mother nature: July 2017

Raysko Praskalo (Heavenly Spray), Bulgaria

Raysko Praskalo (Bulgarian: Райско пръскало, "Heavenly Spray"), 124.5 m inheight, is the highest waterfall in Bulgariaand the Balkan Peninsula. It is situated under Botev Peak (2,376 m) in the central section of the Balkan Mountains and is part of the Dzhendema Reserve of theCentral Balkan National Park. The nearest town is Kalofer, at 11 km to the south. The waterfall takes water from the snow drifts on Botev Peak and forms the river Praskalska which is a tributary to theByala Reka River. The flow of fall is at its peak during summer.

Overlooking the Raysko Praskalo Area

Raysko Praskalo during the winter

Raysko Praskalo snow cup

Photo Source: Collected from Internet

Melnik Pyramids, Bulgaria

Melnik (Bulgarian: Мелник, Greek: Μελένικο,Meleniko) is a town in Blagoevgrad Province, southwestern Bulgaria, in the southwestern Pirin Mountains, about 440 m above sea level. The town is an architectural reserve and 96 of its buildings are cultural monuments. With a population of 385, it is the smallest town in Bulgaria, retaining its city status today for historical reasons.Close to Melnik are The Melnik Pyramids, one of the most interesting natural attractions in Bulgaria. They are rock formations scattered over an area of 50 square kilometers. These unique natural formations attract tourists from all over the world. It is thought that the limestone of which they are composed is the result of erosion, and those forces continue to alter their shape.

Panoramic overview of Melnik

View of Melnik

The "Byzantine House" at Melnik. It was built between 12 and 13th century.

Despot Slav's Fortress

The Kordopulov House in winter

The Byzantine House (12th–13th century)

Basilica of St Anthony (1765)

The famous sand pyramids

Photo Source: Collected from Internet

Cape Kaliakra, Bulgaria

Kaliakra (Bulgarian: Калиакра) is a long and narrow headland in the Southern Dobrujaregion of the northern Bulgarian Black Sea Coast. The coast is steep with vertical cliffs reaching 70 metres (230 ft) down to the sea. Probably the most popular legend about the place is one about 40 Bulgarian girls, who preferred to tie their hair together and jump into the Black Sea rather than face the prospect of being captured by the Ottomans.

Another legend tells the story of Saint Nicholas, the patron of seamen, who was running away from the Ottomans when God made the earth under him longer and longer so he could escape, and the cape was formed this way. The saint was eventually captured and a chapel was built in 1993, symbolizing his grave. A third legend is about Lysimachus, a successor of Alexander the Great, who seized the royal treasure and escaped to Kaliakra, dying in a major storm along with his whole fleet.

Cap Kaliakra, Bulgaria

Bolata near cape Kaliakra, Bulgaria.

Rock beach

Kaliakra horn on the Bulgarian Black Sea coast

Kaliakra, Bulgaria, Fortress Gate and look to the north, 2003

Kaliakra, Bulgaria, the Chapel "Saint Nikola" at the cape tip, 2003

Kaliakra Fortress - plan

Photo Source: Collected from Internet

Strange Looking Sea Creaters

Clown Frogfish. A brightly colored clown frogfish shows off its stuff on a reef near Bali, Indonesia. Sea Pens. An almost surreal seafloor tableau unfolds in the shallow waters of Long Sound, New Zealand. Sea Cucumber.Anglerfish. Blob Sculpins. Dumbo Octopus. Eastern Fiddler Ray. Giant Hatchetfish.

Photo Source: Collected from Internet

Arda River, Bulgaria

The Arda (Bulgarian: Арда, Arda,Turkish: Arda, Greek: Άρδας,Árdas) is a 290-kilometre (180 mi) long river in Bulgaria and Greece. It is a tributary of the Maritsa (Greek:Έβρος, Evros). Its source lies in the Bulgarian Rhodope Mountains near the village Arda, part of the municipality of Smolyan. It flows eastward past Rudozem, Kardzhaliand Ivaylovgrad and enters Greece in the northern part of the Evros regional unit. It flows into the Maritsa on the border of Greece and Turkey, between the Greek village Kastanies and the Turkish city Edirne.