Melnik's Other Side - Part Two - Environment

It's what I love the place for in the first place - nature has shaped the sandy hills around the small town in a way quite exotic for the rest of Bulgaria.

Before I get carried away, let me share the links to my previous blog posts on the place:

Part One of this series - about wine in Melnik:
https://steemit.com/photography/@manoldonchev/melnik-s-other-side-part-one-traditions

And also...

Part One ...
https://steemit.com/travelfeed/@manoldonchev/time-travel-to-melnik-part-one-communism-in-school

... and Part Two of a more personal story.
https://steemit.com/photography/@manoldonchev/time-travel-to-melnik-part-two-the-ghost-of-melnik-high

Now back to what initially attracted me - the way Melnik looks.

Sadly the original architecture is being slowly but surely replaced by imitations of its former self. The old roof tiles, beams, walls and stones are still present here and there but modern versions now try to take their place and kind of look in a similar way. Only art can store what was, though.

The only real income of locals nowadays comes from tourism. But it works, I have never seen a weekend without rooms being hard to find. Even though the settlement is hidden among sandy slopes and about twenty kilometers from the main road, it remains close to the Bulgarian - Greek border.

Being that south also makes it different in climate - Melnik and nearby towns fall into the Mediterranean category - warmer than the rest of the country and with soft winters. I remember acacia and fig trees growing in plenty there. Green figs jam is sold in souvenir shops besides wine and honey.

The largest house of old, now also a museum, belonged to the Kordopulov family. They were wealthy traders with connections as far as Venice and some of the Italian influence can be seen in the way that western style of ornamentation was mixed with the Oriental style in the houses huge rooms, windows and terraces. The Kordopulovs were even equipped with a hidden room where servants conducted some industrial espionage during business meetings.

And the cellar is basically a cave with additional tunnels dug out somewhere below the mansion.

Interior photos coming in a day or two when I get back to my hard drive and I will provide them in comments below.

A nice final touch - the winter garden and the top terrace.

If you have the time to tour across Bulgaria, Melnik is a place i would always recommend.