The sun was shining and the sky was such a deep blue, it was so beautiful. Some of the stork’s nests are already occupied, so Spring is definitely here. We headed north-east from Dobrich because we’ve never explored that area. We found some villages with great views over a valley. The river that once carved its way through the earth has long gone, but the trees have made full use of the space and spread along the entire valley.
We went to look at the famous Durankulak Lake– one of Bulgaria’s best wetlands and right on the coast.
The Wetlands of Lake Durankulak, Bulgaria
We walked down to the edge of the largest of the lakes. The calm water reflected the deep blue of the sky. Being Saturday, the locals were sitting along the side of the lake, fishing. We found a really nice restaurant with a view of the lake and had lunch. Of course, being in a lakeside restaurant, I had to have fish. It’s the first time I’ve tried Bulgarian carp and it was really tasty!
Fishing at Lake Durankulak, Bulgaria
After our little respite, Andy was eager to do bit of “off-roading”, so we drove along a track that ran alongside the edge of the beaches. The area between Durankulak and Cape Kaliakra is quite wild and rugged, with lots of rocks for kids to climb. The small resort town of Shabla seems to be thriving, despite the recession, and the huge town hall has gleaming new paint. There are lots of restaurants and bars there, and I expect it is quite busy in the summer.
The Coast at Shabla, Bulgaria, in Springtime
There are lots of wind turbines around this area of the coast and we couldn’t resist driving up to one of them. They are SO beautiful. Some people claim that wind farms are noisy, but we switched off the engine, got out of the car and listened. The wind turbines stretched out over several kilometers, all working in the wind, but all we could hear was a gentle and relaxing ‘swish, swish, swish’. It was hardly audible, but just loud enough to have the same calming effect as the sound of a stream. We gazed in awe at the vast tower and the slender arms of the turbine.
We ended our tour in the small resort of Rusalka.
Rusalka Bay, Bulgarian Black Sea Coast
It is a gated resort and is only open during the summer season. Andy and I had the place to ourselves. What bliss – it’s such a beautiful place and the gardens are neat and attractive. We just wandered around and admired the magnificent views. We’ll definitely go back there during the summer though. I want to try out the mineral-water Jacuzzis and relax by the pool with some Bulgarian wine.
Views of Rusalka Bay, Bulgaria
