the coastal resorts. Our walking/sightseeing fortnight was to explore the interior and we were the last of a small series of tours made that year by a well known UK adventure holiday company.
These photos have been scanned from prints and – worse, they don’t come with much information. All the (few) photos have been carefully scribbled on – with the names of people in the group (who of course I never saw again) but omitting stuff that would be essential to me nowadays: names of peaks, cols, huts, lakes. (Actually, I don’t remember even looking at a map during that trip!)
I’ve come a long way since then, but I remember so well the hospitality of the people, the wonderful mountains (where we always met lots of the local people, enjoying their wonderful countryside). I must go back some day!
P:S: I’d really appreciate any help from SP members to identify places or to tell me if I've mis-labelled anything. Thanks for looking in. jane.
Thanks to SP contributor Yatsek who has identified this for me: Strashnoto ezero (Eerie/Scary Lake) which sits just north of the great ridge of Kupenite, NW Rila. |
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The Maljovia Hut in it's wonderful setting. I don't think we went in, just passed it by on a splendid "Lakes Walk". |
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I think we used this ski-lift to reach the start of our Lakes Walk. It was a scarey trip for me. I remember our feet brushed the treetops. If I'd not been with a group of strangers I would probably have said "No Way!" |
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A mysterious lake, probably near the Maljovia Hut in the Rila Mountains. I remember some names such as Borovets and of course Musala - the highest mountain in Bulgaria. |
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Arriving at the Bezbog Hut where we were going to stay one night before making a mountain traverse. |
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An example of the wonderful scenery. Really spectacular mountains! |
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Leaving the Bezbog hut the following day for our long-day traverse. |
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Cherni Vrah Черни връх - "Black Peak" on Vitosha (2,2990m) above the capital city, Sofia is 4th highest in the country. Four of us left the city on a balmy September morning to find this surprising, icy envirnoment above. |
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A beautiful place I can't remember the name of. |
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I have no danger of forgetting the name of this place, or the experience of visiting it. The Wonderful Rila Monastery in the Rila Mountains. |
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Thanks again to Yatsek, I can confirm that this is a hoodoo, the best of the Melnik-Rozen "mushrooms". |
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A stop on the Bezbog-Vihren traverse. Thanks to some great SP pages, I've finally remembered another name from my trip but sadly the summmit of Vihren was not on our itinerary. |
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This col was close to an area of rock formations as above. I remember being pretty tired by now (the group were a fit lot and I was new to this hiking thing). Me with borrowed rucksack & barely walked-in boots - but I was already hooked. |
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This spectacular setting could be on the Bezbog-Vihren traverse. Vihren, at 2,914m, is the 2nd highest peak in the country after Musala. |
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Setting off down from Cherni Vrah. I can't believe I wasn't in-to photographing in those days. These days its second nature to me. Still, the memories are still there. |
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A view from above the sierras – countryside so varied and full of surprises. I must go back some day! |
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Pirin > Bulgarian Mountain Memories
