Ancient Stagira

One of our days in Greece we spent in Ancient Stagira - the birth place of the Greek philosopher Aristotle. It turned a wonderful 3-in-1 combination - sightseeing of old ruins, hiking and bathing on the beach. Оld Stagira is situated on two hills, forming a small peninsular and is very picturesque and beautiful to explore. The site is open for visitors free of charge, there are information boards and paths around the excavation works and it's really fascinating and totally worth the effort!

::The agora

::The village of Olympiada, seen from the hills of Stagira

::Part of the wall and the temple of Demeter

::We went around the entire peninsular

::We even went down to a small beach, hidden between the rocks. The sea was very calm and the water not very cold - it was pleasant to walk in the shallow

:: On the western fortress wall

:: The small uninhabited island of Kavkanas, believed to be the grave place of Olympias, mother of Alexander the Great

:: A strange (to us) fruit. I'm still trying to find out what is this and is it edible (we didn't risk it).
P.S. I think I found it - Strawberry Tree and it's edible. I wish I had dared to try it :)

:: On the next day we came back to Olympiada and had a picnic on the small beach to the left on the photo

Surva 2016, Pernik

After visiting Krakra fortress we went downtown for the core purpose of our travel to Pernik - Surva 2016: the 25th International Festival of Masquerade Games. The event was well attended, with thousands of people laughing, cheering and taking pictures of the participants in the games, lots of souvenir stands and fast food in the open operations. First we went to the central town square, where the groups of contestants in the masquerade games were presented and performed and then we walked along the main street to see the other participants in the festival, waiting for their turn in the games. According to the organizers' information this year the number of the performing groups was over 120 with more than 6500 participants, the biggest ever Surva. A few pictures, taken above the heads of the crowd to give you an idea of the spirit of the event:

Krakra Fortress, Pernik

Yesterday we drove to Pernik for the 25th International Festival of Masquerade Games. We arrived in the miners' town early in the morning and after taking a wrong turn and driving in circle for a couple of miles finally found the way to the medieval fortress, built on top of the rocky plateau above the town. The fortress was of major significance for the defense of Sofia (then Sredetz) from attacks by the Byzantine empire and during the march of the crusaders of the Third Crusade through these lands. The fortress was later destroyed and is now under excavation. The forecast promised a sunny day and temperatures up to 10C, but early in the morning the plateau was cold and covered in mist and we were the only visitors. It was so cool, to have the entire fortress to ourselves! The mist gave it a spooky, mysterious and somewhat fairy-tale feel.
I had read some negative comments on the way the fortress was reconstructed and was prepared for disappointment, but the place surpassed every expectation - it is abundant with information boards, there are platforms and a tower for views above the ground, broad visitors' paths, cleared from the snow, benches for rest. We loved it and are definitely coming back in the summer!