Storyline: Bulgaria with Alex
The title of this post is after festival held in the Razlog area of the Pirin mountains every summer “Pirin pee” (pronounced pe-e). In 2016 we visited friends of Milan’s in Bansko, a well-known ski resort on the north-eastern slopes of the Pirin mountain. We stayed with them for a few nights while exploring the area.
Pirin is a high alpine mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria with Vihren at 2,914m (9,560ft) being its highest peak, the second highest in Bulgaria after Musala in the Rila mountains (2,925m), and the third in the Balkans after Mount Olympus at 2,918m (9,573ft). Dotted with glacial lakes (over 170), it is also home to Europe’s southernmost glaciers, and is the only place in Bulgaria where edelweiss can be found nestled into cracks in the rocks.
It is the most beautiful, yet the most difficult mountain to hike in Bulgaria. Craggy glacier-cut slopes, challenging weather with frequent rain, thus slippery trails, and fog bringing visibility close to zero, creates dangerous terrain for unexperienced hikers. The northern part hosts the steep marble Vihren ridge with the peaks of Vihren, Kutelo (2,908m) and Banski Suhodol (2,884m).
The most challenging part of this ridge is the knife-edge Koncheto (The little horse) at about 2,810m and with a width of 50 cm (40cm at its narrower part) connecting Kutelo with Banski Suhodol. The northwestern side an almost vertical 400m drop. The southwest part is only (!) about 30 degrees steep but 800m deep.
Many of you know that I was a mountain guide in my student years. We’d (there were usually 2 guides per group in the high mountains) take groups of about 15 people trekking from hut to hut. Simple food would be prepared in the huts, including prepackaged ones for lunches, so all the trekkers had to carry with them was their clothes. Reaching Vihren from the north part is the most challenging one for a group of people.
Many were new to this, and although warned about the dangers, some really didn’t realize it until we were there and they looked down into the abyss. On nice and sunny days, with a little encouragement all goes well – aspiring trekkers holding the metal cables for balance and moving slowly ahead. But sunny conditions are rare up in the mountains.
Back to 2016. On our way to Bansko we stopped for lunch at Sapareva Banya, known for its mineral hot-water spas and the geyser in the town centre.
We enjoyed a drink at the spa’s restaurant, however had lunch in the much cheaper, nicer and quieter restaurant St. Nicola,
just in front of the 12th-13th century St. Nicolas Church.
It was a hot day. Driving through the mountains at about 1,000m above sea level in late afternoon the thermometer still hit 39°C.
Our Bansko hosts Ani and Rumen greeted as in the evening with a glass of wine or two on their patio under the vines. Their son Georgy (George) would join us later in the evening to Alex’s delight as he was the only English speaker. There has been furious development of hotels under the ski slopes on Todorka Peak, which had made Bansko unrecognizable for me.
Bansko town centre is still authentic with old and narrow cobblestone streets, neat stone and wood houses (some newer houses are stuccoed) with stone walls and big wooden gates, and a main street lined with linden trees leading to the few small restaurants and stores in the centre.
One day we visited the picturesque town of Razlog, tucked between 3 mountains – Rila to the north, Pirin to the South and Rhodopes to the East.
From the tower called Olimp Air, on a ridge to which we hiked, one has a great view of the town and the surrounding mountains. Razlog has a rich history and maintains cultural traditions kept through the centuries, with the most renowned being the folklore festival Pirin Sings.
We were delighted to be there for this unique gathering of folk art.
After touring Razlog we spent the rest of the day on the grounds of the festival, enjoying the spirt of the masses, the enormous scale of it, given the small population living in the area, choral folk songs echoing through the mountains.
Mesmerized by it colours, vivacity and candid participation we observed, listened and mingled with the locals, happy to be part of it.
Next day we drove to Dobrinishte and took the chair lift to Bezbog hut at 2,240m altitude, beautifully situated at the lake’s edge (lake Bezbog under the peak Bezbog (2,645m)) with a panoramic view of all surrounding peaks.
Then we hiked to Popovo lake. This trail takes about 2 hours but if you are like us stopping for a photo at every corner and enjoying the beautiful views it may take you much longer.
The trail has some rocky and steep sections, water falls and small streams you’ll have to cross. So, if you take the lift to bask in the views but are not quite serious about hiking, we’d recommend you stroll around the hut and the lake Bezbog (“without God”). The view from Popovo lake, however, is fantastic and we enjoyed our only hike in Pirin with Alex.
Popovo lake is largest by area and volume, and also the deepest one in the Pirin massif. At 2,234m above sea level it is at the foot of highest peaks Dzhengal (2,730m), Dzano (2,668m), Momini Dvori (2,723m) to mention a few.
We were sure we’d return the next year, take the narrow-gauge train to Bansko, visit Ani and Rumen and continue with unfinished hikes. But this “next year” has not come yet.
Note: Perhaps one day we’ll ship our new toy (“Ad-van-tures in our back yard” with more details about it coming soon) across the ocean, tour Europe, and reach many mountains, the Bulgarian ones being part of it). Perhaps I can take Alex through the narrow saddle Koncheto to Vihren peak. Or perhaps this all will be one of many unrealized dreams. The future will tell.
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