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An honest review of Bansko in May
Bansko is a small town on the outskirts of the Rila National Park. In winter, it is a prime destination for budget British ski holidays - not my usual criteria when picking a place to stay.
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Spirituality +10 points: visiting Rila Monastery
We set off from Sapareva Banya on Sunday morning with zero Levs in our pockets in search of breakfast in the next town (Dupnica). We quickly gave up on this idea after walking into the first alcohol-soaked establishment at 8am to a group of local kids sitting in the near darkness and polishing off their pancakes with the first beer of the day. Fortunately, we were able to get cash at least and set off in the direction of Rila Monastery, grabbing a croissant and a coffee on the road with a view of the mountains. I don’t know what you have read or heard about Rila Monastery but I…
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Wear sunscreen, you idiot: hiking the Rila 7 lakes in spring, a cautionary tale.
The next chapter of the Bulgarian tale found us a few kilometers further down the road from Kyustendil, in Sapareva Banya, a town with great access to the Rila National Park. Sapareva Banya, as the name suggests, also has significant geothermal activity which you can both see and smell. For those that enjoy it, you can visit the spa which looks actually pretty nice.
