After a breakfast of fresh, salty bread and yoghurt I viewed various Soviet era monuments. There was a large "sculpture" near the hut including the communist hammer and sickle, beside a raised plaza. However, the principal monument was on top of the hill. The star embossed on the tower of the "Memorial House of the Communist Party" looked down on Little Buzludzha Hut where I stayed the night. I walked up to this giant memorial following a "crazy paving" path (reminding me of our garden patio back in the 1970's). Entry into the building was blocked by metal bars and prohibited, but the scale of the building and its triumphalist setting impressed when you were close up. Built in 1981 it was abandoned in 1989 when the "Iron Curtain", the barrier restricting movement between the capitalist west from the communist east, fell. Now slowly decaying, the building's 70 metre tower and circular, ceremonial hall was visible from long distances. Conversely, standing by the structure, high in the mountains, I could see across the central lowlands of Bulgaria to mountain ranges far to the south, as well as back to the mountains I had climbed and forward to those yet to come. On walking down I passed a final sculpture from this period of two hands both holding flaming torches, no doubt with some deep symbolism.
Paths and roads through woodland led me over a few hills to the mountain of Shipka Peak. Major battles were fought here in 1877 as part of the Russo-Turkish war that led to independence for Bulgaria. To commemorate this success the "Monument to Freedom" was built, essentially a square tower on the summit with lots of steps leading up to it. There is a museum inside and the bones of soldiers but I decided against going in. Nearby was another monument, this time surrounded by ancient artillery pieces, the Monument of the Steel Battery.
Satisfied with my exploration of history, I walked down to the café cum souvenir shop on the road over Shipka Pass for a coffee, orange juice and Mars bar. More walking through trees followed until I reached Uzana. Here there was a plain of close cropped grass. An information board indicated a plethora of buildings offering accommodation but the ones I passed all looked closed. Somewhere nearby was the geographic centre of Bulgaria, marked by a modern monument. As it seemed an abstract concept I did not divert to see it, however I did wonder how it was defined. Was it the point equidistant from the countries borders in the north-south and east-west directions, or was it area weighted, i.e. equal areas of Bulgaria east and west of the point and north and south of it?
My next stop was Partizanska Pesen Hut (also referred to as Yantra hut), but I was somewhat perturbed by the lack of signs, compared with those for other huts. Two of the rare signs I spotted were pointing in the direction which I had just walked from, although someone had tried to paint them blue... After crosschecking my GPS waypoint for the hut with where Google thought the hut was I carried on and found it where I thought it was. More of a hotel than a hut.
Much of today has been through woods and over hills, similar to the past 12 days, however there were some open stretches and summits allowing me to see the hills, valleys, plains and towns beyond my immediate surroundings. The weather is changing. Today a cool, gusty wind made me feel cold at times so I was wearing another layer, but when the wind died down or I was more sheltered I overheated as I climbed up another forest track. The forecast looks cool for the days ahead so I may be digging out some warmer clothes.
I have not quite got the hang of ordering dinner, I manage a good salad, a piece of meat, some bread, but things like potatoes are missing....
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| These poles were placed along the Kom-Emine trail to help skiers find their way when snow covers the ground. |
25 kilometres completed today including over a 1000 metres of ascent.
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