21
Sep
2026
Monday was a boating and island day. We walked to the nearby ferry dock behind our hotel to take the Anastasia ferry to the fishing village of Chengene Skele. We learned that there are plans underway to build a ship that will travel between Istanbul and Burgas port on the Black Sea.
It is a picturesque one of a kind village where all of the residents have a connection to fishing and the local traditions are still taught to upcoming generations. The houses are quite ramshackle. We tried some local beer in a a café and heard some harmonica tunes from a local fisherman. A few of the Russians in our tour group jumped in and did some dancing to the music. From the village, we piled into small fishing boats for a quick tour of the canal neighborhoods.
Later we boarded the ferry boat again to visit St. Anastasia Island. The tiny island is known for its 15th c former monastery, dramatic views and a family run restaurant. It was formed by ancient volcanic activity, while centuries of wind and waves shaped its distinctive rock formations visible from several viewpoints with iconic names – The Mushroom, The Dragon, The Petrified Pirate Ship, and The Gate of the Sun.
The monastery is dedicted to Saint Anastasia Pharmakolytria (The Healer) and the museum on the second floor tells the story of her life and her martyrdom. The small stone monastery church is the oldest preserved part of the monastery complex. Inside is a beautifully crafted wooden iconostasis dating from 1802. Our local guide explained how on the nameday for the Virgin Mary, the light comes through a window to shine on her icon in the iconstasis.
We had time to explore the musem in the monastery and walk around the island before sitting down for a group lunch, cooked by the family who runs the island and who has been responsible for bringing back tourism to the village and the island. We had excellen local fried fish.
The island is also known for being the prison in 1925 for Bolsheviks who tried to assassinate the King. 74 non-bulgarian (Macedonia and Serbia) Jews were housed there before being sent to Treblinik concentration camp.
Back at the hotel, we had some free time to enjoy the beach. Several of us took a dip in the Black Sea, until it started raining. The hotel has a huge pool with warmish water. Dinner at the hotel was included in our tour and it wasn’t worth the effort. I wish we had skipped that meal and eaten in town at one of the restaurants.
