Nesebar -- Jewel of the Black Sea

On Friday 10/31/08, Marilyn and I took a break from the Bulgarian-only presentations at the UNWE center and walked for several miles toward Old Nesebar. This is truly Bulgaria's "jewel of the Black Sea" -- a small rocky island, pretty as a postcard.

After dinner and before sundown, we returned by bus  to explore the island.  Just past the causeway linking the island with the mainland was a 3,000 year old fortress -- first built by the Thracians and expanded by the Greeks, Romans and Byzantines.  Once, Nesebar had 80 medieval churches, with distinctive arches and pilasters. Today, most are in ruins or converted into art galleries, museums and shops. Built in the Byzantine style -- with horizontal strips of white stone and red bricks -- some were destroyed by pirates or conquerers; others by a 1913 earthquake.  

 

On a nearby street, we saw a lively children's parade -- including Olympic veterans and the Bulgarian flag. The town was filled with charm in that calm off season, not choking with tourists and traffic as it is in the summer. For us, it was a step back in time.

____________________________________________  THE BLACK SEA -- CAUSEWAY AND MARINA. A long manmade causeway connected Nesebar to the mainland. A marina was on one side and a rocky beach (walled off by distant development) was on the other. The Black Sea is a popular resort destination for many Europeans outside of Bulgaria. It usually has mild weather and blue water. But it can become ugly, with fierce storms that have destroyed many ships. The "black" part comes from algae that covers rocks and sand, giving it a dark aspect.

_________________________________   THE SOUTH BEACH As we walk away from the island towards the UNWE center earlier that same day, we saw this lovely, wide sandy beach with good views of Old Nesebar and some decent park improvements -- but with only one small public access road.  this lovely, wide sandy beach with good views of Old Nesebar and some decent park improvements -- but with only one small public access road.

 

 

NEW NESEBAR Walking further south for a few miles on 31 Oct. (Halloween in the U.S.), we passed through "New Nesebar." Speaking environmentally, it was a "frightful experience." High-rise condos and apartments of every size and style marched like an army, almost down to water's edge, in a solid wall of concrete and brick. It reminded us of Malibu before the days of planned development. Unless one walked along the sand and high tideline, you could neither see nor gain access to the water and sand from any public road or walkway. Only one project that we saw (first below), near Old Nesebar, seemed well planned -- with parkscape and sidewalk access all the way down to the beach. After our morning walk, we returned to the UNWE center for lunch and the afternoon presentations.