A fairy-tale city

Waking up in a different country is quite a strange feeling, it almost feels surreal. We only spent one night in Montana and I was excited for the next part of our journey. The next stop was Veliko Tārnovo.

I could tell the day was going to be blistering hot, because it was only nine in the morning and I was already beginning to feel overheated. My boyfriend is also convinced that I have a broken hypothalamus but that is a story for another time. After a filling breakfast, we began our journey. Now, I thought South African drivers were reckless. I do not have much experience with other countries, but I think the drivers in Bulgaria surpass the ones in South Africa. There was so much chopping and changing of lanes, the weird thing is that I did not feel unsafe.

Our first stop along the way was at the Transfiguration Monastery. We drove up a long and windy road on a mountain, surrounded by dense forest. We eventually emerged at the top at this clearing. The first thing I noticed was this massive rocky cliff which extends above the monastery. The monastery lay nestled at the bottom of this cliff, engulfed in overgrown vegetation. It was built in the 19th Century and is the fourth largest in Bulgaria. It was constantly being burnt down by the Ottoman but was eventually rebuilt in 1825 by Father Zotik. The murals painted on the monastery were eye-catching and unique. They were painted by Zachari Zograph in 1849. In 1991, a massive boulder fell from the looming cliff and damaged part of the monastery. Fortunately, no one was hurt. The boulder split into smaller pieces while it was falling and two large pieces of the rock ended up on either side of the old building. Talk about being lucky. From the Transformation Monastery, you could see the luscious green forests extending out over the mountains, like immense waves of green.

After our long stop at the Transformation Monastery, we began our journey again to Veliko Tārnovo. I fell in love with the scenery. Every so often, there would be these huge expanses of land covered in sunflowers. We pulled over next to one because I was so eager to see them up close. I felt so small next to these looming beauties. As we carried on with the drive, we went through some smaller villages. I was awestruck. So many of the houses were small, but they had these grapevines canopies in their gardens. The houses may have looked a little bit dilapidated, but their simplicity was captivating to me.

We arrived in Veliko Tārnovo in the late afternoon, but the sun was still bright. Veliko Tārnovo looks as if it were taken out of a fairy-tale and placed in the real world. The city is built in this mountainous area, surrounded by forest. An old castle is on the top of the hill with the rest of the town below it. A river passes through the town, adding to the fairy-tale effect. We arrived at our hotel, Sevastokrator, which is in the small town of Arbanasi in Veliko Tārnovo. Dinner consisted of some deep-fried cheese which you could dip into a cranberry sauce, some salad and a main I cannot remember because the deep-fried cheese and cranberry dipping sauce was so delicious. I remember the dessert particularly well because it was my favourite part, it was a honey and walnut layered pastry like Baklava, but in a cake form.

Sleep did not come easily that night. The heat was something that I was struggling to adapt to. I am also one of those people who struggle to fall asleep in strange places. Nevertheless, I did manage to eventually fall asleep.

The next day we began our exploring, what to me is, a fairy-tale city. The first place we went to was Tsarevets. It is a medieval fortress, which is located on a hill, on the outskirts of the city. The fortress was considered one of the most impregnable in Bulgaria. In 1185 Tārnovo became the capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. The city and the fort are separated by the Yantra River. We crossed the massive stone bridge which brought us into these ancient grounds.

After spending some time weaving in and out of the stone ruins of the fort, we made our way back into the town in search of a place to eat. What I found interesting was there were some fountains along the street where people would stop to drink water. Something which I have never seen before and fascinated me. The water is also safe to drink.

For lunch, we stopped at a small café that was bustling with people. The traditional summer dishes in Bulgaria are refreshing. We ordered some tarator and Caprese salads. Tarator a delightful and refreshing mix of yogurt, water, dill, cucumber, and walnuts. Dani’s mom describes it as a “summer soup”. Feta cheese is also very popular in Bulgaria (now… I need you to understand that feta cheese is one of my favourite foods of all time, which is also why Dani’s parents think I may be Bulgarian). The Caprese salad is wedges of soft fresh feta with tomatoes and basil leaves drizzled with some olive oil. The tomatoes that we got with the salad were peeled, which was a luxury only the bourgeois were allowed to have when there was a monarchy. 

The heat was beating down on us, but we persevered and got some more exploring (and shopping) done. We explored Samovodska charshia, an older section of Veliko Tārnovo. It is a cobblestone street hidden away within the city. It felt as though I had been taken back in time. Each shop had a balcony above it with vines twirling around the metal railing. The late afternoon sun gave the street a warm honey glow, adding to the surrealism. There were delicately painted plates outside some of the shops, while others you walked into and there was an array of art and souvenirs.

After the shopping and walking around, we got a taxi back to our hotel in Arbanasi. We were exhausted and I was overheated. After a long day in the heat, we cooled off in the pool. The fact that the sun was still up at seven o’clock at night was extremely strange for me and it took some getting used to. I must say, I am in love with Veliko Tārnovo, it is one of the most stunning places, and it has such a romantic air about it.

Our journey continues onto Shipka and Kazanlŭk!