Lavender fields in Bulgaria
Lavender and lavender fields have become one of the calling cards of Bulgaria, along with rose fields.
According to one legend, God gave Adam and Eve, who were expelled from paradise, a healing herb – lavender – to delight the soul. And indeed, lavender has many useful properties: it is aromatic, medicinal, decorative. The medicinal properties of lavender became known in the times of Ancient Rome. During the Roman Empire, lavender was sold at a price of 100 denarii per pound, which was about the same as a monthly salary of an agricultural worker or 50 hairdresser’s haircuts.
On an industrial scale, the plant is grown mainly for the production of lavender oil.
In addition to perfumery, lavender is also used in the production of many cosmetic products, such as creams, toothpastes, facial waters and rinses, as well as various medicines, ointments and in cooking.
Today Bulgaria is among the world leaders in lavender oil production.
Aladzha Monastery
According to statistics, every second tourist who vacations in Golden Sands and plans to go on an excursion necessarily includes a visit to the Aladzha Monastery in their cultural program. And there are several reasons for this.
One of the most mysterious and popular holy places on the Black Sea coast of Bulgaria is the Orthodox rock monastery of Aladzha.
The original Christian name of the monastery has not been preserved. The name “Aladzha” is of Turkish origin and means “motley, multi-colored”. Perhaps the brightly colored murals, whose roots go back to the Middle Ages, gave it this name – Aladzha. A century or two after the official adoption of Christianity in Bulgaria, hermit monks sought an ascetic life among the rocks and forests, providing solitude, and it is believed that they began to use the caves as monastic cells.
It finally took shape as a Christian rock monastery in the 13th century. At the end of the 14th century, after the conquest of Bulgaria by the Ottoman Empire, the monastery was destroyed, but hermits continued to inhabit the caves until the 18th century.
The rock monastery is located in the southwestern part of the Golden Sands Nature Park. The Aladzha Monastery is located 14 km north of Varna and 3 km from the Golden Sands resort.
There is free parking near the entrance to the monastery.
Next you will have to climb up the mountain along a pedestrian path that leads to the entrance to the monastery grounds. There is a museum on the left side of the grounds immediately after the entrance.
The museum displays everything related to the history of the charitable institution, and regularly hosts interesting exhibitions. One of the exhibitions is dedicated to the research of the Shkorpil brothers and many other archaeologists who followed them.
The monastery itself consists of 2 tiers. The first one contains the monks’ cells, the refectory and the temple itself, a small chapel is comfortably located on the second floor. There are also catacombs here, in which Bulgarian monks hid from the Ottoman conquerors.
There are benches where you can just sit, breathe in the clean forest and sea air and enjoy nature.
In this machine you can buy a commemorative coin for 4 leva.
At the entrance to the monastery grounds there is a coffee machine and a vending machine selling drinks and snacks.
You can walk another 700 meters through the forest to the southwest of the Aladzha Monastery, where there is a group of caves known as the Catacombs. Since the 4th century, Christian hermits have lived in the area in catacombs carved into the limestone cliff.
The path leading to the catacombs is suitable for walking only in dry weather. During rains it is washed away, which makes it quite slippery and additionally mosquitoes appear.
There are five walking routes through the monastery: red, blue, yellow, green and orange.
The study of the monastery does not stop even in our time, since the exact history of its origin still remains a mystery.
There are many legends about this monastery and the monks who inhabited it.
On Sundays, the territory of the complex hosts a night audio-visual show “Legends of the Aladzha Monastery”.
Having read reviews about this monastery, we learned that some people had headaches after visiting this place.
When going on an excursion to the monastery, take care of the right equipment. A hat is not required, since the monastery and the adjacent territory are located in a dense forest. But comfortable and closed shoes such as sneakers are a must.
Roman Baths in Varna
Wherever the ancient Romans settled, they built baths.
One of the most valuable cultural monuments of Varna (formerly Odessos) are the Roman baths, located in the central part of the city, not far from the seaport, on the corner of San Stefano and Khan Krum streets.
The grandeur of the construction, the impeccable execution of the brilliant architectural concept, the richness of the decoration make the baths a unique monument of ancient architecture in the Bulgarian lands. They testify to the flourishing of culture in the city in the 2nd-3rd centuries, its wealth and prosperity. The Varna baths are among the largest in the European part of the Roman Empire.
Roman baths are indoor baths with hot mineral water. Their construction was preceded by the construction of a water supply system. During the reign of Emperor Antonius Pius, the municipality of Odessos and the military governor, as well as the governor of the province of Lower Moesia, Titus Vitrasius Polion, captured and delivered water to the city. Perhaps a little later, the largest city bath in the Balkans and the fourth largest in Europe was built in Odessa – after the baths of Caracalla and Diocletian in Rome and in Trevira. Roman baths occupied more than 7,000 square meters. The surviving walls in some places reach 22 meters in height. In those days, baths were not only a place for bathing, but also the center of social life.
Bathing in the Roman bath itself took place in a bath with hot water. It occupies a central place in the plan of the baths. The three main baths were richly decorated with granite columns, marble Roman-Corinthian capitals and columns.
The baths also had other rooms for various purposes: a room for rinsing with warm water; for rinsing with warm water; for rinsing with hot water; toilets; a boiler room.
Of particular interest to this day is the heating system connected to the double floor and special cavities that transfer warm air to the roof of the bathroom.
