BEGOVO POLE

a weekend mountain hike

by bbdirector

BEGOVO POLE?

It's a once per year, mountaineering open air party held on a field just below one of the most striking mountain peaks in Macedonia called Solunska Glava.

The field naturally fills with water and is now a home to shepherds, wild horses different species of plants and insects and once in a year to 300 mountain lovers.

The party itself happens during the Saturday but you are staying for the whole weekend up in the mountains - and during that weekend you get to hang out, meet, dine and wine with 300 like minded, beautiful people, mountaineers and lovers of nature music and beer, And wine. And food. And no cell phone coverage and a lot of fresh air.

BEGOVO POLE?

This pdf is a short photo story, divided in two parts:

1. Reaching the Mountain home Karadzica & welcome party

2. The trip to and from Begovo Pole & the party in Karadzica.

content

FRIDAY

1. Afternoon arrival at Villa Prince and departure to Mountain Home Karadzica - 5km hike

2. Late night welcome party

SATURDAY

1. 6 am departure to Begovo Pole - 4 hour easy hike -13km one direction

2. Begovo Pole Party 3. Departure to Karadzica home4. Barbeque and party

SUNDAY

Chill out, yoga and departure to minibus pick up point at Villa Prince - 5 km hike.

AGENDA

hiked, biked and driven.

QUICK STATISTICS

36 km

2000 m elevation of Begovo Pole

300people

amount of happiness

new friends300

karadzicapart 1

reaching the mountain home

The trip starts on Friday where you have to get to Villa Prince and from there, hike for 2 hours to the mountaineering home Karadzica where you will sleep, eat, drink and poop for two nights. The home is on an altitude of around 1600 m and overlooks a deep, v shaped, gorged valley.

You can get to Villa Prince by car, bike or with a minibus provided by the organizers of the event.

There is a road that goes straight to the mountain home but is reserved for Jeeps only.

route - Prince to Mountain home Karadzica.

Aldinci village

Karadzica

Prince

If you choose the minibus, it takes you to Prince hotel and from there you hike to Karadzica mountain home through a forest, along Kadina river and the village of Aldinci.

As I said, there is a road to the mountain home and is only suited for Jeeps. We wanted to test that assumption.

With a Mercedes E class caravan. At night. With a lot of rain and zero visibility. But with a lot of excitement and determination.

The crew

The driver and our close friend, Alexander, lives in Sofia. He heard stories of how Begovo Pole was last year and, as the adventurer that he is, left his girlfriend and joined us on a one of a kind weekend.

Thanks to the border office and their change in shifts that last FOREVER, we departed towards Karadzica in total darkness and rain.

He wanted to leave his car at Villa Prince, night hike and meet the resident wolves and bears. But the rain and my impeccable negotiation skills that involve saying phrases such as “abe top e patot”, “ne se zamaraj” and “ushte 500 metra”* convinced him that the road up to Karadzica is rock solid and he has nothing to worry about.

The road was indeed rock solid. Big solid rocks in irregular shapes.

Unknowingly for him, I knew that. Luckily for us the Mercedes is a tough beast and plowed all the way up.

*all three phrases are best practices that are used when you have no idea of the issue at hand; they work 100% of the time.

Before the rain

During the rain

During the rain

Finally arriving at Aldinci and getting ready for the last kilometer up the

mountain to the home.

One slide later and we arrived at the mountain home Karadzica.

1 am and still in high spirits. Particularly Alexandar.

Welcome party with a mandolin, flute, drum and some rakija, beer, and cheese.

Unpacking part of the food

Position of the home and the valley. And the view?

The morning starts with this view.

And continues with the view from the platform situated above the valley. A valley perfectly suited for dragons to fly through it while you sit, drink coffee and observe

them.

The mountain home Karadzica in the morning.

True mountaineers sleep in tents even when they have a mountain home

nearby. We don't.

You can stay at the home and not go anywhere, do nothing and just observe ONE point in this picture and you would still feel the beauty of this magnificent

place as much as you would if you went to Begovo Pole. But you might miss a totally different way to experience this

place. So, 7 am and we are off to Begovo Pole.

BEGOVO POLE

part 2

hike

The route - 13 km one way. Easy to medium difficulty climb/hike

Alexander's favourite road that weekend.

The view along the way

Begovo Pole

A donkey

Some random neolithic observatories...

The sound of nature

Chilling before the final push up the mountain

The home

Begovo Pole at last.

Words to describe this place?

None. You close your eyes, and feel it.

Did you know how Begovo and Solunska Glava got their names?

Solunska Glava

BEGOVO POLE

the legend of

and Solunska Glava

meaning.

Begovo pole - the field of the Bey. It's a term used since this region was under the rule of the Ottoman Empire. Nobody knows who the bey is but the legend says that due to this bey, the peak Solunska Glava got it's name. How?

LEGEND.

One of the servants of the bey was a young boy. This boy was very close with the bey (hopefully not too close). The boy was a hard worker and the Bey respected that. He needed to work hard for his mother. The boy’s mother lived in Solun (City of Thessaloniki) but was very poor and sick which made her unable to work and feed herself. To help his mother, the boy started stealing gold and food from the bey and sending it to his mother.

LEGEND.

The legend says that the boy sent the gold and food packed in small bags, through a secret tunnel that started from the peak of Solunska Glava, went through the mountain and ended in Solun. This tunnel (a vent) was wide enough just to fit in a small bag and nothing more. When the boy would drop the food and gold, because Solunska glava was so high, the bag easily reached Solun. Solun is btw 200 km away from the peak.

LEGEND.

But the bey found out and one day took the boy to the peak, slew his head and dropped the head through the tunnel so that his mother will receive it at the other end - this way he would punish both of them. His mother was in for a shock and immediately died out of sorrow.

Therefore the name = Solunska Glava - The Head from Solun.

LEGEND 2.0

The other legend says that because this peak is situated in the middle of Macedonia, on a clear night you can see the lights of the city of Solun.

Must have been a very clear night :). But to be fair, you can actually see the whole of Macedonia on a clear day from this peak. This is why most armies in the past rushed to capture it due to its strategical importance. Now it's time for some more photos.

The structure where the party was.

Prepping the main stage

The residents of Beys field were content and minded their own

business.

Everything you could wish for was there. Music provided by the band Kalevala (traditional music from all around the world played on bass, guitar, vocal and percussions).

Burgers and cold beer provided by the organizers.

Fresh air, fresh spring water, plenty of sunshine provided by the Bey and his field. We did not find any gold though.

Some enthusiasts climbed Solunska. We didn't - we flew a kite :)

A couple of kids having fun.

“My daughter wants to fly the kite”

“Sure, if you want her to fly away :)”

So many happy faces that I had to double them just because.

Just like Begovo Pole, some pictures cannot be described with words. They have to be tasted. And smelled. And

looked at while they roast and drizzle with fat.

Back at the home and getting ready for the final

party

3 am, the most hardcore mountaineers enjoying the only party in a radius of 30 km. We

feel privileged.

The aftermath of a whole day of hiking, sunshine and enjoyment. Some people were so excited that they slept

wherever the wanted!

CLOSING WORDSThat would be all. For this year. Thanks to people like the organizers of this event, we can experience a unique happening with unique people on a unique place. Too bad it's once per year but hey, less is more and it should better stay that way.

Otherwise we might bored of all the hiking, beautiful landscapes and fresh air. Right?

Or maybe we won’t?

Thank you!

USEFUL LINKS

https://www.facebook.com/events/622732517885773/ - Event group

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Planinarski-Dom-Karadzica/155412831204143 - The mountain home FB page

https://www.facebook.com/groups/140403806081/ Kalevala band

www.bbdirector.com - me