March 14, 2017
I took the morning train from Sofia to Gara Oreshec. Northwest of Sophia, the train passes through the deep gorge of the Iskar River, which is so narrow in some place the two railway tracks are on opposite sides of the river.
The Iskar River Gorge
The route became flatter after Vratsa, with the Stara Planina mountains to the west. I had my Bulgaria map and a print-out of the train schedule on the seat next to me. As we got nearer to my stop, I ticked off the stations with a pencil to ensure I did not miss my stop. The conductor noticed, picked up the schedule and stared at it for a long time. As well as I could, I told him I was getting off at Gara Oreshec, then going to Belogradchik. He came by as the train approached Gara Oreshec to ensure I got off at the right stop.
Because my time in Belogradchik was limited and there no public transit available, I arranged to have a local guide (Anggel) pick me up at the station. He said very few foreign tourists come to this part of Bulgaria. Belogradchik is a short ride away up into the hills, and the name means small white village. The town's main claim to fame was that it was home to the factory that made most of the phones used by the eastern block countries during the communist era.
There is a fort in the town that takes advantage of the natural rock formations on top of the hill. The location had has been used for fortification by the Romans, Bulgars and Ottomans over the centuries. We were accompanied on our tour by Sarah, the local dog who always seemed to know we were going next. The guide took me off the official paths, scrambling up and over rocks to some very impressive views.
The Belogradchik Fort
Sarah, my unofficial guide
We then used Anggel' s 1993 Land Rover (with right-side, England-style steering wheel) to drive in the mud roads behind the fort. There are various rock formations that look like people and animals.
Elephant head rock
We had a quick lunch at a restaurant overlooking the rocks. There was something familiar about the view, and I realized that a music video by a Bulgarian Gothic Metal band I like (https://youtu.be/tKpvzjzCQXg) was filmed at a location in view of the window. My guide said he remembered the day they filmed the video; he was below the rocks where they were filming and was wondering who was playing the drums.
Back to the station to catch the train for Vidin. From there, and after a bit of haggling about the fare with fingers and numbers written on scraps of paper, I took a cab across the New Danube River Bridge to Calafat, Romania. Calafat looks like it's best says are behind it, but there some grand-looking buildings still around.
No comments:
Post a Comment