One Man in Bulgaria

I ended my last post with the words that I was not going to go into the historical details however I thought that I would give you some clues. National heroes Vasil Levski, Stephan Karadzha, Filip Tptyu, Bacho Kiro, participants of the April Uprising and others were held hostage and tortured in the prison. Russian Prince Alexander M. Dondukov-Korsakov fought against the British in the previous war in the Crimea before the Russians were persuaded to support revolution in Bulgaria. The Russians were partly persuaded because of the renaissance of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, which had flirted with the protection of the Pope and 'Holy Roman Empire' before gaining strength and independence from the Ottoman supported Greek Orthodox Church.  Politics, taxes and corruption all played their part. Nothing changes. Tarnovo was central to all of these influences and consequences although the new King, Boris III, never took residence as the capital had moved to Sofia by the time he was

My second day in Veliko Tarnovo should have started with breakfast however I did not realise that the bar/restaurant kitchen did not open util 11:00 hours so be warned, accept the hotel's offer of a free breakfast. The fine buildings across the road housing the Museums of the Bulgarian Revival and the Prison now beckoned as they had been closed the previous day (Monday). This was proving very popular on a bright June day as were most of the attractions in the area. It would seem that end of term in this town, and possibly country, involves lots of school trips to see history and art first hand and I must say that all of the children were very enthusiastic. Perhaps that was freedom from the classroom rather than freedom from oppression?

I left the bar/restaurant on the corner and headed off up ul. "Ivan Vazov" this being the road I had travelled down in the Taxi from the city to the hotel. I still could not work out which bend of the river I was on. It was now very hot and humid and uphill! I passed some souvenier shops then came to the fork in the road where ul. "Nikola Pikolo" and my path become ul "Stefan Stambolov" and it was still uphill. Nothing for it ask a local. The con-census was, "It's down there" pointing back in the direction I had come. Not having a camel or water I darted into a shop for a bottle, I was going to need it especially when I saw those steps. Veliko Tarnovo is definitely not for the faint-hearted. I reminded me of Durham City from whence I came. This fact was to be brought home to me later for another reason.

Approaching the bar from the hotel At the end of my last post I took time out to have lunch at the cafe on the corner (or is it a bar or restaurant???), this was to be a frequent haunt of mine during my stay here in Veliko Tarnovo. Both the menu and the surroundings never cease to amaze and intrigue.  I was to discover that merely changing ones seat opened up a whole new treasure trove of wonders.  Despite the eclectic taste of the proprietor the place does not take on the being of a junk shop or jumble sale.

My alarm is set for 07:00, my bag is almost packed. I wake, shower and dress then proceed on a 20 minute walk to the bus station (10 minutes for everyone else). I sit in the morning sunshine; coffee and a sandwich to hand as I look across at the gleaming bright red BIOMET luxury coaches waiting to whisk people away to Sofia some six hours away. Haven't I told a similar tale to you before I hear you ask? Well patience folks all will be revealed.  This time I thought that I would tell more about the coach journey itself.

Culture and Literacy Day.   It is a public holiday here in Bulgaria. Looking into the background I found that the day, celebrated on 24 May, its full title is "Bulgarian Education and Culture, and Slavonic Literature Day" , a national holiday celebrating Bulgarian culture and literature as well as the alphabet. It is also known as "Alphabet, Culture, and Education Day". Saints Cyril and Methodius are patrons of the National Library of Bulgaria located in the capital, Sophia. Now I know the story behind one of the photos I took in Sophia.

The sun is shining this fine Sunday lunchtime as I head over to the 'Grand Mall', local monument to our consumer lifestyle and far too near to my apartment. A good job that I am not married!  Rumour has it that there is a 'World Food Fare' taking place today.  In keeping with the sunshine the decorative theme in the Mall this month is 'flowers' and the first example I see is this shoe.  An appropriate start to a days retail therapy for some no doubt, but I am here in search of food.