Belogradchik, Bulgaria, and the Golden Fields

July 2010
During my college year in France, I met a Bulgarian student, Julia, who told me that most everything was better or began in Bulgaria.  I was skeptical, but I now must admit they have the most beautiful fields of golden sunflowers that I have ever seen.  There were miles of gold.  I love the sunflowers of Tuscany and Provence, but these were spectacular.

Then there are the endangered European White Storks (1 meter or nearly 4 feet tall), enjoying their huge summer-home nests along Bulgarian roads.  These "baby-bringing" storks like to build nests on tall man-made edifices--chimneys, steeples, telephone and electric poles--and often return to and refurbish them for generations (even centuries).  But the electric poles haven't worked well--they sometimes caught on fire and left people without electricity and the storks without a nest or even a family.  Alongside roads and railway lines, the conservation-minded Bulgarians have now installed platforms at the top of the poles to hold the nests,  so that the storks have a safe home to return to after their winters in Africa.

We passed through cool forests on a hot day as we followed winding roads up to the town of Belogradchik to enjoy refreshments and our first view of the rocks at a modern hotel with spa services.  Across the green valleys, we saw outcroppings of multi-colored sandstone and limestone rocks that have been being shaped for more than 200 million years by the elements.  Belogradchik is a UNESCO World Heritage site and was well ranked in the recent 7 Natural Wonders of the World contest.  Nearby are the Magura Caves with cave drawings from 8000-600 BC  and at least four kinds of bats. Maybe next time...

From descriptions, I had thought the rocks might be like the strange volcanic fairy domes of Capadoccia, Turkey, or the western desert red-rock canyons of Zion's or Bryce in Utah, USA, but they were not.  Instead, they were like colored ships afloat in a sea of green, filled with the most interesting array of animal and human faces.  Many of the rocks have been given names and legends where everyone ends up being turned to stone: The Monks, Madonna, Bear, Monkey, Adam and Eve, Horse Rider.  Sometimes I saw alternative forms.  That was the fun of it--giving it your own interpretation.  If you look carefully at the rocks in the slideshow, you may well find the face of a friend who has been turned to stone.

To climb a section of the rocks, we passed through the Ottoman Citadel or Fortress of Belogradchik.  The fortress was built in a strategic place--near the Danube and between passages in the Balkan Mountains.  The Thracians built the first fort which was used and expanded by the Romans, the Byzantines, The Bulgarian Kingdoms, and then the Turks when they conquered in 1396.  It is mostly the old walls that remain, but we happened to be there during a time of rebuilding.  Belogrradchik had been chosen as the set for an Italian film,  The Captain's Daughter, and carpenters were busy constructing a town within the walls for the upcoming filming.

The climb from the fortress to the rocks had uneven stone steps, but was not too demanding if you took your time.  Then one could choose among several levels of difficulties to climb the rocks and enjoy the views.   Even though we came in the morning, it was a hot day, so I chose the most shaded path to find my rock-faced friends before enjoying our air-conditioned bus back to Vidin.  Next post:  The Fortress of Baba Vida.

Click link below for slideshow:
Belogradchik

Music: Angelite, A Pirin Melody, The Rough Guide to the Music of the Balkans

The Iron Gates of the Danube

I admit--I didn't have a clue what or where the Iron Gates were before this trip.  But here, where the Carpathian and Balkan mountains meet, the Danube did her finest work in carving out narrow gorges in the mountain valleys to carry her waters from the Germanic Black Forest to the Black Sea.   Until Yugoslavia and Romania cooperated in 1972 to build a dam/lock and hydro-electric plant on their common border, this was the most wild and treacherous section of the Danube.

In this 83-mile (134 km) span of the river, you find massive granite mountains and lovely peaceful valleys.

While the dam created safe passage for ships and clean energy for the people, it came at a price.  A number of historic towns and  beautiful islands were submerged (see prior post).  We eerily entered the Iron Gates, avoiding the branch tops of underwater trees from a submerged island near the remains of the Golubac castle.  This 14th century castle built on a prior Roman site and conquered by the Turks in 1428, whispers legends of giant mosquitoes (they've now moved down river) that came from a rotting dragon killed by a valiant knight.  The Turks added the story of a beautiful harem girl, Zuleika, who was tied to the great rock in the middle of the Danube and either repented of her sins, died for her lover, or was rescued, became a Christian, and lived happily ever after, depending on whose story you want to believe.

As we entered the narrow gap (150m; 500ft) with towering mountain cliffs (600m; 2000 ft) that echo the slightest sound, I felt like we were entering a hidden, fabled kingdom---something out of Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.  I could easily imagine hobbits and elves and auks appearing at any moment as we sailed between steep rocky mountains, red-roofed villages, richly-forested hills, and medieval tower ruins.  We had a perfect day and a half in the Gates--blue skies, billowy white clouds, and the ever-present rush of the wind (take a hat for the sun, but hold onto it).

Though treacherous for millennium, this section of the river has ancient roots. At nearby Lepenski Vir, archaeologists have found ruins of a 59-house town that was occupied around 6,000 BC when the earliest civilizations were developing in Mesopotamia.  It challenges modern theories that civilization began and spread only from the Middle East.  Instead, Neolithic civilization may have spread independently from this area of the Danube through Europe.

The Romans, of course, were here.  The Dacians, on  the eastern (Romanian) side of the river, were considered a threat to the Roman Empire and had land and gold mines that even Caesar coveted.  The Emperor Domitian  led the army in 87 AD against Decebalus, King of the Dacians, with limited success.  But it was Trajan, as a new emperor, that would bring glory and gold to Rome.  His soldiers created a road along the cliffs and built a bridge, the biggest of the time and for centuries to come, across the troublesome Danube to defeat Decebalus in 101 AD and finally to destroy the Dacian kingdom in 105.

They say they celebrated the victory for 123 days throughout the Roman Empire, and it was immortalized on Trajan's Column that still stands in Rome.  Trajan himself was pretty proud of what he did and left the following tabula on the cliff visible from the Danube:  "The Emperor Caesar son of the divine Nerva--Nerva Trajan Augustus Germanicus--High Priest and for the fourth time Tribune--Father of the Country and for the fourth time Consul--overcame the hazards of the mountain and river--and opened this road."  The actual site is under water, but the rock was moved up the mountain before the dam was opened.  A little ways up river from there, someone of recent times carved the face of Decebalus in the mountain.  It's about time someone honored the "barbarians."

Even the Habsburgs had a part in this.  When the crown of St. Stephen was discovered along the river (after having been  stolen and hidden by unhappy Hungarians), Franz Joseph had a church erected on the spot.  (see Habsburgs)

While the Romans brought political stability, the Danube continued to be a challenge to navigate.  Only small barges controlled by trained pilots could get through and only at certain water levels and seasons.  A side canal was tried; cables to pull the boats from the shore were used.  Finally, the Djerdap Power Station with its huge dam and double locks was opened in 1972 at the lower end of the Iron Gates, just before the Danube leaves Serbia and becomes the border between Bulgaria and Romania.

The Iron Gates were a magnificent segment of my Danube voyage.  It inspired a slightly longer-than-usual slideshow that  is worth the download time.  For the music, I chose Wagner--strong, mythical, with a touch of the wild and sublime.  Enjoy.

Click link below for slideshow:
Iron Gates of the Danube

Music:  Richard Wagner, Entrance of the Gods into Valhalla (Das Rheingolt), Wagner Without Words


More Information:  en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron_Gate_(Danube)
http://www.danube-river.com/

Donji Milanovac, Serbia and the Iron Gates

Using my wonderful computer "time machine,"  I am now back on the Danube River on my Uniworld Riverboat Cruise in July 2010. If you want to enjoy the beginning of the trip, click on Danube Cruise on the sidebar for the earlier posts.

The Iron Gates is probably the most beautiful 84- mile stretch of the Danube.  In order for us to enjoy all of  it in the daytime, we entered the area in the afternoon and then stopped at a small Serbian river town, Donji Milanovac, overnight.  In the morning, we were off again, but first we had a few moments to enjoy the town.

Donji Milanovic is a fairly new town now.  When a dam was finally built in 1971 for this section of the Danube, several towns were immersed under water. (coming post)  Donji Milanovic was rebuilt on higher land and the lovely paintings from their older church were brought to the new one.  It was also once a town know for its caviar.  The dam not only took away their old town, but also prevented the sturgeon from getting upstream to lay their eggs.  They hope tourism will be their new "golden egg."

Donji Milanovac was a very friendly place, and, like in small towns in America, the town folk turned out to see what was happening when we arrived at their small dock.   The ladies quickly set up tables to display their hand embroidered and crocheted clothing, table cloths, and doilies.  The priest agreed to take us on a tour of their church, and the inquisitive children gathered near the boat and nearby park.

Almost everywhere we went on the trip, ladies displayed beautiful handiwork which I knew took much skill and  time to make.  But today's luggage limits really restrict what one can take back home.  I did get two embroidered blouses for young nieces, but was sorry I  couldn't buy from them all.

I especially enjoyed the children I met.  Parents were responsibly nearby and seemed pleased when I spoke to their children in English, explaining that I was a teacher from America.  The children tried out some of their school English on us and were delighted when we wanted to take their picture back to show children in America.  Here, in this small town in southern Serbia, the politics of the world seemed so far away, and we could just enjoy the brotherhood of mankind.

After early morning exercises as the sun rose the next day on the Danube, a Serbian family on our cruise invited some of us to go with them to get the special Serbian apple and cheese pastries that were just coming out of the oven at a local pastry shop.  Delicious!  What a great way to start another beautiful day on the Danube!  Next post:  The Majestic Iron Gates.

Click link below for slideshow:
Donji Milanovac

Music:  Ansambl Triola, Kozak--O mama, mama,
Kolekcija pesama 2009

Biloxi, Mississippi and the Gulf Coast

In my next post, I will enter the Iron Gates gorge on the Danube, but first--my one day journey along the US Gulf Coast in November 2009.

I had an extra day which I planned to devote to a Habitat building project for Katrina victims as part of  a New Orleans convention  I was attending.  Unfortunately, injuries before the trip to my shoulder and wrist left me unfit to labor.  So, I rented a car for a leisurely coastal day trip into two states I had not yet visited--Mississippi and Alabama.  I ended up in a major argument with my portable GPS navigator  about what is scenic.  It wanted to rush me ahead along smooth super highways (I-10).  I periodically ignored it to follow more scenic roads (US 90).   But just when I thought I had persuaded the GPS to continue my way, it would lead me back to the main highway.  Perhaps it sensed, better than I did, my time limitations.

In less than an hour, I was out of Louisiana and into Mississippi, the Magnolia State--birthplace of such diverse notables as Elvis Presley and William Faulkner.   The Gulf Coast extends about 75 miles from Louisiana to Alabama along the Gulf of Mexico.  It has some natural protection from the Gulf through the barrier islands that create the Mississippi Sound.

However, such protection is insufficient in a major hurricane.  Camille struck in 1969;   Hurricane Katrina struck  in all her fury in 2005 with a 27-foot storm surge, creating a 12 foot tidal surge in Biloxi.  Over 50 people were killed and over 90% of the coastal buildings  were destroyed in the Gulfport-Biloxi area.  Today, the coastal road is lined with new buildings, abandoned foundations, and the massive oak trees that have survived it all.  Sadly, the Gulf Coast was attacked again in summer 2010, but this time by the man-made oil spill.

Biloxi was founded in 1699 and served as the capital of French Louisiana until 1720 when New Orleans was built.  It's name lingers in one's memory from literary and historical references, the most famous probably being Neil Simon's play/movie Biloxi Blues.  Kessler Air Force base brings a military presence; shrimp boats and oyster luggers provide livelihoods to locals who include immigrants from places as diverse as Croatia and Vietnam;  Jefferson Davis' final home, Beauvoir, gives historical presence; and the white sands (but not good swimming) and new seaside casinos entice visitors.

I then wandered along silent autumn marshes in the Gulf Islands National Seashore, but did not make it up to the swimming beach at West Ship Island.   Instead, I headed the short distance to Mobile, Alabama.  At a rest stop, I found fall foliage, mixed with  graying Spanish moss.  Mobile was founded by the French and is Alabama's oldest city and only port, jutting down with white beaches between the Gulf coastlines of Mississippi and Florida.

I had had an early breakfast and not stopped for lunch, so I set my GPS for the recommended "no frills" Dew Drop Inn, the oldest restaurant in Mobile and "one of the city's most popular spots to meet and eat." Winding through neighborhoods, I ended up at a no-frills 60s-style one-room diner.  I enjoyed my lunch/dinner of Southern diner food, appreciated Southern hospitality, but decided at 5 pm that my journey must end there.  I realized that I was leaving most of the graceful "Azalea City" unseen, but departed with the hope that I could return some spring to see the "explosion of azaleas beneath Spanish moss oak-draped canopies." ( Fodor's Essential South)   I let my GPS speed me back to New Orleans.

Click link for slideshow:
Biloxi and the Gulf Coast
Music: George Delereu,  Biloxi Blues (Main Theme)