Rila Mountains
Rila is a mountain range in southwestern Bulgaria and the highest mountain range of Bulgaria and the Balkans, with its highest peak being Musala at 2,925 m. The massif is also the sixth highest mountain in Europe (when each mountain is represented by its highest peak only), coming after the Caucasus, the Alps, Sierra Nevada, the Pyrenees and Mount Etna, and the highest between the Alps and the Caucasus. It is also the 4th most topographic isolated mountain in Continental Europe.More than one-third of the mountain is occupied by the Rila National Park, the rest lies within the Rila Monastery Nature Park. Rila is abundant in glacial lakes (about 200) and hot springs in fault areas at the base of the mountain. Some of the Balkans' longest and deepest rivers originate from Rila, including Maritsa, Iskar and Mesta. The journey begins in Sapareva Banya, the city is famous for its hot mineral springs and pure mountain water, as well as the only geyser-fountain in the country with a temperature of 103C in the city centre. On the way we will pass through St. Stephen's Monastery, the "Silver" area and the "Pariloto" where excavation works in 1915 revealed an ancient Roman artifact which testifies the Roman presence in this area, which was also one of the stops on the nearby main military road - the so-called "Dalmatian Road" or "Romeo Path". We will see an interesting rock formation called "Evangelous Stone", which resembles the pyramid facing upside down. At its base forms a triangle. The legend says that people with sins, if they can get through this triangle, their sins will be forgiven.