Bulgaria #5. Nessebar. Sunny Beach.
Nesebar and Sunny Beach
Sozopol and Nesebar are like brothers. Similar, yet very different. They are located on peninsulas and are popular among tourists. Beach resorts. Steam trains carry vacationers to and from both. The cities have competed since ancient times. They fought over the salt of Pomorie—I described this in the previous episode. Nesebar, like Sozopol, received its current name relatively recently, at the beginning of the twentieth century. Previously, it was called Mesembria.
In Nesebar, we are, of course, interested in its old town. Old Nesebar is practically an island town, although it is certainly a peninsula, connected to the mainland only by a thin isthmus—the only road in and out of the town. We pass the famous mill. It is the symbol of the town and the most popular photo spot.
For a traveler by car, the biggest problem is parking. Especially in historical and tourist areas: space is limited, and the fines for unpaid parking are hefty. Tow trucks are also very efficient in Bulgaria. You might park in an illegal place, return from a walk through some ruins, and your car is gone. Therefore, it's best to leave your car in paid parking lots. There are several in Old Nesebar. Unbeknownst to us, we parked near the port. The cost is 3 leva per hour. And just beyond the isthmus, on the left, is the largest and cheapest one – 2 leva. This is where the numerous tour buses arrive.
IN FRAME: Hello, Nesebar!
The entire Old Nesebar is practically a large open-air museum. At the entrance (and what else can you say, when there's only one road leading here?) is a miniature model of the town with its main landmarks. The few tourists who pass by are sure to take a photo and check to see if the mill wheel is turning. No, it isn't. The model immediately shows that there are 16 landmarks in Nesebar. Some might wonder why there are so few historical sites in one of the oldest cities in Europe. A powerful earthquake is to blame. Of the surviving sites, only the Old Metropolis and the Basilica of St. Sophia are visible. Taking photos here is difficult – there are always so many people (composite). Also surviving are the Church of Christ Pantocrator, the Church of John the Baptist, and the western fortress wall with its gates. What the elements didn't destroy was razed to the ground by humans. The peninsula has always been a lucrative target for conquerors. It was conquered by the Romans, the Byzantines, and the Turks. Nesebar, like many other cities in present-day Bulgaria, was liberated from the Ottoman yoke by Russian troops.
The Union of Artists asks whether the liberator is remembered. They are not.
Let's begin our exploration of the city at the Archaeological Museum. The museum is small, with only four halls. Almost all of its exhibits were either found in Nesebar during excavations or created locally, such as works by local artists, sculptors, and potters. Don't forget to stamp your "100 Sights of Bulgaria" brochure and affix a stamp upon exiting.
Like any popular tourist destination, Nesebar has a huge number of souvenir shops. No, not even that—an incredible number! Entire streets and squares are filled with souvenirs, even ancient ruins are adorned with vendors displaying their wares. Magnets, mugs, silver jewelry, and traditional Bulgarian rose cosmetics.
I arrived at Sunny Beach, a beach familiar to all Russians since Soviet times, only in the evening. So there weren't many people there, although during the day it's jam-packed. People come here to swim from Nesebar and other nearby towns. Zen - https://zen.yandex.ru/id/5b86fb5cdfba...
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