The beautiful weather, the month of May that looks more and more like a summer month awakens prematurely the desire for a seaside holiday. I am a sea lover, the sea seems to be an obsession for me, probably also because I live far from any shore. Therefore, as summer approaches I begin to feel an attraction that I cannot resist.
Deluded by the heat outside and the desire to get to the sea as soon as possible... I went on a short trip to the Black Sea, to the neighboring country, Bulgaria, to Sozopol. In southern Bulgaria. A place I've been to many times before but where I last went seven years ago. This long period of time since my last trip has increased my desire to revisit places that I liked a lot.
Sozopol is one of the oldest cities in Bulgaria!
Moreover, I found a travel website that claims that Sozopol is the oldest city in Bulgaria.
Sozopol is the oldest town in Bulgaria. It has been established in 610 BC as a Hellenic colony of Miletus Greeks named Apollonia Pontica. The urban structure has been built during the centuries and reveals the stages of development of the human civilization, bears the marks of inherited cultural layers and continuity, and turns Sozopol into a real museum town.
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I like the name of the city from ancient times. Apollonia, after the Greek god Apollo.
The old town, the real place of interest, is situated on a small peninsula with many houses divided by narrow, sloping streets. The part most visited by tourists.
Apart from that, there are two large beaches with very fine sand, Central Beach and Harmanite Beach.
Sozopol has located 35 km from Burgas, a large city in Bulgaria. With an airport and port, access is possible by plane or by water. The easiest, for those in the vicinity, is by car or coach. We arrived by car, after about five hours of driving.
I have so many impressions and stories about Sozopol that they get mixed up in my head and I don't know how to start this short presentation for those interested in getting to know, discovering new places that they can eventually visit, or just seeing them through the eyes of others, in this case, through my eyes. My eyes don't have a very good memory but they have great help. The camera is the traveler's closest friend. Like any tourist, as I think we all do, I took hundreds of photos, for remembrance, to keep the proof of the beauties seen and to show them to all those interested. I think I now know how to do this...
I will present the city in the order of the photos taken. The photos will help me to remember the places I visited and will explain my words. I hope it will be good!
First day
The first day was actually less than half a day. Access to the small hotel was only possible after 2 pm, so we made sure to finish our trip at this time. Settling in, luggage, picking up the rooms, and a short conversation with the hosts. The hotel is on a street in the new town, a few hundred meters from the beaches and the old town. The first (visual) contact with the tourist Sozopol, for which we made this trip, was made visually, from the hotel balcony.
I went on this trip with my wife and a good friend of ours. My wife and I have visited Sozopol several times before but for our friend it was a first. We immediately went on a tour of the city so our friend would understand why we like it here so much.
It's still spring and nature is showing off its floral beauty. The poppies are the first flowers that for us are an indicator that we have to go to the sea. Now they have fooled us a little, they have bloomed a little earlier because we have arrived at the sea before the season is open.
Searching for the flowering poppies, we arrived near the fortress of the city, that is, what was left of it, a high wall, partially rebuilt, which follows the shore of the small bay of the central beach and which was part of the protective wall of the old city.
A city with such a long history offers vestiges of the past at every turn. As is the Archaeological complex “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker”, located right at the entrance to the old town.
Archaeological complex “St. Nicholas the Wonderworker” presents artifacts and sites that track the 27-century history of Sozopol – from antiquity to the Middle Ages.
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Continuing the walk along the waterfront, following this wall, we find the most beautiful part of the fortress, the medieval fortress wall, and the tower.
The beautiful weather, the heat outside, and the longing for the sea made us do this trip ignoring one important aspect. Namely that the summer season has not started in Sozopol. Only after we arrived there did we find out that the season starts in June. This would not be a big problem, because the weather is like summer but many terraces, restaurants and street shops have not yet opened and this gives a somewhat sad and deserted picture. On the plus side, we had more time to walk around and enjoy the lack of crowds.
The view! In fact, that's why I came here. For the sea. The Black Sea is not exactly the most beautiful sea, considering its position further north. It may not be as beautiful as the Mediterranean or the Aegean, but we know how to enjoy what we have. The idea of the sea, the vastness, the freedom...
Beach! Although we haven't done the beach for many years, the beach is the central place of the resort and we must give it its due importance.
As I said, we arrived too early. There are few tourists, a few hundred, but they are not seen on the beach. Probably most of them are like us, those who love the sea and the beach but can't fight the rays anymore.
That's how a few hours passed on the first day in Sozopol. A small Black Sea resort in southern Bulgaria. In a late spring that I mistook for summer.
History and relaxation, a place where you enjoy walking around and discovering historical relics from ancient and medieval times. I haven't told you about the food yet, it follows in the presentation on the second day. Coming soon!
