Asen Fortress, Bachkovo and Ezerovo in the Rhodopi Mountains
Assenovgrad is a place of Christian pilgrimage. We hiked across the mountain to visit the medieval fortress of Asen and its beautiful 13th century church, high on a crag. The fortress was only about a mile from Asenovgrad and towered above a river. It was a means of natural protection and served a straegic purpose during the Middle Ages. Saint Mary Petrichka is the most important building on the site, a big two-storied building. There were traces of wall paintings and it was very impressive.
Bachkovo Monastery was founded in 1083 by two Georgian noblemen and is one of the oldest monasteries in Bulgaria. It had collections of old icons, jewelry and coins as well as some of the oldest Christian frescoes in Bulgaria (14th century murals). The monastery had small chapels and we also visited a small holy spring in a nature reserve close by.
Into the western Rhodopi (also spelled Rhodope) Mountains, with a lunch stop on the way...
...and on to a family-run guesthouse in Ezerovo. Ezerovo is set at about 4,200 feet with magnificent mountain views and has become one of Bulgaria's eco-villages. Most of these villages have existed for centuries in natural settings. The communities are not artificial and don't have any special structures. The people still live in a simple, low-impact manner, have turned many of their homes into small guesthouses and are considered eco-villages. The plan was to spend two nights at the Pamporov Guesthouse with day hikes in this area. Up to now, every day was sunny and hot, typical for Bulgarian summers.
Pamporov's Guesthouse was built in a contemporary Rhodopi style out of stone, wood and whitewashed. This was an ideal location for day trips into Smolyan Lakes, Trigrad Gorge, Yagodina Caves and Devil's Throat - all on the agenda for tomorrow.
