The autumn obviously will be a warm one, so we suggest a route for the weekend, for instance, which will take you around the Rhodope Mountain.
Doubtlessly, the first remarkable spot along the classic tourist route Plovdiv – Asenovgrad – Smolyan is Asen’s Fortress.
It is situated 2 km away to the south of the town of Asenovgrad, as the mountain road, leading to it is quite steep, with many curves. The fortress existed even back in Thracian times and in the 9th century it was restructured by the Byzantine authorities and turned into a border bastion, guarding the so-called Aegean Road. The place was named after the Bulgarian Tsar Ivan Asen II, who did significant repairs in 1231, a preserved inscription reads.
The Bachkovo Monastery is situated not so far from there – it is a religious and cultural landmark that one cannot miss, despite the attempt of few traders to cover it up behind their stands and the smoke from their barbeques. The holy temple is the second largest in this country after the Rila one and a miraculous icon of Mother Mary can be seen in it, along with many fine murals. A curious detail – the monastery was established back in 1083 by a Georgian officer, serving in the Byzantine army – Gregory Pakourianos and his brother.
The wooden cross donated by King Boris III. It was stolen but later miraculously returned to its place
Krastova Gora /Forest of the Cross/ is the right place to be seen by anyone, no matter a religious person or not. There are two holy springs there, one of them quite difficult to reach due to the steep terrain. The legend says that the area hides a piece of the cross, where Jesus was crucified. There is an iron cross, weighing 66 kg on top of Krastova Gora that was gifted by King Boris III during the first half of the 20th century. The cross was stolen once, but the thieves were found dead and the precious gift was returned back to where it belonged.
The Devil’s Throat cave offers an adventure to fans of the extreme even in front of its entrance. Local cliff-hangers have become entrepreneurs for a while and have stretched a metal rope over the precipice there. One can sit in a special cliff-hanging seat, hold tight the reel handles and throw himself in the abyss, crossing one of its curves at a height of 15 – 20 m.
The cave itself on the other hand is unique not with its vision /practically this is simply a deep hole/, but with the retold legend of Orpheus and his Eurydice, saying that this is the exact place, where the ancient musician descended the underground world to look for his beloved one. A bit creepy story seems to confirm somehow the legend: years ago the locals mistakenly threw away a large quantity of logs inside the river at the upper end of the cave. Of course, they decided to meet the wooden material at the lower end, where it should have emerged in about 10 minutes. However, the logs simply disappeared. The same thing happened to the paint that the people colored the waters of the underground river with later on…
The Yagodina Cave could be the next stop of your trip – it is 10 km long and 1,100 m are open for visitors. The temperature inside never exceeds 6C, so one does need warm clothes. Many natural figures can be seen along the route, some of them resembling Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, then a leopard’s skin etc. One curious detail – some 250 weddings have taken place here till now. The guide asks in a cool manner not to be questioned about the divorces that followed – his colleagues from the Devil’s Throat were engaged in that…
There are few guest houses in the Rhodope village of Yagodina, situated a few kilometers above the cave up in the mountain. A large signboard, situated at the crossroad down at the river provides info on those places. We recommend the house of Nevena and Rossen Terziev that can be found at the end of the village, offering a magnificent view to the local peaks. The house lord and his wife will take care of all your needs and you can spend a very nice evening in their tavern, relaxing after the long day, spent among the wonders of the Rhodope Mountain.
After getting up in the next morning and tasting Nevena’s pancakes, one can opt for a longer stay at this wonderful place or for another destination in the mountain. The regional town of Smolyan is a good choice. There is a star show everyday at 3:00 pm at the local Planetarium, where visitors can get acquainted with the Solar System and all the planets that surround the Earth. The Uhlovitsa cave may be your next destination, with its 20 m deep holes, ending somewhere in the bowels of the earth. There are dozens of other landmarks in the region - all you have to do is ask the locals for some advice.
Have a nice trip!
Written and translated by: Zhivko Stanchev
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