Walks can be normal and exceptional. Exceptional ones are obviously rarer. Walking is a daily presence in my life, normal walks, close to home, and with relaxing and therapeutic purposes. Exceptional walks always happen when I am away on various trips. Then the walk is combined with visiting and observing the surrounding places more closely.
The most enjoyable recent walks have been through the gardens of Balchik Castle in Bulgaria. That's where my most recent trip and short holiday took place. A holiday that, through memories there, will warm my days in the winter that is almost at the door.
The gardens were laid out according to the wishes and instructions of Queen Mary of Romania and are located in a large area, on some hills she bought to build her summer residence. To visit the whole complex, the former royal estate, you need to allocate a good chunk of time, about a whole day. For this reason, I will present the walk here in several parts, trying to show as much as possible. For those who won't make it here. So that you can get an impression as close to reality as possible.
This time I tell you about the highest part of the garden, right behind the Castle. To get here, paths were built on the terraces of the hill, a kind of cobbled serpentine.
The highest terrace of the garden is the perfect place to admire the castle, the sea, the small beach, and the harbor in the distance.
Also here is an important monument, the Queen's Tomb. It consists of a stone cross on which several symbols and texts in Church Slavonic are engraved. At the base of the cross is a stone tomb, the Queen's virtual grave. This is a monument specially made to remind everyone, whether ordinary people or crowned heads, that they are mortal.
The Queen even wanted to be buried in this place. She loved this place in Balchik, the Castle, and these gardens. Queen Maria of Romania died in 1938, at the Castle of Sinaia, in Romania. In order to fulfill her wish to rest forever in Balchik, the Queen's heart was placed in a small golden coffin and laid in the chapel in these gardens, called Stela Maris.
Unfortunately, she stayed here for a short time, on 7 September 1940 this region, Southern Dobrogea or Cadrilater, was returned to Bulgaria. On 8 September, the Queen's heart was moved to Romania.
On the plateau, on the highest part of the hill, we also found two villas where the queen's suite and the administrator of this estate lived. The first was the villa of the administrator, the Swiss Carol Gutman, a famous park builder.
Now whoever wants can stay in this villa because it has been converted into a hotel. I still haven't decided if I'd like to stay here, I think it would be a bit weird at night, the villa is quite isolated in a small forest. The architecture of the house is inspired by the architecture of Bulgarian houses. Very beautiful but I liked most the outside part, like a courtyard, all built of stone.
I love the view of the sea from this villa. You can't see the castle, only its minaret. At the Queen's wish, a minaret was built attached to the castle. This was because the inhabitants of Balchik were mostly Turks, so Muslims and the queen wanted to show that she respected their religion and way of life.
After a good rest at Villa Gutman, our steps headed towards the central part of the plateau, towards the second villa transformed into a hotel.
This is the former residence of the Queen's aide-de-camp, a building I like better than the Gutman Villa. It too has a spectacular view and opening to the sea.
This walk, although it was through some gardens, took me more to some buildings and less to the flowers we think of when we say garden. Plants, trees, and flowers were plentiful, but I paid less attention to them, being absorbed by the historical aspect of the place. Now some flowers...
The title of the post is not accidental "Some small parts of a long walk". I feel I need to stop and tell you another time about the second villa, Villa Suite, and the beautiful park near it.
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