One Man in Bulgaria

We emerge from the car park and turn right? Ah, petrol is required for our journey. Pulling in to the modern service station about 500 metres down the road I observe the transfer of logs from a small lorry suitable for accessing the forest to a large road transporter which may whisk its load across the highways of the European Union. The disused flatbeds scattered along the once busy and prosperous narrow gauge railway reflect this change. It also goes to show that, whereas the logs would have been collected from local halts then transferred at the end of the line which kept the smaller stations and local support alive, the logs still have to be handled multiple times and many more trucks poured onto the roads. I hope that the tide is turning throughout the world, that rail and water will re-emerge as the sensible option. But onward to find our bears....

... or should I say "Where are the bears?" When I was young such TV programs as Lancelot, William Tell and similar movies along with a hit by Alan Price, funnily enough a member of the "Animals" pop group when not performing solo, titled "Simon Smith and his Amazing Dancing Bear" (see him perform it on YouTube)  released in 1968 glorified the life of the "dancing bear". In reality the truth was somewhat different in the majority of cases. Whilst perusing my DK travel guide on the journey from Septemvri to Dobrinishte I came across a reference to the "Dancing Bear Sanctuary". Accessible by taxi from the Relitsa station, all else left my thoughts, this was a "must see" journey, my first in the area. Relitsa is incorrect it is Belitsa, Relitsa is on the other side of the country.