VT


Today it occurred to me that I have hardly written anything about Veliko Tarnovo, aka VT. It is a lovely, charming and quirky city. As the former capital of Bulgaria, it certainly has some old and rather quaint bits. Not surprisingly, VT has more than its fair share of tourists in the summer months.

Dominating the city is Tsaravets, the fortified city up on the hill, with the Yantra River on two sides as a moat. Tsaravets really dates from the Middle Ages, but I suspect that quite a lot of it was rebuilt in more modern times and the chapel on the top is a later addition. 

 There are some amazing panoramic views from the steps outside the chapel, on top of the hill. I really do not like the wall paintings inside the chapel at the top of Tsaravets, as they are all in depressing blacks and gloomy browns, with some bearded old men who look as they have not had a hot meal for a month or two. "Welcoming" and "cheerful" are two words that do not apply.    

I thought that I ought to add a few more photos of VT, especially the picturesque old centre of the town.





Yes, it is rather pretty and photogenic. That is why the old centre of the city is choked with tourists in the summer months.

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