I have managed to snarfle my friend Georgi's netbook so at least a post will be possible this evening. It will have to be quick though as I'm due to have dinner with the owner of this palatial home in which I'm staying, along with his wife and Georgi who lives in the next town along. I have a long journey ahead of me tomorrow, having to get up at 5am to get a 6.15am bus bound for Sofia so I can get my lunchtime flight home. That's how long travelling takes in Bulgaria I guess, I'm somewhat used to it now.
Today I wandered around the small village in which I'm staying in the baking heat, taking photographs of the stunning countryside around about. The landscape is one of plunging cliffs providing a backdrop to rolling golden countryside, with the sound of crickets chirping merrily in the sun. I saw at least five British cars here due to the prevailence of the ex-pat community here - more of that in a forthcoming post - before going back to my holiday home to wait for Georgi and his friend Kras, who were going touring with me today.
We were headed for the nearest large town, Veliko Tarnovo. I had seen the town at night over the weekend due to our drinking exploits - again, more in forthcoming posts - but by day it was even more stunning, with layer upon layer of houses clinging desperately to the cliff face as the town arced gracefully around the river valley in which it was set. The River Yantra has played a central role in the history of the town, which was the capital of the Second Kingdom of Bulgaria between 1185 and 1393. Indeede, when deciding whether to relocate the capital to Sofia at a later date, Veliko Tarnovo only missed out due to the late attendence by one of the mayoral deputies. I do think the valley is too tight for Veliko Tarnovo to be an appropriate capital though.
Veliko Tarnovo is usually teeming with students as it's a university town, but with the summer being here, it wafs far quieter than usual. After grabbing a delicious Turkish-style chicken kebab from a local takeaway, we headed up to Tsarevets, the impressive fortress perched on a hill encircled by the swirling river. This building was the seat of power of the Second Kingdom for two centuries and the kings of Bulgaria inhabited the Royal Palace which was in its grounds. This is now sadly in ruins, providing a regal backdrop to a stage area in which concerts and plays are performed to the paying public, but you still get a sense of the gradeur of the place when you look at it. In fact, most of Tsarevets was reduced to rubble in 1393 during the Ottoman conquest and of the 400 buildings and 22 churches originally contained in the complex, only a handful have been fully restored.
One of the highlights is definitely the Patriarchate, which dominates over the town, perched as it is on the very top of the highest hill in the region. Built in the 13th century, the red and 0pastel exterior with jewel encrusted borders is a delight to observe while the more modern interior murals of tortured faces in varying shades of brown were far more scary representations of religious devotion than is often seen in churches elsewhere. At the Patriarchate, a lift has been installed in the tower so you can go to the top and see the exquisite views over Veliko Tarnovo, the river and the mountains in which all this is nestled. It was an additional two leva to go up so I went on my own, only for the lift operator to take pity on my friends and let them ride for free. Charming. From here, we got to see the many old bridges crossing the river, as well as the Churches of Sveti Georgi and Sveti Dimitur on the other side of the water. We also glimpsed the Rock of Execution, the northernmost point of the complex. Situated above the sheer cliffs above the Yantra, criminals were often pushed to their deaths from here.
We also walked to Baldwin's Tower in the far south of the complex, so called because the Emperor Baldwin of Flanders was held captive here in the 13th century. It's a sturdy three-floored brick tower with again commanding views over the town and particularly the newly built university which is on the opposite side of the river bank. Entering the complex, we also saw the Asenova Gate, reconstructed in 1976 and a nice meandering way to enter the fort. Sadly, we had to miss the light show, one of the highlights of the fort, which tells the history of the area through differing lights, sounds and fireworks.
After a quick beer to quench our thirst after the tiring walking in 38 degree heat (but at least today there was a cooling wind which was a massive blessing considering our previous travails), we hebaded to Arbanasi, a picture-postcard town of houses bedecked in the traditional style. White walls and brown wooden frames were the order of the day in this delightful slice of rural Bulgaria, a huge merchant town due to it being granted special rights and privileges after its residents guarded the pass to Veliko Tarnovo in the Russian-Ottoman war of 1876-78. One particular site of interest was the holiday home of Bulgaria's former Communist leader Todo Zhivkov, who ruled the country from 1956 to 1989. Unlike the palatial surroundings favoured by many other Communist leaders, this building had all the charm and appeal of a Soviet concrete bunker, but the views were stunning and that is what you were getting.
Our final destination after a brief slice of pizza was the centre of Veliko Tarnovo again, where we headed to the Asenevtsi Monument which is next to the river over an impressive wrought iron bridge. This is essentially a large sword pointing skywards flanked by four horsemen - Asen, Petur, Ivan Asen II and Kaloyan. These four tsars ruled the Second Bulgarian Kingdom from 1185 to 1241 and the monument was unveiled in 1985 to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the founding of this Kingdom. From here, the old houses clinging to the hillside can easily be seen and you get a great panoramic view of the town.
After this, we headed back to Davynovo, some 25km away, to drop off Kras and head home. It was sad saying goodbye to him for the last time but hopefully we will meet up again. And I like the circular nature of this trip - I started looking at a horse statue in Skopje and I have ended it looking at a horse statue in Bulgaria. I like the symmetry. But now it's time for my final meal here before I tuck in and prepare to head back to Britain.
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