Bulgaria
Obshtina Sandanski

Discover travel destinations of travelers writing a travel journal on FindPenguins.
Top 10 Travel Destinations Obshtina Sandanski
Show all
Travelers at this place
    • Day 49

      A hard leg

      October 23, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C

      Other cyclists have left online comments that the « iron curtain road » (Euro Velo route 13 - planned but not completed) has a very difficult section where carrying bicycles would be needed. We therefore find an alternative further north that is marked as "paved and feasible." This is the core of our day plan. It starts by a steep concrete section and a tunnel, and a bit of dirt road that we confidently consider will be short.

      Several hours later...
      1. We realise that there are enough remains to conclude that a large part of the road was indeed paved, long ago;
      2. We have had to take our shoes off, to ford a stream;
      3. We had to push the bicycles up nearly impossible slopes;
      4. We are a great team, since both of us were needed to push and pull the bikes up absolutely impossible sections.

      Otherwise the ride is great, among sheep, goats and cows and their respective guarding dogs, and a solid sense of solitude. The raging gruntings of a bull in a nearby field causes the only real fear.

      By 13:30 we reach the little village of Pirhin. We still have 750 m of altitude left to climb, but the feeling of tarmac is delicious.
      Read more

    • Day 48

      България: spelling it out

      October 22, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ☀️ 23 °C

      Its a bit like being back in school. More and more of the language is written only in Cyrillic and requires laborious spelling out to try to understand (or google translate when it's all too much).
      If you haven’t already figured out the Cyrillic in the title, here is how it goes :

      Б=B, ъ= a/u, л =l, г = g, а=a (ha, easy) р=r, и=i, я=ya. Bulgaria :-).

      The first few hours of Bulgaria are not so enrolling, but as we start to climb, we find some striking sandstone formations with villages of traditional houses tucked in under the cliffs. Several of the sandstone towers are preposterously steep. We climb higher and then walk to visit the sandstone pyramids. The route is precarious, but the formations and views are stupendous.
      Read more

    • Day 158

      Tag 156.1: Es ist einfach zu schön…

      January 22 in Bulgaria ⋅ ☀️ 2 °C

      …in Bulgarien.
      Die winterlichen Verhältnisse, die Schönheit des Landes und die Leichtigkeit des Reisens sowie Lebens in Bulgarien lassen uns an dem Land festhalten und gibt uns das Gefühl, dass wir noch bleiben sollten. Da wir sowieso nochmal Vignetten für eine Woche kaufen mussten, drängt uns nichts.
      Die Nacht war mit -5 Grad (oder noch kälter) ziemlich frisch, aber gegen Mittag kam die Sonne über den Sandsteinformationen hervor, lies die Natur Glitzern und spendete Wärme. Die Kinder spielten fröhlich draußen und für Otto war es mal wieder, laut seiner Aussage, einer der schönsten Plätze. Es ist immer wieder schön zu sehen, wie spannend die Welt für Kinder ist und wie anders sie unsere Reise wahrnehmen.
      Ich wäre eigentlich gerne zum Aussichtspunkt für die „Pyramiden von Melnik“ gelaufen, aber wegen der winterlichen Verhältnisse war ich mir nicht sicher wie der Zustand des Weges ist und so haben wir das gelassen. Vielleicht zu einem anderen Zeitpunkt, aber wir haben so auch einen Eindruck von den Pyramiden bekommen und auch aus der Ferne sie nochmal gesehen.
      Nur wohin jetzt? Ich recherchierte erst nochmal… Ich hätte ja gerne die 7-Rila-Seen gesehen, aber vom Sessellift aus kann man wohl nichts sehen und im Winter macht man da wohl Schneeschuhwanderungen - also leider nichts für uns und muss auch verschoben werden.
      Dann halt einfach losfahren in Richtung Norden mit groben Ziel des Wintersportortes „Bansko“.
      Auf dem Weg gleich im nächsten Dorf „Lozenitsa“ nochmal kurz angehalten: Müll entsorgen und am Dorfbrunnen Wasser auffüllen. Kurz danach am Berg nochmal angehalten: irgendwie war unser Abwasserrohr blockiert und nicht nur zugefroren. Das Problem hat Robert dann für uns gelöst. Kurz noch die Aussicht genossen und Abfahrt, denn es war schon wieder Nachmittag. Aber es war schönstes Winterwetter.
      Read more

    • Day 2

      Melnik

      May 20, 2023 in Bulgaria ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

      Melnik (Bulgarian: Мелник [ˈmɛɫnik], Greek: Μελένικο, Meleniko) is a town in Blagoevgrad Province, Southwestern Bulgaria, in the Southwestern Pirin Mountains, about 440 m above sea level. The town is an architectural reserve, and 96 of its buildings are cultural monuments. With a population of 385, it is the smallest town in Bulgaria, retaining its town status today for historical reasons.
      The town has been famous for producing strong wine since at least 1346. The local wine from the varietal Broad Leave Melnik Vine was reportedly a favorite of Winston Churchill's. Lately, the area of Melnik is enjoying a revival of vine growing and wine making. Several new, modern wineries have been built and operate (Villa Melnik Winery, Sintica Winery, Orbelus, etc.), producing high-quality wine from local and international varieties.
      Read more

    • Day 5

      Rila Monastery and Melnik

      May 21, 2019 in Bulgaria ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C

      We started our tour of Bulgaria today with our driver/guide Nadya.

      We left Sofia at 9am for the drive south, first stop Rila Monastery, the largest Eastern Orthodox monastery in Bulgaria.
      First built in the 10th century, the wooden structure was all but destroyed by fire in 1833 - the only part to survive was Hrelyu's tower, because it was made of stone. It is ornately decorated inside and out and is still a working monastery, currently home to 20 monks.

      The afternoon drive to Melnik was through lush green countryside, beginning with a new freeway, then onto narrow roads through numerous villages. Melnik is the smallest town in Bulgaria, population 390, surrounded by sandstone pyramids and famous for its wine production.

      We visited the largest Revival-era building in Bulgaria, Kordopulova House, a 4 storey mansion built in 1754, which still operates as a family owned winery. It's like a Bond villain's house, complete with a secret cupboard in the dining room which leads to a hidden stairway to the roof - perfect for a quick escape if the business deal is going bad - and 180m of underground passageways.

      After some wine tasting we walked up to a couple of churches on top of the pyramids, which conveniently also had a cache, and had dinner at a local restaurant in the main street (the town really only has one street)
      Read more

    • Day 37

      Goce Delčev

      July 24, 2019 in Bulgaria ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C

      Gestern Abend noch haben wir uns dann entschieden das wir den Grenzübergang in Kulata nehmen. Das bedeutete zwar ca 100 km mehr, aber wir wollten in Griechenland noch etwas weiter südlich und nicht nur im Norden an der Küste lang fahren.

      ...und es war genau die richtige Entscheidung. Es ging auf herrlichen Passstraßen Richtung Westen...ein absoluter Traum 👍

      Die Straße schlängelte sich gemütlich durch enge Schluchten, große Hochebenen und steile Pässe...immer parallel zur griechischen Grenze...

      Zwischendurch haben wir noch einen leckeren Kaffee getrunken und kamen dann an dem Denkmal vorbei, oben auf der Passhöhe...
      Read more

    • Day 139

      Rozhen Monastery

      February 22, 2021 in Bulgaria ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

      Came to sleep away from everything, by an abandoned Monastery, expecting to most likely not see another human until returning to the nearby town tomorrow...
      🤣 We arrived to find 2 friends who left the old spot last week who we have booked to go skiing with on Thursday in our camping spot 😄 what are the odds!
      We also have a new friend, a giant mountain dog with no ears... Who has taken a shine to us and has been lying by the van since dark barking away anything that comes near to protect us 😍😭
      She's far too big to even try and persuade Brace to rescue her! We'd need a bigger van!
      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Obshtina Sandanski, Община Сандански

    Join us:

    FindPenguins for iOSFindPenguins for Android