After Sofia, we headed to the wine region of Melnik in the southwest corner of Bulgaria. On the way we detoured slightly to the Rila Monastery, initially founded in the 10th century and holding a special place in Bulgaria’s history due to the namesake monk, Ivan Rilski. The picturesque and remote setting, along with the intricate frescoes, are breathtaking. It was incredible to visit a historic site like this and not be fighting crowds to enjoy it. Yet another place where Dad’s encyclopedic knowledge of art history would have come in handy, as he would’ve been able to explain every scene in those beautiful frescoes. After our visit at Rila, we enjoyed a scenic, typical yet delicious Bulgarian lunch a few kilometers down the road at Tavern “Magic of Rila,” situated on the river bank: a perfect way to finish the daytrip.
We then continued driving south to spend a few days in the Melnik wine region, staying at the small winery and resort of Villa Sintica in Sandanski. We had a chaotic and stressful few weeks before we left on this trip, between preschool graduation and moving apartments, so this respite of pool time and a few wine tastings was just what we needed. The suite was modern and well-appointed, our package included breakfast at the onsite restaurant, and the resort amenities, from the spacious outdoor pool to indoor pool and sauna, were very nice. The location is oddly a little too close to the road so we did hear some traffic, but overall it was a peaceful place to stay. We ended up eating several dinners at Happy, the popular Bulgarian chain restaurant which can best be described as a mix of TJI Friday’s and Applebee’s: super family-friendly, giant menu, and super fast service. Jacob kept asking to go back so we had to indulge, given that we were dragging him wine tasting with us.
The rolling hills landscape and dry heat reminded us of Santa Ynez wine country in the summer, but with some of the most personalized wine tours and wine tastings we have experienced, especially at Villa Melnik, an impressive, family-run operation and with unique underground caves keeping the wines cool. The whites and roses were light and dry, while the reds trended big and bold. On the afternoon we visited we were the only tourists so this was quite a special experience; Jacob got to color and sample freshly made berry grape juice while we dabbled in Villa Melnik’s wines. Of course we brought a few bottles back with us to Valencia!
We also had a lovely tasting experience at the Zlaten Rozhen winery and visited its adjacent Retro Car Museum, a treat for Jacob. See, wine tasting with your parents isn’t all boring!
The ancient Roman ruins in nearby Heraclea Sintica, barely excavated, were amazing to explore even in the heat.
After our time in Melnik, we continued on to a rural area north of the Rhodopes Mountains, near the small town of Batak, in order to break up the drive between Melnik and our next city, Plovdiv. To be honest there wasn’t much to do in this area other than being in nature – and the highlight by far was exploring the transfixing Snejanka Caves – but we were content to slow it down and enjoy the summer relaxation time we had. In hindsight we might’ve just spent a night or two at a spa/hot springs hotel on the way rather than the four nights lodging at Dakota Forest. There was very little English spoken or written in this region of Bulgaria, including at the Dakota Forest cabins where we stayed, leading to some laughable interactions trying to order food or buy roadside preserves. Google Translate didn’t help much given the Cyrillic script (photo translate isn’t fast or reliable in the moment) so sometimes the gestures, charades, and a smile were what it took to get things done.
