A very short stint in Veliko Turnovo

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If you've never heard of Veliko Turnovo, then let this entice you. Apparently it was one of the "most beautiful" cities in Europe some time back. Its a old old city built on the edge of a canyon, overlooking a large river. Pretty.

History remembers Veliko Turnovo as the site of a great fort dating back as far as the crusades. Today though, its a big university town - its quaint exterior masking chique art stores and cafes. Expect to see well groomed students sipping lattes and snacking on slices of pizza. No, Veliko is not where you go to see quaint rustic Bulgaria, despite the promises of "most beautiful city" in tour brochures. Nevertheless, its got a pretty dramatic setting and thus worth a quick stop.

We had spent the previous night in Veliko eating and walking the main streets. Today was devoted to exploring the famed fort. Perched on the top of the canyon, you can understand why that fort was a rather strategic place to build a capital. Veliko was infact the capital of the Bulgarian empire and the country of Bularia until the late 1800s.

Still, as far as forts and old European architecture go, its rather average. Go there more for the background scenery rather than the fort itself. It did have one very gross and memorable tree though - don't know what type, but it looked like a large brocolli covered in pink mould. Yick - still shudder just thinking about it.

We then wandered the main streets of Veliko till we found a nice cafe perched overlooking the river canyon. Enroute we bumped into a crazy old lady - she was completely enthralled by our daughther and started singing songs and clapping and dancing with her. But then, she suddenly asked us for money. Not sure why - she definitely wasn't dressed like she needed money.

At noon, we packed our stuff and started on the drive back to Sofia to catch our train to Turkey. Dropped the car of and then stopped for one final Bulgarian meal in a rather swanky underground restaurant. I'v said it before but will say it again. Bulgarian food is so much better than what you would think. Those guys know how to make really fattening and rich salads.

And so ended our Bulgarian trip. Late afternoon we boarded our sleeper train to take us to Istanbul. The train ride was rather uneventful except for the border crossing. A 3am, we were woken up and had to go through border formalities. Unfortunately, we didn't realize that outside was sub zero temperatures. So Melenie and baby jumped out in little shorts and no jackets. We got lots of dirty stares from concerned Turkish women thinking we were the meanest parents. Alas, once we dismounted, we weren't allowed to get on till we had gone through the formalities. And all those formalities were out doors. Thankfully the baby decided to start crying (probably because she was getting hyperthermia), at which point a concerned guard whisked us to the front of the line. A crying baby is just soo useful! The other minor highlight was when the guy in the neighbouring cabin started whispering to his friend in 3am 'hey, do you have any toilet paper... maaaaan, I really need to go'. His moaning continued for the next 5 minutes while he expounded all the different ways he would feel relieved if he just had some toilet paper. Sensitive folk that we were just giggled to ourselves while holding tight to our ample reserves of toilet paper, baby wipes and even diapers.

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Photos

Just a bit too friendly
This lady just walked up and started singing some Bulgarian children songs to Sesame. Sesame was decidely unfriendly and rude but the lady kept persisting. Friendly lady ... until she asked for money.

A panoramic view
The city is built on the side of a hill overlooking a river.

Tsarevets Fort
The fort that was during the time of the Crusaders. Most famed for once imprisoning Emperor Baldwin, who was the brother of Godfrey of Bouillon (which for those who know their history lead the very first crusade).

Walnut salad
I have said it many times but will say it again. Bulgarians know how to make great salads. This one is a sour cream and walnut salad.

Artery-killing salad
Cheese and cream and cheese and cream ... and a bit of vegetables. Once again another winner.

Crumbly white cheese
This crumbly cheese is the staple in Bulgaria - one of the 2 major cheeses that seems to adorn EVERY bulgarian dish.

Really tasty water
I'm not a bottled water, but this was simply the most tasty and refreshing water I have ever tasted. From Devin - a place up in the mountains in the south of Bulgaria.

One of the few 'old' streets
Veliko has one little main street that is kind of quaint. Its fast being replaced by artsy shops and university student hang outs.

Ruins in Tsarevets
One of the many ruins in the fort. Need a healthy dose of imagination when viewing this fort - not much is left.

Some random photo
Of something ...?

Weird freaky tree
This tree was furry and just gave us both the heeby-jeebies looking at it. Looked like a fungused piece of brocolli. I'm curious to know what tree that is if anybody knows.

Cryllic signs
Cryllic is surprisingly easy to read if you put your head to it. The only problem is going back to reading English - suddenly you are reading all your Cs as S and Bs as Vs.