Not only Dutch people, but French, Germans, Scandinavians, and recently more Bulgarians visit this blessed by mother- nature region. Many refuse to share their experience in order to preserve that place in its current state, far from the incursion of the modern tourism. Take a walk along the course of river Arda and fill your senses with extraordinary views, bird songs and a scent of wild flowers and herbs. Its clear waters work their way in the foot of rocky peaks, forming magnificent meanders of almost unreal beauty.
The asphalt road that swings along its sandy shores takes you to virgin places, where mainly elderly people inhabit quarters, far away from the crowded cities. Those residents view the tourists as predators, coming from another age. They are quite hospitable though and always meet the stranger with a wide smile on their face and delicious meals. If you stay at the guesthouse in the village of Gorno pole for instance, you will experience the taste of beef, steamed in a pumpkin and the so called Banitza with grits. The hosts are mainly farmers. In their farms they breed the rare species of shorthorn buffalo and the Karakachan sheep, which graze freely in the suburbs of the village, thus becoming an irrevocable part of the the local landscape. The place around the desolate village of Sbor, situated in the middle of nowhere, brings nostalgia over the past. Not far from the remains of its houses, which have been ruined by natural forces, a stud of wild horses, or the so called Tarpans wanders about. They were brought from Holland last year in order to graze and recover the natural ecosystems, and have already turned into a tourist attraction. Another attraction form this region are the local costumes that shine in all colors of the rainbow. The locals keep these costumes in old closets and wardrobes, to wear them only on holidays. This is the time when all people dance in small steps the so called Horo dance (chaindance), with the accompaniment of the Rhodope Kaba (or low pitched) Bagpipe. And everyone who wants to take part in this amusement is more than welcome!
Translated by Kostadin Atanasov
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