#petrich

[blueiscoool]

Archaeologists Unearth Remarkably Preserved Marble Statue of Hermes in Bulgaria

Archaeologists led by Prof. Dr. Ludmil Vagalinski have unearthed a remarkably well-preserved marble statue in the ancient city of Heraclea Sintika, near Petrich, Bulgaria. The discovery, announced by the municipality of Petrich, was found within the underground sewer known as "Cloaca Maxima". Efforts are underway to delicately excavate the statue without causing damage due to its exceptional state of preservation.

Standing over two meters tall, the statue is believed to depict Hermes, a prominent deity in the region during ancient times. Prof. Dr. Vagalinski, speaking to "Archaeologia Bulgarica," expressed cautious excitement about the find, noting its significance not only as the best-preserved statue discovered in Heraclea Sintika but also in all of Bulgaria. He suggests that the statue was likely buried by city inhabitants following a major earthquake in the 4th century AD, possibly to safeguard their religious heritage during the rise of Christianity.

Archaeologia Bulgarica shared updates on the excavation progress via Facebook, revealing that the statue, crafted from a single marble block in the 2nd century AD, remains partially encased in dirt. Archaeologists have noted its resemblance to other depictions of Hermes, placing it within a known iconographic type. Similar statues are rare globally, making this discovery particularly unique for Bulgaria.

Plans are underway to carefully extract the statue from the Cloaca Maxima and transport it to the museum in Petrich, where it will undergo necessary restoration before being displayed alongside other archaeological finds. Prof. Vagalinski emphasized the challenges of preserving the ancient city's structures, especially those located on private property, where permanent conservation measures are limited. He highlighted the unexpected nature of the discovery, which came to light during routine inspections of the canal's condition.

The excavation team, which first uncovered ancient structures in the area six years ago, had placed protective barriers to secure the site. Upon closer examination, marble remnants were noticed, leading to the gradual unveiling of the statue of Hermes. Work on fully exposing and documenting the statue will continue in the coming days, offering new insights into the religious and artistic practices of ancient Heraclea Sintika.

[petrichal]

Koby getting quizzed on several Luffy related questions, I thought it was funny (bc I could guess what events in the manga they were referencing) so I translated this one page to the best of my ability! 👍

(disclaimer: EN and JP are not my first languages so some sentences might seem off)

—

One Piece Party : テスト勉強 (Studying for a Test)

Helmeppo: Ugh.... I don't wanna do exams.....

Koby: Don't give up, Helmeppo-san!

H: What subject are you good at, Koby?

K: For me it's "Luffy-san"!!

H: There's no such subject!!

K: Bar-san from Bar-high (Bartolomeo High) and I always give out quizzes to each other!

H: ....Maybe don't mingle with the people there too much....

H: ....Then I guess I'll give you some "Mugiwara" questions.

K: Please!

H: In Cocoyashi village -

K: *DING* Namahamu Melon!!

H: ....Correct.

H: In Alabasta, the water -

K: *DING* Gum Gum No Way!! (Gomu Gomu no Dame Da!!)

H: ....Correct.

H: After Thriller Bark, the 4 colours-

K: *DING* Orange → Blue → Turquoise Blue → Yellow!!

H: ....Correct.

H: On their way to Fishman Island-

K: *DING* Usopp-san's left shoulder!!

H: .....Correct. You know too much it's kinda getting gross!

K: More! Give me more questions!!

[artthatgivesmefeelings]

Soma Orlai Petrich (Hungarian, 1822 - 1880) King Solomon is cursed by his mother, 1857 Déri Museum

[merp-blerp]

The Ancient Greek poet Sappho, by Soma Orlai Petrich (c. 1860)

[whirlpool-blogs]

“leaving a lot of good men behind” always hits so hard. they’re leaving behind their younger selves, the versions of them that were still optimistic, innocent, full of hope. john is leaving behind the gale he knew without twin scars on his cheeks, without extra notches on his belt, a gale who didn’t flinch from his touch at random moments. curt, who said “nah, I’m the big spoon” and he and gale were hunched over that countertop, pleased as punch just to hear his voice, and the world seemed so much bigger back then. curt, shining bright as a star, until suddenly he wasn’t. Adams. Schmalenbach. Petrich. the first three crews to go. funny how it felt like he couldn’t possibly feel grief any stronger than that. turns out he would lose a lot more, after that. turns out he would see darkness in humanity that he didn’t know possible. he’s not the same person who arrived in England in 1943, never will be. he’s leaving himself behind, too.

[sluttyhenley]

Here's to Adams. Schmalenbach. Petrich.

MASTERS OF THE AIR Part Two

[euph0riacc]

LAST LINE TAG

tagged by @reallylilyreally and @swifty-fox here ya go you gremlins

A/B/O MOTA FIC

“I said it’s a pity, you’d have more if you flew your missions at night.” The alpha speaks slowly, like John is too thick or too slow to understand him.

“Now why would you say something like that?” John manages to keep a lid on his anger, on the fury that burns hot and bright just beneath his skin. It’s right there, ready to be ignited at a moment’s notice, god knows he wants to. It was a bad day, a bad week.

Thirty men dead. Three of them from John’s pack. Addams. Petrich. Schmalenbach. Three men gone, snuffed out in one go. Three bonds broken, and not just for him. They were all feeling it, all of them nursing the raw fraying edges within them that reached out to connect with a person that was no longer there.

So yeah, he wants to blow. What he really wants to do is jump the table and bounce RAF’s pointed face against the table till he bleeds. Soft, pretty Omega. The voice inside of him croons. Pretty little thing wants blood.

But he doesn’t. Because he has Curt on Buck’s other side who he has to keep an eye on and Brady who’s wandering about somewhere, most likely getting into trouble. He has enough pack around him that if he starts a fight they’ll follow it, and finish it, and he’s already in enough trouble with the brass as it is. He doesn’t need to add anymore to that.

And he doesn’t.

Tagging: @soliloquy-dawn @escrivoir

[jadeseadragon]

📷 Ashley Suszczynski

“Kukeri,” Kolarovo Village, Petrich Municipality, Blagoevgrad Province, Bulgaria.

[beardedmrbean]

Archaeologists in Bulgaria have discovered a second marble statue in the great canal of the ancient city of Heraclea Sintica. The find was made by a team led by Prof. Dr. Ludmil Vagalinski from the National Archaeological Institute with Museum at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (NAIM-BAS). This new discovery was made in the same location where, months earlier, an almost completely preserved statue of a ruler, depicted as the god Hermes, was unearthed.

The newly found statue, which measures about two meters in length, was found lying face down in the canal, but its head is missing. Archaeologists believe the head likely broke off during an earthquake and is unlikely to be located nearby. In addition to the missing head, the right wrist of the statue is also absent. Despite these missing parts, the statue remains an impressive and valuable find.

According to Prof. Vagalinski, this second statue appears to mirror the earlier discovery, and it is believed that the two statues were placed symmetrically along the canal, forming part of a larger artistic or symbolic complex. He also noted that a statue found in 2018, near but outside the canal, may be connected to this recent discovery in terms of its story or characters.

Excavations in the Great Canal are ongoing, not only to uncover more artifacts but also to clear the embankment of accumulated rubble and moisture, which erodes the canal walls. The embankment, according to experts, consists of debris left by survivors of the ancient city after powerful earthquakes in the late 4th century AD, combined with clay brought in by tidal river waves.

The newly discovered statue is expected to be fully unearthed, carefully packed, and transported to the Historical Museum in Petrich by October 3. The team will use the same company and equipment that moved the first statue. Although no further statues are expected to be found in the same location, this discovery continues to shed light on the rich history of HHeraclea Sintica.

[p-rtyboy]

Flag id: To be added /end id

Petrichlexstelic

Pt: Petrichlexstelic /end pt

Constelic term for people who stel the word "Petrichor"

Coined on September 19th, 2024

Colors based on rain and storm clouds — etymology: [petrich]or + [lex]ic + stelic

Tagging @radiomogai and @constelicflags

[tc-doherty]

Book One | Chapter Eleven

Index | First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

Tag list: @bloodlessheirbyjacques @magefaery @did-i-do-this-write @marrowwife

@muddshadow @outpost51 @full-on-sam @bluberimufim

@unclear-contributions @talesfromtheunknowable @guessillcallitart @flowerprose

(Ask to be added or removed)

But it didn't end up only being the four of them. To her surprise Errys and Petrich saw them and joined in, along with Karles and another noble lady she had not been introduced to. But this dance required very little singing, and a great deal of pairing off before separating and pairing off with someone else, and so Patrice found herself unexpectedly in the middle of several conversations at once.

Johan said to her, "All we mean to do is offer you our hand in friendship, Lady Dragon. Now that you're interacting with the court, we finally have a chance to do so."

As the two of them stepped careful circles around each other, Patrice responded. "I don't understand why you should want any such thing."

"Humans are sociable, we enjoy making new friends." He grinned. "We might like it especially when the potential friend in question is unusual and intriguing. We're also very curious, you know. Horrible busybodies."

Patrice could hardly argue with that!

When she came round to pair off with Rothert, she couldn't help but ask "Did you really throw your jousting match so that Johan could advance? You were fighting for the princess, so I'm sure that doesn't reflect well on her."

He laughed. "She already knew I wouldn't win. We are cousins, you know."

Patrice looked at him doubtfully. He didn't look anything like the royal family.

“My father is the king-consort’s brother, who married a Juskan noble,” he explained. “Johan’s father is the queen’s brother. Although we initially grew up at our family estates, once we became squires we moved into the palace here with our royal cousins."

"Then Dame Errys is also your cousin?"

He nodded. "That's true, but we don't know her particularly well. Never met her before this tournament."

The next handoff brought her to the side of the woman in question.

"I have to thank you," Errys said as they danced. "You being here has made it so that I'm not the center of attention, and for that I'm truly grateful. Things could be awkward otherwise."

"Oh, with your family?"

"So to speak." Errys swung her around before speaking again. "I never do less than my best of course, but I have to admit I didn't really expect to win the tournament, certainly never planned on coming face-to-face with any of my estranged family members. I have no idea what to say to them."

"That makes two of us."

Errys only laughed.

The next turn brought her to Sir Karles who was polite though distant, and then to his lady who – seemingly due to shyness – did not say a single word. She did not even take part in a few places that required singing, though she must've certainly known the words. And then she found herself paired up with Petrich.

Patrice wasn't exactly small, she was taller than all of the women she'd met so far, and taller than some of the men too, but Petrich dwarfed her. His hair and beard were darker than either Felisjyta's or Rozhalea's, much closer to brown, and both had been trussed up in several complicated looking plaits. He wore the same style of clothing as Felisjyta, though in shades of blue, brown, and white.

"Lady Dragon, it is an honor," he told her.

The reverence in his voice was more than Patrice could respond to, so she merely said, "You fought very well in the tournament."

He shook his head. "If you want to see something impressive, you can attend the melee tomorrow. I'm more suited for such things."

"Perhaps."

"After all this is done," he said, "we would be happy to have you return to Serze with us. It would suit you better, the wilderness. Dragons aren't meant to remain trapped in such places as this."

"Maybe I should like to see it, someday."

And then she found herself face-to-face with Felisjyta again.

"For someone who didn't know how to dance half an hour ago, you're doing quite well," said Felisjyta.

"I admit I am enjoying myself more than I thought I would. Just like the tournament, and many other things at court," Patrice said. "As long as I concentrate on one thing at a time."

"See? It's not so terrible, even if it is a little more complicated than the way dragons do things. Or Serzeks for that matter." Felisjyta smiled here. "Just concentrate on living, the rest will follow in time."

"How draconian of you."

"I believe some things are the same, whether you are a dragon or a human."

And thus the dance circled around again and she found herself with Johan as her partner. She grabbed for the threads of the multiple conversations she had been pulled into.

"Rothert says that the two of you are related to the royal family, does that make you royalty as well?

"We aren't in line for the throne if that's what you're asking," he said with a chuckle. "It's in the bylaws of the country that knights aren't allowed to rule. The two of us were rather pushed in that direction, though we intended it anyway. There are already more than enough people in the line of succession without adding us and our siblings to the mix."

"Why can't you rule?" Patrice asked, intrigued. For as much as she complained to herself, she could admit that humans also fascinated her with their endless complexities and rules, so different from the stable and mostly solitary dragons.

Johan thought about it for a minute. "Well naturally, any ruler needs to be able to fight. The rulers, and the heirs for that matter, are expected to be on the field of battle if necessary. They need to know how to direct troops. But for a stable country, a ruler needs to know more than just war. So knights, who dedicate our lives to the study of war, wouldn't make a good fit. After a time there just developed a tradition of the oldest children in noble families becoming knights in a show of deference to the current ruling family."

"That actually makes something resembling sense," Patrice said, surprised.

He laughed. "I'm glad something does. In our case it was even more necessary. Rothert's older sister accepted an alliance marriage back to Juska, and his younger brother will take over the family estate. I'm a knight as well as marrying off, which leaves my little sister to run the estate. All good ways of saying 'we're not a threat'. More royal families have been undone by relatives than by outsiders."

"Is it really such a common thing that your families need to worry about it?"

"Lady Patrice, humans have an endless capacity for most things, greed and lust for power being two of them."

And on that disturbing note, he handed her off to Rothert.

"Hello again, beautiful lady," he said.

Patrice could only roll her eyes. "We aren’t even the same species," she told him. Although, it's not like that had stopped her father, now had it?

"Ah, you have much to learn about human culture, such as the games played between men and maids. There is no need to be alarmed, courtly romance has little to do with actual romance. It really is just a game." He winked. "Besides, everyone knows that Juskan men are fiery and passionate and great lovers of beauty. It is my duty to offer every lovely young lady here a shower of compliments and praise."

"And now we're back to humans not making sense."

"It doesn't need to make sense to you, but you can take my word for it, you won't lack for dance partners all evening." He laughed, and even Patrice had to smile. His attitude was somewhat infectious.

He continued to shower her with increasingly more ridiculous compliments until finally it was time to change partners again. "Off with you then, stop pestering me," she told him with mock severity.

He kissed the back of her hand lightly and left her to Errys's company.

Much to her surprise, Patrice found that Rothert had been correct. She didn't lack for partners all evening. As soon as one round or reel was completed, another nearby would scoop her up. It isn't that it wasn't fun, but it was simply so chaotic. The constant movement, constant noise, the bright light of hundreds of candles, and the overwhelming array of colors. Patrice had never experienced things like this before, and found herself, all of a sudden, quite overwhelmed. Somewhere past two in the morning she fled into the gardens and made her way back to her suite in the dark and silence.

Patrice did not attend the melee the next day.

She did not leave her suite.

She hardly even left her bed. She spent the day alone, drifting between restless sleep and pondering the predicament she'd gotten herself into.

Patrice had told the maids early on not to bother with her. She could hear them chattering and gossiping in the main room, working on the wardrobe she was to take with her to summer court. The three of them would not be enough to make such clothing in only a few days' time. She knew they had invited some of their friends and sisters into her suite to help, but that did not concern her. What would they do? Steal the jewelry she barely tolerated anyway?

Patrice tuned them out the best she could.

Dragons lived long lives, and were rarely impulsive. They adapted, certainly, but they still took comfort in planning and logic. Patrice's life among the humans – brief as it had been so far – had been anything but planned or logical. Instead, others had taken control, dragging her along from one thing to another: the carousel, the tournament, the banquet, the dance. Now, somehow, Patrice was a lady in this human court, and expected to act as such.

She wasn't sure she could escape that role now. Certainly, there were other places in the human world to go. But that would just be more humans, and more traditions that she had to learn, more expectations placed on her, and even less control.

Patrice rolled over and stared at one of the tapestries in her room, the scene of purple gray mountains, dark forests, and the blood red of a setting sun. It was the sort of place a dragon would live.

She couldn't live with the dragons. Even if she had the ability to approach them, they would know her for a halfbreed immediately. Presumably they would exile her as they had exiled her mother.

Patrice listened to the maids talking and laughing in the main room. That was another consideration, she could not live among commoners in any country – she had no useful skills to offer, no talent with which to make a living, no knowledge to impart.

She knew she could return to the tower, but the thought of going back made her heart freeze. For all Patrice's life, it had just been her and her mother, with few exceptions. Some dragons ignored the exile and came to visit them, but those that did stopped by rarely.

For all that her mother had loved humans, Patrice had been forbidden from crossing the wall out of the old kingdom alone, and from even being on the grounds when knights drew near. It had been a long and lonely childhood, though she was only realizing it now. The thought of returning, even if her mother had been alive, did not sit well. With her mother dead, she didn't think she could bear it.

Patrice had never realized how lonely she had been, not until being here among all these people. Like a thirsty woman in the desert who had finally found an oasis, she could not face the idea of going back to such a solitary life. Even if the number of people here was overwhelming, it was still better than complete solitude.

But what were her options here? To simply be swept along in court politics, to spend her life facing fake flirtation and constantly needing to second-guess whether she could trust someone?

While her maids giggled and laughed in the sitting room, Patrice quietly wept in hers. Burning tears singed her pillows and ate small holes in the fabric of her nightgown. She wept for her mother, and for being the way she was, and for not knowing what to do or who to trust. She wept harder because she'd been trying not to – she hadn't wanted to show any sign of weakness to the humans of the court. Now she couldn't stop. All the grief, the anger, the uncertainty all came out at once, leaving her exhausted, empty, and cold.

That was how Felisjyta found Patrice that evening – with red rimmed eyes and tear streaked cheeks. Felisjyta had only come to give her something to eat, but when she saw Patrice's stricken look, she had no choice but to stay.

She shut the door behind her, set her platter aside, and gathered Patrice into her arms. "Oh, Patrice," she said, resting her forehead against Patrice's in the way dragons did. "Everything is going to be fine."

Patrice had thought she was out of tears, but getting comforted by someone just set her off again. She curled up against Felisjyta's shoulder and wept.

Felisjyta just held her and stroked her hair and whispered encouragements. It couldn't have been comfortable for the knight, but she held on despite the heat of the tears and the prick of too sharp nails on her skin.

The two of them sat that way in the dark for a long while after Patrice had stopped crying again. At some point, Felisjyta slowly disentangled herself from the dragon and moved to light one of the candles on the bedside table. "I'm sorry," she said. "I probably shouldn't have pushed you so hard. I know I can be a little bit too oblivious to other people's feelings. I should've noticed how upset you are."

"No," Patrice said. The word came out as half laugh and half sob. "I didn't want anyone to notice. All of this is just…it's so much. And I have no idea what I'm doing."

"Who does?" Felisjyta asked.

Patrice shook her head. "Everything has changed so fast, and I had no say in any of it. I still have no say. And I miss my mother. Even if she could be just as overbearing, at least I always knew what to expect. At least I knew that she cared about me and that I could trust her. And this," she pulled the lump of stone out from under her pillow, "is going away so fast! How can you expect to express all your grief in such a short time?"

Felisjyta sat back down on the bed. "I told you in the beginning, Patrice. Humans grieve together. We comfort one another. It's all right for you to be upset, and to act like you're upset."

"I don't want any humans to see me as weak. I don't want them to know how out of place I am here." The thought hovered at the back of her mind that she was out of place everywhere but now, finally, there were no more tears to shed over that particular fact.

Felisjyta laughed. "You silly, stubborn little dragon, don't you think everybody already knows how out of place you are? I believe that's something a lot of people find endearing, actually."

Patrice said nothing.

"You just lost your mother, we know you must be upset," Felisjyta continued. "No one here would expect you not to be upset. In the future you can come to me. Or I'm sure your maids would be happy to fuss over you. You don't give them nearly enough to do as it is."

"I suppose," Patrice said. But she knew that she would continue to grieve in private.

Felisjyta gave her a sad look, as if she knew it too, but didn't dwell on it. "I am sorry. I should have checked on you last night. I admit I rather lost track of the evening."

"I wouldn't have wanted to see you last night."

"Fair enough. Do you think you can eat something now? I know you didn't have much at the banquet. Everything seems better on a full stomach."

Patrice gave a nod of assent and took the platter Felisjyta handed her. It was deer meat again, but Patrice had never turned her nose up at deer before and she wasn't going to start now. Although she did have to wonder where Felisjyta was getting it. Perhaps hunting actually was allowed on the royal family's grounds. She could also admit that it was kind of nice having someone else provide for her. "How was the melee?" She asked before she began eating.

Felisjyta leaned back on the bed. She waved one hand in a lazy gesture as she spoke. "Chaotic, loud, and dangerous," she said. "Sir Eddard came out with a broken arm, and he wasn't the only one."

"Are you all right?" Patrice paused to look over the knight. Felisjyta seemed much the same as usual, dressed in a loose white tunic with red embroidery and blue britches. She didn't look as if she were in any pain.

"Fine, just fine," said Felisjyta. "I got knocked on my ass within the first five minutes anyway."

Reassured, Patrice went back to nibbling on the meat. "Who won?"

"Petrich. I think his size worked to his advantage."

"The duchess must be pleased."

"As a cat in cream. We came second in the joust, first in the melee, and first in the archery contest." There was an odd, discontent look on Felisjyta's face that Patrice couldn't even begin to decipher. But she couldn't help but remember Rozhalea's insulting words from the previous evening.

"But it doesn't please you?"

"Not that," Felisjyta said. "Rozhalea, oh… I don't know. We've been working so hard since we came here, training all the time, practicing those stupid rules with all the new armor and everything. It's like she's trying to turn us into something we aren't. And those of us who fall short of that ideal…"

"I understand," Patrice said, and patted Felisjyta's shoulder.

The knight laughed. "You better than anyone. But hey now, there's no reason to talk about depressing things like this. I'll tell you about the melee."

Patrice ate as Felisjyta described the melee from start to finish and let the words wash over her. Hearing about it, Patrice was glad she hadn’t gone. It sounded even louder and more chaotic than the joust. She didn’t think her frayed nerves would have been able to handle it.

The food, the company, and the chatter helped. By the time Felisjyta was ready to leave Patrice felt, if not great, then at least good enough. She bid the knight a goodnight, and fell into the sort of dead sleep that one can only achieve when truly exhausted.

Index | First Chapter | Previous Chapter | Next Chapter

[petrichal]

loved listening to the back to back Luffy Ace (VA) appearance for this week and the last mugiwara space 👒📻

(very) rough TL notes here for the first broadcast, feel free to reply to that post with corrections because god knows I probably got some wrong

[petrichormeraki]

ok ive legit been saying your user wrong the whole time I've been following you, so for the lil ask game this is me admitting to you that A WHOLE YEARS WORTH OF MISPRONOUNCING AND I JUST REALIZED 2 DAYS AGO ITS PETRICHOR-MERAKI NOT PETRICH OR MERAKI

thats my b

_

[anphivenas]

Gooood petrich-orning Rainheads its DJ Pitter-Patter Comeing at you with another drizzly Day of classics from Local legends and beyond

[dickinson-devotee]

#Repost @/bemparana

——

🤺 Fencing duel with Bruce Dickinson!

This week, Bruce Dickinson, lead singer of Iron Maiden, arrives in Curitiba for a show in the capital of Paraná.

To the delight of Curitiba residents, this Tuesday (23), the artist participated in an exhibition duel with Paraná fencers Pedro Petrich and Alexandre Camargo, on the fencing track at Praça Afonso Botelho.

Fencing has always been a hobby in the singer's life, but training was intensified during the tour for the album Piece of Mind, in the early 1980s.

In 1988, Bruce Dickinson was called up to represent Great Britain at the Seoul Olympic Games, but the band's touring schedule prevented his participation. The following year, Bruce placed seventh in the European Cup.

👉 Access more content at bemparana.com.br

#bemparana #ironmaiden #brucedickinson #esgrima #rock

——

April 23, 2024

[bikepackingbalkan]

Tag 18 - Bessere Zeiten

Mit gemischten Gefühlen fahren wir aus Sofia los. Zum einen haben die Hunde einen bleibenden Eindruck bei uns hinterlassen, zum anderen erwarten uns stolze 38 Grad.

Bald schon merken wir aber: dieser Tag läuft besser als die zwei Tage vor Sofia. Vergleichsweise zügig sind wir aus der Millionenstadt draußen und biegen auf eine weniger befahrene Straße ab. Die Kilometer purzeln und die Landschaft wird immer schöner. Wir kommen durch kleine Ortschaften, an deren Kern meistens ein paar ältere Herren zusammensitzen und uns neugierig beobachten. Was uns sehr gut gefällt, sind die Wasserquellen, die in fast jeder Ortschaft vorhanden sind. Eiskühles Wasser, das dauerhaft aus einem Hahn schießt. Was will man mehr? Wir können regelmäßig unsere Wasserflaschen auffüllen und den Kopf kühlen.

Auf diese Weise erklimmen wir auch den Berg, den es heute zu erklimmen gibt. Viele Bäume zieren die Landschaft und spenden uns immer wieder Schatten. Noch vor zwölf haben wir den höchsten Punkt erreicht und erfreuen uns an der Aussicht. Wir fahren einen Teil des Berges ab und machen dann Mittagspause an einem See, der fast perfekt auf unserer Route liegt. Ein guter Ort, um eine gute Pause zu verbringen. Im Schatten eines Baumes liegen wir am Wasser, lesen und faulenzen. Da der See recht viele Algen beherbergt, beschließen wir, erst nicht zu baden. Als die Sonne dann weiter Dampf macht, beschließen wir doch zu baden. Und das ist eine gute Entscheidung. Das Wasser ist herrlich kühl und die Algen schnell vergessen.

Abens kommen wir in Petrich an. Wir haben uns geeinigt, an diesen heißen Tagen nur 70 km zu fahren. Durch Petrich fließt ein schöner Fluss. Im Dorf erkundigen wir uns, ob wir dort zelten dürfen und bekommen die Erlaubnis. Unter einem Walnussbaum schlagen wir unser Nachtlager auf und gehen denn direkt noch einmal baden. So lässt es sich an einem heißen Tag gut leben. Wir kochen Curry mit Reis, gehen danach ein weiteres Mal baden und in der Mitte des Dorfes in einer Kneipe etwas Trinken. Das Konzept hier gefällt uns. Fast in jedem Dorf gibt es einen kleinen Supermarkt, in dem es Lebensmittel und kühle Getränke gibt. Diese Läden haben gleichzeitig immer ein paar Bänke draußen stehen und sind auf diese Weise auch ein Ort zum Verweilen. Offenbar gefällt auch den Bulgaren dieses Konzept, denn es sitzen zu jeder Tageszeit mindestens ein paar Bulgaren auf solchen Bänken und schauen uns beim Radeln zu.

Nach unserem Kneipengang fängt uns noch ein Bulgare ab, der gut Englisch kann, eigentlich in Sofia lebt und gerade mit seinen Kindern im Sommerhaus verweilt. Er ist gesprächig und lädt uns noch auf ein Getränk im Garten ein. Seine Kinder zeigen uns Kartentricks und später bekommen wir noch etwas auf dem Klavier vorgespielt. Ein schöner Abend und ein großartiger Einblick in die bulgarische Kultur.

Tageserkenntnisse:

1. Trotz der Hitze kühlt es nachts ab - das ist viel wert.

2. Das Zelten ist ein wahrer Traum unter einem Walnussbaum.

3. Kühle Getränke bereichern die Tour!