For Map details of this trip click on this link below.
We have entered Bulgaria. The first thing that is noticeable is the use of horse and carts by the farmers and gypsies as well as the villagers.
We settle down at our campsite Sakar Hills and the next day take a scooter ride into the Eastern Rhodope mountain range. Our first stop of the day is the Thracian complex (around 2ndM BC) called The Silent Hills. The area has very unusual rock niches carved in the cliff faces, these are thought to have contained cremation urns, but there are many different speculations as to their use. What is quite spectacular is the height above the ground that these carvings are.
There is evidence that these places have in inhabited for centuries and inhabited by different tribes. There is a wonderful staircase carved out of the rock with a cistern at the top and from this advantage point there are good views of the surrounding area.
Our next visit is the Armira Villa, but on the way we drive past the Ivailovgrad dam.
Armira Villa is from the Roman Period (1st-4thC AD). It was the home of a marble quarry owner who used marble facades, columns and pebble mosaics which are normally only seen in noble man's houses. There has been much reconstruction done at the site but it does give you a real sense of what the villa originally looked like.
Most of the mosaics date from the 2ndC AD, in one of the there is and picture of the owner and his two sons.
From the villa we headed towards the Armira river which was all part of the quarry owners land. The Armira River and area is renown for its birdlife, especially vultures, we didn't see any but we were lucky enough to see a black stork close by.
The area is very picturesque and every cliff face seems to be carved with niches.
Heading back to the van we cut across to Madzrovo on a road which disintegrated down to a cart track along the river. Beautiful scenery but quite a lot of cursing from the driver, guess who.
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