Dupevitza 2025

This Saturday husband and I decided to check the wild strawberries and raspberries on Lulin. We've had luck some other years, picking the tiny but aromatic berries during our hikes there, but this year we returned empty-handed.

The day was hot, but most of the track was through the forest, so the hike felt pretty easy.

Hike info:

Date: 12 July 2025

Destination: round trail to peak Dupevitza

Mountain: Lulin

Total length: 10 km

Elevation gain: 320 m

Total duration (plus picnic): 3 hours

Average difficulty: 3 / 10

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

 

Husband: men's boxers, Burda T-shirt

I: lingerie, Burda blouse, Burda shorts

 

We debated having our picnic on Dobrinina skala, with a view to Sofia and Vitosha, but the sun was too strong and the peak is too open, with no suitable trees to throw some shadow, so in the end we chose a meadow on the way down, with some trees for shelter from the sun. It was nice, but nothing beats a lunch with a view :)

All in all, it was a nice leisurely hike, but in the hot summer days higher peaks are much more appealing to me, so we'll probably plan a climb on Rila or Pirin next week.

A Couple of Days in Razgrad

Just a few photos from my travel to Razgrad in July. The weather was very hot and despite the efforts to care for the city greenery, the grass and some of the flowers and the trees showed clear signs of withering. I regret it, that it didn't occur to me to take pictures of myself and my sister, but we had a splendid time together.

A couple of architectural landmarks of Razgrad - the old clock tower

and the restored big mosque, dating from the 17th century.

Green T-shirt

One more short-sleeve T-shirt for my husband. I had a piece of green cotton fabric with almost no stretch, which was a remnant from another project, so in this year's spirit of clearing my stash, I decided to turn it into a blouse.

I used again my true-and-tried Burda pattern, size 50, but with some tweaks. The pattern is tailored, but I made it straight and I also played a little with the neckline, widening it 1.5 cm at the front. 

As I often make t-shirts for husband, based on this pattern, you might think, that I can make these now by heart - but nothing could be farther from the truth. Every time I decide to cut a new t-shirt, I start measuring and tweaking and guessing what had I changed the previous time to get a good fit.

So, I've decided to make a cardboard copy of the pattern and to introduce all of the tweaks and mods I find necessary, based on this latest t-shirt, so that next time I wouldn't need to guess what kind of elongations and other changes I need to make, to get the perfect fit. And as I am really curious how this would work, I am very much inclined to visit my favourite fabric shop and buy a piece of knit fabric, just to try the modified pattern with all the latest alterations. Expect a new men's t-shirt here in the nearest future :)

Pattern: Burda #132 from 12 / 2020

Size: 50 with with added length

Fabric: cotton knit

Time to make: 2 days

Peak Kupena 2025

Pictures from our hike from Aleko hut to peak Golyam Kupen and back along the same track on a very hot July day.

The stony slopes of peaks Golyam and Maluk Rezen 

Hike info:

Date: 04 July 2025 

Destination: Kupena hut

Mountain: Vitosha

Total length: 13.5 km

Elevation gain: 210 m

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

Average difficulty: 4 / 10

Peak Golyam Kupen

Not the most pleasant of peaks of climb - a pile of gigantic ragged stones, actually

Finally on the peak, where we had our exquisitely delicious and still cold beer

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda T-shirt

I: lingerie, Burda jeans pants

Views from the peak

Hut Kupena, at the foot of the peak, where we filled our bottle of water

Globe flowers, the emblematic flower of Vitosha

Peak Kupena from afar

Glimpse towards Sofia from the trail

Back at Aleko hut

A young doe in the forest

Beige Dress for Gaby

Last year I bought a large piece of viscose and made a Rhapsody for Gaby out of it. I had a fairly big remnant - probably half of the fabric, so this year I decided to use it to make a summer dress for Gaby.

I am modeling the dress, but it is supposed to fit Gaby, who is taller and a bit more broad-shouldered than me.

The pattern is a mesh-up of three dresses and it took me quite a while finally to cut it. The skirt is a slightly widened skirt from the Roliz dress by Vikisews. I love my Roliz and my only regret is that I didn't make the skirt a bit wider, as I had plenty of its gorgeous fabric.

The bodice is again Burda #104 02/2011 dress, but only up to the armholes. The back is cut straight and flat, and the front continues into Bailen dress by Pauline Alice, with wider straps, as I was aiming at strap width that could cover the bra straps underneath. The dress closes with a zipper on the side.

Pattern: Bailѐn Top by Pauline Alice, free pattern, Roliz by  VikiSews, Burda #104 02/2011 dress

Size: 34 

Fabric: 100% viscose for the outer dress, polyester for the lining

Time to make: 3 days

 

The dress is fully lined, as all of my woven fabric dresses lately, with simple beige lining fabric for the bodice and smooth poly-acetate lining for the skirt.

Borovetz 2025

This Sunday we chose to repeat a circuit hike around Borovetz, we composed two years ago. Despite its 17 km length and decent almost 800 m elevation gain, the trail is not too strenuous and extremely pleasant, especially after Chakur Voivoda shelter, where from it encompasses paths, which are more obscure and rarely trodden upon.

The day was somewhat cloudy and with a freshness in the air, which made the hike additionally pleasant. We parked the car at Tzarska Bistritza and took the trail to Sitnyakovo.

Borovetz mountain resort from the track 

Me-made items, worn on this hike:

Husband: boxers, Burda cargo pants

I: lingerie, Burda raglan t-shirt, Sabrina Slims II, hound tooth's hoodie in the backpack

 

Hike info:

Date: 29 June 2025 

Destination: Tzarska Bistritza round trip

Mountain: Rila

Total length: 17 km

Elevation gain: 790 m

Total duration (plus picnic and rests): 6 hours

Average difficulty: 6 / 10

The high peaks of Rila became visible for a spell, once we climbed up from Chakur voivoda shelter, where had our lunch.

A glimpse towards the town of Samokov and Iskar dam

The second part of our hike passed by the river Bistritza (one of the many with this name) and its tributaries. I tried the trick of dipping your bare feet in the freezing waters - it is extremely refreshing for the tired legs after a long hike.

We closed the circuit with a shortcut through the woods to Tzarska Bistritza parking lot - a glorious 6 hour hike, that was worth every drop of sweat :)