Kominite - Kamen del 2024

Yesterday was finally a warm and sunny day after a fortnight of fairly cold and wet weather and we decided to climb on Vitosha along a circular trail we constructed for us last year - we left the car at Bay Krustyo, climbed along the Kominite to peak kamen del, where we had our picnic with a glorious view at Sofia, then went down in the direction of Zlatnite mostove and took the mid-altitude trail back to the car.

The trail is really very good, with decent altitude gain, without being brutal and varying scenes from the forested part of Vitosha to the plateau and the stony desert of Kamen del.

The sun was fairly strong, but the temperatures were still a bit low, in the 13-15C, so the climb was actually comfortable, without too much overheating and sweating - you see, every cloud does have a silver lining :)

The sequence of the three rock formations, called Kominite, seen from above:

Hike info:

Destination: peak Kamen Del (1862 m) along circular trail

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 12.5 km

Elevation gain: 500 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 4 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 4 / 10

The plateau. As it was Sunday and a sunny day, the popular fairly short and level trail, which connects Aleko to Kamen del, was packed with all kinds of tourists, from experienced hikers to small children. 

Peak Kamen del was quite densly populated, but we managed to find a nice cozy spot and have our snacks, enjoying the views of Sofia. We've done it so many times, but it never gets old - trying to find specific buildings and other architectural landmarks, while looking at the city from above.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda cargo pants

I: lingerie, Sabrina Slims II, hoodie

The forests under peak Kamen del along the mid-altitude trail were probably the most beautiful part of the route, as they are gradually getting their autumnal colors.

The Dragalevska river

Burda Sleeveless Chiffon Dress

I made a new dress - for me. It is sort of a wearable muslin out of two inexpensive chiffon fabrics -  the same black chiffon I used as lining for Gaby's dress and a bit more structured, but still very transparent and flimsy black chiffon with white flowers for the main fabric.

A curious fact about chiffon - because the fabric is very transparent, the color of the lining can totally change the overall color of the dress. In my case the black lining deepens the black of the background and mutes the white of the flowers into grey. I placed the fabric, just for fun, on other chiffon fabrics I have at home and the change with lighter lining was amazing - the color immediately becomes washed out and greyish.

The pattern of the dress is a combination of an old Burda favourite of mine, which I tried to make a few years ago and abandoned  - Burda #104 from 02/2011and the skirt is again the semi-full Deniz skirt. A few notes on my modifications and observations: 

The body is designed to be cut 2 cm under the waist and the suggested skirt is a simple rectangle, gathered at the waist. I don't like such skirts and find them very unflattering, so I added the semi-full Deniz. However, I found that the semi-full skirt should stay exactly on the waist line. I did take off one of the added 2 cm under the waist, but next time I'll cut the upper body exactly at the waistline. I also made a few cm corrections on the width of the neckline at the front and the back, as Burda patterns are wide on me in this area.

Next - the hidden zipper is at the side. This is more comfortable and logical, when a dress is sleeveless. However, the semi-full skirt behaves differently, when it is rotated so, that the straight parts are at the sides - the cross-grain parts at the back and the front pull and stretch and the skirt looks uneven. In the end I had to cut the skirt in an oval form, so that it would actually look circular. Next time I'll definitely place the straight lines at the back and the front and either try to add the zipper on the cross-grain on the side or move it to the back.

A small note for next time - the arm openings are a bit too narrow, I know I am a bit peculiar and prefer wider openings on sleeveless dresses, so I'll widen them just a bit next time - it's not a big deal.

With this dress I tried the burrito method for adding the full lining of a sleeveless body and it is magic - every seam is neatly hidden inside, there are no outer seams around the neck and the arm openings and the dress looks very polished. There are plenty of videos how to add the lining like that and I heartily recommend the method.

 

Pattern: Burda #104 02/2011 dress and Deniz skirt by Vikisews

Size: 17 Height: 154 - 160 cm

Fabric: black chiffon, black chiffon with white flowers

Time to make: 4 days

Lanina Mogila 2024

On Sunday we hiked in another nearby low mountain - Lozen. It has been sometime since we last climbed peak Lanina Mogila, one of the peaks, accessible from the village of Lozen. I have a fondness for this peak, as it has an amazing view and our picnics on top are always exclusively pleasant, but with the years the trail to the top is becoming uglier from the jeeps and ATVs people drive around and I don't think I'll be keen on climbing it soon, starting from the village of Lozen.

Goren Lozen. Because of its proximity to Sofia, the village is quickly becoming a suburbia with large mansions and a lot of construction work.

Husband adores tasting wild plums, wherever we go :)

A praying mantis on the trail:

My favourite southern part of Lanina mogila, a bit away from the village and its industrial looking trails

We climbed the southern slope of the peak without a trail, free "gliganing" style

  The views from half-way to the peak

Hike info:

Date:  08 September 2024

Destination: Mt. Lanina Mogila (1188 m)

Mountain: Lozen

Total length: 13 km

Elevation gain: 480 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 3 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10 

On top of Lanina Mogila - we met only a few other hikers on Sunday, otherwise it was a fairly lonely hike.

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda cargo pants, Burda T-shirt

I: lingerie, Sabrina Slims I, Burda T-shirt

 

The view from our picnic spot, which makes it all worth it

The saddle between Lanina Mogila and Small Lanina Mogila

Dolen Lozen

We took a short detour to a small waterfall in the area

Sakoshki waterfalls

Manastirishte in September 2024

While I've been posting about our hiking trip in Greece, we've been back in Sofia, gradually returning to our normal lives, which usually also means a hike once a week near or far from home. 

Last Sunday we went on a short and relaxed trip to the village of Plana, to one of our most favourite destinations - peak Manastirishte.

The grass is already golden-brown and autumn is in the air.

Hike info:

Date: 01 September 2024

Destination: peak Manastirishte (1338 m)

Mountain: Plana

Total length: 8 km

Elevation gain: 160 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 2 and a half hours

Average difficulty: 2 / 10 

Wild pears. These looked to good, but alas, very unpleasant to the palate - sour and most of all astringent. 

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda Cargo pants, Burda blouse

I: lingerie, Sabrina Slims II, Burda henley blouse

 

To our pleasant surprise, we found a newly installed table with two benches on the peak and we had our delicious lunch there, with a view to Vitosha across the valley.

 And back to the village and the car along an alternative trail: