“Holiday at the edge of the summer”
I was looking forward to this adventure for a very long time. My idea was to choose a certain part of Bulgaria which we don’t know much about and travel together with my closest friends. After a short discussion we decided to travel to the north – eastern part of Bulgaria. We only had 6 days available for this adventure but they were enough to have unforgettable time. It fulfilled us with emotions, amazing views and special moments.
“Adventure: north – east Bulgaria” – Day Оne
Saeva hole cave
We left Sofia early in the morning and we have decided to travel directly to the north – east part of the country but on the road we started seeking for brown sign boards marking tourist places across the country. So an hour after we had left the capital city we found our first unexpected stop – Saeva hole (“Saeva duper”) cave. The cave is not so impressive at its length or size but it grabs your attention with beauty which is embodied in a wide variety of limestone colours and shapes. The cave also impresses with the fact that it has 5 naturally shaped halls. Each one has interesting name: The white stone, The concert one, Cosmos, Cupene and Strumishte. It’s not a coincidence that one of the halls is called the concert one – it has hosted performances by Lily Ivanova, Emil Dimitrov and Yordanka Hristova (famous Bulgarian singers and performers).
Useful information:
Entrance fee for adults: 4 lеvа: students, university students and elderly: 2 lеvа;
Summer working hours: 9:00 – 18:00; Winter working hours: 9:00 – 17:00;
useful to take warmer clothes with you since the permanent temperature within the cave is between 8 and 11 degrees Celsius;
Near by are the town of Lukovit – 20 km and Bistritza village – 2 km away; (Sofia – 60 km); The route from Sofia goes on Hemus highway to its end (Yablanitza village) where you take the route to Lovech. Reaching the centre of Brestnitza village there is a sign which marks the route to the cave;
Madara horseback rider
After visiting the cave we headed towards our first pre-planned stop. That was Shumen or more precise – Madara village. We went there in order to see the famous Madara horseback rider, if you don’t know how it looks like or you haven’t seen any photos just check out your purse and take out one of the coins (1, 2, 5, 10, 20 or 50 “stotinka”) and turn it around – you will see the rider himself. The horseback rider man – made stone structure illustrates a ruler in his full real – life size and it’s known as symbolising the strength of the First Bulgarian kingdom. The place itself offers much more! It’s an archeological complex which gives you the opportunity to go on top of the Madara plateau (431 m) where you can find excavated Medieval fortress and an amazing view which is definitely worth seeing!
Useful information:
Entrance fee for adults: 4 leva; students, university students and elderly: 1 lev;
1st November – 31st March: 8:30 – 17:00; 1st April – 31st October: 8:30 – 20:00;
Nearby are Madara village – 2 km and Shumen – 17 km (Varna – 75 km);
The route from Sofia to Shumen is on Hemus highway and from there you can find convenient number of signs to Madara village and the archeological complex;
Ovech fortress
Time was passing by and we had to head towards the next stop we have planned – the Ovech fortress, in Provadia. I can’t express it in words but this place grabbed me from the first moment I stepped on the fortress. The view, the atmosphere, everything was so magical and beautiful! The fortress itself dates back to the Medieval ages and you can imagine what historical events have taken place there, taking into consideration the event – rich past of our country. The fortress is situated right above the rock plateau and it opens to one of the most beautiful views I have seen in Bulgaria! The place allows you to have a very nice walk on a well – kept built path along the plateau.
Useful information:
There is a little entrance fee for adults: 2 lеvа; students, university students and elderly: 1 lеv;
It’s preferable to visit this sight when the weather conditions are good;
Places near by: Provadia (under the fortress itself) and Varna – 53 km;
Finally we headed to the last stop for the day – Varna where we had booked an apartment through a web page, offering that time of services. Our stay in Varna was for only one night. The position of the city was very convenient in order to be able to continue our journey on the following day.