I realize now I must have pressed “Publish” before completing my post 🙂 Note to self not to write when super tired late in the evening.

What I wanted to say is that one way or another each summer I somehow find myself in the Rhodope mountains and often in Kovachevitsa — a small little town up in the mountains, away from the craziness of the valley below.
 

 
Time often feels like it moves at a difference pace in this place.

 
And you go back a few years or even as far back as your careless childhood summers.

 
The air is full of the smell of herbs…

 
.. and flowers.

 
The houses creek when you walk around.

 
And you can find hidden pathways that lead to who knows where.

 
It’s a place where you can just spend an afternoon in the shade, oblivious to what’s going on in the outside world.

 
Or go on a hunt for little nature artifacts.

 
Or play with the local cats. Haven’t done that since I was a kid, crazy how time flies 🙂

 
I always stay with baba Irina, bless her. Last time we got in around 10pm she immediately said come help me carry some freshly made jars of jam to the cellar. What a welcoming host she is, makes you feel right at home.

 
People use wood for heating and pile up in summer because winters are longer.

 
The local church is a serene place. I’m not religious, but I do like the occasional visit, mostly for observing others.

 
At night, when the moon is high on the horizon, you can see the other roofs glistening in the dark and just enjoy the silence and the crackling of the fire below.

 

So if you’re ever in Bulgaria and want to find some peace of mind, go to Kovachevitsa 🙂