Cycling to Emona and Irakli

November 2022 · 4 min read · Burgas

This Sunday, with @nanast and other friends we did a wonderful cycling trip to the midpoint of the Bulgarian Black Sea coast, where the easternmost part of the Stara Planina is.

In this place there is a small Bulgarian village called Emona, which has preserved its authenticity to this day.

We left Burgas with bicycles mounted on cars. We stopped in the Elenite resort complex, which, unlike the noisy summer, at this time of the year is quite a peaceful and quiet place.

We started the route with a climb. We continued on a dirt road, enjoying autumn nature.

We reached an abandoned building.

We continued to an open space with a unique view of Black Sea, before whose magnificence we stood spellbound for some time.

Next came a flat part with wide meadows, and in the distance, the sea revealed its majesty like a silver curtain.

Here we also saw a herd of wild horses keeping a great distance.

On one side the sea, and on the other the mountain colored by autumn. We could see fog descending in the distance.

The village was nearby. It revealed to us, from above. The motley houses were perched playfully on the steep slopes.

The village takes its name from the ancient Greek name of Stara Planina - Aemon.

In the center of the village we saw the church "St. Dimitar".

At the time we were in the village, the church was closed and we could not go in and have a look.

I saw a two story abandoned building with a playground in the back. I suppose it was the Primary school that operated until the last century.

I was walking along "Buntovnik" Street.

This family of donkeys was such a pleasant sight.

They stood calmly in the square and enjoyed the peace.

We took a break at Villa Emona, where we drank refreshments and enjoyed the expansive views.

The village library is located here, and interesting photos of lighthouses from different parts of the world are hung on the walls.

We headed for Irakli, but before that, we stopped briefly at the huge wolf statue pointing the way to Cape Emine.

We didn't have enough time to go to Cape Emine, which is actually the easternmost part of Stara Planina. We had planned to cycle to Irakli and had to stick to the plan. Years ago, some friends and I had cycled up to the cape and it was really beautiful there. I wish we could go again there, but maybe next year.

The road to Irakli was basically a descent on an unmaintained asphalt road.

The place was quiet and deserted.

The beach was beautiful and peaceful.

We found swings but soon had to move because it was very windy.

We took a break in the forest.

There was a bridge nearby and the Vaya River was dry.

I walked under the bridge where there was vegetation, graffiti and swallow nests.

My friends found a dried sunflower and thought it was a selfie stick. And when a impromptu shooting started :)

On the way back we took another route.

I used Relive to record the route, but the video is only one direction. It was not recorded on the way back - www.relive.cc

Almost immediately after the bridge, we turned right and crossed a large field. We then entered the forest where it was a big hill and there were many fallen trees along the way. Cycling was difficult and most of the time we had to push the bikes.