The deep gorges of Bulgaria’s Rhodope mountains are said to hold the secret to health and long life – which comes in handy after a Shakira-induced injuryWeek 1: Croatia. Week 2: Albania. Next: RomaniaWe were tall in the Rhodope mountains of southern Bulgaria,one of Europe’s largest wildernesses, a location where wolves and bears can still be found, or that is domestic to a scattering of hardy villages,mostly Turkish-influenced from the long presence of the Ottoman empire. The narrow valleys have tumbling rivers that carve deep gorges, inspiration for many stories, and notably that of Orpheus,the divinely inspired musician. We had trekked up from the village of Yagodina, spotted a snake among the flowers, and now we were tired. We needed distractions. It was then that disaster struck,the sort of thing that can occur in myth-soaked mountains.
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Source: theguardian.com