#4: [25-Dec-23]

#3: [15-Oct-18]

#1: [15-Aug-03]

17-Oct-2004 -- On a perfect Indian summer day, after just having left Silistra on my way to Russe, I realised I'd be passing as near as 5 km of this confluence.

The asphalt road takes you within 500 m of it. You can walk that distance through the fields, or – if you’re lazy like me – try and drive closer. It’s about 1.3 km of dirt road, the only approach is from the south and you’re 80 m away from the magic spot.

On my visit the confluence was in a recently ploughed over field, just past corn harvest time. Within hearing distance to the south of the confluence, a family was working, collecting the so-called “tsarevichak”, the corn plants without the cobs, stored for winter feed for cows etc. After some shouted greetings, the man came over, told me there was no more gold left there, or it was “really really” deep, because he couldn’t find it. There’s always gold buried in Bulgaria, always just… not there.

After a bit of revival of the odd geography lesson, some pointing at the sky and the GPS receiver he looked carefully (and slightly suspiciously) at the spot, was clearly impressed and went back to his corn cutting… I wonder if there’s a really really deep hole now…

Not bad for a first confluence! I’m hooked.