We drove into the mountains yesterday along an absolutely gorgeous road, despite the rain. We found this beautiful mosque along the way:
We were heading for a place near Bansko, a full-on ski resort in the winter, and play-place in the summer. But we were between seasons, and were advised strongly not to go up any further as there was still snow and no mountain rescue team.
So we made do with waiting for the cloud to lift and looking at the mountains from our balcony – and were rewarded with this scene and the one in the opening picture.
Bansko is very silly. We had lunch in this splendid place:
And of course there was the obligatory statue in the pedestrianised street (there’s always at least one) – Sue is there for scale:
We left the Pirin mountains and drove towards the Rhodope mountains but the weather didn’t really improve:
So we stopped for lunch in a little town near the Greek border and, lo and behold, yet another statue in the pedestrianised bit of the town:
We’re now in wine-growing country and tomorrow brings a statue of Spartacus, we hope, and Vanga, a local seer. Plus a trip to the wine museum of course.
Ahh, finally the mountains! And they are indeed beautiful. I’m just reading now about the difficult history of the Rhodope area in “Borders”. Your pictures – including the weather! – really flesh out the strange stories. I think the despairing cottage juxtaposed with the stern statue kind of says it all.
Yes, it’s hard not to see this area in anything but bleak terms when reading Border. The experience is more mixed – interesting, odd and beautiful – and sometimes funny ( but maybe only in a foreigner’s view). Difficult though to see a huge statue of Spartacus and not laugh ( I’m guessing he’ll appear – massively, with me as scale, in next blog – ‘no, no, just stand there’).
Hi there, I’ve actually been to Bansko in my time – the Bulgarians are very proud of it – don’t quite know why…
Gx
Gabriele Griffin
Professor of Gender Research
Director of Graduate Studies
Uppsala University
email: gabriele.griffin@gender.uu.se
Coordinator: Nordic Centre of Excellence ‘Beyond the Gender Paradox’ http://www.gender.uu.se/nordwit (2017-2022)
Extraordinary Professor, Centre for Gender and Africa Studies, University of the Free State, South Africa
Recent publications
Our new book, Gender Inequalities in Tech-driven Research and Innovation: Living the Contradictionhttps://bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/gender-inequalities-in-tech-driven-research-and-innovation is now out and available Open Access from Bristol University Press. https://policy.bristoluniversitypress.co.uk/women-in-supramolecular-chemistry
Griffin, G. (2022) ‘The “Work-Work Balance” in higher education: between over-work, falling short and the pleasures of multiplicity’, Studies in Higher Education
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2021.2020750.
Griffin, G. (2021) ‘Feminizing innovation: challenges in science and technology studies (STS)’, Feminist Encounters 5(2): 24. ISSN: 2468-4414. DOI: https://doi.org/10.20897/femenc/11161.
It’s a very very successful resort is my guess – hotels, bars, casinos, sex trade? Strange place but very lucrative. We had a very nice lunch, btw…
Caught up with your journey.
Fantastic pictures and discoveries. So Noah’s arc went from being raised on the back sea to mount Ararat! My geography can’t follow the tales. Yet!
I’d have loved to swim the sea. Did you?
The yogurt looks great. I didn’t know it was your favourite food, Miriam.
And doesn’t Sue look tiny in the ginormous monument?
It seems to be getting better and better. Glad you find people are good.
Xx