Entrance to the Fortress

Execution Rock

No 17 Email – Veliko Tarnovo

I arrived in at Veliko Tarnovo earlier than I excepted with a train faster than I anticipated. As a matter of fact I fell comfortably asleep and by some miracle woke up when the train stopped in Veliko. I barely had time to collect my stuff and get off the train before it moved on. I then took a taxi to the tourist office to seek some help with finding appropriate accommodation. The helpful office suggested a room in an hotel nearby. He got on the phone and told them what I wanted. I wanted: a private room with breakfast included, the possibility of using a kitchen for my own cooking, and if possible, a wireless connection to the Internet. I got what I wanted for about 15 euros per nite.

The nearby hotel is run by a family: the mother (who is definitely in charge!) the father, two sons (with wifes) and a couple of grandchildren.

The next day, the mother cooked me a nice breakfast that include philo, sweets stuff and cheese (unavoidable it seems). I decided that from now on and would cook my own oatmeal breakfast.

In the evening I showed up with pasta, pasta sauce and fresh spinach. The following convinced me that they are not used to have someone using their kitchen. The woman grabbed the spinach and proceeded to trim the ends and wash it, then she took a pot , put water in it and told me this is for the pasta. I explained that I was first going to cook the spinach then the pasta. She gave up and let me do my stuff.

Her husband, for ever looking happy and smiling, offered me a drink. It is either grappa or rika? Not bad, but I prefer beer. The scene was somewhat repeated the next evening, with and added challenge, the son tried to tell me that I should change room? I acted like I did not understand. So here we are, the mother is again trying to help me, the smiling father is still offering me drinks, and the soon is trying to make me move to another room. He is down to making drawings with arrows to show my moving.

I finally told him ok but I want to see my “new” room. We are not getting anywhere and he finally gave up.

The main sight in Veliko is the Tsarevets Fortress. Sitting high on a cliff and overlooking the valley and the river below, the fortress is located on a site shared over the centuries by Thracians, Romans, and Byzantines. The present ruins of many houses and churches largely dates between the 5^th and the 12^th centuries.

I like to have some idea of what I am looking at, unfortunately, none of the information panels are in English (they are in Bulgarian, Russian, German). I now that somebody speaks English. The price list at the ticket booth clearly states the different price categories in perfect English!

I let the local tourist office know about my disappointment.

I walked the mostly uphill 5 km road to the small city of Arbanasi, from which one has a great view of the valley (and the fortress) below. The first place I came across is a restaurant (mentioned in LP guide) where the very helpful owner speaks English and runs a somewhat non-traditional hillside hotel.

All and all a worthy visit in this town where one in six residents is a student.

After over two months of intense travel I need to go somewhere to just relax. Varana, on the Black Sea Coast seem the best choice.

Love and Peace -henri