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Published: October 24th 2007
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With our heater on, we were tricked into feeling warm and cozy in our room when outside it was actually cold and very wet. The thought of breakfast lured us out of bed and down into the common room. We did stop for a while to look out from the balcony onto the general sceney which was hidden in the dark last night. Breakfast was pretty poor but was made 100% better by Darko the hostel cat. He alternated between our laps trying to get food by any means possible. At first he was just meowing and sniffing, but the longer we sat there the more daring he became. It got to the point where the owner had to feed him in a different room to stop him.
Due to our interesting arrival, we thought it would be sensible to arrange bus/train tickets asap. We walked all the way to the bus station in the rain and by rain I mean streams of water gushing down the middle of the cobbled streets. We approached the bus station first but were initially unsure as to whether it was a standard bus station for the public. It turns out that buses from
here are run by private bus companies. We asked at a few booths about tickets to Istanbul but they all pointed us to a booth where the lady wasn't there. We sat and waited for her for a bit but she didn't arrive so we headed for the train station instead. The station really looked like it belonged to layout that a hattons geek might make. The tiny station looked like a Hornby model and the hills, trees and river really were too perfect. Unfortunately the perfection stopped at the scenery because it looks like it will be harder to leave by train than bus. Apparently because of the damage to the tracks we would have to make our way all the way back to the border town of Ruse to get the train which would take a ridiculous amount of time and money.
Eventually we gave in with the transport planning and decided just to ask the girl at the hostel. We didn't want to waste our whole free day in Veliko Tarnovo trying to figure out how to leave. Instead we had a climb up a vast amount of steps to what was supposed to be a
panorama but was more like a climb up a hill for the sake of climbing up a hill. It was fun, but the best view of Veliko Tarnovo we got was when we climbed up onto the roof of an abandoned restaurant. The good thing about a rainy day is that you have everything to yourself which we enjoyed immensely.
On the way back to the hostel there was a group of cats hiding from the rain. When we stopped to stroke them and throw some biscuits their way the cutest black kitten in the world padded up to us. He was so snuggly and kept on trying to hide under my jacket. Well who could have honestly resisted a cuddle and a stroke?
At the hostel we made a nice warm mug of hot chocolate and sat in the nice warm common room whilst amusing ourselves with playing with Darko. We booked our hostel for Istanbul on good old hostelbookers, the room isn't exactly cheap but we did find an affordable double. Anna the girl who works here is really nice, so we spent a while chatting to her.
Around eight we braved the rain fully
armed with hats, gloves and waterproofs to go to a restaurant that was recommended by the owner of the hostel. We tried to get a table but they told us they were full, when we asked what time we could go back they just shook their heads. We were standing just under the porch just outside the restaurant when a waitress called us back in. We were given two seats at a big table where another couple were sitting and this just so happened that it was infront of a tv that happened to be showing a round up of premierleague football. The menu was staggering but our
Waiter was more than happy to make suggestions. At first he was a little overpowering, but we both ended up With great meals. The couple next to us had plates put infront of them and after seeing the size of them I told Rob I couldn't eat all of it if my main was that big. Before our food arrived they had an array of main course dishes laid out infront of them, at which my tummy began to quiver in horror. To finish with they had a massive salad which they
amazingly polished off entirely. Our salad was huge and vastly appreciated due to the lack of anything pickled however because we did finish it off we had Slightly less room for everything else that was to follow. It was around this time approximately ten that the Boro Chelsea game came on the tv infront of us. I know it sounds like I engineered it but I swear on my life it was all coincidence. The rest of the meal was great but too much so I left some of mine, but Rob soldiered through and finished his. Fool, he regretted it later. Partly to enable us to finish the game and partly in the Bulgarian spirit of things I drank a Raki. Strong eye watering stuff but not entirely foul as I had been lead to believe.
We half walked half waddled back to the hostel where we spent some time on the internet before falling into a heavy food induced sleep.
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irene
non-member comment
oh oh
Steph, put the beautiful little kitten down( er, on the ground).........please! Darko may be a little safer but you aint in Pets at Home so be careful!