Kapinovo Part 2

River Veselina

There is another attraction to greet those hardy souls who make it through to the monastry, and these are the waterfalls. However, those of you who live in this region will know about the lack of rain, which has meant that the rivers are quite low. As a consequence rather than seeing waterfalls we were confronted by water dribbles. With the slow pace of the River Veselina there were several areas where the water didn't seem to move at all. These stretches seemed to be quite popular breeding grounds for mosquitoes, midges and gnats. We did see several shoals of some small fish there, and some frogs too. Maybe they were making the most of the available buffet that the insect life had chosen to provide. I also saw a small snake, which I decided was best kept secret from Net until we had left there. I am not sure what sort it was but it had a checkered pattern over its back and black and white flashes at the corners of the mouth.

In Need Of Rain

The area itself is very picturesque, and we decided to make the most of it by having a walk along the river. Now if ever you get slighty curious and decide to enter Kapinovo waterfalls into a search engine, you will get to see various pictures of people jumping off of a rock into a pool. We actually managed to find the bit that appears in most of the pictures. At the moment they are actually building a restaurant which will overlook the area. Hopefully this will add another attraction to that area, or at least somewhere to get a decent coffee. The way that everything is happening you will soon be able to enjoy a complete day there.

Even if a day of swimming, eating, visiting monastries and jumping off of rocks doesn't appeal, there is still the walk along the river. Some areas you will find that the banks are a bit steep, or inaccessible, but it does make for a wonderful walk. The best thing that I noticed, or should I say didn't notice, was the lack of litter which normally spoils these beauty spots.

Water Dribble

These are the rocks which those brave souls, idiots and daredevils launch themselves from. Someone has even kindly fitted a rope ladder so that people can keep jumping for as long as they wish. I wonder if people eating on the new restaurant's terrace will be issued with score cards. It is quite easy to see what the river will be like when there is more water running through it. We did notice some trees further down the river which had possibly been moved there by the river when it was in full spate after the winter's snow had melted. I did notice that throughout the area there has been plenty of siesmic activity as the strata on some of the rocks is vertical. So I guess that it is all of this activity which has helped to shape such a wonderful spot.

Root System

Even the trees add to the stunning scenery with their intricate root systems as they sit there on the rocks. There are even hidden pools, various steps, a weir, and even a man made water course. I doubt that this was a salmon or trout ladder so maybe it was something to do with the monastry at one point, or possibly a mill of some form once sat in this position. As we walked along under the trees, I couldn't help but think of that old children's TV series, The Secret Garden. There really are some stunning old trees in and about the area, and the monks certainly won't go short of wood during the winter.

Secret Pool

Old Trees

Despite it being so picturesque there after a couple of hours of traipsing around the urge for coffee was getting stronger and stronger. So we headed off towards the Camp site at Dragizhevo and a much needed coffee break. Even though there was a distinct lack of coffee we have agreed that this is definitely somewhere that we will visit again.

Indiana Jones Is Missing

Not For Those Of A Nervous Disposition