Vitosha is the closest mountain to Bulgaria's capital, Sofia. “With its highest peak – Cherni Vrah (2290 m.) it occupies the fourth place among the Bulgarian mountains."
This is where I fell in love with mountains. When I was growing up we would go for day hikes and some of my first wonderful experiences with nature were formed in Vitosha. It is probably not a surprise that this was one of the places where I went to film for Green Dream. You don't even have to go very high in the mountain to see a panoramic view of Sofia.
The weather in Bulgaria had been so hot that I was insistent on getting up and filming early. We needed to get as much shots before the light got too bright. My friend Asen Irinchev, who was my inseparable partner in crime during our year in the Photography High School, had agreed to be my driver and stills photographer.
Asen didn’t really know what he was getting into when he first agreed but he stoically got up at 5:30 am to be able to get to my house at 7:30 and we hit the road to the mountain.
We headed for Vitosha, a place that we had roamed together more then 12 years ago. To our surprise this was the only day (during my month and a half stay) when it rained. I was used to the summer heat I hadn’t even though that rain could come. Add the altitude, and I was soon shivering and searching for any clothes that can help my frozen bones.
This is where I fell in love with mountains. When I was growing up we would go for day hikes and some of my first wonderful experiences with nature were formed in Vitosha. It is probably not a surprise that this was one of the places where I went to film for Green Dream. You don't even have to go very high in the mountain to see a panoramic view of Sofia.
The weather in Bulgaria had been so hot that I was insistent on getting up and filming early. We needed to get as much shots before the light got too bright. My friend Asen Irinchev, who was my inseparable partner in crime during our year in the Photography High School, had agreed to be my driver and stills photographer.
Asen didn’t really know what he was getting into when he first agreed but he stoically got up at 5:30 am to be able to get to my house at 7:30 and we hit the road to the mountain.
We headed for Vitosha, a place that we had roamed together more then 12 years ago. To our surprise this was the only day (during my month and a half stay) when it rained. I was used to the summer heat I hadn’t even though that rain could come. Add the altitude, and I was soon shivering and searching for any clothes that can help my frozen bones.
Maia filming Морените, in Vitosha. photo by Asen Irinchev © Maia Iotzova
Морените, in Vitosha. photo by Asen Irinchev © Maia Iotzova
Vitosha, has been a park for a long time, but development seems to be pushing against the boundary of the mountain and is fast changing the landscape. The little villages in the foothills have been transforming from places with family houses and small scale agriculture into big luxury villas and condo like developments. There is construction everywhere. This is the trend that I saw all throughout Bulgaria’s natural gems- Rila Mountain, Pirin Mountain and the Black Sea.
By midday the sun was shinning again and we were thankful for the rain that cleared the air and allowed us to film a beautiful panorama of the city at ‘magic hour’.
By midday the sun was shinning again and we were thankful for the rain that cleared the air and allowed us to film a beautiful panorama of the city at ‘magic hour’.
photo by Asen Irinchev © Maia Iotzova
Sofia nestled between the mountains. photo by Asen Irinchev © Maia Iotzova
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