A combination of nature and food – Devnya springs.
This piece is a continuation from the visit to the Stone forest. After a good solid walk around the dunes and the forest I sure had worked up an appetite. The Magic Springs restaurant set on the banks of Devnya Springs near Varna was our next place to visit. It was surprising that after spending two years here I had not even heard about them. It sure was an intriguing experience for me.
How to get there?
Continue along the back road along the petrified forest for about 10 kms till you reach an underpass on E70. Go under it and you will see a small signage to make a turn. Go along the road and you will reach the parking lot of Magic Springs restaurant. An alternate way is coming along the E70 directly from Varna if you are not combining it with the stone forest.
The Devnya Springs
If I say I was mind blown, that is an understatement. Very few times I have been taken aback by the beauty of nature and especially when it involves water.( I have a fear of water). For the first time I felt like I should get in and stay there. Clear, pristine, close to crystalline, blue, green, words would fall short to describe it.
In reality there are 30 springs combined in seven groups across the region. The most beautiful of them is the Havuz Spring also known as the magical spring which has a 4.5 m oval wall built around it. It forms a waterfall and turns a watermill. This place was the favorite place of Marciana, the sister of Roman Empire Trajan. Hence it’s also called Marciana. On the banks of this spring is the Magic restaurant which has equally magical food.
The springs do not freeze during winter and the flow rate is usually not affected by the weather. The temperature usually stays up to 17-18 deg. C. It has a lot of fish and on the other side is an enclosure with farm animals and birds which is a major attraction for kids who can go in there if one of their parents is with them.
The place is calm, has clean air, and it actually feels like a paradise. Before ordering your lunch do not forget to walk along the banks of the spring and take in the beauty of the place.
The restaurant has quite a variety of food and if you are a fan of grills you can see the chefs at work on wood fired kilns which makes the food taste even better. Their kiln baked fresh bread “parlenka” is something that one should not miss. Some recommendations that I can make from what I had – Smoked pork steak, Pork liver with blueberry jam ( I know it sounds weird, but I will go there again for that dish), beef tongue in butter and the baked cheese with honey and walnut. Grilled vegetables and zucchini with yogurt sauce from the veg section were pretty good as well.
Make sure you have ample of time on hand to relax after the meal as I am sure you wouldn’t feel like venturing out to get back to the city immediately
Unfortunately I couldn’t make any photos of the main course as I was totally engrossed in enjoying the food.:)
All said it is an amazing half day outing for people in Varna or if you have guests visiting you. Even as a traveler who wants to go out during the day ( a change from the beach) and spend the night in Varna at the restaurants along the beach it’s a good option. Since this is just 30 km from the center of Varna, it shouldn’t be a problem to hire a cab.
I will be exploring more of these one day outings which can be interesting for every kind of traveler before moving to another destination and exploring the surrounding areas.
