Strashnoto ezero 2023

One of our beast hikes this year. We do a few of those, usually in the summer, when the weather is sunny and the high mountains are safe for amateur hikers like us.

Last Friday was probably one of the hottest days this summer, in a line of hot days, and it was noticeable even above the 2000 m altitude. I was so profusely sweating while climbing towards the Yonchevo lake, that it felt more like melting.

Finally, after an hour and a half, we are approaching our first rest stop.

The lake is huge for a high altitude lake and truly beautiful. 

 

We had some power snacks here and I think it did make a difference for the steep climb to the next lake that followed. I'm starting to dig these small power snacks, even if they are just lots of carbohydrates.

Hike info:

Destination: Strashnoto ezero round route (2451 m)

Mountain: Rila

Total length: 16 km

Elevation gain: 750 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 7 hours

Average difficulty: 7.5 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Knipmode cargo pants, grey hoodie

I: lingerie, Love Notion's Tunic, Hound's tooth hoodie

The final climb. It is actually easier than it looks and once you are there, among the rocks, the path to follow is clear and well trodden, with just a few rather big rocks to climb, where I had to use all four.

Finally, we are over the ridge and near the lake.

The distinct peaks above the Strashnoto ezero (Scary lake)

The small lake, feeding from the same river

And here it is, our final goal - the Scary lake

There were still patches of snow near the lake and early spring flowers. Seasons are different at this altitude and as always, even on the hottest of days, I had to put my hoodie on near the lake.

We had our lunch break here, on a terrace, overlooking the next of the Prekorechki lakes.

And down we went, by the several Prekorechki lakes, towards Malyovitza hut.

Iglite

 

Malyovitza hut and peak Malyovitza

Husband insisted on us taking a shortcut along these stones instead of walking the full circle to Malyovitza hut. For me, this was probably the most difficult of the hike, I am always terrified of breaking a leg while hopping down such rugged stones, but we managed it.

Down by the Malyovitza river, with peak Malyovitza in the distance

One More Wine Red Tunic

And because I was in the mood and had red thread on the overlocker and my Laundry Day Tee pattern out and still plenty of fabric, I made another Wine Red Tunic out of the same tandem of fabrics, this time reversed - striped top and solid bottom.

 

I also opted for the tank top cut of the LDT - I had actually never tried it before. I found it a bit too much cut out at the front - I prefer my tank tops more covering around the arms area. I had intended to make the tunic without armbands, but I did not like the way the tunic gaped, so in the end I added 3 cm solid bands.

I also tried to add a small feature to one of the shoulder straps, making it in solid fabric, but I don't think it shows that much. It might even look like a defect rather than the intended effect, but I'm not at all bothered by it, so whatever.

Pattern: Laundry Day Tee

Size: XS

Fabric: wine ITY (100% polyester) and striped cotton-viscose knit

Time to make: 3 days

I have still quite a piece of the solid color ITY fabric, but I think I'm done with Laundry Day Tunics for now. It could be good for a small light top with spaghetti straps, probably because it's rather hot recently and spaghetti straps are all I can think of right now :) However, I'm so busy, that I doubt I'll have the time to whip up a new top any time soon.

Peak Dupevitza During The Hot Days

It is hot! I know, it is summer and it is supposed to be hot, but for us, Sofia residents, accustomed to a bit colder mountain climate, temperatures above 30C feel HOT, HOT, HOT.

We were really tempted this week to go to the higher mountains, like Pirin or Rila, but we also felt like picking some wild raspberries, so in the end we chose the low mountain of Lulin and climbed peak Dupevitza.

I remember a climb of Dupevitza on a hot summer day a couple of years ago, when I really struggled in the hot humid air. This year I've been trying to increase my cardio-vascular capacity (which is unfortunately innately much below average) and so, apart from my daily walks (4-5 km), I also jog from time to time, usually once or twice a week. Maybe it's the jogging or maybe I just had a better day, but although it was one of the hottest days of the year, the climb to the peak felt like almost no effort at all. I really hope it's the jogging and not just a fluke.

Hike info:

Destination: round trail to peak Dupevitza

Mountain: Lulin

Total length: 10 km

Elevation gain: 320 m

Total duration (plus picnic and berry eating and picking): 3 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10 

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxershorts

I: lingerie, Love Notion's Tunic, Love Notion's leggings

:On Dobrinova skala peak

:All Saints Chapel. We had our picnic at the picnic area nearby

:The Monastery of Gorna Banya

:As we still had quite a few handfuls of wild strawberries, I made another tart today, with cake base and divine custard filling with whipped cream. The aroma of these strawberries is unbelievable!

Tyrolean Tart

Husband and I hiked yesterday on Lulin mountain, a repeat of our last year's hike mid July in the hope to find again some ripe raspberries for half a dozen jars of wild raspberry jam. Alas, summer is evidently late this year and the raspberries were at least two weeks аваъ from riping. However, the wild strawberries were still fairly abundant - another evidence that the seasonal fruits are late this year, as other years we've seen ripe strawberries on Dupevitza as early as June 10th.

Anyway, instead of raspberries, we gathered some strawberries and in the evening I made my first Tyrolean tart. I liked it a lot and I am putting down the recipe in my blog, as I know I'll be willing to repeat it, and soon.

The biscuit crust:

• 100 g butter
• 1 egg
• 50 g sugar
• 220 g flour
• 5 g baking powder
  

Beat the egg with the sugar. Add the melted, but not hot butter. Add the flour with the baking powder and mix into a soft dough. I don't have a tart form, so I used my spring cake form, covering the bottom and forming a border along the walls of the form, high enough for the filling of the tart. I pricked the thus formed biscuit layer with a fork and placed it in a preheated oven to bake for 25 min at 180C.

The cream filling:

• 350 ml milk
• 2 egg yolks
• 50 g sugar
• 2 tbsp flour
• vanilla
• 10 g butter 
  

Stir the egg yolks with the sugar, add the vanilla, the flour and a small amount of the milk and stir, until homogeneous. Add the rest of the milk and cook over the hot plate at medium heat until the cream thickens and begins to boil. Set aside to cool down to room temperature. Cover with cling form to avoid a crust being formed.

The fruit layer

Here any fruit and any syrup goes. I used the wild strawberries and I prepared a syrup out of home-made strawberry jam, diluted in 150 ml water. This made my syrup somewhat murky, so next time I'll use something else for the jelly. To thicken it, I added 5 g of gelatin, prepared according to the instructions on the pack. 

Finally I assembled the tart and placed it in the fridge overnight. The resulting dessert is delicious crispy crust with sweet creamy filling and divinely aromatic wild berries with a very delicate sour tinge. Definitely recommend this recipe and will be making it soon with other berries (wild raspberries :), hopefully).

Orange T-shirt

 A simple T-shirt with some yellow piping for my husband.

The pattern is a Burda longsleeve, which I've made already several times into short-sleeved T-shirts, longsleeves and even a hoodie for husband and son.

I like how the yellow piping freshens up the t-shirt and I am fairly happy with the consistency of the width of the piping.

As is my custom, I finished the inside of the back neckline with a band, made out of the yellow fabric, covering the overlocking.

 

Pattern: Burda 132 12/2020

Size: 48, + 5 cm added length

Fabric: orange heavy viscose knit,  yellow cotton knit with lycra

Mods: lowered front neckline by 2 cm, added + 5 cm body length

Time to make:  in the course of a week