Seasonal inn in Thrace, Ottoman Empire
It's about 1810 or 1820. Our Balkan baron has traveled to an inn at the top of a mountain pass somewhere in what used to be Thrace. In my writer's original text, the staff is described as annually vacating the place "when the first snow flies." Does this make economic sense? Or would at least some of them stick around doing maintenance? And where would the rest of them go?
Would it make a difference that there are bandit bands in the area, facilitated by the local populations' dislike of their Turkish overlords? Seems to me that abandoned buildings are an irresistible invitation for a band to break in and behave like pirates on shore leave. Even if they need to stay on good terms with their neighbors, said neighbors might not be certain WHICH band did the depredations . . .
Related: Is it plausible that the pass becomes impassible? The northern part of Thrace is southern Bulgaria, and there are Alps in the northern part of that country . . .
I have very little idea how to start on this. I'm willing to do research, but at this point my websearches have floundered uselessly, so I'm investing time in composing this query rather than continuing to flounder. Helpful suggestions on how to get info myself will be gratefully accepted. Not that I'm going to turn down prepackaged info, either!
I hope this query is nevertheless acceptable for this site.
Would it make a difference that there are bandit bands in the area, facilitated by the local populations' dislike of their Turkish overlords? Seems to me that abandoned buildings are an irresistible invitation for a band to break in and behave like pirates on shore leave. Even if they need to stay on good terms with their neighbors, said neighbors might not be certain WHICH band did the depredations . . .
Related: Is it plausible that the pass becomes impassible? The northern part of Thrace is southern Bulgaria, and there are Alps in the northern part of that country . . .
I have very little idea how to start on this. I'm willing to do research, but at this point my websearches have floundered uselessly, so I'm investing time in composing this query rather than continuing to flounder. Helpful suggestions on how to get info myself will be gratefully accepted. Not that I'm going to turn down prepackaged info, either!
I hope this query is nevertheless acceptable for this site.