Veliko Turnovo

...many weeks.
I'm in Veliko Turnovo, tucked away in the northern foothills of the "Old Mountains" (or "Stara Planina"). The town nestles upon the slopes of four rugged looking hills, in the beautiful unspoilt terrain which is northern Bulgaria, and the tranquil Yantra River weaves through the hills in a swooping horse-shoe formation, like a child's drawing of a meandering river. For me Veliko Turnovo is a town of contrasts ...
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********The Name********
Veliko Turnovo actually means "Great Turnovo", and sure enough there is a "Little Turnovo" somewhere near the Black Sea. I'll refer to it as Turnovo for brevity's sake in this review. (When I first came here I used to refer to it as just "Veliko", until I realized that that was a bit like referring to Great Britain as just "Great!"). Bulgaria uses the Cyrillic alphabet, ... more

IN THE SUMMER the trees are lush and green, temperatures sore in the high 30s, and the local girls strut up and down in their tightest mini-skirts and impossible tans. In the winter you can clearly see the strata of rock in the hills through the skeletal trees, and the landscape is buried under snow for many weeks.
I'm in Veliko Turnovo, tucked away in the northern foothills of the "Old Mountains" (or "Stara Planina"). The town nestles upon the slopes of four rugged looking hills, in the beautiful unspoilt terrain which is northern Bulgaria, and the tranquil Yantra River weaves through the hills in a swooping horse-shoe formation, like a child's drawing of a meandering river. For me Veliko Turnovo is a town of contrasts and is also where I've chosen to live. I know there's only a very small chance that you'll make it here on holiday, but I'd like to show you around a bit and tell you about some of my favourite places here.

********The Name********
Veliko Turnovo actually means "Great Turnovo", and sure enough there is a "Little Turnovo" somewhere near the Black Sea. I'll refer to it as Turnovo for brevity's sake in this review. (When I first came here I used to refer to it as just "Veliko", until I realized that that was a bit like referring to Great Britain as just "Great!"). Bulgaria uses the Cyrillic alphabet, like the Russians do, (with a couple of differences), and in fact this alphabet was actually invented by a couple of Bulgarians-Saint Cyril and Saint Methodius. The Bulgarians are exceptionally proud of this fact and there is a national holiday every year on May 24th to commemorate the day the alphabet was invented. (This is also known as "Bulgarian Culture Day"). Goodness knows how they can pin it down to one day when it was created in the 9th century, but there you go! In Veliko Turnovo the university, which is one of the largest in the country, is named after these two saints. When you transliterate the Cyrillic to the Latin alphabet there are two possibilities- "Turnovo" and "Tarnovo". So if you're searching for anything to do with this town on the Internet it would serve you well to try both spellings. The actual pronunciation is closer to Turnovo, so I'm using this spelling here (Велико Tърново in Cyrillic).

*******Potted History*********
Neolithic evidence dating back more than 7000 years has been found on one of Turnovo's four hills, now called Tsaravets. The hill is strategic, almost encircled completely by the Yantra River and with difficult steep slopes, and lends itself easily to fortified constructions. The Romans also put up some hefty walls, and the Byzantines followed suit in the 5th century with a citadel. It became the capital of Bulgaria during the Second Bulgarian Empire and an extremely influential town in terms of trade at this time. In the 14th century the Turks took possession of Turnovo and destroyed the fortress, although they left lots of bits behind which you can now visit (see later in this review). Bulgaria finally shook off what it refers to as the "yoke" of the Turks in 1879, and Turnovo was chosen as an apt place to sign the new constitution, but Sofia was made the capital.

********Man about Town********
If you come to Turnovo, you'll probably have flown either from Sofia, the capital, or Varna, by the seaside. You could hire a car, but the roads are risky and signs sporadic. The easiest way, from either starting point, is by coach. A one-way adult fare is 13lv (£4.80) from Sofia (241km) or Varna (228km) (about 3 hrs). There are no loos on the buses! There are two bus stations, and it's sometimes pot-luck which one you'll end up at, but most of the time you'll be deposited close to the town centre, next to an ugly communist monstrosity called Hotel Etar. (See map below). The other bus station is about 1km out of town, but it's easy to hail a cab to take you into town- cost is 1 lv (30p). Unless you're not mobile, Turnovo is easy to explore on foot. (If you do have mobility restrictions Turnovo is a potential nightmare- Bulgaria as a whole has not embraced wheelchair/buggy access anywhere, and Turnovo is all hill.)

As you walk uphill (mild incline) from the bus station, you'll pass numerous pubs, shops and restaurants. Turnovo is quite bustling commercially, and is a better shopping town than the capital in my view. There is one main road, which you follow round to the right. (I adore Turnovo for its simple road layout- I have worse sense of direction than a compass on the moon, but in Turnovo there is only ever one main road (which I call the High Street), and it follows the river, so you can always see where you are). The road will take you past endless clothes shops first of all. They are very easy on the UK pocket with the average price of a T-shirt being around 15 lv (£5) and a pair of jeans about 30 lv (a tenner). (But most brand names are fakes). See my map below!

******Old Town*******
Don't be put off if you're not into clothes shopping, as this road soon turns into a beautiful oldy worldy cobblestone path, and the architecture is stunning. The buildings are in the traditional Bulgarian style, which means mostly two-storey buildings with balconies adorned with flowers, slightly off-square walls, small-paned windows, red tiled roofs and narrow streets. The area has had a lot of investment in recent years, with many of the buildings being restored to their former beauty. Most buildings here are shops, selling antiques (old Bulgarian chests, weird musical instruments and authentic peasant costumes), artwork (paintings of the rich countryside in every possible hue), or bars/restaurants. Not surprisingly, this area does attract a lot of tourists and the prices reflect this. If you press on to the end of the road you'll enter the "real" old town, where people still live in these old crumbly houses. This area has much less to offer the tourist in terms of museums or cafes, but you can see how people really live. If you manage to get invited into one of these houses you'll be amazed. They are generally tiny inside with a central wood stove which heats the whole house. It's normal for 3 generations to live in the same small house, with all of the rooms used as bedrooms at night. The ceilings are sometimes woefully low, subsidence is evident, and the décor is usually pre-1975. You have to remember that aside from the tourist centre, Turnovo is essentially a poor provincial town, although it's easy to forget sometimes. Most people have little money to spend on home improvements or even essential repairs in some cases.

*******Tsaravets********
If you carry on through the old town you'll end up at the arched entrance to the 12th-13th century Tsaravets fortress. The entrance fee is 4 lv for an adult (£1.30), unless you have a Bulgarian ID card, in which case it's 1 lv. (Much of Bulgaria operates a dual pricing system due to the low wages the locals receive). You should allow about 2 hours to see everything. The walls and some other structures have been restored, but most of what there is to see is ruins. It is a wonderfully atmospheric place though, and well worth a visit. In its heyday there was a massive town within the walls, and you can see the foundations of many houses, churches and monasteries. A lot of the restoration was done in the 80s and sadly is falling apart already. The entrance fee is so low that it's hardly surprising that they can't afford to keep up the maintenance. I would advise taking a guide book to learn a bit more about what you can see, as the signs are only in Bulgarian and German and there are no guided tours. My favourite bit is "Execution Rock"- a precarious drop where they used to chuck traitors off to drown in the river….. Wear good shoes as you could end up scrambling when paths suddenly disintegrate into wilderness. At nightfall, in the summer, there is often a sound and light show with Tsaravets as the focal point. It's extremely difficult to find out when/if it's on, but if you manage to catch it, it's wonderful.

******Other Things to While Away the Days******
There are several museums and 6 lovely churches to visit, parks, markets and countryside to explore. The State Art Museum is visible from most of the riverside restaurants and is an imposing structure, and worth a visit inside and out. I hope from my map you can see the green bits which are all wonderful for strolling, cycling (if you don't mind uphill pedalling) and picnics. East of the town there is a great open market with beautifully coloured fruit and veg stalls. Dotted around the town are bits of useful information for the tourist, in English as well as Bulgarian and German. It's an ideal place to stroll around, stop off for coffees at any of the numerous cafes and generally relax.

*******Eating*******
You're probably quite peckish by now, so follow the path you took back into town, and you'll find plenty of restaurants along the way. Almost all of them sell typical Bulgarian fare, which mainly consists of salads, pork dishes and stews and some sort of vegetable side dish. (It's normal to have a salad as a starter, with a glass of "rakia" the local fire-water). Turnovo has NO McDonalds, KFC, Burger King, or anything like them. You can find kebabs though, and unlike the GB version they are delicious. Pizza is easy to find- the Bulgarians usually douse it in ketchup and mayonnaise. Many restaurants have balconies overlooking the river and opposing hills, and the view is absolutely stunning. I'd recommend a meal with a view as an essential part of your visit. Two possibilities are "Ego" (BG dishes, pizza, pasta, average bill per head including drink- 15 lv (£5)), or "Shtaslivitsa" (excellent BG dishes, pizza, booking often necessary, 20 lv per head (£7.30)). Eating and drinking is one of the cheapest things you can do. The average price of a draft beer (bira na livna) is 1.50 lv (50p) (waheyyyyyy!). But bear in mind that Bulgarians generally respect their alcohol a bit better than us Brits, and it is not acceptable to get drunk and make a fool of yourself in public.
*****Nightlife*****
Bars are in abundance and of varying atmospheres. If you like to sit outside, enjoying the view and chatting with friends, then I'd recommend Maximus piano bar terrace (they rarely actually play the piano!) on the old town side of the High Street.. If you want to meet other British people there's a pub called Andres, but to be honest I avoid it-I'm not here to meet Brits-I can do that in Britain! A new bar has opened on the newer (western) half of the High Street which is above the theatre and has a large balcony overlooking the High Street. It's ok if you want cocktails and to see and be seen, but a bit pricier than most bars. There are lots of night clubs- for example, "Scream" which is underneath Ego pizza restaurant (4 lv entry, beer about 2.50). Night clubs are generally small by British standards, and less drunken, which means less wild dance moves. Clientele are Young. I'm 32 and feel old if I go. As for the theatre, there's not much to tickle your fancy unless you speak Bulgarian.

*****Spondoolics******
Just a quick word about the currency, which is the LEV, (plural LEVA), divided into 100 stotinki. Although there was some pretty wild inflation in the early 90s, the Lev (Lv) is tied to the Euro now, so is relatively stable. Cashpoints are widely available, as are bureau de changes. NEVER change money in the street if approached- you may receive old, out-of-circulation notes, and will certainly not get a fair exchange rate. Many bureau-changes advertise themselves as "no commission", but in fact it is illegal for any to charge it. If you put your UK card in a cashpoint you'll have the option to choose English, so don't worry that you won't understand the instructions! The notes come in 2, 5, 10, 20, 50 and 100 denominations, but it's hard to change large notes and you're unlikely to spend large wads unless you want to buy art, so break big notes when you can. Shopkeepers round up, but not down. So if your Coke and Snickers comes to 98 stotinki, don't expect any change from your 1 lev. Current exchange rate is about 2.7 leva to the pound.

******Taxis*******
If you need to get a taxi around Turnovo, the general price is 1 lv (30p) from the edge of town to the centre, or 1.50-2 lv from one side of town to the other. ALWAYS check the advertised fare before you get in a taxi (displayed in the window). The price should be about 0.35-0.37 lv per km. There are rogues who display 3.50/km and hope you won't notice. I'm ashamed to say I have been caught out with this, despite knowing about it. There are taxis everywhere. No need to book in most places, but your hotel will happily do so if you want to be on the safe side.

*****Weather*****
This has been a sore point for Turnovians in 2005. Usually the summer is glorious, baking hot, but not too humid thanks to the winds of the hills and the river. But this year has seen the worst rains in the last 50 years. (Bulgaria, of course, is not alone in experiencing recent freak weather). The Yantra River rose alarmingly during July and August, flooding many waterside houses and damaging a major bridge. Normally, though, the summer highs are in the upper 30s, and winter plummets to about -5 as an average, with many days much colder. The town is magical when covered in snow. Spring and autumn are pleasant, with T-shirt weather during the day and cool evenings. Insect repellent is useful in the summer.

******Hotels******
There is no shortage of hotels in Turnovo, except at extra-peak times like New Year's Eve. I've stayed at 4 hotels here; Etar (or Etur), Comfort, Millenium (sic) and Central. Etar is cheap and nasty and I wouldn't recommend it. The other 3 are great. Comfort is in the old town, Central is 2 doors down from my house and Millenium is in the new town (10 minutes walk to the old town). Prices depend, obviously, on time of year (and whether you have Bulgarian ID), but the average is 40-60 Euros for a double room (£25-40); not that cheap compared to other things here. You may be perturbed by the "wet" bathroom which is typical here- usually there is a showerhead which just sprays into the bathroom without a bath or shower cubicle. Plumbing is not a forte, and toilets often leak onto the floor. Don't bother complaining if they do, it's normal! At least the floor gets frequent cleaning thanks to the shower!

******Dangers******
Veliko Turnovo is not a dangerous place. You are always at risk wherever you are in the world if you look like a tourist, so try not to. There are some very very poor people here who might resent displayed wealth, but I wouldn't say it's a problem. The biggest danger you'll have, (and this goes for all Bulgaria), is getting ripped off because you're British. Dual pricing for foreigners is standard and legal in museums and hotels, (although not for much longer if BG enters the EU), but you might get charged more for items in shops just because you're not Bulgarian. My advice would be just to accept this. You will still be paying considerably less than you would at home, and you will be improving the economy of the country in a small way. If you argue you'll just create bad feeling and you'll never reduce the price. The only way you can do that is by saying something in Bulgarian (now there's an incentive!). Many of my UK friends here disagree with me on this, but that's my view. Women are safe and will not be hassled. Gays and lesbians are not catered for as a separate group; being out here is probably like it was in the UK in the 70s. Elderly people are respected, children adored. You will always be pushed to the front of the queue if you have small kids. Disabled people are left to fend for themselves I'm afraid.

******Sending Postcards******
The post office is just up the road from the bus station and a stamp (marka) for England (Anglia) costs 1 lv (30p). You can't buy stamps from anywhere except the post-office (again, reminiscent of pre-1970s Britain!).

*****Mobile Phones******
They work fine. Check your tariff though, as Bulgaria is not yet in the EU, higher charges apply.

******Newspapers in English******
Sorry, but there aren't any. Lots of Internet cafes though, so you can stay in touch. Surfing the net costs about 1lv (30p) per hour.

*****Other Info******

· At the moment of writing, a return flight from Heathrow to Sofia costs £210 (British Airways, www.ba.co.uk). Similar price to Varna (BG Air, http://www.air.bg/ from Gatwick, or Condor www1.condor.com (site was down when I checked, but I read tickets are 29 Euros)). Also check out wizz-air.com they have tickets for about £30, but via Hungary and at terrible times of day.
· Bank holidays here are 1st Jan, 3rd Mar, Easter (Orthodox-different to ours), 6th May, 24th May, 6th Sep, 22nd Sep, 1st Nov, 25th & 26th Dec.
· The Bulgarian "National Book" about their history is called "Under the Yoke", by Ivan Vazov, 1888. It's been translated (badly) into English.
· The best map of Turnovo is published by Domino and available at most newspaper stands. It's a big fold out one, tested by GPS and costs about 3lv (£1). It includes a street index and lists of useful places like hospitals and banks.

Finally, if you do stop by, come and say hello! My house/business is on the map below!

******Further Reading*******
Some useful websites:
www.mybulgaria.info -forums property for sale, visa info

http://www.volgawriter.com/VW%20Cyrillic.htm - history of Cyrillic

http://www.velikoturnovo.info/id-138/hotels_in_vt.html -hotels

http://www.velikoturnovo.info/ -Veliko Turnovo website

 

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