Musala, Borovets (Bulgaria)
Musala is the highest point of the Rila Mountains, as well as the entire Balkan Peninsula. Its height is 2925 m. There are different routes to climb the mountain. If you are not new to this business, then you should choose a walking route from Borovets. The journey takes about 7 hours. You can also take the so-called “cabin lift” (lift with cabins) from the foot of the mountain to the bases located at an altitude of 1790 m and 2362 m. At the top of Musala there is a meteorological station.
At the foot of the mountain is the ski resort of Borovets . The resort offers 18 ski slopes with a total length of over 40 km. They are equipped with lifts and funiculars, which are designed for more than 10,000 passengers per hour. All categories of ski slopes are represented here – from easy and gentle slopes, perfect for those who decide to try mountain skiing for the first time, to dizzying and difficult slopes that only the most experienced skiers will be able to do.
For convenience, the tracks are divided into 3 skiing areas:
Sitnyakovo – Martinovi zeleni baraki: 8 difficult and 1 medium difficulty tracks, chairlift, towing ropeways with four-seater benches (total length of tracks 19000 m, drop 397 m);
hawk: 3 pistes, gondola lift with four benches (total length of pistes 13000 m, drop 1040 m);
Markudjik: 4 difficult and 1 medium difficulty pistes, gondola, towing single-cableway (total length of pistes 4875 m, drop 310 m).
In 2002, the resort was modernized. New structures were built, and equipment for artificial snow production was purchased and installed. In particular, snow cannons were installed on the road opposite the Rila Hotel (Martinovi Baraki district). Now, with insufficient snow, but stable sub-zero temperatures, you can always find a skiing track in Borovets.
Oryahovo (Bulgaria)
According to foodezine, the city of Oryakhovo is located near the Danube, near the mouths of the Ogosta and Skyt rivers. It is located 190 km northeast of Sofia.
A settlement on the site of Oryahovo existed in the Bronze Age. In the era of Roman rule, the road to Constantinople passed here. In the IX – X centuries. a Bulgarian city with a fortress arose, which was an important frontier post. In subsequent years, it was destroyed and rebuilt more than once. As a result of the development of navigation on the Danube River at the end of the 18th and 19th centuries. Oryahovo began to grow rich.
Oryakhovo is one of the most picturesque towns on the Danube. At its highest point, there is the Hunting House park.. It offers a panoramic view of the entire Danube coast and the Romanian village of Beket on the opposite bank. In the eastern part of the city there is a park of the Bulgarian-Romanian friendship with the statue of Liberty sculpture by Arnoldo Zocchi (1882).
In the church of St. George, utensils and church books of the 17th century, transferred from Russia, are stored.
The House-Museum of Diko Iliev shows the environment in which Diko I. Iliev lived – an original Bulgarian folk musician, conductor and composer, author of the popular Bulgarian national dances “horo” and marches for a brass band.
1.5 km west of Oryakhovo the remains of the ancient fortress Kamyka, built in the 12th century, have been preserved. It was one of the links in the defensive system along the northern border of the Bulgarian state. The two-story corner watchtower is relatively well preserved. The construction is typical of ancient Bulgarian and very solid – broken stones, welded together with white plaster and a net of wooden beams to level the masonry. Esperanto Island, overgrown with dense vegetation, is located 5 kilometers east of the city. On one of its shores, a suburban recreation area is framed – a beach, a park, a restaurant. The area got its name in 1937, when the World Esperanto Congress was held here. The village of Ostrov is located 22 kilometers to the southeast.
To the south of it begins the Island rampart from the period of the state of Asparuh. It is a defense system in depth, directed to the west. Its length is 64 km; it ends between the villages of Gabare and Tlachene.
In the Oryahovo area, the Danube provides excellent opportunities for beach recreation and sports. Here the river is especially beautiful because of the high and steep banks.
