An autumn hike, between golden foliage and silent ruins

Autumn is setting in more and more, the mountains are ablaze with fall colours and the sun is coming back, despite the cold days. Seeing the landscape change every day -becoming increasingly yellow, orange or red depending on the place, and contrasting with the still bright green of the conifers- all I want to do is go hiking in the mountains to experience these thousand colours.

So I spend one of my mornings on a hike lasting a few hours, to go to a ghost village not far from Zhelen. The path is beautiful ; I am in the shade of the trees and the leaves are dancing in the wind. Sometimes the forest becomes less dense, allowing me to see the valley and the mountains opposite, bathed in sunshine. I cross paths with some animals that run away from me, and motorcyclists whom I have surprised without meaning to.

When I arrive at the ghost village, I start by climbing to the top to admire the landscape. The view is extraordinary : the mountain seems to split in two, revealing the river winding its way between the rocks. I have only ever seen this landscape from below, but now that I see it from above, I discover another way to appreciate its reliefs which reveal the full beauty of the Iskar gorge. Then I walk around this village whose traditional houses are still in good condition ; sometimes, the surface layer of earth crumbles away, revealing the beautiful network of wood and branches that forms the walls. There is still a farm, the remains of a well, agricultural tools and even an animal skin hanging on a wall.

On the way home, the sun burns between the leaves.

Maya