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We have some friends in Bulgaria (Ina and Marty) so we went there a couple of times and we spent a wonderful time. Though Bulgaria is a beautiful country to visit,

Bulgaria 2000

Trucoto
2004-02-28 16:14:11

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remains of that Golden age (Златен век), a time when the country was much bigger than it is now, back in the 9th century AD. I think the best place to visit and attest that is an old capital called Veliko Turnovo (Велико Търново), where a big castle is still preserved. The castle is huge, and the place where it was built is amazing, with an awesome view. There is the big entrance with a lion, and an ascending road to a church. The castle was rebuilt and a great deal of how it looked like can be seen these days. The church itself has a strange detail: all the frescoes and art inside are modern things, something I have not seen in no church whatsoever. It was impressive. The style had something to do with Francis Bacon, so imagine how weird is to find that in a church. The city also is pretty nice to visit. Another old capital is Veliki Preslav (Велики Преслав). It is not that well preserved as Turnovo: some columns and walls are all that is left from destruction and time, but still is impressive (there is a beautiful selection of pictures from the ruins here). Near there, an awesome archeological museum surprised us, in the middle of nothing. To reach Preslav itself was not easy, and I imagine almost impossible for a foreigner. But just because of that, nobody is visiting the ruins, and they are all for yourself. You can walk here and there, and the silence transports you to that time when Preslav was full of people, medieval times. That is one of the most beautiful things about Bulgaria: I felt more than once as if it was just me and the past: you are alone with ancient places and buildings, you have the chance to actually let yourself go with your thoughts. A similar sensation I had in Hissar (Хисаря), where once there was a large Roman city.

Romans and Thracians

Today huge Roman walls from the times of Emperor August are extended for about 5 km, with over 20 mineral springs, a really lovely ...