Smolyan
After experiencing some really high temperatures, Smolyan was a bit higher up and a bit cooler. It’s a town and ski resort . Our park up was outside the actual town and was right by a lake and very calm and peaceful. The perfect place to just sit and chill for a couple of days.
Devil’s Throat Cave
Devil’s throat cave is located in the Rhodope Mountains. It’s known for its impressive entrance, a large hole in the ground that leads to an underground cave system. Inside there is a stunning underground waterfall known as the “Devil’s Throat” which plunges into the depths of the cave.
We did the drive through the Rhodope Mountains which was stunning but sadly there was no parking available anywhere near the cave entrance. So we had to just drive on.
You can see a bit of our drive through the mountains here
We then went to Dospat reservoir or Lake Saritsa but there was nowhere to park there either which was a shame as it looked lovely .
We ended up at a park up at Dolen where we stayed for 1 night.
Petrich Hot Springs
Petrich Hot Springs are located in southwestern Bulgaria, near the town of Petrich.
We were able to park right by it and it is a beautiful site.
It is a very beautiful and scenic location. The thermal waters of Petrich are known for their healing properties, believed to alleviate various ailments and promote overall well-being.
The temperature of the springs remains consistent throughout the year. We arrived in the afternoon and the air temperature was very hot, it was definitely too hot to go into the hot springs until the evening but we did put our hands in just to feel!
As you can see we did all go in and make use of the mud once the sun had gone down.
As well as the hot springs there was also a swimming pool which was under a big shaded canopy. I’m not a fan of chlorine or swimming pools really but it was a great way of cooling off. You did have to pay to go into the pool but it was a rate for the whole day and was definitely worth it as it was so hot!
Whilst in the pool with Steve and Elisa we chatted to a German man we’d met earlier. He told us there was a park right next to us where you could see small turtles in the lake. He also said that the area, known as Rupite is a spiritual site devoted to Baba Vanga as it is the place where she once lived.
It’s a beautiful park, a church, a sculpture, life size, of Baba Vanga, a small museum next to it, her tomb, her small cottage and the room where she used to receive visitors.
Who was Baba Vanga?
Baba Vanga was a female mystic in Bulgaria. She lost her eyesight when she was only 15 years old. After which she started making predictions. Her premonitions only started after she lost her sight.
Many of her predictions were claimed to be accurate, including 9/11, the Chernobyl disaster and Princess Diana’s death!
Her predictions though were often cryptic though and open to interpretation. She died in 1996 and has left predictions for every year until 5079!
If you want to know more about Baba Vanga there is loads of information on the internet and also books about her.
We walked round the park and saw the turtles but it was so uncomfortably hot that we just headed back to where the hot springs were but ended straight into the cool pool .
The following day we headed to the famous Rila Lakes which are high up in the mountains so it was definitely going to be cooler. This will be the start of our next post
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Our Life on the Road 