Ex Communist Party Hunting Lodge now the Hotel Studena, in the Vitosha National  Park for two nights stay.

The last few yards to the Hotel Studena after walking round the lake.

The coach picks its way through road works

Owl Fly

Blue and Red Chafer

Marbled White

Soldier Beetle

Cow wheat

Fritillaries on "Saltlick"

The morning view from the terrace

Dining Room, there cannot be may stags left around!

The walk round the lake seems much longer than 4 miles

Embarrassed Lizard

Two Burnet Moths

Rose Chafer

Bee Orchid

On the hills and we found one orchid, left

Green Chafer on Hawkweed

Painted Archway Rila

The "Toalet" (misspelt) entrance at Rila Monastery

Rila Monastery Restaurant for lunch

Rila Monastery "Keep"

The Monastery Church

Rila Monastery Quad

A Small Holding

War Memorial in the countryside

A short stop for marsh flowers

Village and Mosque through coach window

Edible snail about 4inches across

Hill Village

Photo stop for viewing storks, the village centre

A derelict house used  by storks.

This house has become barn

Stork's nest

Village Lad wanting a tip.

Little Blue

Black winged Damsel Fly

Closed Fritillary Butterfly

A Cricket on Daisy

Lunch Break by the meadows

Flower Meadow

One of a million grasshoppers

Spring fed drinking trough

Untouched Flower Meadows

Fritillary Butterfly

Pirin Mountains from Bansko Spa Hotel where we stayed for three nights

Copper & Emerald Butterflies on 

Bansko Street in Pirin Mountains National Park

Dreaming of a balcony

Garden Goats in Bansko, some people grew corn or vegetables and many have grapes shading a terrace.

Bansko Street towards the Pirin mountains

Mum off to work early

Grandma sunning herself

A Roma Scouting.

Early workers' Cafe

Sorting rubbish

Road to Bansko Spa Hotel

Pirin Mountain and ski runs

These goats lived opposite our bedroom

The view from the Bansko Spa Hotel window

Pub in "local" style

Bansko Church Tower and Stork

Pub aimed at British Skiers

Urban Tractor Park

The friendly local dogs who accompanied us around Bansko

Local roof style

Shiroka Loka

Roses grow well in Bulgaria, wild or cultivated.

Shiroka Loka  Town Centre

Wild Rose

Wild Rose

Political Discussion?

We have most things you might want

A drunk addressing the bus queue

Orchid

Spring Gentian

Campanula

Dawn from our room in Elitza, note suicides' cliff.

The Israeli owned ski lodge, Hotel Elitza, near Pamporovo in the Rhodope Mountains for two nights

Looking down a ski run, without snow.

Roadside Cafe

Rhodope Mountains Tourist Centre

Chafer with copper false face

Dianthus

Orchid Meadow

Geranium

Snow Melt near which were crocus, gentians, squills, iris etc.

Snow Glacier, forest and a glimpse of the Refuge

A mountain stream, pretty wet to cross!

Geums

Crocus

Butterwort

Pirin Mountains

Spring Squill

Laundry Distress signal?

Mountain Refuge

Mountain Farm, can you see the ladies?

Lunch out of the bad weather in the Refuge

Mitko, botanist, and our singer/driver warming themselves up.

And the rest drinking mountain tea for    1/2 lev

Pink and White Dianthus

Vetch?

Large Copper

Marbled White

Peacock

Old mates

Where is that man?

What is he doing with that camera?

Trigrad Gorge & our group

Trigrad River before going underground for a while

Bear tours hut.

Campanula

Orchid

Haberlea, remnant from before the ice age.

Black and Green Grasshopper

Acres of Sunflowers on the Central Plain

Black Veined White

Farm Cart

Iskar River near to Sofia

Happy Bar & Grill