The Seven Rila Lakes are a group of glacial lakes located in northwestern Rila. They are arranged in a stepped pattern between 2,095 and 2,535 meters above sea level and occupy depressions on the mountain slope, with the individual lakes connected by small streams. When water flows through these streams, small springs and waterfalls are formed.
The name of each of the Seven Rila Lakes reflects a feature of the respective lake. The lake located at the highest altitude is named “The Tear” because of the transparency of its waters. The next highest is “The Eye” (also called “The Heart”), which is approximately oval in shape. The Eye is the deepest cirque lake in Bulgaria, with a depth of 37.50 meters. “The Kidney” is the lake with the steepest banks in the entire group. The fourth lake is “Bliznaka”; it is the largest of the seven by area. Lake “Trilistnika” is irregular in shape and has low shores. The shallowest is the so-called “Ribnoto Lake.”
The shot was taken in my favorite season—spring—when I decided to capture the cracks of the melting ice. To do this, however, I had to go at least ten meters into the lake, walking along the melting ice and the bubbles rising to the surface until I reached a larger crack. When I finally found one, I decided to stay on the safer side of the ice—closer to the shore—because if the piece of ice broke off, I would end up in the role of Tom Hanks in the movie *Cast Away*, but floating on a melting ice raft.
