The Road

There is a place in Bulgaria which is really close to heaven and you will miss very much if you don’t see it. At the coast of town of Balchik, which is situated 40 km from Varna you can find the summer residence of the last queen of Romania – Marie. Not so long ago all the territory of this town has been Romanian and that is why the queen decided to build her residence here, she named it Quiet Nest Palace. It took 11 years for the building of the palace and the park around it and unfortunately the queen has had so less time to enjoy it because she died soon after the whole manor was finished. According to her last will, her heart was buried at the chapel Stella Maris on the territory of the complex but after the returning of the town to Bulgaria her daughter moved it back to Romania.
In this place, Marie has found a peaceful place to hide from her very unfortunate personal life. She gave all her inmost feelings to this home of heart. Rumors said that her last love, the Arab Ali was the reason for the Muslim ornaments which we can find all over the complex. She has waited for him in her marble throne from Florence, looking toward the sea and hoping that she finally has found her true love.
The best time to visit the castle and the beautiful gardens is the, I choose the end of May to visiting it. The first thing that you will see is the verdure which is everywhere. The whole ensemble – palace and gardens - are positioned in a 17 meter high slope and all terraces are covered with flowers and exuberant palette of plants. The path to the main entrance of the Quiet Nest passing under green arch of flowers and it leads to the marble throne under the poplar tree, the favorite place of the queen with the beautiful view to the sea. The palace itself is not exactly a palace, it is most likely a summer cottage. The queen was admirer of the simple style and you can see that everywhere in her residence. It is in Turkish style so you must not be surprised when you see the tower which looks like a minaret. The most impressive spot at this cottage is the balcony at the third floor from where is revealing a magnificent view to the sea. Above the cottage there are terraced gardens and when you follow it, just like Alice in the Wonderland you will find the hidden labyrinth and so many secret gardens inside of the big garden. I’ll not reveal all the secrets of this beautiful place so you can have the chance to see it with your own eyes and to feel it with your own heart.