17 May 2024
This was a full day, small group, tour into the valley of the roses, which is also known as the valley of the Thracian Kings. If you are interested in the history of Bulgaria, early or modern, then this tour is for you. This amazingly fertile valley with its fields of roses and lavender is also the home to tumulus burial mounds of the Thracian Kings. A longish trip from Sofia provides the time to set the context for what we were about to see.
Meto, our guide, was passionate about his subject and was a font of information on the history of the area and of Bulgaria in general. Our conversation covered history, archeology, geography, and economics. Once Meto realized that we were really interested in Thrace and its part in Bulgarian history, he was prepared to give up the lunch break and free time to fit in a visit to two extra tombs.
We had seen some of the artifacts relating to the Kings of Thrace in the National Archaological Museum in Sofia, and thus it was a privilege to see the actual tombs and gain an insight into the scale and drama of their creation and the process of their discovery. Even a wet and blustery day didn't dampen our pleasure.
This is a long day. The journey from and back to Sophia is three and a half hours each way, but we felt it was well worth it. It is a fascinating, worthwhile tour for those people who are truly interested in contextual history.