Day 8: Around Bulgaria in 14 days

On the eighth day of our excursion we were ready to make a short trip, which consisted of Vratsa to Belogradchik. Of course there was no way while in Vratsa we would not go through Ledenika Park and enter the cave of the same name. The experience was exciting, but the strongest memory in us left one of the attractions of the park. But we will get there.

So, on June 6th, we slept more than usual. We woke up at 9. My first job was to go down for coffee. As I drank my morning coffee, I pondered the sad fact that I had to send a drone for repair. With bitterness in my heart, I drank coffee, picked up a drone and sent it back to life. From here on, the day became much more fun. After loading our luggage in the car, we headed to Ledenika Park. It is located only 20 minutes from Vratsa, in the Vratsa Balkan at 830 meters above sea level. The road there is extremely picturesque. As we climbed up we stopped for not one or two pictures. An abandoned lift passes over the road, which I don’t know why we compared to the one in Chernobyl.

At the top, where the park actually is, there was a large parking lot where we could leave the car. The park was extremely slate and seemed to be well maintained. Walking there is well worth it and can be quite entertaining for children. Throughout the park, there are scattered figures of fairy-tale characters and animals that visitors to the park can take a picture of.

The park has several attractions:

Show sound and light – a light show that airs in Ledenika Cave. A
Fairytale Alley – Fairytale Alley with an Amphitheater is a Doll’s Alley – Famous Fairytale Heroes and Outdoor Theater Stage.
Ledenice – The Ledenice attraction module is a model of the most interesting cave organism in Ledenika – Svetlomrazets.
Bat – The Bat module is located in front of the cave entrance
Mom, Dad and We – Includes ropeways, wooden structures, and attraction Via Feratta – Movable Type, Playground.
Ecopaths – there are two tourist routes here: Gorno Ozirovo – Ledenika; Vratsa – Glacier
Attraction trains
We were more interested in the cave show, the fairytale alley and the ropeway gear that didn’t turn out to be as childish as we thought.

Ledenika cave

The main reason to get to the park was the cave. We bought our tickets from Bat. The price was BGN 10 per person, but they have different discounts for students and children. The temperature inside was quite low – between 5-10 degrees. If you decide to visit it, be sure to wear outerwear as well. The entrance to the cave is relatively narrow, and shortly after its beginning it descends on narrow metal stairs.
The cave is named Ledenika because of the ice stalagmites, stalactites and stalactones that form in it in winter near the entrance. The interesting thing is that inside the cave there is a 10 minute laser show, which makes it even more interesting for smaller visits.

 I tried to record a video with the laser show, but since it is with a phone, I don’t think the quality is particularly good and I don’t think there is room on the site.

After going around the cave we went out to the park again. We found ourselves in a fairytale alley where we were taking pictures with some of the fabulous characters.

  After picking up the alley, we decided to try the ropes. It is a rope route that crosses trees with different obstacles. All the time, you get caught with a safety rope, so it is by no means scary or dangerous, but it has proven ruthlessly tiring. Children, of course, may also have an easier way to go along the route. We were in a hurry. The people who watch the safe passage along the route were very cool, even taking pictures of us as we passed obstacles. We realized that women actually go through the whole route much faster and easier than most men. However, see what it is all about:

 
I came up with an idea less so, especially the loops. At first glance, they seemed quite easy, but their different lengths made them much more difficult. Because I was pushing through the obstacle of strength, instead of thinking, I got my nicks as seen in the picture. I’m probably the only person who managed to get hurt in this place.

Throughout the whole experience we remained infinitely bored and stopped thinking about anything else. All day long we discussed how difficult it was and how the various obstacles could be overcome. And yet it was time to go. We were not able to visit the two eco trails that are located in the area, but they also need to be separated for at least 3-4 hours according to the guides. We got in the car and headed for Belogradchik. Along the way we stopped for another picture of the Vrachanski Balkan.

Belogradchik

The road to Belgardchik is extremely pleasant and easy. We passed through the road Vratsa – Montana – Ruzhintsi – Belogradchik. It was an hour and a half, but we were so excited by our earlier experiences that we didn’t even feel how that time went. At Belgadchik we stayed at Ini Guest House. The house did not impress with particular luxury, but it was nevertheless comfortable and clean. The house itself has a pizzeria. The owner was extremely courteous and welcoming. After leaving our luggage and taking a quick shower, we headed directly to the Belogradchik Rocks. The Belogradchik rocks form a strip of approximately 30 km in length and up to 3 km wide, between the peak Vedernik, located in the mountain ridge Vedernik, and the vicinity of Belotintsi village. They were declared a natural landmark in 1949. They are included in the list of Hundred National Tourist Sites. Probably every stone has a story or a legend. To learn more about the rocks, we bought a booklet at the entrance to the fortress telling us about some of the legends around the rocks and their names. I will try to list the names of some of the rocks:

• Madon
• Horse
• The Abbess
• Monas
• Adam and Eve
• Mushrooms
• Camel
• The schoolgirl
• The monkey
• The negro
• Master
• The cocoon
• Pinocchio
• Pine stone

I’ll tell myself one of the legends. The legend of Borov Kamak tells that the boys from the region measured their courage and strength by competing with each other as to who would climb the fastest on it. The winner became the voivode and took the most beautiful girl for his wife.

I myself could not find / resemble each of the rocks. This in no way prevented me from earning excellence. Climbing the fortress itself is a great experience and the view is unforgettable.

After touring and taking pictures of the fortress, we went for a meal at one of the establishments we had visited before – the Markashnitsa Tavern. They offer really tasty food, but what you should definitely order is the specialty of the restaurant. As long as you have a place to eat it. It consists of several types of steaks, yellow cheese, egg, fries, cucumbers and tomatoes. Whatever you remember, there is one.

After dinner I wanted to take some night shots of the rocks. It turns out that through the months of April to October (or at least I think it was October) the rocks light up. And the view is really good.

We continued with the night shots until about 11 and then went to sleep. We had hesitations whether to travel directly to Pleven the next day or to extend our route and to go through Vidin where we were already. We left that decision for the next day.