I love it so much when I see the sea through the narrowest of places, through the walls of houses. This pleasure was more than satisfied on my short trip to southern Bulgaria, by the Black Sea. Bulgaria has 370 km of sea coastline, which seems little compared to the southern European countries famous for their beaches. Greece, Italy, France, Spain, and Portugal, to name the most important.
For people like me, living in Eastern Europe, what Bulgaria offers is enough. Having exhausted the 200 km of coastline in my home country, Romania, I crossed the border into Bulgaria and can't get enough of it. It also matters what you want the sea to offer and that differs so much from person to person. What I want, I get plenty of...
Sozopol, a small millennial city, was founded by Greek colonists in the 7th century BC! Even I feel young when I think about the age of this small town.
Although the city is so old, I (as well as most tourists, as I noticed in the 7 visits I made here) prefer the old town! The old town being built on several small peninsulas, between them there are small bays with beaches.
We stayed here for three days at the beginning of the summer. Considering that what I like most is walking around and discovering the city, I can say that it was more like a city break than a holiday.
We arrived in town after a 375 km drive, the distance between Bucharest and Sozopol by car. That is if you come from the north. You can get there not only by car but with any kind of engine...
The most comfortable is by plane, of course. The nearest airport is also 35 km away, in Burgas, a big city and port in Bulgaria.
I made this short trip, just before the summer season opened, for my wife's best friend who had long wanted to visit these places.
As you can see, our friend Elena is dressed for the mountains. Now I wonder if she understood where we were going. Anyway, she didn't need her bathing suit, because we were just going there for walking and sightseeing...
As I said, Sozopol is a small town, very small. There are no great architectural monuments, wide boulevards and lots of lights. It is a seaside town and because of that it has adapted itself for the tourist trade, there are old pensions but also new hotels, there are terraces and restaurants that please the ordinary and not a very rich guest as well as those who have some luxury because they can afford it. I look to see the life of the people who live near the sea and I like to see the streets, the houses, and the small shops. Their everyday life. And the sea, of course!
So as soon as we arrived in town and checked in, we went for a walk on the side streets. Narrow streets where I don't know how cars fit. I was amazed to see so many cars in this old part of town. A few years ago there weren't these cars, access was only allowed to supply restaurants and small shops.
Knowing that walking and the sea always provoke hunger, the ladies inquired about the dinner offer. They had to read the menu themselves, fortunately also written in English because the plaster waiter was mute.
As I said at the beginning, my pleasure is seeing the sea through the narrow spaces between houses.
The old town is inhabited. Both houses have remained unchanged for hundreds of years and houses brought up to the comfort of our years. By transforming and renovating old houses. I don't know how this was possible, normally it would be forbidden to alter old houses. Politicians and influential people in the city think they manage to cheat the law.
An old gate that caught my eye...
... and directed us to an antique shop.
A whole mess inside, hundreds of mixed objects, some very old and valuable but also various cheap knick-knacks. I couldn't photograph inside because the shop owner had a fierce look! But he was nice...
This time I didn't buy anything. The prices were too high for items without much value.
We resumed our walk through the winding streets. What I like most is that the side streets have not been touched by the tourism wing. The more central streets are lined with shops and souvenir stalls, many cafes, wineries, and terraces.
On the side streets, there is nothing touristy and I like to see real life. My ladies are inclined towards the spiritual life and cannot avoid a church, even if it is as small as this one.
This church is as small as a warehouse. I've seen many such small churches here. This one is special because it was built next to a house that was demolished and they had to leave the wall of the house partially demolished to avoid destroying the church.
I have called these small locations self-serving churches. You can buy candles, their price is displayed and you put the money in a box or leave it on the table. It's all based on trust and fear of God!
The religion of the Bulgarians, like that of the Romanians, is Christian Orthodox.
Coming down from the church towards the harbour we came across what could be called the sanitation service. It is, of course, a private one and has remained so since the past.
The donkey is beautiful and has been adorned with a red ribbon to protect it from spells. Old folk beliefs. In Sozopol there is a modern sanitation service, this one with the donkey is just how some people can earn their bread.
The peninsula offers little space and because of this the houses are cramped together and have little to no yard. The inhabitants' love of greenery and flowers leads them to all sorts of methods to have more space for their small nature.
No two houses are alike and it is interesting and even useful to see what solutions these people have found.
A few more openings to the sea, much to my delight. The pleasure is even greater because the boats have appeared. The sea without boats is impossible.
So close but yet so far away, there are still stops to be made all the way to the port.
It's like a small village here. We discover another church, this time bigger and better built. I guess you can guess who found the church, right?
Oh, this little church is dedicated to Saints Constantine and Helen. Our friend's name is Elena and she is happy to have found this place dedicated to them.
Every such entry also means a wallet search. A small offering and thanks. Why are women more faithful than men?
Goodbye (until the next day) and a souvenir.
Something you can't miss from the sea... and I'm not talking about seagulls. Cats are everywhere and they are not very friendly, I mean they don't let you pet them. I don't know the cause, maybe some unpleasant experiences with some tourists.
This last cat was watching our fish..., you can be sure she got her share...
...but I don't think she'd turn down fish soup...
... she certainly would have refused the baked eggplant my wife ate.
Because yes. Hunger and tiredness quickly sent us to a terrace, right on the touristy side of the sea. Food, a little beer and a view of the sea. The moments when you know for sure you've chosen the right holiday spot!
A special place with a special beauty. This southern part of the Black Sea is already influenced by the Mediterranean climate. It is a mixture of Eastern, Balkan and Mediterranean. Some may not like it. I love it. A place that borrows the good parts from these different civilizations, where the climate, the landscape, the food, the drink are no longer pedigreed, i.e. they no longer belong to one culture, they become a mix. You can choose what you like!
Summer is my favorite season. Like anything you adore, it also torments you. Summers are now too hot and the years piling up behind me make it harder to bear this season. That won't make me change my favorite!
When I write about my travels I follow this principle. I'm not a tour guide, I don't have the necessary information and I'm not interested in talking like a book. I am interested in the principle "follow the example or, on the contrary, don't follow it!" - which leaves the reader free to choose for himself if he likes a place, if he wants to visit it after seeing what I have seen and written or, on the contrary, if he doesn't want to travel there at all, if he doesn't want to experience or see what I have seen. Because I try to put the good parts and what I liked but I also like to say what I didn't like. A tour guide never shows the more bad and less nice parts, because he doesn't want to lose the tourists. I'm not interested in that.
Post also written for #MarketFriday, @dswigle's wonderful challenge. Because it's Friday and because what market is as big as tourism. There isn't a tourist who hasn't bought something on holiday. I know tourists (my wife), who would buy everything if she had enough (money) and had a place to put them!
