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For telling the truth, the food is not the strong side of the place. But it is a must-visit restaurant because of the view. So you can come here for a dessert, beer or coffee. Just make sure you are sitting on the terrace of the upper floor and enjoy the view.

Located 100Km south of Sofia, Blagoevgrad is the largest city in Southwest Bulgaria. The town lies on the banks of the Blagoevgradska Bistritsa River and surrounds by beautiful nature and parks. The 70,000 people's city is famous for its nightlife, supported by a high number of pubs, restaurants, and students from all over the world who study at the American University in Bulgaria. Well, Blagoevgrad is probably not the first choice for tourists who want to plan their vacation. The only reason I heard about this city is that my wife Liat got invited to an academic conference at the American University. At first, we thought we would not have much to do in the city, so we planned to rent a car and tour some beautiful sites nearby. However, we prepared it wrong. We came from another conference in Thessaloniki, and we wanted to rent a car over there and drive to Bulgaria. Unfortunately, it is not possible to drive a car out of Greece. So we took a direct bus from Thessaloniki to Sofia, with a stop at Blagoevgrad, and thought that we would find a vehicle to rent over there. A big mistake. There are no car rental agencies in Blagoevgrad, except one, located a few miles from the city, and didn't answer the phone. I looked on the internet for things to do in the city - but the results were very disappointing. So, just before I gave up, I ran into the Tourist Information in the city center. The receptionist could not speak English. However, he was kind enough to call someone who came and told me about all the tour possibilities of the city. Bingo. Now I would not have to wander with no directions while waiting for my wife to finish her conference duties. So I traveled to the city, took pictures, and wrote it all for you. I hope some of you will find it helpful. We rented an apartment for three nights during our stay: Sky Apartments - only five minutes from the city center and the American University. A small but convenient apartment with a porch and great view. If you came to Blagoevgrad - it's an excellent choice.

Fantastic clear pools and a wet trail – En Shokek in the springs park in the Beit She'an Valley offers travelers is a charming spring with two natural pools. 🌊 20 minutes walk from the parking lot, you will reach a lovely corner with two large pools. The water is clear, fish that not only swim in the water but also occasionally cling to your feet and tickle in the style of a Thai fish pedicure. 🌊 On the left, there is a concrete wall and a doorway. When you enter it, you discover another hidden world behind it - a grove with spring water and lots of shade. When you take the left path (left to the wooden bridge), you will see blue signage of the "wet track." It is 300 m, and the water is about 30 cm high. You must wear closed shoes for walking in the water and not flip-flops. It is a Stunning, fun route. You can stop anytime and come back at any stage if you do not want to do all 300 m. 💦A charming place. Very crowded on Saturdays. Enjoy 🤗 For more places in the area press here

🌊 Ein Migdal is a clear, charming spring, with deep pools which intertwines with Nahal Hakibbutzim to a fantastic water trail. 🌊 Start at Ein Migdal. The water is clear and transparent. The fish tickle the feet with a free pedicure, and the spring is surrounded by green vegetation. From there, you start walking in the water. Ein Migdal turns into Nahal Hakibutzim. The water is fantastic, and the route is excellent - walking, swimming, some bring water mattresses, rubber boats - whatever you want. Along the creek, there are places where you can stop and sit on the creek banks. The length of the route depends on you - it is a linear route, and you can stop and return where you want. You can return by walking and swimming in the spring or on the dry paths parallel to the spring. 📌 Regarding your belongings - it is impossible to take the bags on your back because they will get wet. In the store at the entrance, it is possible to rent a locker. Another option is to pack the items with waterproof covers (find them in various travel stores). Enjoy 🤗 For more places in the area press here

🌊 Beautiful Spring but problematic surroundings. 🌊 The spring itself is beautiful but its surrounding is very problematic - the steep terrain route leaves very little room to sit comfortably and there is very little shade. It really bothered me the last time I arrived a few years ago and when I arrived this week the situation was even more frustrating - beyond what I mentioned, the Nature Reserves and Parks Authority started renovating the place, turning it into a national park and the dirt from all renovations occasionally flew in and out. 📌 So the spring is beautiful, and as you can see from the pictures and video that people come and enjoy the spring. So it is up to you. In my opinion, maybe it is better to wait until the renovations are over. Enjoy 🤗 For more places in the area press here

🌊 Ein Muda is part of the Valley of the Springs, a large and beautiful pool and easy to access (about a 15-minute walk from the parking lot). Everything could have great if the visitors would have behaved. The problem is that it is a very popular place and many visitors do not bother to throw away their garbage after the picnic. The result is a combination of a beautiful pool and dirty and unpleasant surroundings. Sometimes in the middle of the week, it looks a little different - on weekends it is packed and very problematic. So the spring is beautiful, and as you can see from the pictures that visitors enjoy in the spring. I recommend arriving only in the middle of the week hoping it won’t be overcrowded and dirty. If it is – there are plenty of other charming springs in the area (I have written about them in previous posts) where you can have a great time. Enjoy 🤗 For more places in the area press here

🌊 A piece of paradise - part of a wonderful, clear, and beautiful stream that has just been opened to the public - the green beach in the Asi stream (In Hebrew: Nahal Hasi). After years of struggle, part of the Hasi River that flows in Kibbutz Nir David was opened to the public as part of a compromise on the issue. I managed to be one of the first to enter. The place is very clean, tidy, well-kept, with a huge pool with clear water and fish in different colors (including purple). It is quiet, peaceful and everything is immersed in green vegetation – a beautiful and charming place. Enjoy 🤗 For more places in the area press here

Wow-what a great place! It is a patisserie and a coffee house. They sell cakes, cookies, bread, and pastries. The display case is a beautiful and incredibly delicious collection of personalized tarts in different flavors, macaroons, eclairs, chocolates, personalized pies, cakes with fruit - wow. Add to all this fine coffee and you get a place that is really worth getting to. Good luck finding a place sitting in their coffee house on Fridays...😄 If you won't find a place to Maybe you should do what we did - take the pastries to one of the beautiful springs in the area (you can find recommendations in the blog) and eat it there. Enjoy🤗 For more places in the area press here

A lovely spring pool in the Jezreel valley In the middle of the pool into which the water of Ein Harod spring flows, there is a pump house structure that is inactive and makes the children who run in and around it very happy. The pool is full of water all year round, and the water is about a meter high. Next to the large pool, there is a small paddling pool. Eucalyptus trees surround the pool, so large parts of the place are shaded. There are several picnic tables in the area and it is suitable for camping. Because the area is quite large, even when it is busy, it is not too crowded. From the pool you can look at the fields of the valley. If you want to continue your tour in the place, you can walk a kilometer or drive to Tel Yizrael to observe the valley's fields or ascend to one of the stunning observations at Gilboa. The only downside - garbage that travelers leave behind. Enjoy🤗 For more places in the area press here

A fun morning in Kibbutz Merhavia in the Jezreel Valley Three charming places in The Great Courtyard of Merhavia 📍 Nacca Natural Soap Store – Wonderful Natural Handmade Soaps in a charming little store which smells so good due to the soaps located all over the place. Ruthi, the owner, prepares all the soaps from natural ingredients and a personal recipe that combines olive oil, coconut oil, shea butter, and more. From these ingredients, she prepares related products such as creams, shower gels, etc. NACCA is the nickname of Ruthie's beautiful mother, whose picture you can find on the business card. Every corner of the store is decorated in a combination of vintage furniture and soaps. You can also book a soap workshop in which you will learn how to prepare soaps yourself. Phone - 052-325-0247 📍 The Great Courtyard of Merhavia is a historic place. The houses are from the beginning of the 20th century. They tell the story of the kibbutz and influential people who lived there. Signs on the houses represent their historical role. For example, the grain barn, the house where Golda Meir lived, Haganah wireless station, The house of Meir Yaari, and more. If you want to get in and have an organized tour of the place with explanations, you need to book a tour, a few days in advance with Rafi Tzur, the manager. phone: 0523638156 📍 Golda in the Courtyard Cafe - A charming and cozy kibbutz cafe with a vegetarian menu that includes breakfasts, pizzas, salads, and sandwiches. We took a selection from the menu and it was delicious. You can sit inside in the air conditioner or outside in the yard under the trees. Do not miss the fantastic sculpture behind the cafe. Waze: The Great Courtyard of Merhavia Enjoy🤗 For more places in the area press here

Excellent Arabian food at the Sahara Palace restaurant at Nin Junction. The restaurant opened a year ago and serves Shami food - Arab food from the Galilee region, southern Lebanon, and southern Syria. The place is charming and spacious - spacious with high ceilings. The food is excellent: Wonderful fresh salads that go far beyond the standard, including small eggplants in marinade, zucchini in yogurt, and sour artichokes. We also took Kebab cooked in tomatoes and wrapped in dough - a little spicy and delicious. We dipped the dough in the sauce and left nothing... Wonderful Shishbraak - dumplings stuffed with meat and cooked in yogurt. For dessert - Knafe on a skewer filled with mozzarella cheese and goat cheese – so yummy The restaurant is open all weak long 11:00 am - 11 pm Enjoy🤗

Tel Megiddo is a charming national park with spectacular remains. There are 30 archeological layers on top of each other – It is an archeological layer cake of a long history from the Stone and Iron Ages forward. Because of the excellent location this was a solid and wealthy city with temples and waterworks and stables. In the New Testament in the Book of John the Vision is that it will be the place of the great battle between the forces of light and darkness, the Apocalypse, Armageddon - or in other words Megiddo. The remains are fascinating, the viewpoints from the hill are spectacular, and the air is wonderful. Enjoy🤗 For more trips in the area press here