Monday 1st July 2019
Our base in the tiny village of Kromidovo was just a short drive to Melnik, reputed to be the smallest town in Bulgaria and at last count, a population of 385 inhabitants. We had also read about the well preserved medieval Rozhen Monastery, the largest in the Pirin Mountains.
We approached the monastery after passing through the tiny hamlet of Rozhen and parked in a small car park just below. Larger coaches had to park in Rozhen itself and the passengers walk up the steep road to the monastery, which was a bonus for us, as we avoided a large party of students as we departed 😉
On the drive our attention was drawn to the fascinating earth pyramids , also known as hoodoos, which were visible along much of our route in the Melnik area and the monastery is nestled amongst these.
We expected to pay for entering the monastery but discovered that this was not so.
The one down side was that we were not supposed to take photographs but we managed to sneak a couple, as we noticed other people happily snapping away, although it was impossible to take any inside the church, which was exquisite.
The church which is in the centre of the monastery was built before the 15th century and has some exquisite preserved frescoes both on the outer walls and in the interior of the church. Every inch of walls within the church are decorated and there is a plethora of gold and brass lights and candle holders. One of the monks was busy cleaning artefacts whilst we were visiting.
The actual monastery was destroyed by fire sometime between 1662 and 1674 and a restoration project was undertaken to rebuild the damaged buildings, using financial support of wealthy Bulgarians across the country, which was completed around 1732.
Back in the car we made the short journey back down the road to Melnik and then headed up towards Kordopulov House.
Many restaurants, bars and tourist shops line either side of the dry river bed which will lead you passed the Wine Museum and eventually to Kordopulov House.
You will see it perched high above the narrow road before you actually reach it.
Be prepared for some very unstable roads, paths and a steep climb up to the house but don’t let that put you off, as the visit is worth every ounce of effort.
3.50 Leva each and we were free to enjoy the delights of this beautifully preserved Bulgarian National Revival House, now a museum.
As well as several rooms to visit, there is a winter and summer terrace, several staircases, a hidden cupboard and what we craved in the heat of the day, a natural refrigerator in the form of a cellar and winery. It was heaven to wander through the 200 metres of solid rock tunnels.
You can sample and purchase wines made specifically from Melnik grapes too. (Unfortunately we won’t be sampling the bottle we purchased, as it fell to the floor when Ray opened the car door later that day.)
After enjoying a delicious lunch of Shopska salad, chicken shaslik and beer in one of the many tavernas we decided to pay a brief visit to the Orbelus organic winery, which was right on our doorstep in Kromidovo.
The winery is only a 20 minute walk from our campsite but the temperatures were far too hot to even consider taking that on and unless you have a battery powered bike or a mountain bike, we wouldn’t recommend cycling either, as the terrain was very rocky and uphill.
The actually structure of the building is impressive and pleasing and we were directed to park at the top of the winery, where Ray cheekily asked if he could have a look around and take a few pictures?
The man spoke no English and shook his head from side to side so I guessed that wasn’t going to be possible.
Ray gestured to me to join him and I was somewhat perplexed. He quietly whispered ‘Remember, shaking of the head from side to side means yes and nodding means no’. I’m never going to get the hang of this!
The kind gentleman proceeded to take us around various rooms containing enormous stainless steel vats, amongst other equipment until finally we headed upstairs to the tasting room with superb views across the landscape.
Wines purchased we went back to camp for some R&R before heading off later that evening for our final meal in Melnik.