"Stranger, you who come here, be healthy!" - This blessing is inscribed on a marble tomb plate, built in the altar of the Old Catholic church in Malko Tarnovo and dates back to 2nd century BC. "For God's sake, stranger, do not stop in the middle of the road, but continue to enjoy Strandja's sea of virgin forests!", a Bulgarian writer said in the beginning of 20th century. And we can not disagree with them. The nature in Strandja is blessed for it combines the sea, the mountain and the Mediterranean sun. The hidden sense of the antique inscription is clear - Strandja, inhabited by humans since prehistorical times, according to the beliefs of the ancient people, gives a strong spirit and a healthy body. Even nowadays everybody who comes to these lands is touched by the richness of Strandja's nature, bows down before the monuments of the ancient culture, and is fascinated by the spiritual heritage, preserved in the customs, traditions, folklore and mythology of the local people. Strandja is not a beaten tourist path but it offers a unique and beautiful tourist adventure. In Strandja everybody will feel like a child of Mother Nature, well protected from the killing noisiness of the modern civilization. And the quite humbleness of the small village churches and chapels will nurture your belief, because there is no other place where it is so well kept as in Brashlian, Zabernovo, Kosti, Balgari and many other Strandja villages and towns. Around the aiasmas (curing springs) the stories about magicians, fairies and elfs are still alive, and so is the secret of the ancient custom of fire-dancing. The old Strandja houses, filled with warmth and hospitality, offer a healing sense of comfort. |