From Serbia, we had two days of stops in Bulgaria. What I loved about cruising with AmaWaterways is that the company offers free shore excursions to all passengers in each port, plus a variety of options from which to choose, ranging from slow and steady to a bit more fast-paced.
You’re not surprised then that I chose the latter every day, and I was glad my group of eight was of the same mindset, particularly as you’ve never met a speed demon quite like my mom. Those little legs carry her great distances at a very brisk pace that nearly doubles that of my stride!
Unfortunately, though, she had to pay an emergency visit to the dentist the day we docked in Vidin, and the rest of us were forced to go to Belogradchik without her. (Sorry, Mom.)
The bus ride out to Belogradchik was a winding and turbulent hour, one in which my sister and I—both very prone to motion sickness—were afraid we might not make it. (Take your Dramamine beforehand, folks.) But when we arrived to the otherworldly landscape of northwestern Bulgaria, our stomachaches quickly subsided and we were glad we’d made the trip.
Spread out over the Balkan Mountains, the sandstone rock formations looked like they could have belonged in the American Southwest, in northern Arizona or even Southern Utah. The difference, however, was the lush foliage—pops of brilliant green—that surrounded them.
Oh, and the fact that their formation begin roughly 230 million years ago.
To walk to the base of the Belogradchik Fortress from the parking lot was a quick stroll, but to get to the top required quite a lot of climbing. We had parked my dad, who is just six months post-stroke and a bit wobbly at times, on a bench at the base while we set out to see the view—only to turn around and find him making the climb on his own.
This would have been a huge accomplishment pre-stroke as he’s had a bad knee and hip that have been nagging him for years, but after a significant brain injury, it was a purely magical occurrence. My sister and I couldn’t stop beaming from his grit and determination. Go, Dad! (Or maybe he was just humoring Mom since she wasn’t there to see it.)
Steep stairs aside, the hike up to the top was a pretty easy one—no more than 15 minutes of climbing—and once up there, there were unobstructed views of the surrounds (i.e. no burdensome railings like you’d find in the United States).
Naturally, I took this chance to do a little outdoor yoga.
Because that cliff’s edge was totally made for inversions, don’t you think?
SVV and I stayed up there so long, we wound up being the last ones down and back on the bus (oops). But it was too pretty—both the weather and the scenery—to be cooped up in a vehicle if you ask me.
Our slight delay (again, sorry to my shipmates!) meant we were late to our play at the Baba Vida Fortress back in Vidin. Given that it was in Bulgarian and like a community theater version of Game of Thrones, I didn’t mind too much—that is, until I found out they’d held the entire play for our arrival!
Vidin didn’t offer a whole lot more by way of tourist draws, so if you’re headed to that area, I’d highly recommend you gloss right over the city and head out to Belogradchik by car—or private transfer (we use Blacklane)—instead.
Those mountains are absolutely gorgeous! Who knew Bulgaria?
The pictures are absolutely breathtaking! And of course, yoga is meant to be done on cliffs! Haha x
I missed out on the natural landscapes of Bulgaria on my visit because I only had time for two town! I seems I have to go back there, which is no big punishment as I absolutely love the Balkan!
I just got curious of Bulgaria when I learned that my favorite actress is Bulgarian (Nina Dobrev). I knew it! The place is as beautiful as her. 🙂
An x of mine lived in Bulgaria for 2 years…he never once mentioned this place. Jerk. Gorgeous scenery, and a big, huge round of applause for Papa Luna!!
xox
I have visited just cities in Bulgaria. Now I see I missed a lot! Beautiful photos.
Interesting scenery! Glad to see your dad is doing well!
Its great work this is nice way to attract audience and also unique and interesting article.
Bulgaria is often underestimated, as the direction for the trip. This is a mistake!
The place is as beatiful as Jessica Alba
Those mountains are absolutely gorgeous!
My website is called “Bulgaria with noodles” and it is about China and Bulgaria, two fascinating and very different countries. At the moment my wife and I are still in China, but this summer we will be retiring to Bulgaria.
Wow! Look at how beautiful those rock formation! Amazing! I can’t believe they have it in Bulgaria. I’m including Bulgaria to my travel bucket list. Thanks for sharing those amazing pictures and stories.
I have never been to Bulgaria, but your photos make me want to visit this place. If you are itching to travel again, I would suggest you go to Dubai and explore the stunning city and magnificent desert.
Bulgaria is an amazing country! I had the opportunity to live in Sofia for 4 months and absolutely loved the country. We travelled around a lot and tried to visit as much as we could. Belogradchik was one of my favorite spots, even though it was foggy and rainy the day we visited. But despite the weather I LOVED it! Apart from that Bulgaria has a lot more to offer and I can’t recommend it enough. The Rila monastery surrounded by mountains, the 7 rila lakes, the caves, the monutains, the traditional towns such as Koprvshtitsa, all the history… It’s just amazing! If you have the opportunity to go again I highly recommend it! You can check some of those places here if you want 😉
I am starting to plan a trip to Bulgaria for Dec 2020 with my kids. Hopefully Covid doesn’t ruin it. Was wondering if you could recommend any good travel planning apps? any others you know of would also be super helpful because I am struggling to plan all the logistics for this trip. Thanks for your guide. It is super useful!
Hi Michael! I so hope we’re traveling by then and that you can go on your trip as planned.
I’m so old-fashioned and love a good spreadsheet, so I color-code Excel spreadsheets for all my trips and budgets, but a lot of my friends use TripIt (the app) to plan their trips and keep everything in one place. I’d look into that first!
What a lovely piece on Bulgaria. I have only been to its capital and seeing this side of the country and its marvelous landscape reminds me of Yordan Radichkov, the Bulgarian Kafka describing his country as “In fact, all our land in this way is stacked, twisted, cracked, as the entire Balkan Peninsula is twisted and shaggy. I think that this twist and shyness make our land picturesque. In our country, we are stepping prairies, savannas, deserts and everything is in a wonderful mess, where nature has played as a young child and has scattered all its toys around us.”
The photos really captured Radichkov’s tender words #flyingbaguette
Jan