Veliko Tarnovo is really 'veliko'

We didn't want to miss this cultural and historical jewel so we left the Danube and pedaled towards the mountainous center of Bulgaria. Veliko Tarnovo kept what it promises with its name - a truly great city!

Located on three hills above the Yantra river, people only know three directions: Go up, go down, or take the stairs. As the former capital city of Bulgaria, moving history is within one's grasp and nowadays, the city attracts artists looking for inspiration in the picturesque city and landscape. Moreover it's famous for a sound and light show at the spectacular fortress (we couldn't see it this time as there was no public holiday and nobody ordered it, but checking out the videos on YouTube is worth it).

We stayed in the beautiful house of Jaap from the Netherlands and had a fantastic, intense and informative time with him and he didn't even refuse us to stay one more night. We're very grateful Jaap and we admire your lifework and your strong commitment to the society by conveying Bulgarian traditions and fighting for the environment - and we believe that we've learned a lot about Bulgaria, even reading Cyrillic is getting a small and smaller issue for us.

Simply put, Veliko Tarnovo is a must!Read more