Tag: hiking

Bansko

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

Bansko is changing.

It used to be a small town with an old city. Then the ski zone came with thousands of new hotels, growing faster than the infrastructure. It had lots of people in the winter but was a muddy ghost town in the summer. Now the central area is expanding with paved walking streets that make it a summer resort as well.

The digital nomads and hipsters have found it. It has multiple co-working spaces. An abandoned hotel turned to a co-living space. The central square has daily events. People everywhere.

The success infected the nearby villages as well. Banya has multiple 4 and 5* hotels with mineral water.

I can see us going back with the goal to climb Vihren again. Not sure when. The summer season is over.

Vihren Hut

~ Veselin ~ 2 Comments

We tried and failed to go to Vihren peak this weekend. We got to the hut. The plan was to do Vihren hut – Vihren peak, which is 3.5h and +950 meters. However, the road to the hut is closed and there are frequent busses that go to it. We missed the bus and ended up doing Banderishka Polyana – Vihren Hut, which is +350 meters and 1-1.5h.

The attempts will continue but maybe next year. Vihren is no joke outside of the summer. The 24K steps we made were more than enough for us, and the thunderstorm that started at the end of the hike sealed the feeling that it wasn’t meant to be that day.

The storm washed our car perfectly well.

A milestone for the little one

~ Veselin ~ 10 Comments

My younger kid made it to Cherni Vrah today and discovered the raspberries and the blueberries.

We did a relatively easy path (+510m, about 5.6km one way) but it took forever, given the obstacles. This is a major milestone for anyone living in Sofia. I think I reached it when I was around 7.

More Blueberries

~ Veselin ~ Leave a comment

It was peak season for blueberries today. We did a five-hour hike to Cherni Vrah. The sun was strong, and the berries were hot.

For a second time in a row, couldn’t pay respect to Cherni Vrah’s bean soup. This time the queue was too long. Felt easier to skip it, eat later.

Bridge

~ Veselin ~ 2 Comments

The path from Hotel Moreni to Aleko Hut is so good these days that I saw a baby in a stroller on this bridge. Babies are usually carried in special backpacks by their parents. Was too shy to take a photo so here’s the bridge sans people.

You can get there by taking bus 66 to the final stop, then walk 200 meters back. Take the alley to Cherni Vrah. There will be a sign pointing to Aleko about 10 minutes later. The path is very easy.