The Seven Rila Lakes are a group of lakes of glacial origin located in northwestern Rila. They are arranged in a stepped pattern between 2,095 and 2,535 m above sea level and occupy depressions on the mountain slope, with the individual lakes connected by small streams. When the 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 37.5 m. 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 Ribnoto Lake, which is pictured.
The shot was taken on a frosty November morning, when two-thirds of the lake was already covered in ice, leaving a small gap in which the reflection of the nearby Haramiyata Peak could still be seen before the cold covered the entire lake with ice, after which it would remain completely covered with snow until the following spring. Another strange phenomenon was the low-lying cloud, which remained unheated by the rising sun and therefore uncoloured, unlike the background behind it.
