Day three and four

After two late nights in a row, I've left Sofia for the more sedate pace of Veliko Tarnovo, which not only has a good university but was also the capital during the Second Bulgarian Empire.

(I felt like you all got off rather lightly in terms of historical geekiness in my first post! It hasn't reached the obsessive level of interest that I had about the former Yugoslavia and I'm not that fussed about the whole communist thing but prior to that is fascinating - Thracians and Romans and rebellions against Byzantium and the Turks... Oh my!!)

Anyway...

Yesterday morning I visited the cathedral in Sofia with Ed and Sian from the hostel. The churches here are really beautiful but they are so dark!! The Sveta Nedelya Cathedral is all domes and gold from the outside but is like going into a tomb... you can only see patches of what must be amazing frescoes and icons. (Yay - more icons and relics!!)

The weather in Sofia (and Bulgaria in general) has been wet and humid so, as well as being rained on on the way home from the cathedral, the view from the bus up to Veliko Tarnovo (while still beautiful) was a bit bleak at times. (I keep taking photos and wishing that it was sunny!) The bus trip went through some beautiful gorges and sunflower fields - apparently Bulgaria is Europe's largest sunflower producer.

VT, like Sofia, is a bit of a mix (and they do love a bronze communist statue here!) - the outer town is really bleak and run down with a huge motorway running through it, whereas the area by the fortress (while not beautiful) has a quaint, slightly ramshackle feel about it, with winding streets and little churches tucked away. I got here at about five and so really just spent the evening hanging out in the hostel - having a nana night in as a change from 'party animal' ways! It was so good to wake up after a decent amount of sleep. (And I still had a nap this afternoon!!) I'm staying in a hostel run by the same people as the one in Sofia and so have been continuing to enjoy free breakfasts and dinners... and this one comes with a New Zealander on staff - He's from Danevirke, which explains why he has chosen to live in the middle of Bulgaria.

Now for a bit of History geek. VT has been inhabited since about 5000BC (good old Neolithic people) and has been used as an important strategic position (almost) ever since. The most impressive example of the towns importance as a fortress in on the Tsarevets Hill (home of the first Thracians to settle the area) - the massive fortress was started by the Romans and has been built on by sucessive invaders. Across the river from the Tsarevets, you can see where there is on going archaeological excavation of the old royal residences - it is possible to climb up this hill but as it was raining, muddy and I hate getting wet, unless I'm swimming or showering, I just admired it from afar. To get to the fortress there is a narrow causeway and huge gate and then there are just ruins - I'm sure you can imagine my excitement!! As well as walking past the ruins of a myriad of churches and a monastery (they love them here too), I got saw the spot where they used to throw traitors to there deaths - nice. The most impressive thing about the whole sight is the reconstructed (in a very sympathetic way) patriarch complex - it's a church now and the inside has been decorated with the most amazing modern wall paintings, showing events from Bulgaria's past. Above the altar was the most beautiful painting of the virgin and child (one part renaissance, two parts modernist and just stunning).

After a stroll down to the river I also had a look inside the church of St Peter and Paul, which has frescoes dating from the 11th, 14th and 17th centuries - and was staffed by the most enthusiastic Bulgarian woman. (She almost cried with excitement when I said 'thank you' in Bulgarian!!) Oh and they had a chest full of bones!!! (I have no idea whose but that one currently sit top of the relics chart!)

I haven't managed to get into a museum yet (expect at Rila) - please no one fall over with shock - but I have got a number lined up for the next few days... so you can look forward to updates on both the museums of Velike Tarnovo and Plovdiv (my next stop) in my next entry. I've got one more night in VT and then it's off to see some Roman ruins in Plovdiv!!! I'm also hoping for a bit of folk-dance action in the near future - fingers crossed!

Will write again soon!

Rose xx

SPECIAL - PETER HARDIE EXTRA!!

I think you would really like it here - there is such a contrast between the Bulgarian pride in there history and the countries ability to improve itself. The country's history is full of uprising and invasion - both military and religious - and as a result all aspects of life here are, on some level, in conflict.

If you do plan a trip make sure you don't just stay in Sofia - although it is nice enough, it's the countryside (both the landscape and the quaint way of life) that are most appealing. I haven't had a chance to eat any of the local food yet, but have been told there is a particularly good bean soup on offer at the hostel for dinner tonight! After I leave VT, I won't have the luxury of free food so will be going out and trying out some more local stuff - it will all be veggie so will have to ask for feedback from who ever I'm eating with, regarding more meat-based food.