Room at Bansko Spa

Bathroom had a head rest on the bath, but was was rather short and narrow for complete comfort

23rd

View from the hotel first thing in the morning, the goats lived in the shed to the left of the satellite dish.

Goats at no.42

We drove to the starting point for our walk in the mountains

Hypericum cyparissias

Chamaecytisus absinthoides

crucifer

Acinos alpinus

Pulmonaria rubra

Lamium garganicum

Cerinthe minor

Achillea

Daphne oleoides

Yellow rattle

Ajuga genevensis

Pine frorest

Globularia cordifolia

Dianthus petraeus

Ornithogalum umbellatum

Rock face and pines

Scorzonera purpurea sub. sp. rosea

Vast areas of pines

Lizard

Fritillary

Geranium macrorrhizum much better colour growing in the wild than in captivity

Daphne cneorum

Polygala alpestris

Viola tricolor

Euphorbia

Moehringia

Scutelaria alpina

Verbascum davidoffii

Red clover

Spotted Fritillary

Mossy sax

Ragwort

Rosa pendulina

Green underside blue

Silene?

Detail

Common blue

Pines

Acinos alpinus

Crocus vernus

The Gang

Crocus vernus

Ranunculus montanus

Gentiana verna

Oxlip

Orchis mascula

Iris reichenbachii

Iris reichenbachii

Aquilegia aurea

Hogweed

This handsome  architectural plant looking its best

Geum

Geum coccineum

Peter, Andrew and Helen walked back along the stream with Mitko the wetter conditions produced some luscious plants and a frog.

Geranium

Grasses

Pinguicula grandiflora

Marsh marigold

Dactlyorhiza maculatum

Veratrum album

Aquilegia aurea

Speedwell

Lichen

Euphorbia and potentilla

Stream

Ferns

Campanula patula

Geum

Aubrieta

Orchids

Dactylorhiza praetermissa

Viola biflora

Rosa alba semi-plena is the species of rose used to produce attar of roses in Kazanluk, Bulgaria, but we did not see it in the wild.   Interesting that a white rose should produce the best fragrance.

Rosa pimpinellifolia a white rose we did see

Grasshopper

We found some interesting green flowers in woodland

Epipactis

Skipper

Saxifrage

Achillea

Centaurea

Mountain stream

Larkspur

Large copper

24

Orchid

Sandwort

Sedum

Rocket

Genista

Mullein

Thymus

Campanula

Pedicularis orthantha

Dianthus microlepsis

Sedum

Campanula patula

Ground Ivy

Vaccinium

Geum montanum seedheads

Wet

Mitko

We retreated from the increasingly bad weather, but we saw leucorchis albida which we had hoped to find.

Juniper

Grass

Digitalis viridiflora

Beetle

Emerald

Emerald

Frtillary on Mitko's T-shirt

Fritillary

Privet

Chafer

White plume moth

Small pearl-bordered fritillary

Red helleborine

Bird's nest orchid

Pyrola rotundifolia

Wintergreen

Wintergreen

Joy went out to recce the town on the first morning so we felt up to going too on the second.

Private garden - most of the land around houses was put down to potatoes, runner beans, corn and other vegetables.

Haphazard tiling

Woodpile

Goat at no.42 again

The kitten was miaowing to its Mum so loudly we thought it was a baby!

Building before it is plastered

River in centre

All the buildings had roofs on their chimneys, presumably to keep out the snow.   They must be appealing to birds as nest sites in summer

Hollyhock

Bansko centre

There was an enormous memorial in the central square with rather a brutal figure, but the bas reliefs were more sympathetic.

Objects of desire

The pack that accompanied us around the town sniffing at the base of the memorial

Onopordon