Bulgarian Adventures with a Narrow-Gauge Train
Velingrad from the forest
Velingrad
This summer we stayed for a few days in Velingrad – the spa-capital of the Balkans, where I was recuperating from an operation on my shoulder. Velingrad was established as a town in 1948, when three villages – Kamenitsa, Ladzhene and Chepino were merged together, to be fused into a charming, somewhat sleepy, very long town. In Velingrad one finds the greatest abundance and diversity of mineral waters, with temperature, which varies between 28°С and 91°С. There are over 80 springs there, which flow with over 70 l/sec.
We decided to treat our son, Vlad, who is a train enthusiast, to a trip on the ONLY working narrow-gauge train in Bulgaria, which was going to celebrate its centenary this September. The train runs from Sеptemvri station on the Burgas -Sofia line, all the way to Dobrinishte and is the only one, running in this area of the country. It links the Plovdiv/Thracian plain with the mountains Pirin, Rila and the Rhodopes. As such, it is of vital importance to the people, living in this area – it allows them access to jobs, trade, shopping, educations, etc. It is also extremely popular with tourists, due to its exclusivity.
Velingrad south – the station
The journey also promised us the chance to pass through the highest station on the Balkans – Avramovo, situated some 1267,4 m above the sea level and to take us through many turns past breath-taking views and about 16 tunnels.
We decided to travel on the train from Velingrad to the town of Razlog, which we had never visited. There are two stations in Velingrad – the central one and the secondary one – Velingrad South – near lake Kleptuza. For those of you, who don’t know, in lake Kleptuza is the largest karst spring in Bulgaria. It is located on the right bank of Chepinska River, in the residential borough of Chepino in Velingrad.
Waiting on the platform
We had to buy tickets from the main railway station, but decided to catch the train from the second stop, as it was nearer to our hotel. Theoretically, the distance between Dobrinishte and Septemvri (125 km) took about 5 hours, if the train rode with a speed of an average 25 km/h. If we went all the way to Dobrinishte, we would have had about 20 minutes stay there, before taking the train back. So by stopping in Razlog, we allowed ourselves about an hour and 20 minutes break for lunch and sight-seeing.
The carriage
Chris, Vlad and I waited at the platform of our rather forlorn-looking station at 10 am, surrounded by other passengers, some of which carried large bags of produce for sale somewhere. The train arrived about 15 minutes later and we entered a spacious carriage (of German origin) with seats, covered in luscious red velvet, which was half-empty.
The trip allowed us to take lovely pictures of fields, villages and mountain peaks, the tunnels were of different length and the general speed changed, depending on the terrain. We missed some views, but consoled ourselves that we could catch them on the way back. Avramovo surprised us with the fact that there was no village at the station – it was situated a kilometre further away. The trip to Razlog was uneventful and very pleasant.
We arrived at Razlog station on time and found the centre of the town. It was remarkably urbane and attractive – with beautifully decorated buildings, running streams and large square with a fountain. We had lunch at a restaurant and soon it was time to go back to the station in order to catch the train back.
Views from the window
The train continued to move slowly but steadily, until a certain point, when it slowed down and a strange smell penetrated the carriage. We realised from the conductor, that the engine had a problem and were relieved, when the train slowed down and eventually stopped at the station in Bleitza. Of course, the town was nowhere to be seen – it was two kilometres inland. The passengers, who disembarked were told to go and wait at a dilapidated bus stop in the vicinity of the station. The time was just after 2 pm. After nearly an hour of waiting, it became obvious that no bus will be passing by this stop to rescue us.
By then passions ran high – some passengers, who were from the local area were talking busily on their phones, asking friends and relatives to come and collect them. Others, who traveled further, went back to quarrel with the representatives of the Bulgarian Rail Company and to demand that a bus should
be sent to collect us. We were put in contact with the Dispatch Manager in Plovdiv, who refused point blank to intervene and said that the practice was that we should take the next train, which passed through there at 7.50 pm.
We pointed out that we had a number of foreign tourists – apart from the three of us – there were three Russian backpackers, a young German family with a 9 month baby and other Bulgarians, who were travelling back to Plovdiv and needed to make a connection to the train in Septemvri station. This did not change things.
After some discussion, the Russian travelers, who had a flat booked in Plovdiv, decided to sleep in the waiting room of the station with their sleeping bags, rather than to arrive in Plovdiv in the middle of the night. The German family, who were initially planning to sleep in Avramovo, changed their mind and decided to sleep in the near-by new hotel in village of Kraishte, opposite the station. We decided to use the time to take a walk in Kraishte, which was less than a kilometre away.
Razlog station
It appeared to be a prosperous Pomak village and many women, dressed in Pomak folk clothes, who were on their way back home from work, smiled at us and greeted us with ‘good evening’. It was obvious that many of the houses were new and lavishly built and decorated – money was coming into the village from somewhere.
We speculated about the origins of this affluence with some of the other Bulgarian passengers and then the station staff and the conclusion was that it came either from tourism – Bansko was nearby and there were ski lifts there; or from forestry; or even possibly from working at the local gold mine. Another possibility of course was that many of the family’s children had gone abroad and sent money back to build new family houses. We had supper in the
A brook in Razlog
restaurant of the hotel in Kraishte with some of the other passengers and then returned to the Belitza station to await the next train. After some commotion, when they attached our train to the newly arrived one, we departed. By the time we traveled back, it was pitch dark and there was no further opportunity for taking the missed photographs.
We arrived in Velingrad at 10.30 pm – missing our afternoon swim in the mineral water pool. However, Vlad was as happy as a lark – he enjoyed his train adventure.
The central square in Razlog
Recreated primitive drawings from a cave near Razlog
Belitza station
The broken down train
Views of the mountains from Kraishte
A house in Kraishte
Modern houses in Kraishte