Travel China and Beyond

Where in the world is Bulgaria

Here is a link to the a more detailed map of Bulgaria It should give you a better idea of cities and places in Bulgaria as well as which are the neighbouring countries…

Bulgaria trip — renewable energy

After leaving the Bansko region my family and I headed for the Black sea coast. The trip from the southwest corner of Bulgaria (where Bansko is located) to Nessebar (on the Black Sea coast) took about 7 hours of driving. It was an interesting drive - going through mountains, passing through mountain villages and observing life. You can see some photos here:

But the most interesting site probably was this –> energy generating wind farm located right next to a roadside gas station on one of the highways on the way to the Black Sea cost. During our drive through Bulgaria we saw a large number of these wind farms — obviously a number of investors believe in “green energy” — a nice thought and a very progressive step for a country which has a significant revenue generating tourism industry.

Travel to Melnik, Bulgaria

First let me give you an idea as to where we have traveled so far and where we will be going next. Here is a map of Bulgaria with our route (step 1 through 5) on this trip:

After staying in Bansko for two days, we decided that it is time to experience some more of the nature and sites Bulgaria has to offer. So we drove to the town of Melnik — according to government and provincial statistics (Melnik is located in the province of Blagoevgrad) - this is the smallest town in Bulgaria. Population: approximately 230.

The town is not that difficult to find.  From Bansko, we first drove  through the town of Razlog, to Simitli, where we got on the E79 highway (which leads also from Sofia to Greece).  While on E79 watch out for the city of Sandanski (it will be about 40 minutes before you get close to the city).  After you go through Sandanski, look for exit for Melnik.  The road to Melnik after E79 is a tiny one with hardly any traffic… You will pass through several small villages before you reach Melnik.  The long journey is well worth it.  Melnik is a very old settlement (according to scholars dating back to Thrace and the Roman Empire).  Later on in the middle ages, the Crusades passed through and currently the town is restoring a small chirch which dates from that time.

Melnik is famous for its sand piramides (limestone or porous stone formations in the mountains surrounding the town),  interesting houses (see pictures in this posting) and very good wines.  The climate is good and there are many wineries in the town.

      Kristin and Sarah in Melnik (they enjoyed the trip)
With regard to timing, you can make the trip from Bansko to Melnik as a day visit.  This will give you plenty of time to walk around the town, sample some of the wines, see the architecture, may be even do a short hike in the hills outside of the town.  Enjoy!

Travel in Bansko, Bulgaria, part 2

So we continue with the trip in Bansko. Once in the hotel (we stayed at the Kempinski on the outskirts of town) you are almost a stone throw away from a great mountain park. Here are some images to give you an idea about the location of the hotel:
hotel Kempinski view from the hotel towards the Pirin mountain. As you can tell the high peaks, skiing and hiking are all near by

If you leave from the hotel, turn right and head up the street you will encounter one of the many entrances to the mountain park. Drive or hike up the road and you will come to many beautiful ski lodges, hotels, and just wonderful nature. Here are some more photos:

Climb or drive up the road and you will find many places where you can park your car (if you drove) and from there embark on a hike for a few hours or a day. You will enjoy it.

Trip to Bansko, Bulgaria - part 1

Here is the first part of several postings about some interesting places to visit in Bulgaria. This Eastern European country is a good place to visit and enjoy both winter (skiing, hiking) and summer (hikinig, swimming) activities. This summer my family and I had a good visit to several nice resourts in Bulgaria and this is a quick write up about it.

Bansko is located in the Southwest part of Bulgaria Continue reading Trip to Bansko, Bulgaria - part 1…

Starting information flow about Bulgaria as well

It is time to write a bit about my experiences (over the years) of visiting European destinations and especially Bulgaria. I have my connections with that country — I actually grew up there and left in 1987.

So, I will now start to include information on Bulgaria as well in my blog, plus add also entries about some other countries in the region — e.g. Macedonia, Greece. Continue reading Starting information flow about Bulgaria as well…