In Defence of V.T.

Being a blogger is really hard.

I have promised my wife that I am not going to write anything nasty about the blogger (who will remain nameless and so instead I will just put the link to the blog http://www.adventurouskate.com/and-then-it-went-to-hell-in-bulgaria/) Anyway, this person wrote a dreadfully boring and self-obsessed blog but did include some great photos. (I liked the one of the cat on the roof tiles.) The photos were of one of my favourite places, the city of Veliko Tarnovo in Bulgaria. It is a funky place, V.T. There is the castle of Tsaravets, perched on top of the hill, the winding Yantra River and the picturesque old buildings in the twisting, photogenic cobbled streets. But the aforementioned blogger just wanted to moan about the bad Wifi and whinge about the lack of air conditioning.

The Wifi is not very good here.

The AC does not work properly.

And I am really lonely.

Yes, but what about the beautiful, historic churches? The view of Tsaravets from the medieval wooden bridge? The eccentric and idiosyncratic architecture of the old town? The lovely countryside all around Veliko Tarnovo, perfect for camping and picnics? The charming little restaurants and bars, hidden away down alleys? No, all this nameless blogger wanted to tell us was how much he (or she) misses her friends and how hard it is to get paid to write a blog. (Well, why not get a proper job instead, like the rest of us?)

A cat (not a night) on the tiles

As I said before, the unnamed blogger did have some good photos of Veliko Tarnovo and I suppose we ought to be grateful for the pics, but complaining about how hard it is to be a “professional blogger” is not something that I will ever want to read about. Yes, it is your decision to pack in your 9-to-5 job and have freebie travel around the world, persuading companies to pay your hotel bills. Although you can put advertisements and “product placement” into your blog if you really want to, Miss Anonymous Blogger, please do not then turn round and tell us what a hard life you are having, how you struggle with your “blackness” and other such nonsense. 

A bridge too far? Or too near?

Here is a picture of Irisha, my dear wife, standing on the famous wooden bridge. (The bridge dates from the Middle Ages, but gentlemen never mention a lady's age.)

Well, I hope that I have kept my promise to my wife and not given away the identity of this nameless blogger, but I also hope that I have given you a little taste of one of my favourite cities, Veliko Tarnovo. And I have not written all of this just because we have an apartment in V.T. with air conditioning and, one day, even Wifi. Here is a photo that shows you the view from the window of our dining room and here is another one of yours truly having breakfast. The balcony does not have AC or Wifi, but it is really big and looks down onto the cobbled street that dates back to the 14th century.

On the balcony of our apartment.

The view from the dining room window.

And here are a few more photos of Veliko Tarnovo. It really is a very photogenic place!


Postcript
Have I been unfair or unkind to the blogger, who did post some nice pics of VT? Well, I hope not. It is a quirky, charming city and it deserves to be better known by travellers from around the world. Of course, many of the restaurants and hotels in Veliko Tarnovo rely on tourism, so that was why I was so angry when a place I love was not written about in a way that was truthful and responsible, by someone who is supposed to be a "professional" blogger.   

It is easy to take a good photo when you have a great subject

For all of the cat-loving readers of my blog