Veliko Turnovo

On Saturday we left the house early and drove east to the historical city of Veliko Turnovo in central Bulgaria. Veliko Turnovo is famous as capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire during the Middle Ages. When we stopped at a Tourist Information Office in the center of the city and asked how to get to the old town, the girl responded that everywhere around us is the old town.



The main attraction in the city is Tsarevets, the hill which housed the palaces of the Bulgarian rulers. The fortications of this hill were quite impressive, but not much remained of the palaces. Entering the main gate we were greeted by a group of animated puppets, who told us the story of the hill in Hebrew! The man and woman who ran this tourist trap spoke some Hebrew and apparently Emmanuel Halperin's voice was used for one of the puppets.


This royal cat, in a former life, belonged to one of the rulers of Bulgaria.

At the top of the hill is the Patriarch’s Palace, which was restored in 1981. Erez and I took the Panoramic Elevator to the top to enjoy the view.




The entrance walkway to Tsarevets.

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