A Second  Honeymoon 

Paloma, has brought us back to the place we spent our honeymoon,a long time ago (2005), we are nestled among the pine trees of the Pirin Mountains, in Pamporovo, Bulgaria.(N41.64164 E24.691341)

As we left the sweltering heat of Plovdiv you could feel the change of the air temperature alomost as soon as we hit the beautiful senic drive up into the mountains.

The road passed by stretches of serene pine forests, perilously steep gorges with rocky outcrops jutting into the roadway, firstly leading us to the Bachkovo monastery.

Parking up at the bottom of the hill, we negotiated the tat sellers, although they seemed a lot more interested in their morning coffees than selling stuff – perfect

Bachkovo Monastery is the second largest one in Bulgaria after Rila Monastery but I find it incredibly hard to say which one is more beautiful.

This place may not be a visually stunning first off.

The pure lack of crowds actually adds to the sense of it being a entire place of worship rather than a touirst attraction

The one thing I know for a fact is that there’s something about this place that can’t be explained with words…..

Had we not decided to visit Pamporovo, no matter what it was like, reading the ever helpful Lonely Planet guide would definitely make you give it a miss.

“Outside busy winter season, Pamporovo is quiet (except for its many building sites); and its lack of a meaningful centre and non-skiing attractions means it can be quietly skipped during the summer.”

Southerly, Pamporovo enjoys plenty of blue skies above its spruce-lined pistes, and has transformed itself from winter ski resort into a four seasons activity resort, with hiking and MTB trails in the summer.

Obviously for me my memories are of snow laden trees, and endless presence of white countryside, but the summer season does not disappoint !

As were both a little old for hurtling downhill at breakneck speed on an MTB we chose to follow one of the many well marked hiking paths.

Highlights of this route was to be the ‘Orpheus Rocks’ a magical setting for the legend, It is believed that the mythical singer Orpheus was born in Rhodope mountains and these rocks are the place where he liked to sit, watch and play his harp…..

Seeing the stunning view over the first of the lakes it would make a great place to sit and watch the world……

Probably the Snezhanka tower is the most recognizable symbol of Pamporovo.

You can ride to the top of the tower where there is a terrace and a restaurant, which reveal a 360-degree panoramic view of Rhodope mountain. When we first visited this resort, it was one of many experiences we had and I was not going to miss it for a second time….

The old people say that it is possible to even see the Aegan Sea from the tower if the weather is nice. A google search kinda ruins that and nobody has heard of anybody yet seeing the Aegan Sea. Maybe it’s a legend but, hey, this does not stops you from trying. The views are awesome!

Paul.