Obidin monastery - Dobrinishte

We have been in the Bansko area a few times now so David has done a lot of the geocaches around but there is one near Obidin Cathedral,  so that was the next place we headed. Now,  in theory it should have been straightforward and eventually it was, but of course we had to make it difficult for ourselves and eventually got it on our fourth attempt. 

The geocache is actually within walking distance of the house but we didn't  know that so for attempt number one we headed out of Dobrinishte in the direction of the Bezbog ski hut. At this hut you can catch a chairlift up the mountains to either go for walks during the summer or skiing in the winter. So we made our way up a very pretty road,  which got narrower and narrower the more we worked our way up, even up here you see some interesting sights,  we passed  two men walking a horse in the middle of nowhere. Anyway,  after a while the GPS was showing that we were actually getting further away from the geocache so we carefully did a u turn on the road and made our way back down. The GPS was telling us to head in a certain direction but we couldn't see how to go that way,  so we decided to leave it for that day and think about it some more. 

We found out that just outside Dobrinishte we should have taken a left turn up a dirt track and that is what leads you to Obidin. So this is what we tried on our second attempt, all was going well and the distance was going down on the GPS but the road, or should I say dirt track was getting more rougher and steeper as we progressed. Worried about the car we decided to leave it as we knew there was another road to it which may be more easier but was a far longer drive. 

This longer drive led us out of Dobrinishte, on the same road we took to go to Greece. We headed back down the mountain we are on and then back up it on the other side.  It is a beautiful road with stunning views. Once more, the further away you get from main roads the more worse the roads get but at least this time we were on Tarmac and eventually reached Obidin . 

Obidin is a tiny place but has a very nice town square in the middle of it with a cafe. There is also a lovely church just as you enter the town which I hoped was the monastery, no such luck I am afraid. The GPS led us out of the town and once again we found ourselves on dirt tracks which would have been ideal for quad bikes, not for our car. David at long last admitted defeat, we are both aware that we cannot afford any damage to our car as we need it to get home. What amazed us though was the amount of large lorries we saw trundling along these tracks. 

On the way back down we saw lots of cones lying around by the side of the road, we picked up some of them for our daughter as they are good to start fires in the winter. So at least it wasn't a totally wasted journey, although I must admit it is a beautiful drive and well worth it for the views alone. 

Then we found out that we could actually walk to the monastery from the place we are staying, with it only being about an hour and a half walk away. Early one morning we set off with Stella to finally get the geocache. It is a lovely walk but my advice would be to make sure you stay on the main road. You guessed it, we didn't , we tried to cut corners and ended up deep in the woods. I was just  starting to think about being in bear and wild boar territory when David said he was worried that we would lose the path back if we went any further. So we turned about and headed back the way we came. 

It was a nice walk and though I said stick to to the main road , it is just a wide dirt path, with varying degrees of smoothness, shall we say, and a lot of it was uphill. Although it was a hot day the walk is mainly shaded by trees which protects you from the sun and also the rain which it started to do at one point. 

As we were walking along David's GPS started making funny noises,  a sign that we were very close. Looking at a nearby tree David very quickly found it,  our mission was complete. That is the geocache in the photo above,  usually they have some small items  in it but they always have a little book or roll of paper for you to sign,  to say that you have been there. 

We were however puzzled as there was no sign of a monastery. So having walked so far we decided to continue. Just at that point a car drove passed so we had to stand to the side of the road which caused us to look down and we saw this little building. 

It wasn't the monastery but a little chapel. We walked down to explore it further, inside it was quite dark and gloomy with not much in it but a little table and a metal box which was padlocked. 

Running alongside it was a river with a picnic bench beside it.  

Stella loves water so took the chance to have a paddle. 

This is the path leading down to the chapel. 

Once we were back on the road we continued on our way as we wanted to see the monastery. Then into view came this building, it looked like a rather modern looking house with another one being built beside it. Turns out that this was the monastery, we were so disappointed. I am so glad we did the geocache becauseif we had just done the walk to see the monastery it wouldn't be worth your while. We didn't go in as I am not sure we could, as we got closer a very scary looking dog started 

barking at us  so we just left and made our way back. 

On the way Stella decided to go into more water and lie down, she came out absolutely manky, 

Walking the dirt path back towards home. 

Back to Bulgaria - Blagoevgrad

After our lovely holiday in Greece we headed back to Dobrinishte where we were going to do some dog sitting while our daughter went back to Scotland for a wedding. I know what you are thinking, you travel all the way across Europe to see your child and they leave - kids ! We actually did know it was going to happen as we had been asked a couple of months beforehand. 

We were welcomed back by Stella's happy face. 

There was a few days before our daughter had to leave and while she was still here we took Monty for his next lot of injections at the vet. The vet she uses now is in Blagoevgrad so while we were there David took the chance to do some geocaching. 

This took us to the top of a very high hill that overlooks Blagoevgrad which has a huge white cross on it . The cross is very impressive and can be seen for miles. There seems to be some nice walks around there but as Monty shouldn't really be out for walks just now we didn't do them. We did carry him about for the short while we were there. There are information boards on the local animal and species up there and a beautiful little chapel. 

The chapel is tiny but amazing. The walls and ceiling are all covered in paintings which are painted in bright, fresh colours. The cross and chapel can be easily accessed by car so not a lot of walking is involved unless you want to do some of the trails  and there is a small car park at the top. It is well worth the visit and gets you away from the hustle and bustle of the city. 

It was actually quite hard taking these photos as the chapel is so small you can't get any distance away to get a long shot. 

Back to Skiathos - follow that bike

After spending a couple of lovely relaxing days ( apart from climbing steep streets) we returned to Skiathos. Once again we found ourselves walking onto a ferry, the ferry that we used to get to Skopelos and back was a lot smaller than the ferry we used from Volos. Although it was a lot smaller, it was a lot noisier! It really chugged through the water. 

Unfortunately this ferry was really early in the morning which meant we arrived in Skiathos very early, too early to go to our next lodgings. So we went and sat on the picturesque area right beside the port which I mentioned in an earlier post. From our seat we could see the cafes setting up for the morning and cats, lots of cats milling around beside the boats. One of the cats seemed to be fishing, fishing for sea gulls. The cat had bread which was on the floor close to, but a little bit away from a park bench. The cat hid behind the bench and every time a gull came down the cat would pounce, the gulls however always got away. 

After a few hours we decided to go and look for our next lodgings, we had been told it was right on the sea front and we did have a rough idea where it was as David had looked for it on google maps. We wandered up the street we thought it was on but no joy, at the end of the street was a tourist information place so we popped in there and asked them. The young girl in there told us to ask at the nearby cafe as they knew the island and she didn't , mmmm maybe not the best person for her job, tourist information ! So we asked at the cafe, the waitress there wasn't sure but very kindly phoned the number on our booking form, after a short conservation on the phone she told us to wait in the cafe as someone was coming to get us. 

After waiting about 15 minutes a woman turned up on a scooter, very doll upped, heavy make up and wearing a silky dress, she leapt of the scooter skipped towards us and gave us big hugs and kisses. This was the owner of our lodgings, after a quick chat she told us to follow her, she then leapt on her bike and drove off, with me and David trying to keep up as she sped off, bizarre ! Thankfully, it was a very short distance, I mean ridiculously short, so we never lost sight of her but why, oh why did she need to bring her scooter in the first place, it was so close! 

The lodgings were lovely, decorated in beautiful Mediterranean colours,very romantic looking and once again we had a balcony which over looked the harbour. The photo above shows the view we had from our balcony. While we were there we watched the little fishing boats come in and sell their catch from the back of the boat. Now, that's what you call fresh. 

We spent the day wandering around the town and managed to find some lovely hand made souvenirs. On our first visit to the island we saw a man making ceramic things outside his shop, this time we went in and treated ourselves to a ceramic fish mobile. 

After a good nights sleep we caught the big ferry back to Volos and headed for Bulgaria. 

Skopelos

 A short ferry ride took us from Skiathos to Skopelos, again we were met at the port by the person we were renting our apartment from. She took us on a long drive to our apartment but once again it was just a short walk through the narrow streets. Our apartment this time was on the top of a hill overlooking the bay and we had a balcony that we could sit out on and admire the view. Unfortunately it was a bit cold to do this as the sea breezes made it too cold even though we had lovely weather.  

Skopelos is the bigger of the islands but is less populated and has less tourism, this is partly due to the fact that Skiathos has an airport which makes it easier for tourists to visit. 

On this island is the church which is featured in Mama Mia.

This is the view from our balcony, the photo below shows the view from the door of our apartment. It looked out onto a lovely courtyard which had grape vines and flowers all around. There were lots of apartments here so would be great for a group of people to go to, they would have their own personal space but be able to meet in the courtyard area, which even had a barbecue and tables for get togethers. 

Of course being on a hill meant we were back to mountain climbing to explore the town! Goodness 

knows how many steps I have climbed up and down this holiday. My poor thighs! What helps though is that the streets here were so pretty and therefore lovely to wander around and explore. We did however need to keep a track on where we were going as this place was very maze like. 

Most of the houses were painted white, the grey building in this picture is a little church which is tucked away amongst the houses. 

I awoke on the first morning to this lovely glow coming through the curtains. There was a lovely sunrise, so I took a photo and went back to bed. 

This is a cathedral on the hill beside the port, yes we walked up to that too. Lovely views from there. 

Down in the port area there were many cafes set up for tourists and also some shops. In one of the shops we went into the shopkeeper asked me excitedly if I was a grandmother, when I said no, she never said another word. Just served me, never spoke again, very bizarre! I wasn't even buying anything for a young child. Oh dear, time to  start using the Oil of Olay. 

Back at our apartment we decided to eat outside on the balcony but once again it was a bit too breezy for comfort,  so we went to the barbecue area in the courtyard. This was too hot and sheltered, we are never happy, we  were like Goldilocks  trying out the different areas. 

Mama Mia - Greece holiday - Volos and Skiathos

This part of the holiday was organised by our children as a birthday present for me , although I let David tag along, I must say, he does well out of my birthday treats. 

When we arrived at our daughter's house in Bulgaria there was a folder waiting for me, which contained all the details I would need for my excursion to Greece, such as hotel reservations, ferry tickets, an AA route finder etc. There was also information on where parts of the film, Mama Mia was filmed. I really enjoy that film and also the stage show , it is so upbeat and happy and of course has songs that you can sing along to. 

As the film was mainly filmed on islands this meant we had to catch four ferries in all, two to get out there and two to get back. The first ferry was really early in the morning so we set off the day before to drive to the port town of Volos in Greece. 

The road initially was lovely, to get to Dobrinishte you need to drive up the mountain from the direction of Sofia, to get to Greece you basically drive down the other side. It was lovely all tree lined and rivers running by the side but eventually you do make yourself back to the motorways and there is where some of the charm is lost. Especially, when the motorway is still being built and you are basically on a dirt track running alongside it, trying to avoid potholes. 

We did eventually get back onto a proper road and made our way down towards the Bulgarian/Greece border driving behind a large lorry. Suddenly,  the lorry stopped so we stopped behind it, as you do wondering if it was traffic lights or more road works, only to realise after several minutes that cars were whizzing past us. Turns out we were quite close to the border and we were in the lorry queue to get through immigration. The lorry behind us must have thought we were right plonkers ! So, we did what the other cars were doing and started to make our way down to the border, the only problem was that it was only a two lane road, one lane for each direction and of course now and again cars would come the other way but yet there were lorries on our side of the road. Now and again the lorries would leave gaps for the cars to dodge into but these were not always in appropriate places, which meant a lot of manoeuvring onto the road side, field entrances and at times reversing. 

At long last,  after driving past several miles of lorries we made it, after a cursory glance at our documents at both borders , we were in Greece. I feel really sorry for the lorry drivers at border crossings as they must wait for hours, some do get out of their cabs for a wander and chit chat with fellow drivers. 

Driving into Volos was not very nice,  the outskirts were very run down and there was a lot of graffiti all over the place,  although I suppose many cities are like that. David had booked us into a bed and breakfast which was on top of the mountain overlooking Volos, so at least we were distanced from it and I must admit looking from afar it appeared very pretty.  

We woke up bright and breezy and after an amazing breakfast headed to the port, this is where it started to get very stressful. The roads in the centre of town, where very busy and very narrow, unfortunately a lot of these old city centres were built when traffic was few and far between but now cars, lorries and buses were everywhere, coming at you in all directions. Through all this mayhem we were trying to find the long stay car park, and it was one of those moments when you do eventually see what you want but don't know how to get there. We ended up seeing a tourist information place, stopping there and asking directions even though we could see it, we were actually pointing it out to her through the window. There were two things mainly confusing us about it, where was the road in and it looked like a shopping mall and basically it is a car park for the shops as well. 

So after that stress was over, we headed to the port, the same port incidentally that Jason and the Argonauts sailed from. Now, we had never used a  ferry as foot passengers before so we were not sure what to do, such as how early you needed to turn up what documents you needed etc. David, however decided he had time to look for a geocache which was a great long walk along the harbour wall which I could see shimmering in the distance. Apprehensive about time, I didn't go but David set off on his mission slowly disappearing to a speck in the distance. Well, the longer he was gone the more I was getting wound up, I was sure we would miss that ferry all because of a geocache. I had the suitcase, tickets and passports, so if need be  I was getting on that ferry myself. Thankfully he did return in plenty of time as , as it turns out catching a ferry is a bit like catching a train you just need to turn up and get on. 

The ferry ride was nice and smooth and took about one and a half hours, we were on one of the bigger, more modern ferries. We arrived in Skiathos in beautiful weather at a lovely little pier, with the traditional white painted houses which were nestled on the coast line glistening in the sun. We were met by our lodgings owner who drove us a very short distance to our room for the night. It was a good job he picked us up as we would never have found it in the labyrinth of streets even though it was only a five minute walk away. 

Skiathos is a beautiful little island and was lovely to wander around and explore. 

Looking over one of the harbour areas where the yachts were berthed. 

There was a lovely walk which went around a small bit of land which jutted out into the sea. It was very much like a small island in itself,  but was attached to the main island by a small bit of land. We were told by one of the local tourist boating companies that we should walk around it,  as it is very rejuvenating. We did but didn't particularly feel rejuvenated. 

The clock tower below was used in the opening scenes of the film when Sophie posts her letters to her prospective dads. 

The tower sits on top of the hill which has beautiful views looking out to sea and over the rest of the island. 

There are many water wells dotted around which are still in use today. You often see people filling up water containers from them. 

There are lots of lovely little streets to wander around , with cafes and shops dotted about. 

 

One of these walks, surprisingly enough was to find a geocache which turned out to be at a lovely beach side bar. See, geocaching does have its benefits! While David was pottering around looking for it I decided to have a coke. Sat at the table I suddenly became aware of what was on the coke can, Santa Claus !

Dancing Bear Sanctuary - Bulgaria

I have called this post the Dancing Bear Sanctuary but the place is actually called the Dancing Bear Park which I think is unfortunate and even misleading. Some people may think they are going there to see bears dancing but thankfully this is now banned in Bulgaria with rescued bears living here safely and in peace. The park is near Belitsa town which is very close to Bansko. 

Actually reaching the park was a bit of an adventure as the road was terrible, basically a dirt track resembling an obstacle with pot holes and boulders all over the place. We did think about turning back but kept going and then we came to roadworks. Great news, they are laying a proper road but  they are doing both bits together so the road was totally blocked. We sat for a wee while wondering what to do, watching the workmen when another car pulled up behind us. They got out of their car and came to speak to us and told us that if we waited a few minutes we would get through. They run a barbecue cafe opposite the bear park so were used to doing this journey every day. Hopefully, by now the road will be finished and getting there will be a lot easier and smoother for cars, if not persevere as it is well worth the visit. 

On arriving at the park we were surprised that it was free to get into but it does have a donation box on the door which we put money into before we left. The park was founded by Four Paws and is also partly funded by the Brigette Bardot Foundation. 

As we stood at the door of the main building a young lady came out who gave us a tour of the lower section of the bear park. She gave us lots of information on the Bears and the work being done and we were also able to ask her questions. There are twenty nine bears in the park at the moment, most were dancing bears, but there are also bears from a circus and a zoo. Two are just being looked after while their owners improve their living conditions for them. 

In the lower section the enclosures had two bears each in them . These enclosures were smaller than the other areas in the park  but still large enough for the bears to roam freely and basically it homed the more vulnerable bears (two were blind)  or the newer bears until they were ready to be put into the main areas. 

In the first enclosure we could see one bear close up and further off we thought we saw a cub which did wander up towards us. It actually was not a cub but it had been fed so badly while it was growing that its size had been stunted. 

After our short tour we were left to wander around the rest of the park ourselves. It was lovely to see the bears roaming around and acting more naturally than they previously could. The bears have started to go back to displaying normal behaviour such as hibernating, something they never did when being kept to perform . They all had access to water to swim or bathe in and we did see one frolicking about in a pool, enjoying a dip in the sunshine. 

At the very top of the park there is an information centre with a good viewing point right over the park. It actually has lovely views of  the surrounding mountains too. Up there a ranger appeared who asked if we would like to see a video about the park which we did. It mainly focussed on the life story of one of the bears who had been kept as a dancing bear but through his story the life of most dancing bears was told. 

Performing bear cubs are basically taking away from their mothers at about 7 months old and their noses  are pierced and  a nose ring put in. Their lip is also pierced and a chain is attached between the two. This is very painful and every time the chain is yanked the bear responds to the pain which makes it look like it is dancing. The owners have a string attached to their musical instrument and as it moves about so the chain is yanked, forcing the bear to move. The bears also have their claws 

removed so they cannot harm their owners. All the dancing bear bears in the park have had their rings and chains removed but all have permanent damage to their noses and lips, some were really quite extreme. 

The bear we saw the video about was blind,  it's past history was unclear with stories of it being in a road accident or maybe even blinded by being given alcohol to drink. Initially the staff thought its sight may be saved but on operating realised the eyeballs had been totally crushed with what they thought was it being hit with a metal bar. The video actually showed the original owner who had been well off when he had the bear to perform but now struggles to live, so although I do not condone the behaviour , you can see why if people have families to support they do what they have to do, especially if they themselves have been brought up in families of bear owners. 

Thankfully the world is changing and just like the elephants we saw in Thailand and Cambodia, the dancing bears in Bulgaria and the reduction of bull fighting in Several countries,  people are starting to change their views. 

The Dancing Bear park is well worth a visit so I would strongly suggest you visit it  if in the area and support its work. The bears can never be returned to the wild as they could not look after themselves, one of them only had three legs. 

We also went to  the barbecue cafe which was excellent and the Shepherd's Salad was delicious. 

Dogs, dogs everywhere ! Dobrinishte - Bulgaria

Our daughter tells us that Dobrinishte is known as the town of barking dogs and I must admit that is all you hear. As you walk past houses often a dog starts and as you lie in bed at night you can hear them barking  to each other  it often reminds me of the book "Starlight Barking" where the dogs communicate with each other to rescue some pups. Strangely,  it is not annoying  and you soon become used to it, although it is annoying when it sets Stella, our daughter's dog off. 

There are also a lot of dogs wandering the streets, these don't tend to bark but will either follow you or run away. Some of the dogs have owners but they are just allowed to roam, others are homeless. 

In Bulgaria, stray dogs are a problem as they tend to breed producing the next generation of homeless pups but also some dog owners can't afford to get their dogs neutered so again there are unwanted pups. There  is a government scheme to neuter stray dogs but some areas are not so good as others at actually doing it. 

When we reached our daughter's house we were met by a happy Stella, pleased to see visitors, then a large golden retriever rounded the corner,  that was a surprise didn't expect to see him but it was a familiar face. The retriever is called Jack and was being looked after while his owners were on holiday. Then wandering out of the house came a little fur ball, so small it looked like a cat had coughed it up. Meet Monty the rescue pup. 

It just so happened, it's weird how things work out that Stella needed to go to the vet. Our daughter uses the vet in Blagoevgrad which is a long drive away but she knows they do the job properly. As she drove along the busy road she saw dead pups lying by the roadside which had just been abandoned to their fate. Then suddenly a little head popped up, so she stopped the car, picked up the pup, checked to see if there were any others still alive in the area, which there wasn't and continued to the vet. 

At the moment there is a Bansko Dog Sanctuary group which our daughter  is involved in  but they have limited housing for dogs as they don't have their own building . Any dogs found are put into foster homes , these  were all full up so Monty ended up staying at our daughter's . 

Relaxing after our long drive, the bags are still unpacked. 

Now, I did say all you hear is dogs but you don't , you also hear goats, sheep and horse and carts  which regularly go up and down the street. These goats live across the road and are waiting to get into their yard after a day wandering the fields. A lot of the homes have a few goats and sheep which are taken  down to the shepherd in the morning he walks them around for the day, so they can graze 

then  they are returned at night. 

Vidin - Bulgaria

As we had a long drive the day before we decided to split the journey to Dobrinishte, where one of our daughters lives,  into two bits. So we  drove from Romania over the border into Bulgaria and stayed the night in a town called Vidin.  The journey was straight forward enough although at one point we took the wrong turning and nearly ended up in Serbia. A man on the immigration border into Serbia put us straight and it was about turn, and off we went. 

On entering Bulgaria we joined a long queue of trucks until we worked our way to a part in the road where it split into a lorry lane and a car lane. As we queued up on the car lane we were reading the signs linked to crossing the border. One said that we would be put through a disinfectant spray before crossing the border, something we hadn't done before and sadly didn't do this time, I was wondering what it was like and am still wondering. 

The town of Vidin is just across the border and is actually on the banks of the Danube River. As we drove into it I must admit I thought to myself, this was not a good idea, it seemed rundown, scruffy and chaotic. There were a load of trucks stopped at the roadside probably a resting point for the drivers. 

As we got further into town to find our hotel though things improved although the roads were still confusing and maze like. The hotel when we found it was lovely and the staff were very friendly and welcoming. They were quite pleased that they could practise their English, although I saw on tripadvisor the most recent British tourists had come from Liverpool and Newcastle, putting that together with our Scottish accents must be quite confusing. 

 Anyway, the receptionist was lovely and gave us a brief history of the town , something she is obviously enthusiastic about and with that and a map we set off to explore. The old town area is very small so all the areas of interest are within walking distance. 

The medieval castle, the best preserved and intact castle in Bulgaria. 

The river Danube , there were kayakers on it, looked really lovely. I wanted to go on it too as the water was lovely and calm. 

There are old defensive walls built around the old town. This part of the wall runs alongside the river and had this arch built into it so you could get to the water side. Just out of view are some fishermen using hand held rods to catch fish. 

The old synagogue which obviously used to be a very impressive and important building, now it is run down and a bit desolate. 

  

In the picture below David is geocaching, I think he thinks he is disguised because he is wearing a green t-shirt. The area was surrounded by nettles but he  hopped, skipped and jumped over them to reach is goal! 

There were many fancy and interesting buildings and state around but it was often unclear as to what they actually were. A tourist guide leaflet would be handy to direct people around the sights. 

I actually thought the statue  below was originally damaged but then realised it  had been made with a disjointed arm that the man is holding in his hand. The look on the statues face actually looks like he is confused by it too! 

This state was near the town square. 

This is  an old gateway into and out of the city. 

There are lots of old roman artefacts dotted around the town, some seem to be just lying in random spots. 

Local wildlife in the town. 

The hotel we stayed at was right on the river and used to be the old bath house. Just outside it is a lovely  walk along the riverside,  where many of the locals hung around at night in the street cafes and bars. There was a lovely feel to the place walking around. 

We saw some dogs hanging around that had tags in their ears, I found out that these were homeless dogs which had been neutered. A good idea, should help to ease the problem of street dogs. Apparently it is done all over Bulgaria but some areas are better than others at implementing it. 

We had a lovely night at the hotel and if possible will go back there on the way home.