The season of baby bluefish or walking on the Black Sea Coast - TOUR 12/ November 2012

This tour is devoted to the baby bluefish and the good wine. Autumn is the baby bluefish season. And this season is even more special. According to the fishermen lots of shoals of big bluefish have appeared by our coasts and their draught is very rich. The Black Sea fish have several names in accordance with their size – for example up to 200-300 gr - baby bluefish, and the bigger ones – bluefish (Pomatomus saltatrix). Another common name is chopper fish. As it is well known, it is one of the most delicious grilled fish. That’s why the TOURS by CIELO team decided to make sure by visiting a few seaside towns.

Our route took us to a village with the sweet name Medovo. It was located 20 km far from Pomorie. There was a beautiful sea view and a chateau with a winery, houses, a chapel, a crafts street in the village. The architectural style of the whole complex was traditional, Bulgarian and dating from the Renaissance. It looked like time had stopped there. There were some workshops that unfortunately were closed.

You can find some very special wines there. The winery offers wines from several big wine producers situated in the East Bulgaria 

The next place we visited was Pomorie town – the old Anchialus. It was so charming out of the season.

We could definitely feel the liveliness on the seaside alley.

Some boats were coming to the shore all the time and the fishermen were selling fish on the spot.. 

And what do you think the fish was – baby bluefish. Different kinds of birds were flying around feeling the food. We managed to take photos of some cormorants.

There was almost no one in the old part of Pomorie.

We went to the old church called ‘Preobrazhenie Gospodne’ and strolled on the cobblestone streets.

At noon a grilled fish smell was going round …. The local people were enjoying the sunny weather in the central street, and we were off to the ‘Salt Museum’

This is the only museum of this kind in Bulgaria and all Eastern Europe. The salt is made by solar evaporation of the sea water there. This is the same method, which was used in ancient times. It is known as an ‘Anchialus’ technology for producing salt.

According to historians the salt-mines existed even before establishing the town in about the 5-th century a.d.

Pomorie Lake gives shelter to various kinds of birds. It has been a preserved site since 2001. All birds’ kingdom fans can observe various species. Unfortunately, we weren’t lucky with the birds here.

We kept on travelling to Aheloy. The construction works and concrete frames surpassed our expectations.

However, this is the whole scene northwards, too. I was most impressed by a bevy of swans that were not disturbed by anything and were floating peacefully in a bay in the afternoon sunshine.

We arrived in Nesebar almost at sunset. 

The port looked like a big railway station where people were arriving from all sides and others were leaving.

Everyone was there to take some fresh bluefish. The fishermen’s vessels had just arrived.  The draught of fish was put in boxes and taken to customers …At that time of the year Nesebar and Pomorie were fascinating. There were neither crowds nor noise.

Our road passed by Byala and therefore we didn’t miss the harbour there either. Many boats were going far in the sea. We hoped the catch was good.

So …during the bluefish season the Tours by Cielo team recommends the following recipe: fresh grilled bluefish, good wine to your taste and wonderful moments!!!!!

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Shabla afternoon - TOUR 35/ 25.05.2013

I wasn’t thinking of writing about that day at all. I was just going to add a current photo but the afternoon was a unique experience. So it is worth sharing it.

On the early May afternoon we set out for the Northern Black Sea Coast and the final target Durankulak. We planned to return and on our way back to see whatever we could. We didn’t have a specific route; we just wanted to breathe some fresh air and to have a delightful afternoon in the open.

The road wasn’t busy and we travelled calmly despite the holidays. The only annoying thing was the chasing dark, stormy clouds. I wanted to take photos of the sunset and only to enjoy the walk.

So we reached Durankulak. We were off to the lake island where the ancient, well …the most ancient ruins were situated – an evidence of life in Europe. Unfortunately, that year the water level was too high and was flooding the narrow road.

Stormy clouds reached us again. The wind was getting stronger which wasn’t a good sign.

The sun was turning up and then hiding and its rays reflected the lake like searchlights.

A bird was flying from time to time and the noises of the lake resembled a symphony orchestra.

We didn’t stay there long. The weather was going bad and it was going to rain

We stopped  in Shabla. The sky looked in such a way as if it had already rained or the rain had simply skipped it. The afternoon sunshine was soft and one could enjoy looking at the landscape. 

Some fishermen had occupied the area and waved their fishing-rods in synchronization. Their movements resembled: ‘One, two, three, pull, pause, relax!!! One, two, three, pull, pause, relax!’

All of a sudden my attention was attracted by something deeper in the sea. Those were the dolphins. ‘It isn’t possible!!’ I saw free dolphins for the first time. ‘This is amazing!’ They dipped into the water with grace and came up to the surface. However, I wasn’t prepared to take photos of them. :)

Many times when Shabla is mentioned, Bay Pesho and his pub are mentioned as well. That time we decided to see what ‘At Bay Pesho’s’ actually was and why it had always been a symbol of Shabla. Following the sign boards we went to the shore itself.

A metal construction and steep stairs were leading to the door. It turned out that we were at the right place but we had entered through the back entrance. It was marked immediately that we were there for the first time. There was nothing else apart from fish and chips. However, it was supposed to be like that. The fish soup and caviar that had been homemade were praised. We tried them – and definitely they deserved the praise. And Bay Pesho’s homemade white wine was muscat – exquisite. Bay Pesho looked like a real seaman who came from a novel – the typical marine T-shirt, the curled up eyebrows, the beard and the tan. As if he would take his seaman’s hat from the hanger next to the door, get on the boat and go deep into the sea. He was more interested in finding a not so expensive, small, two doors jeep than going to the mountains on winter holidays ‘for a fur cap and a dress’, he meant his wife and him. 

The idea of going to the modest pub was quite appropriate in regards to the spot for taking photos.

Suddenly I happened to be on the other side of the lighthouse in a bay where the sea had thrown away a lot of seaweed and there were some ‘parked’ boats, the water, the waves, the stones and me.

I went out a few times to take photographs as dark clouds started coming up and at some point lightnings began flashing.

Well, there wasn’t a sunset or at least the one I was expecting. Even the whole orientation went wrong somehow. My vision was that sun had to be somewhere behind the lighthouse but Shabla was located at a definite curve of the coast, and the sun turned out to be behind my back. It was strange. The feeling was as if the sun was eastwards. We even took out the compass. At the last minute, the sunshine lit the clouds. It was very beautiful.

After a while the sky became almost black.

The lighthouse began giving lights and performing its role as a reference point for those who were deep at sea. The lightnings struck around it and soon after that thunders roared in the area.

It was time to go.

Bay Pesho and his wife were hospitable and funny. We had a great time there.

We were just about to leave and the first raindrops started falling down on the windscreen. Lightnings split up the area and exclamations such as ‘wooooow’, ‘ohhhh’ and ‘did you see that?’ were heard in our car. There was always someone who missed an interesting scene. There was vapour going up from the asphalt. The car lights were lighting it and we were like in a horror movie. Shortly afterwards the rain stopped and a huge full moon goggled at us. Lightnings kept on cutting the sky around it. The red lights of the wind generators sparkled in the dark. The whole picture was inspiring. We tried to take photos but the darkness said its word.

The usual afternoon turned into an extraordinary outing.

Sometimes it is nice when man flows naturally with the current. Who knows what man can come upon?!
Shabla and its area may fall into the favourite places category …

The theory was confirmed again that no matter how many times you visit a place, the spot itself and the experience are always different!

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