Sozopol 4 September

This is what have learnt about Sozopol, our home for the next week. First some Bulgarian:

Hello is zdravey, please is molya and thank you is blagodaria.

Sozopol is an ancient seaside town on the southern Bulgarian Black Sea coast.

It is one of the oldest towns on the Bulgarian coast and settlements date back to the Bronze Age. The first settlement grew up on the Sozopol bay during the Neolithic era some 6000 BC. In 620 BC the inhabitants of Milet, a city in Asia Minor, made the Sozopol peninsula their city state and called it Apollonia. The state grew rapidly. Ancient writers describe the temple of Apollo as colossal, housing a 13 metre statue of the god. In 72 BC, Apollina was conquered by the Romans who razed and plundered the city. The statue was removed to Rome as spoils of the war. During the first century the city was rebuilt and Sozopol continued as an administrative maritime centre.  When Christianity was accepted as the official religion Apollonia was rechristisned Sozopolis. The city was incorporated into Bulgaria 812 AD and then became an important diocese with more than 20 Orthodox churches snd 5 monasteries.  

Sozopol was ruled  in turn by the Byzantine, Bulgarian and Ottoman empires  and incorporated in the newly independent Bulgaria in the 19th century.

Today Sozopol is a popular tourist destination with many beaches, restaurants and entertainment. 

On the island St Ivan ( John), the relics of John the Bapist were found in 2010. They are housed in the care of St Cyril and St Methodius church. Old Sozopol and the relics of John the Baptist were voted most important of "Bulgaria's wonders" 2011. During the first week of September every year the town has an art festival. Today is the last day of the festival and the town is overflowing with art and music lovers. The music from several venues can be heard the whole night through.

In and around old town Sozopol 

A restaurant overlooking the sea

Out and about in Sozopol 

Houses in Sozopol are built of stone and wood and conform to the so called Black Sea school of architecture.

  

A  typical boat from 18th century.

We have met Mikael, a German, who has had his boat in Sozopol for four years. Mikael is well known in the town and has shown us where all the good restaurants are. Here we are at his wife's favourite restaurant eating a lot of delicious food. Very sadly Mikaels wife Juta passed away about 5 months ago.