Taking a holiday on the Black Sea in winter is like chancing upon a secret drawer in a cupboard you otherwise know well. Suddenly things around you take on a different meaning. The beach is here, the streets are the same. But not quite. There are no tourists, no stalls, no hustle and bustle. It’s like a different place altogether that is yours and only yours. And you ask yourself: is it in winter or in summer that we see the real face of the Black Sea coast. Petra Taleva invites us to rediscover the pleasure of a holiday on the Southern Black Sea coast in winter.

“When one says the Southern Black sea coast in Bulgaria one means the towns and villages in the region of Bourgas. The northernmost point is Obzor, the southernmost – the village of Rezovo on the border with Turkey. The distance between the two is a little over 162 kms., or a 2-3 hour drive. And the times we have vowed when we come here in summer to make a lovely excursion! Because the day is long in summer but… then the beach beckons to us. And we are in no hurry– we are on holiday after all. But we have the astounding chance of being… tourists. The region offers excellent opportunities to visit the cultural and historical sites at one’s leisure. Every town and village here has a history going back thousands of years: Sozopol, Nessebar… But let’s take the lesser known Obzor. If you are to ask a latter-day tourist staying at one of the hotels in the town where the ancient Naulohas is to be found, he or she might not even know this is the ancient name of that same settlement during the time of its founders – the Thracians. They too were probably glad the site has one of the longest beach lines on the Bulgarian Black sea coastline – eight kms. The Thracians were excellent seafarers, something holidaymakers can see for themselves in the local museum of history. When in the 1^st millennium BC Greek settlers came to these lands, they called it Heliopolis or Sun City. We can only marvel at how similar our tastes today are to the tastes of the ancient people: we love a clear sky, beautiful landscapes, walks on the beach. A little later at a beachside restaurant we discover other similarities as well: just like the ancients, we too like good food and wine. The southern Black Sea coast is the place to combine cultural and historical routes with green paths and wine tourism. The regional centre, the city of Bourgas has always held a power of attraction with the concerts and entertainment it offers. But Pomorie is not to be underestimated either. It lies just 20 kms. from Bourgas and has the only in Bulgaria and Eastern Europe specialized Museum of Salt. Here, salt-workers will show you how salt is extracted from water using technologies that have been in use for 25 centuries. Close by is Pomorie lake, inhabited in winter by different bird species. Even if you are not a bird-watcher, the view here will take your breath away. The lake is an important element of the ancient European air corridor Via Pontica. In spring and autumn it is more like a highway with heavy traffic, though not of cars but of migratory birds. At this time of year the sky is calm… Just like the streets of the coastal towns and villages. But this peace and calm is deceptive. The winter cultural calendar is full of festivals, mummer games, all kinds of events. For example, in November the ancient Nessebar holds a fishing festival, something of a dress rehearsal for St. Nicholas day on December 6. In honour of the past season the festival is called Autumn Shoals and offers fishing boat sails and lots of fun, but also an opportunity to take a walk in the romantic old Nessebar streets. But if, in winter, you suddenly feel nostalgia for the town, Nessebar will offer you a weekend of love and wine on February 14^th – St. Valentine ’s Day but also the Bulgarian day of vines and wines Trifon Zarezan. On this day people of all ages come here to fall in love, get married or renew their marriage vows. There are craft workshops for love souvenirs with lots of authentic atmosphere… If you are into itineraries for couples in love you can continue south to reach the southernmost town on the Bulgarian Black sea coast – Ahtopol, located at the foot of Strandja Mountain on a rocky peninsula. The town will captivate visitors with its ancient history and sweeping views. Once there used to be more than 100 chapels and churches here, so the town came to be called Mount Athos Minor. In October 1918, a fire razed to the ground the old Ahtopol; with the St. Yani church (St. John the Precursor Church – 12^th century) and the cozy Ascension church from 1796 surviving only in part. Other places you simply must visit are the Museum of History as well as the Anchor Museum with its splendid exposition. Archaeologists say there is a direct connection between the town and Pericles’ adventures in the Black Sea basin. Agatopolis used to be an important commercial centre with the right to mint its own coins. Ships from near and far crossed its aquatoria. Anchors made of stone, lead and iron from Greek, Turkish, French and Russian ships have been found in its bay… Nowadays tourists from different countries get a pleasant surprise seeing their ancestors once visited these parts. “The place you always come back to”…the latter-day inhabitants of Ahtopol say about the town It is also called “the town of love” – born of the embrace between Mount Strandja and the sea. A thematic photography exhibition is also organized here; its results show how many things there are in the town one can fall in love with. Because close to the town is the mouth of the river Veleka and villages with a unique architecture. And the indescribable charm of the Southern sea in winter.

English version: Milena Daynova