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.

Razgrad in January 2025

Husband and I were last weekend in Razgrad for a family celebration. Like last month in Vienna, we were very lucky with the weather, especially on our free Sunday, when we got to roam through the sunny streets of the town and the park. The temperatures were in the 12-14 C range and we had a very pleasant and relaxed walk, it was hard to believe, that it was still January and the middle of winter.

The old mosque, which has been in repair for years, is finally free of the construction barriers, but the restoration works within seem to be still going on.

The old clock tower, one of Razgrad's architectural monuments.

After touring the center of the city, we went to the city park and took a long walk along its alleys.

The interior of the church in the old town 

Paralia Katerini

A few photos from Paralia Katerini, a sea resort, where we spent the night and the following morning after the epic hike on Olympus.

The resort reminded me very much of similar Bulgarian Black sea resorts. People have obviously different tastes and that is wonderful, it's just not mine - crowded, noisy, sales stands and shops everywhere. During our night stroll I kept forgetting that I am in Greece, there was so much Kiten, Obzor, Kranevo or similar vibe :)))

The coffee and the Greek pastries in the morning, however, were wonderful and the accommodation was excellent and quite affordable! The Greeks are kings of tourism and I love them for that!

Gaby is teaching Vali to dance Bulgarian horo. Balkan people and traditions are so similar! What elsewhere people call Greek salad, Greek cheese, Greek yogurt, Greek pot, we call salad, cheese, yogurt, pot, as we make and use the same and they are more or less the same all over the Balkans :) And so is some of the music - one of the restaurants had a live orchestra, which was playing a popular Greek song and some of the women guests were dancing and singing their hearts out - and what they danced was actually what we know as "pravo horo"  - a traditional Bulgarian dance from the Thracian valley :)

Razgrad in March

We usually visit Razgrad in the summer and I have many posts with pictures from our various travels there. This year I made a trip in March and I've chosen a few photos of the town in its pre-spring outlook.

The 1st of March is one of the most beloved Bulgarian traditional holidays, when people exchange martenizi - red and white tassels as a wish for health, joy and happiness.

The central part of the city was festively decorated in red and white and there were plenty of stands, selling martenitzi.

I couldn't pass the opportunity for a souvenier photo from Razgrad :). In my hands I'm holding my souvenir purchase - a book by Georgi Gospodinov, the author of this year's international Booker winner Timeshelter.

: Ibrahim Pasha Mosque and the statue of master builder Manol
The mosque was built during the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria. It is the third in size mosque on the Balkans and is now a UNESCO listed cultural monument, currently under reconstruction. Commissioned by the local ruler Ibrahim Pasha, it was built in the early 17th century by Bulgarian masons from the near-by villages. According to legend, the ruler ordered the builders to be locked and killed, so that nobody would be able to replicate his mosque. To escape prison, the builders made wooden wings and flew over the prison walls to the Balkan mountain, but their hatchets (or hand saws) cut through the ropes of the wings and they fell down and died.

Interesting old houses in the old part of town:

Razgrad 2018

Pictures from our walk in Razgrad, a town in North-Eastern Bulgaria, yesterday. Razgrad is a small, but very beautiful and quiet town, with well kept public places and lots of flowers and fountains:

: Glimpse of one of the symbols of the town,  hotel Razgrad, which now seems to be called Cartoon (?)

: Along the main street

: The central square. There is a long flight of stairs, which leads to the hotel

: Statue on top of a public drinking fountain

:A balcony with flowers

: The clock tower, built around 1734:

: The park in the city center

: The local river Beli Lom, which run through the entire town

: A view from the stairs to the hotel

: The central square

: Ibrahim Pasha Mosque and the statue of master builder Manol
The mosque was built during the Ottoman rule of Bulgaria. It is the third in size mosque on the Balkans and is now a UNESCO listed cultural monument. Commissioned by the local ruler Ibrahim Pasha, it was built in the early 17th century by Bulgarian masons from the near-by villages. According to the legend, the ruler ordered the builders locked and killed, so that nobody would be able to replicate his mosque. To escape prison, the builders made wooden wings and flew over the prison walls to the Balkan mountain, but their hatchets (or hand saws) cut through the ropes of the wings and they fell down and died.

: Back to Sofia - this part of the country is gorgeous right now, with its endless fields colored with various crops