HIDDEN HISTORY: Varna Archeological Museum houses relics from some of
the world's first civilisations, including the oldest crafted gold
in the world.
the world's first civilisations, including the oldest crafted gold
in the world.
WHEN I first came to Bulgaria in 1993 my husband took me on holiday to the Black Sea . After a couple of days in a flash new hotel near Golden Sands, we set off for what he promised was the most beautiful place I would ever visit. The place - Kamen Briag ("rocky shore") - turned out to be a remote village not far from Romania, inhabited by more geese than people.
I hated it, of course, the unspoilt beauty being totally lost on me. As far as I was concerned, this is what the end of the world looked like, and the geese were welcome to it. All I wanted in those days was five-star luxury, crowded beaches and bars.
Ten years down the road, I shun those same plasticised resorts, and look forward to going to Kamen Briag where we can jog to the cliffs before breakfast, scramble down the rocky path to the sea (hoping there are no snakes in our path) and go skinny-dipping in the wild sea without a soul in sight. We take our bikes with us, and the whole family cycles over the dry grass and thistles to Roussalka (formerly a Club Med resort) or goes north to Tyulenovo ("tyulen" means seal), where incongruous-looking barrels spew out hot sulphur-smelling mineral water on the beach. It took me a decade of sulking on my parents-in-law's terrace in Kamen Briag to discover that this is a truly unique place. The whole area of steppe, starting from Yailata and going south to Kaliakra cape is a designated nature and archeological reserve. There are all kinds of myths surrounding Yailata that say it has a special bio-energy that attracted ancient settlers as far back as 5000 BCE. Then the Byzantines built fortresses here, the remains of which can still be seen. The caves in the cliffs were used as dwellings, and later, under the Turks, as a monastery; nowadays backpackers set up camp inside for free accommodation. My father-in-law claims you never get ill here, though if that were true we'd be seeing 1000-year-old people wandering around the village. But in the eerie windswept landscape of the northern Black Sea coast, Yailata appears as a fertile oasis. Fig trees and lush foliage abound and it doesn't take much to imagine the delight of those that landed here thousands of years ago.
The reserve begins at Kaliakra cape itself, a fascinating outcrop of land, which still boasts a well-preserved Roman fortress and museum and from where if you are lucky you can see dolphins and porpoises swimming in the sea below. You will no doubt be amused to hear that when I saw the dolphins' fins I exclaimed excitedly "Oh look, sharks!"
As you drive down to the beach at Bolata just under cape Kaliakra - a secluded bay from where Bulgarian arms manufacturers apparently used to indulge in a bit of sly trafficking - you drive down a narrow winding road surrounded on both sides by bright red cliffs and triffid-like plants. There's a Bulgarian word "dzhendem" that means something like "hell", and that is always where I think I am going on this descent. Just behind the beach is the loveliest part of the nature reserve we have uncovered so far. Bare silver tree trunks beckon you into the lost world of hooded cormorants, stone curlews, crimson dragonflies and rare herbs that inhabit the Bolata marsh. Our son takes his drawing pad and creates a pictorial diary of what we see there.
You can find out more about the whole area at the information centre in Bulgarevo village.
The major part of our holiday this year was spent in a rented villa on the outskirts of Varna. It was an excellent opportunity to explore the area and, though I've never been one for self-catering, we had a wonderfully relaxing 20 days there. One tip is to visit the fish market (Ribna borsa) in Varna, where you can find not just fresh Black Sea fish but also others imported from Greece and freshwater fish.
We sought out the more remote beaches. We liked the beach at St. Constantine and Elena because, when the sand and sea got too much, we could cross the road to the mineral water pool just behind the beach. Just two leva gets you entry to a large warm pool and a small very hot mineral water pool. Another beach I loved (wonder why!) was "Journa-list", so called because journalists used to be sent here on holiday. At one end of the beach a little waterfall empties into the sea, something akin to the Ganges with so many people sitting in it enjoying the therapeutic benefits of the mineral water.
We were glad of a few cloudy days to do some sightseeing. Top of the list was the Varna Archeological Museum which houses the oldest crafted gold in the world, though from the lack of visitors in the museum you wouldn't know it housed something of this significance. In typical Bulgarian style, there was no plan of the museum, so we managed to walk round it back to front and only found the 7000 year-old gold at the end. It was spectacular, though rather dimly lit and displayed in this former Girls' High School. There was also a special display of artifacts from the Durankulak Eneolithic settlement that has recently been discovered, showing that one of world's earliest civilisations was to be found here. One cannot help but be moved by the clay fertility figures [pictured].
You should also try to visit the Aladja rock monastery, high up the hill outside Golden Sands. The museum has one of the best labelled exhibits I have come across in Bulgaria, including a remarkable model of how life would have been in the monastery. You can walk around inside the caves and enjoy the tranquility the hermits would have found here, though the only murals that remain are locked away from sight.
I hated it, of course, the unspoilt beauty being totally lost on me. As far as I was concerned, this is what the end of the world looked like, and the geese were welcome to it. All I wanted in those days was five-star luxury, crowded beaches and bars.
Ten years down the road, I shun those same plasticised resorts, and look forward to going to Kamen Briag where we can jog to the cliffs before breakfast, scramble down the rocky path to the sea (hoping there are no snakes in our path) and go skinny-dipping in the wild sea without a soul in sight. We take our bikes with us, and the whole family cycles over the dry grass and thistles to Roussalka (formerly a Club Med resort) or goes north to Tyulenovo ("tyulen" means seal), where incongruous-looking barrels spew out hot sulphur-smelling mineral water on the beach. It took me a decade of sulking on my parents-in-law's terrace in Kamen Briag to discover that this is a truly unique place. The whole area of steppe, starting from Yailata and going south to Kaliakra cape is a designated nature and archeological reserve. There are all kinds of myths surrounding Yailata that say it has a special bio-energy that attracted ancient settlers as far back as 5000 BCE. Then the Byzantines built fortresses here, the remains of which can still be seen. The caves in the cliffs were used as dwellings, and later, under the Turks, as a monastery; nowadays backpackers set up camp inside for free accommodation. My father-in-law claims you never get ill here, though if that were true we'd be seeing 1000-year-old people wandering around the village. But in the eerie windswept landscape of the northern Black Sea coast, Yailata appears as a fertile oasis. Fig trees and lush foliage abound and it doesn't take much to imagine the delight of those that landed here thousands of years ago.
The reserve begins at Kaliakra cape itself, a fascinating outcrop of land, which still boasts a well-preserved Roman fortress and museum and from where if you are lucky you can see dolphins and porpoises swimming in the sea below. You will no doubt be amused to hear that when I saw the dolphins' fins I exclaimed excitedly "Oh look, sharks!"
As you drive down to the beach at Bolata just under cape Kaliakra - a secluded bay from where Bulgarian arms manufacturers apparently used to indulge in a bit of sly trafficking - you drive down a narrow winding road surrounded on both sides by bright red cliffs and triffid-like plants. There's a Bulgarian word "dzhendem" that means something like "hell", and that is always where I think I am going on this descent. Just behind the beach is the loveliest part of the nature reserve we have uncovered so far. Bare silver tree trunks beckon you into the lost world of hooded cormorants, stone curlews, crimson dragonflies and rare herbs that inhabit the Bolata marsh. Our son takes his drawing pad and creates a pictorial diary of what we see there.
You can find out more about the whole area at the information centre in Bulgarevo village.
The major part of our holiday this year was spent in a rented villa on the outskirts of Varna. It was an excellent opportunity to explore the area and, though I've never been one for self-catering, we had a wonderfully relaxing 20 days there. One tip is to visit the fish market (Ribna borsa) in Varna, where you can find not just fresh Black Sea fish but also others imported from Greece and freshwater fish.
We sought out the more remote beaches. We liked the beach at St. Constantine and Elena because, when the sand and sea got too much, we could cross the road to the mineral water pool just behind the beach. Just two leva gets you entry to a large warm pool and a small very hot mineral water pool. Another beach I loved (wonder why!) was "Journa-list", so called because journalists used to be sent here on holiday. At one end of the beach a little waterfall empties into the sea, something akin to the Ganges with so many people sitting in it enjoying the therapeutic benefits of the mineral water.
We were glad of a few cloudy days to do some sightseeing. Top of the list was the Varna Archeological Museum which houses the oldest crafted gold in the world, though from the lack of visitors in the museum you wouldn't know it housed something of this significance. In typical Bulgarian style, there was no plan of the museum, so we managed to walk round it back to front and only found the 7000 year-old gold at the end. It was spectacular, though rather dimly lit and displayed in this former Girls' High School. There was also a special display of artifacts from the Durankulak Eneolithic settlement that has recently been discovered, showing that one of world's earliest civilisations was to be found here. One cannot help but be moved by the clay fertility figures [pictured].
You should also try to visit the Aladja rock monastery, high up the hill outside Golden Sands. The museum has one of the best labelled exhibits I have come across in Bulgaria, including a remarkable model of how life would have been in the monastery. You can walk around inside the caves and enjoy the tranquility the hermits would have found here, though the only murals that remain are locked away from sight.
