Between Hope and Desperation

On a Sunday we climbed Cherni Vryh together with the colleagues and the Sensei. It was absolutely spectacular and amazingly breathtaking.

It is starting to rain right now and i just finished with the last text translation for the summer course. Tomorrow we’ll have our last day with K. Sensei as a teacher. T might return any moment and I am a bit worried from the thunders outside. So in a state of anxiety and pleasant reminiscence I will tell you about yesterday’s adventure. 

I woke up with a smile at 6:50a.m. and took a shower and had a breakfast, spend a few moments on deciding what to wear and all that did in exhilaration. I was to climb all the way to the top of Vitosha.

We had it arranged to go to Dragalevci with Eli’s car as she has generously offered her services to me, Tan4eto, Meli and Svetljo. At 8:20 I was at the bus stop to meet Tan4eto and just then Eli and Meli came and took us in the car where a minute later Svetljo joined and we marrily headed to the meeting point in Dragalevci. As usual , radio Melody was on with some cool retro classics.

At the meeting point a lot of youths were already gathering to also hit the mountain paths. But we waited for the sensei. Not to forget, Zahari-san and Petyo-san were also in our group. We were just joking about some ways for applying sun-protecting oil when Out two wonderful sensei joined us, greeted us as warmly as possible and we all headed off.

The first stage of the track is the climbing to the lift, which is a bit tiring, at least it has always been for me. The first time I ever climbed it I got sick and we all had to stop because of me, which is why I am always apprehensive of that part of the journey. But I made it all right, with only a little shortness of breath. Then we reached the first lift point. There a huge line of people had already formed and it was tiring to get our turn on the lift. 3 leva to Goli Vryh, which to me seems a bit too much.

We finally got on. I always feel worried to be swept seated on that thing. But it is glorious to be on it. We were with Tan4eto, of course, and though she’s a wonderful friend, I couldn’t help beeing annoyed at the way she never shut up instead of silently enjoying the beauty of the ascend. It was chilly and quiet but for the birds and her, and the sun shone on us through the firs and the sight of tiny Sofia in the bottom behind us was refreshing. I kept thinking of Anne, all the day actually, wondering what she would say if she saw this and how she would name the places and sights. Unfortunately, I am no Anne, so I just took the beauty in as much as I could.         

The time came to get off the lift,which always makes me nervous, too. But we did it beatifully, as the sensei said. Then, before we knew it, we were on the next lift line, taking us to Goly Vryh, from where we would decide whether to take another lift to the top, or to walk there. Guess what I preffered. Again, I must mention the awesomenes of the feeling of floating a few metres above the mountain and observing the coves and the woods and the paths below, and the sun ahead and the peaks above-absolutely amazing.

We got off this one, too, shortly. The sensei is born and raised in a family of mountain loving climbers, he insisted on walking and did it so entreatingly that we couldn’t refuse. So up we went along a road at about 2000 metres altitude, where no trees grew and the view was a brilliant mix of moreni, green fields and golden sun on blue sky with the occasional cloud to spread its sweet shadow on the hills around and only far,far bellow in the distance the city could be seen. Glorious, is the word to describe this view.

 

But not so great was the tiring sensation of walking and walking, sometimes among gentle turfs and grass, but others among rocks and upslopes or worse,mud. Yet,everytime I felt tired I just took my eyes up from my feet and looked around to see the same glorious view, and all the friends, walkin by me,and suddenly I felt miraculously revitalized. We took several stops. At one point, after a longer pause, when we sat in a snug little rock formation and got inspired by made-up haiku, like: “Visoka planina, vyrvq6ti napred qponisti, 6trak, fotoaparat.” , i got so tired from the road, that i started bitter thinking. But I forced myself to go on and enjoy the view. For a second I got angry at Tan4eto, the last one of the group, and still walking in front of me.She had said “Are you ok” in the most patronizing tone, on hearing my gasping for breath. Then and there I thought about him and said his name in my mind and remembered how he climbed that hill, enumerating baths and pancakes and I almost laughed to myself, trotted on and reached Tancheto and passed her by. I was ok.

At another point we had to go up across some really high rocks, it was tough , Zahari san kept lending me a hand, but I got up on my own, though I stepped into some mud and soaked my feet. We were approaching the end goal with last gasps. Tan4eto was sitting on every other bigger stone. Petyo san asked if we were waiting for him, for he was a bit behind at the time, and I said we were just waiting for our breaths to catch up to us from twenty metres below. A few seconds later we went again.

Beni sensei kept praising the soup at the cottage at the top. I felt obliged to try it when we got there. She finally announced she could smell it, and indeed, soon enough we saw the shaky thing where we were to repose. The top was all around us.

But my first thought on seeing it was : “disappointing”. Understand this, it did not look like a peak of a mountain, it looked more like a…pasture with high grass and a few rocks. And a crowd of people around, lying on blankets and eating stuff. Just not impressive.

The cottage was filled with people, the line to get some food was like a mile long. It curved and bended several times and we waited there for almost 40 minutes. But was the waiting worth it? Oh, yes it was. I ate the most delicious beans soup ever ( no offense, mom) and also, the most delicious pancakes ever ( no offence French chefs). It was delicious. Our group found a nice little veranda to eat on and lay  on under the sky at the top. Trust me, when I laid down and looked at that sky…this was the most beautiful sight I ever saw. You know how in the movies the couple in love  lay on their backs, their heads next to each othere and they look up and marvel at the passing clouds..Well, I was not a part of the couple, but I felt the absolute miracle of almost touching that sky and the marvellous passing clouds and I literally could not see anyone around ( and there were lots of people around, indeed) – I just breathed the air of a mountain top under the bluest sky possible and I felt life with my every cell. It was heaven.

At some point, though, we girls had to find a ladies’ room. At the top. Exactly, tough thing to do, no such facilities there, girls. So the four of us had an absolutely fun adventure wandering around the whole mountain peak to find a secluded stone or rock formation to hide behind. Much to all our amusement, there was hardly such a place there to be found. We almost thought we found one, but right above our heads a half naked guy was observing the glorious mountain view. Ugh. Well, Meli and Tancheto gave up and went,despite that. But Eli kept forward to a safer place, where I went later as well. The great thing about that place was its distance from every other person on that mountain, there all was silent and I could just look around and see the grass caressed by the winds and the whole valley beneath shined on by the sun. I felt like a conqueror of nature, like a part of it forever.

We went back to our friends giggling, the experience will bind us forever. Soon afterwards we started our descent, it was about 3:30 p.m. We were to take all the lifts down. But first we had to go through some tough downhill rocks, that really scared me. Good thing the boys were always around to lend a hand. It helped, we joked about falling and dragging them with us. They did not mind.

When I summed it up the entire lift affair cost me 10 levs. Tourism is expensive these days. For me. But I accept it, because it was really enjoyable and all worth it. Those lifts we waited to get on more that we traveled with. The lines were loooong. But the descent was charming, the sun always shining gently through the trees, the air clear, the silence bountiful. BEAUTY. The Portugal language has a word : SAUDAZH, it means joy and melancholy at once. I felt that during our descent, both joy of the beauty and the day I had, and sorrow that it was almost over. This single day will probably be my only summer vacation destination. But it was wonderful.

Eli drove us back to Studentski Grad, we had small talk but I kept mostly silent as I had during the day – I just rejoiced inwardly and tried to keep the feeling for as long as possible. Such joy is fleeting and spills like water though the fingers, it has to be appreciated for the moment.

I am happy to have lived such a day in my life, simply and beautifully. Words are weak to describe the feeling that fills my heart when I think about it. Well, you got the general idea. Go see it for yourself!