Today, our trip is going on and we move from a hot Goa to the sunny Bulgaria, more precisely to a small town called Veliko Tarnovo. This place attracts a lot of tourists and visitors every year. But why is this place so popular among them? Let’s find out!This place is located in the valley of the river with the same name, in the northern part of Bulgaria. This is the best Riviera on the Black Sea coast. It’s just as beautiful as a small town in France, with the crucial difference that a bottle of beer here costs only $ 0.8. The population is only 70 thousand people. And you can rent an apartment here for only $ 200 a month. The only drawback is a relatively poorly developed infrastructure.
It is interesting to know that this city has seen the ups and downs of at least half a dozen world empires.
4 things to do in Veliko Tarnovo
– Choose your wine – local people believe that a person should have his own kind of wine, with which he will spend his whole life. It’s like you would marry this drink. Therefore, in the city, tourists are constantly tasting wine in search of a second drunken half. The best varieties are produced in Lyaskovets, Suhindol and Svishtov.
– Spend a night in a nightclub – this city is created for people who hang out all day long. Go to any nightclub at about 6 am and leave this place in 24 hours. It will be an unforgettable Alco-Dance Marathon.
– Visit the laser show – Veliko Tarnovo regularly hosts a laser and light show in the Tsarevets fortress. The spectacle is dedicated to the fortresses’ capture and the entire Bulgarian kingdom ravished by the Ottoman yoke. The final and the most exciting scene is the call of the Bulgarians for liberation and the battle for independence along with the Russian troops. The show is held outdoors. The impressions are just amazing.
– Buy a house – this item of the program of your period spent in Veliko Tarnovo is optional. Although, if you find out the prices for houses here… The average house, that needs to be repaired, costs about 20 000 BGN. An already finished one, where you can enter at least today and live – 110 000 BGN. (Compare with the prices for housing in your city.)
Entertainment and Attractions in Veliko Tarnovo
In this Bulgarian city you can easily get into the 12th or 13th century. It seems you are walking along a modern street as soon as it turns out that you are in the distant past.
Tsarevets Fortress
The former residence of the Bulgarian king and patriarch. The fact is that, due to its location, Veliko Tarnovo played an important role in the country’s struggle against Byzantium. Therefore, the economic and intellectual center of the state was formed here. And the whole city was built around the residence of the king, that was on the very top of the Tsarevets mountain.
Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs
The church is located at the foot of the fortress Tsarevets. It was built in the early 13th century in honor of the victory over the Byzantine emperor Theodor Comnenus.
Today, the church is a branch of the National Historical Museum of Sofia. Divine services are held only on the days of major Christian holidays.
Archaeological Museum
The expositions of the archaeological museum make you travel back to 9 centuries ago. One of the most valuable exhibits is a gold bar, the oldest in the world, a treasure of the Neolithic age (!). Most likely, this is the most expensive gold on our planet.
In addition, the museum has collections of pottery and ceramics from the Bronze and Stone Ages, gold and silver jewelry, coins, ceramics, frescoes and icons. Here is a stone garden, which exhibits statues of the Roman era. Near the museum, the city library, one of the richest libraries in Bulgaria, comes with a lot of offers to the passionate readers.
Trapezitsa
This overgrown hill was once favored by the Bulgarian kings. Once archeologists found here 17 medieval churches.
Old city
The old town is the heart of Veliko Tarnovo. Here, on a small patch of land, the architectural monuments of Bulgaria are being hosted, safe from the agitation of the city. For example, the Turkish konak is a building where the police was stationed in the 19th century.
A great impression is made on the guests of the city by the Gurko street – there are many restored buildings, shops, restaurants, hotels that can be found here. In general, the atmosphere of the 18-19th centuries was perfectly conveyed in this visually delicious city.
Our next trip will be to a picturesque place of Ho СoС Beach, Vietnam.