|
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 Occupying a succession of sandy cliffs and crumbling sugar-loaf hills, Balchik's white-washed cottages hover precipitously above a series of ravines running down to the sea. |
It's the kind of scene beloved of artists, and Balchik-inspired seascapes are a regular sight in provincial galleries throughout Bulgaria. |
|
Any exploration of Balchik should begin with the Ethnographic Complex which consists of a reconstructed nineteenth-century school house and the Church of Sveti Nikola. The iconostasis is decorated with pictures by artists from Galichnik in western Macedonia, and there's a splendid gold-suffused portrait of the saint himself, patron of seafarers. |
|
|
Balchik has a lively seafront square and a beautiful esplanade. There are a few areas of sand, although most sunbathers prefer to position themselves on the various piers and jetties protruding into the bay. A must see is the Quiet Nest Palace, the former summer residence of Queen Marie of Romania, and its famous gardens with over 3000 plant species, and Europe's second most important cactus collection. |
 |
