Dear friends, in case you are in the middle of the wonderfully beautiful Govedarska valley, the only valley within the limits of the magical beauty Rila, nestled between the indescribably beautiful northern slopes of Lakatishka Rila and the alien unreal rocks of the Malovishki part, in one of the villages along the Cherni Iskar rivers , Levy Iskar and their tributaries, now I will present you another wonderful idea for a walk, especially suitable for small children.
The proposed route is extremely easy and can be covered quite calmly and without any panting or trace of fatigue by young families and their young children.
Moreover, I emphasize the fact that the trail is especially suitable for the youngest adventure lovers and their parents, due to the following important features:
The "Madzhare" eco-trail is built in the middle of the majestically beautiful Govedar Valley and the entire area deeply enchants with beauty and charm;
The "Madzhare" eco-trail is extremely easy and very pleasant to walk;
The "Madzhare" eco-trail is built in an ecologically clean area, in the middle of centuries-old forests. The air here is clean and fresh even in the midst of the summer heat;
The "Madzhare" eco-trail is not among the most famous eco-trails and routes and is quite calm for walks;
The Madjare Eco-Trail is a didactic, entertaining children's eco-trail and its main idea is to educate teenagers by making them fall in love with the mountains and the forest;
The Madjare Eco-Trail can be walked in its entirety most leisurely within an hour to an hour and a half, of course the total time depends greatly on the number and length of breaks you take, the age of the youngest tourists and the time you will spend to explore the final point of the eco-trail - the St. George Chapel;
Necessary equipment for walking the "Majare" eco-trail – comfortable sneakers or hiking boots, clothing according to the season, a backpack with drinking water, because there are no fountains along the trail, food for everyone, especially for the youngest tourists, and hats in case it's summer.
Well, let's get started then!
The beginning of the didactic children's eco-trail "Madjare" starts south of the village of Madjare. A dirt but wide road leads to the starting point, which can be walked on foot, as well as traveled by car without any problems.
In the photo above, I have shown what the starting point of the eco-trail looks like. This is a small wooden bridge over the river, to the right of which is this colorful Frog - a joy for the children. Above the wooden house, the Bulgarian tricolor flutters, and behind the colorful Frog, the trail itself starts, surrounded by stones.
As you are probably already fully convinced by the wonderful pastoral photo moment above, capturing the beauty and freshness of the place, the trail is built amidst majestic and unimaginable beauty - the impressive and so picturesque Govedar Valley.
Govedarska Valley is at an altitude of between 1100 and 1260 meters. It was formed during the Quaternary by vertical movements along faults and flexures. Glacial and river deposits are observed at its bottom. The climate is pronouncedly mountainous with heavy rainfall almost all year round. As can be seen in the photo above, the trail winds through dense centuries-old pine forests - always south in the direction of the "St. George" chapel.
The path meanders sometimes on one side of a small Rila stream, a tributary of the Iskar, sometimes on its other side, and for this purpose several wooden bridges have been built over the small stream.
Sunny and shady sections alternate, so overall the route is extremely pleasant to walk.
The house with the ants
So, dear friends, we come to the essence of this eco-trail and its distinguishing feature. These are the twenty painted houses, at least that's how many I counted during my visit, an aquarium, and an asteroid.
The first, of all twenty houses, is the one with the ants. The house is tiny (like for ants), with a pink base and a yellow roof, with a flower painted on the front. As you can see for yourself from the photo, the house is currently inhabited by a family of ants. It is built on a cute stump.
There is also an anthill near the house with the ants, and it is likely that the family of ants came from it.
The green house with the mushroom roof
The green house with the mushroom roof is the next landmark on the children's didactic eco-trail "Majare".
This is the second little house, which looks like a mushroom. It has a green base and a red roof covered with white large and small dots.
I wonder who lives here?
The house with the four-leaf clover
The third house is the house of happiness.
Why? – you may ask. Because this house is marked with four-leaf clovers, and everyone knows the song:
Когато сам намериш детелина
с примамливите четири листа,
ще имаш най-щастливата година
и най-желаните от теб неща.
Такава детелина да откъснеш,
щастливо предсказание било.
Но щастието трябва да се търси –
то никога не идвало само.
Детелини, детелини, детелини,
аз ви търсих по безкрайната земя.
Детелини, детелини, детелини,
многобройни сте, но само с три листа.
Аз искам от листенцата вълшебни
едно за мен да има на света.
Те носят само четири надежди,
а винаги една е любовта.
"Детелина"
Автор на текста: Асен Ошанов
Along the Rila Stream it is quite fresh, shady and very pleasant! An example of this are these green and so eye-catching ferns that grow in abundance on the slopes of the river.
The stream is pleasantly murmuring, birds fill the forest with their heartfelt songs, a fresh Rila breeze comes down from the mountain and cools our walk together, and I whistle a famous melody about some clovers – a perfect Rila idyll! Don't you think so?!
Hello House
Hey! But it says "Hello"!
Yes, but "Hello" in English means "Hello", which is why I took the liberty of naming this little house "Hello House". It is a small blue house with a red roof, and everyone is welcome here.
The cottage of the kitten and the mouse
This is Tom and Jerry's house, or at least their Bulgarian version.
This is the fifth house in a row that little mischievous ones and their parents will be able to see along the "Majare" eco-trail.
The house with the big moon
The sixth house depicts two kittens by a white fence in the middle of a bright moonlit night.
The two kittens are sitting by an old tree, watching the moon fill the sky above them. The house is dark blue with a red roof.
Home
The seventh house has the word "Home" written on it, which translates from English as "Home".
There was apparently some ornamentation on the facade of the cottage, but it has disintegrated over time from the rain. The "H" from "Home" has also fallen out and has now been added with a brush by hand.
The Lovers' House
The eighth house is the house of a young couple in love.
The whole house smells of love, and the moon and stars peek through the attic window.
The Yellow House
Next is the yellow house. It deserves its name because it is painted entirely in yellow.
Mushrooms grow around the cottage and it's generally very cheerful here.
The fish house
In general, each cottage along the "Majare" children's didactic eco-trail is unique and carries its own message related to nature.
The tenth house in a row also does not betray the overall message. Children will be delighted with this "water" house (or why not - a house under water), which is inhabited by small fish.
The skyscraper
And now, from the depths of the ocean, we will suddenly soar upward – high!
It's the turn of the only skyscraper on the eco-trail. It's very colorful and cheerful. It somewhat resembles the Hundertwasser House in Vienna - this is a colorful and fun housing complex in the capital of Austria, built according to a project by the eccentric and provocative Austrian artist and architect Friedensreich Hundertwasser, which I had the pleasure of visiting years ago.
The "Majare" children's eco-trail seems to end unexpectedly in places, which should not bother you at all. Just when you arrive at such a section of the trail, look around carefully. It is possible that the route crosses the road, and you can continue calmly and look for the next part of the trail.
Do you see? The path continues, but further.
Look around carefully and look for the next educational and artistic section.
Purple Haze
I decided to call the next house "Purple haze", which translated into Bulgarian means "Purple Haze".
The house is painted in pale purple and blue flowers grow on its facade, which could be blueberries.
Dear friends, I am sure that while you are reading these lines you are genuinely having fun! Isn't that so? I see many smiles on your faces! So I have managed to convey a little - a particle of the joy that the "Madžare" eco-trail generates in every visitor!
And so!
The "Madzhare" eco-trail, leading south from the village to the "St. George" chapel - an entertaining forest didactic route, especially suitable for the youngest travelers, winds through the forests. The sun is cheerfully baking. The grass is soft and slightly springy under our tired feet, but they are tired, because in reality this is our next route for the day - we simply left the easiest eco-trail for last and now this wonderfully soft grass literally caresses our steps and we walk cheerfully, even fly.
My children are already grown up - grown up Mr. and Miss, and even they found this walk very interesting, so what's left for the youngest travelers?! A real treat!
The aquarium
Did I promise you that in addition to the houses, we would also see an aquarium? Here it is!
The aquarium is placed on a tall stump, near the river, from which it is constantly supplied with fresh water. That is why its inhabitants – all cheerful fish, are so lively and energetic, happily splashing around in its water.
Just look at how beautiful it is! Rila is truly beautiful and always fills me with incredible peace and a sense of romance!
The housing cooperative
The next house is a mid-rise housing cooperative, where a group of serious adults live.
The cooperative is decorated in green and has a red roof. This is definitely a serious building. The cooperative is built on a stump, near the nearby town.
The town
Here we are in the town.
The town is quite large. It consists of three houses – dark blue, dark purple and light green. The town is filled with music from morning till night. Its inhabitants are extremely funny people.
The Mushroom House
Now it's the turn of the mushroom house.
Next to the city is a medium-sized mushroom house. Fluffy white clouds float above it, and black swallows dart under the blue sky.
House of love
The pink house is the house of love.
This is a cute little pink house with a huge red heart on the facade.
Dear friends, we are approaching the end of the "Madžare" eco-trail. At the very end of it is this wonderful little red house, which to me personally resembles the house of the seven dwarfs, where Snow White stays.
The house of the seven dwarfs
The house of the seven dwarfs is quite beautiful – it is red and has a roof made of the bark of an old pine tree. It looks just like something out of a fairy tale! I have the feeling that at any moment all seven dwarfs – Merry, Shy, Sleepy, Sneezy, Stupid, Grumpy and Know-it-all – will come out of the door, while Snow White waves them off to work in the mines.
Dear friends, at the beginning of our joint walk along this wonderful children's eco-trail, I told you that we would look at twenty houses and an aquarium, which I have already introduced to you.
Oh, yes, it's good that you remind me - I promised to show you an asteroid! Okay!
Asteroid B-612
Here is asteroid B-612!
Have you ever seen the beloved children's book by the Frenchman Antoine de Saint-Exupéry so skillfully transformed into a house?
On the asteroid we see the Little Prince's favorite rose, we also see him, sitting right next to his friend - the Fox. They sit and watch another sunset. Beauty!
Chapel of St. George
Dear friends, the final point of the "Majare" eco-trail takes us past the "St. George" chapel.
This is a place of unparalleled beauty, created and maintained with much love.
The yard of the St. George Chapel is huge - planted with green grass, and the hundreds of blooming flowers give it an unreal magical look that is calming.
A fountain with two spouts has been built near the chapel, from which cold mountain water gushes for thirsty throats.
There are huge sheds with lots of tables and benches where we can have a great meal!
How to get to the village of Madjare, Samokov Municipality, Sofia Region?
Madjare is a village in Southwestern Bulgaria. It is located in Samokov Municipality, Sofia Region. With its 1402 inhabitants, the village ranks first in terms of population after Samokov.
The village is located in the pre-park zone of the Rila National Park, along the Cherni Iskar River. Located in the Govedar Valley at 1157 meters above sea level, it has a temperate continental climate with a minimum January temperature of minus 33.6°C and a maximum July temperature of plus 30.3°C. There is snow on average 160 days of the year, and in winter the snow cover is over 120 centimeters.
During the Roman Empire, around the upper tributaries of the Iskrovete River (Prav Iskar, Prekite Reki, Lopushnitsa River, Lakatica River, etc.) there were mining settlements for the extraction of iron ore and iron.
In the Nadaritsa area there are remains of an ancient settlement dating back to the time of the Roman Empire.
In the Tapankovitsa, Mechkaritsa and Izvoro areas there are preserved historical monuments - churches, a monastery and chapels.
Along the ridges of the peaks south of Govedartsi, the Ferdinand Road has been preserved, built at the end of the 19th century by order of Prince Ferdinand. It was supposed to connect Govedartsi with the Rila Monastery, but it was not completed and only reaches Kobilino Branishte. There are several caves around the banks of the above-mentioned rivers, the entrances to which are still preserved.
During the Roman Empire, gold was also mined in the region, in addition to the deposits of the aforementioned rivers, and by mining, which was quite avant-garde for that time. Iron mining is primarily associated with the time of Ottoman rule, when the entire Govedar Valley was a large industrial zone:
mining of scattered magnetite (iron ore);
"zhni" for the production of charcoal;
"vidnya" for smelting the ore and extracting iron;
"madani-samokovi" for processing the iron into a final product.
The "caves" in the region are mining operations related to ancient gold mining, and "new" mining operations used as a bomb shelter during World War II by the General Staff of the Army.
Malyovitsa Peak rises above the valley and the village is one of the starting points for reaching it.
The most accessible road to the village is from Samokov (located about 13 kilometers away) through the village of Mala Tsarkva (located about 1 kilometer away) on an asphalt road, but it can also be reached from Sapareva Banya through the resort of Panichishte on a dirt road with an all-terrain vehicle.
Madjare is located:
75 kilometers (about 1 hour and 20 minutes by car) from the capital
144 kilometers (about 1 hour and 59 minutes by car) from the city of Plovdiv
490 kilometers (about 5 hours and 45 minutes by car) from the city of Varna
383 kilometers (about 3 hours and 50 minutes by car) from the city of Burgas
How do you get to the starting point of the "Majare" eco-trail?
Entering the village, continue straight along the main street.
At the fork where the town hall is located, turn left.
You can leave your car at the end of the street where the dirt road begins. You can continue with your car on the dirt road until the wooden building with the Bulgarian flags appears on the left.
Here you should leave your car and continue your walk along the path.
And finally, my dear friends,
you shouldn't miss checking out
the special photo album with moments –
discovered, experienced, filmed and shared with you!
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