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Abstract

caption></figcaption></figure><figure id="5caf"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*X-aX4n4B4Sq7iTQiQ6Pxlg.jpeg"><figcaption>There were many photographs and artifact displays inside the mansion. Photo Credits: Author</figcaption></figure><p id="1c6f">We then continued on and returned to The Monument to the Asen Dynasty which we had seen on our previous visit. This time, though, the platform wasn’t under construction and we were able to get some closer photos of the horsemen. To read more about our last adventure there, <a href="https://readmedium.com/a-small-adventure-in-veliko-tarnovo-bulgaria-f8d86565fac5">click here</a>.</p><figure id="ea78"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*7Ouv4SaE-2TavVi1GH6MVA.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="8725"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*wNOHCbhpkit_2FdoylWZoA.jpeg"><figcaption>There are four of these horsemen and they are all impressive! Photo Credit: Author</figcaption></figure><p id="4c7f">We continued up the hill behind the monument and climbed 340 stairs, also something that we did the last time. However, since it was my birthday, this time we stopped at the cafe at the top and had a drink with a cookie.</p><figure id="0b17"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*HSAL4aYI39GlDjL2eQOl4Q.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="942a"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*Os9Um1QGE830Bm-2TmUa_g.jpeg"><figcaption>Birthday celebration and finding a cute little toadstool in the park. Photo Credit: Author</figcaption></figure><p id="668f">We spent the afternoon wandering through the woods then made our way back to our hostel where we made some dinner and just hung out. We had plans to go to a nearby bar, but we were all tired from our hiking around.</p><p id="b00e" type="7">Sigh, birthdays sure aren’t what they used to be!</p><p id="4064">It was a wonderful day, nonetheless, and I spent it with some pretty great guys. So no complaints here!</p><p id="1b2f">We ate so much dinner and baked a massive apple covered in cinnamon for dessert, completely forgetting about the small pieces of cake that we had purchased for the special occasion. It was okay though, I ate mine for breakfast the following day!</p><figure id="c3f3"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*XL4u5jbHb8_xg2ow8B52zA.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="1d9b"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*AWjA0qwBUq1dw7RR4VLUjw.jpeg"><figcaption>One giant apple and a lovely piece of cake. Photo Credits: Author</figcaption></figure><p id="b9cb">Before leaving Veliko Tarnovo, I asked Nico if he was happy that we had come. Of course, he said yes, but I like to think that this photo explains his joy more than he could ever explain.</p><figure id="bc50"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*DutFcO9qb5XtrpxuQOdHEQ.jpeg"><figcaption>We did a lot of exploring of the beautiful streets. Photo Credit: Author</figcaption></figure><p id="0745">Veliko Tarnovo truly has captured our hearts and we can see ourselves spending more time there in the future. Unfortunately, it is quite cold there in the winter, or else you may find us squirreling away there for the winter months.</p><figure id="bf2d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*ehYuDgvhLJHN3N1s5l8WsQ.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="3d2f"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*nk9sRtcayMdD3_5TtFzRoA.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="7f30"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*jBjkx7dX_imBnaSpLjLxkw.jpeg"><figcaption>More beautiful sights around VT. Photo Credit: Author</figcaption></figure><p id="78e5">On Saturday we returned to Varna by train. It was such a beautiful ride through the mountains of changing leaves and the sun was shining bright again. The weather here has truly been fabulous for most of our time in the country.</p><p id="afa5">But I don’t think any day compares to Sunday when we went down to the Varna waterfront, finding it so warm and sunny that people were suntanning and playing beach volleyball in their bathing suits.</p><p id="1cca" type="7">It was hard to believe that it was late October.</p><figure id="8bca"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*5paDV5uQpWFKNzqP0ltNLw.jpeg"><figcaption>Yes, Chris took his shirt off, it was that hot! Do you think these palm trees are real? Photo Credit: Author</figcaption></figure><p id="fa2b" type="7">The revelers were out in full force and people were genuinely happy to be enjoying it.</p><figure id="377d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*2iTZwj9nicn87FEG1qly7A.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="2e0d"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*lZFA3jBHc6YLM30ENOcwZA.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="1497"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*athpm50e2thhAekodyaCdw.jpeg"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><figure id="bbad"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*gmy-FLijJ8UiG8FWIGm3zw.jpeg"><figcaption>The Varna waterfront. Photo Credits: Author</figcaption></figure><p id="cb1c">Sadly,

Options

Nico left on Monday and returned to Germany. We had a great 10 days catching up with him and we were so happy to have had a good visit and no drama, unlike the last time he visited us in Morocco when covid hit!</p><figure id="0a03"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*uSsTcnUej0zTFZSKQeUSSA.jpeg"><figcaption>A chance encounter with this happy bee in the city. Photo Credit: Author</figcaption></figure><p id="b0a0">It was so nice to visit with him further and we might even find ourselves in Germany in 2023 to finally visit him on his home turf. We will see what unfolds this winter.</p><p id="7394">After dropping him off at the bus, we returned to our hostel and met with the owner. We had previously told her that we were interested in painting murals for the hostel, and she is definitely on board with that.</p><p id="aa35">So we headed out that afternoon and purchased some paint, and we have spent the last couple of days working on that. This is the area that we are transforming.</p><figure id="9341"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*pORaG36xgD6M2FfHxR4NvQ.jpeg"><figcaption>Before shot. It’s already changed a bit! Photo Credit: Author</figcaption></figure><p id="d322">As we find at most hostels we stay at, we have found a nice community of fellow travelers and have had fun exchanging our travel tales with them. We are happy to be spending the next couple of weeks here while we do our magic to transform the space.</p><p id="39fe">Stay tuned for our mural progress next week!</p><div id="e7e2"><pre>To <span class="hljs-built_in">read</span> <span class="hljs-keyword">my</span> stories <span class="hljs-keyword">from</span> this past week:</pre></div><div id="d084"><pre>Nature’s Palette Can <span class="hljs-built_in">Change</span> Our Perception Of The World</pre></div><div id="c6c2"><pre>Bringing Water <span class="hljs-selector-tag">To</span> <span class="hljs-selector-tag">A</span> Village In Uganda</pre></div><div id="445b"><pre><span class="hljs-selector-tag">I</span> Refuse <span class="hljs-selector-tag">To</span> Go Down The Rabbit Hole Of Doom and Gloom</pre></div><div id="820f"><pre>The <span class="hljs-selector-tag">A</span>-Z’s Of My Favorite Travel Destinations — <span class="hljs-selector-tag">I</span> Can’t Even Choose One ‘<span class="hljs-selector-tag">A</span>’</pre></div><p id="982a"><b>Thanks for joining me this week. We are so grateful that you have chosen to follow us and come along on our journey!</b></p><p id="133a">Much Gratitude,</p><p id="7c55">xo Jill</p><p id="825c"><b><i>I’m tagging those who have requested to be tagged in our weekly wrap-ups. If you would like to be tagged, please let me know and I will add you to the list.</i></b></p><p id="efef"><a href="undefined">Robert</a> | <a href="undefined">Louise</a> | <a href="undefined">Adrienne</a> | <a href="undefined">Kim</a> | <a href="undefined">Mia</a> | <a href="undefined">Michele</a> | <a href="undefined">Ivy</a> | <a href="undefined">Erika</a> | <a href="undefined">Anne</a></p><p id="411e"><b>To see all of my weekly wrap-ups:</b></p><div id="7de6" class="link-block"> <a href="https://artisticvoyages.medium.com/list/3e53a5fed9f0"> <div> <div> <h2>Weekly Wrap-Ups - My Weeks In Photos</h2> <div><h3>I joined the Weeds and Wildflowers publication prompt "My Week In Photos" in March 2022. This list features all of…</h3></div> <div><p>artisticvoyages.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/0*aa5646dd8eae71e5723b87a95cf65e79444ef635.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><figure id="70a7"><img src="https://cdn-images-1.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:800/1*IDlDKuxoG0gmCX-cVp-Utw.png"><figcaption></figcaption></figure><div id="6cdc" class="link-block"> <a href="https://artisticvoyages.medium.com/trying-to-find-out-who-i-am-2df933941fff"> <div> <div> <h2>Trying to Find Out Who I Am?</h2> <div><h3>You are in the right place.</h3></div> <div><p>artisticvoyages.medium.com</p></div> </div> <div> <div style="background-image: url(https://miro.readmedium.com/v2/resize:fit:320/1*TI3uoe0kHwRUaEK1YN6x_A.jpeg)"></div> </div> </div> </a> </div><p id="6cd2"><b><i>Subscribe to Medium through my <a href="https://artisticvoyages.medium.com/membership">referral link</a> (I will earn a small commission) to get full access to my writing plus thousands of others! Plus sign up <a href="https://artisticvoyages.medium.com/subscribe">here</a> to get my articles by email!</i></b></p><p id="a806"><i>Join our adventure by hitting the links below!</i></p><p id="4e2b"><a href="http://www.artisticvoyages.com/">Website</a> | <a href="http://www.instagram.com/artisticvoyages">Instagram</a> | <a href="http://www.facebook.com/artisticvoyages">Facebook</a> | <a href="http://www.twitter.com/artisticvoyages">Twitter</a> | <a href="http://www.patreon.com/artisticvoyages">Patreon</a>|<a href="http://www.youtube.com/c/artisticvoyages"> YouTube</a> | <a href="https://artisticvoyages.medium.com/">Mediu</a>m</p></article></body>

WEEKLY UPDATE

We Visited the Fortress in Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria

My Week In Photos — Week 32— October 20–26, 2022

Entrance to the Fortress. Photo Credit: Author

Last Wednesday we made our way back to Veliko Tarnovo, our favorite Bulgarian city. We wanted to show it to Nico, and were confident that he would love it as much as we do. We are thrilled to say that he really did.

On Thursday we wasted no time in heading out to the fortress as it was something that we hadn’t seen the last time we were there. It is located on a hilltop called Tsarevets , which literally translates to ‘fortress’, and housed the royal and patriarchal palaces. Today, much of it has been restored and it is a beautiful place to find some peace and solitude and offers incredible views of the city below it.

The approach to the fortress is on the ridge of a hilltop. The perfect place for a fortress. I loved looking back on the quaint city through the arched entrance. Photo Credits: Author

We made our way to the highest part of the hill which featured the patriarchal palace. There was an elevator inside and they charged a small fee ($1 USD) on top of the entrance fee ($5 USD) to ride to the top of the tower.

The patriarchal palace high above the changing leaves and ruins below. Photo Credit: Author

It was worth the ride; we had stunning views of the river valley and Veliko Tarnovo below. We were actually surprised at how big the city is as you can’t really tell when you are in the thick of it.

The view of the whole city from high in the tower. Photo Credit: Author

You could also see how great the lookout was to see who was approaching the fortress back in the days of battles.

The only entrance to the fortress. Photo Credit: Author

As you can see, the fall leaves were stunning and it was a perfect day to be exploring the area. We also took the time to climb some of the exterior walls and towers. Inside one of them, they had pieces of a soldier's outfit that we were able to try on.

The helmets were extremely heavy!

In the picture above, you can just see a block of wood in front of us. It was painted red, we think to represent blood and beheadings. There was also another area of the fortress where they would simply push traitors or other rule breakers off the edge of the castle wall and into the river below.

Oh the good ol’ days!

On Friday it was my birthday! With the fortress out of the way, we were able to explore some other parts of the city that we hadn’t seen before. One of them was one of Veliko Tarnovo’s classic mansions that is now a museum. It is said to be 5 stories high as it clings to the side of the hillside, but unfortunately, we were only allowed on 2 of the floors. It was interesting enough, though, and showed us a very affluent side of VT that we hadn’t seen yet.

There were many photographs and artifact displays inside the mansion. Photo Credits: Author

We then continued on and returned to The Monument to the Asen Dynasty which we had seen on our previous visit. This time, though, the platform wasn’t under construction and we were able to get some closer photos of the horsemen. To read more about our last adventure there, click here.

There are four of these horsemen and they are all impressive! Photo Credit: Author

We continued up the hill behind the monument and climbed 340 stairs, also something that we did the last time. However, since it was my birthday, this time we stopped at the cafe at the top and had a drink with a cookie.

Birthday celebration and finding a cute little toadstool in the park. Photo Credit: Author

We spent the afternoon wandering through the woods then made our way back to our hostel where we made some dinner and just hung out. We had plans to go to a nearby bar, but we were all tired from our hiking around.

Sigh, birthdays sure aren’t what they used to be!

It was a wonderful day, nonetheless, and I spent it with some pretty great guys. So no complaints here!

We ate so much dinner and baked a massive apple covered in cinnamon for dessert, completely forgetting about the small pieces of cake that we had purchased for the special occasion. It was okay though, I ate mine for breakfast the following day!

One giant apple and a lovely piece of cake. Photo Credits: Author

Before leaving Veliko Tarnovo, I asked Nico if he was happy that we had come. Of course, he said yes, but I like to think that this photo explains his joy more than he could ever explain.

We did a lot of exploring of the beautiful streets. Photo Credit: Author

Veliko Tarnovo truly has captured our hearts and we can see ourselves spending more time there in the future. Unfortunately, it is quite cold there in the winter, or else you may find us squirreling away there for the winter months.

More beautiful sights around VT. Photo Credit: Author

On Saturday we returned to Varna by train. It was such a beautiful ride through the mountains of changing leaves and the sun was shining bright again. The weather here has truly been fabulous for most of our time in the country.

But I don’t think any day compares to Sunday when we went down to the Varna waterfront, finding it so warm and sunny that people were suntanning and playing beach volleyball in their bathing suits.

It was hard to believe that it was late October.

Yes, Chris took his shirt off, it was that hot! Do you think these palm trees are real? Photo Credit: Author

The revelers were out in full force and people were genuinely happy to be enjoying it.

The Varna waterfront. Photo Credits: Author

Sadly, Nico left on Monday and returned to Germany. We had a great 10 days catching up with him and we were so happy to have had a good visit and no drama, unlike the last time he visited us in Morocco when covid hit!

A chance encounter with this happy bee in the city. Photo Credit: Author

It was so nice to visit with him further and we might even find ourselves in Germany in 2023 to finally visit him on his home turf. We will see what unfolds this winter.

After dropping him off at the bus, we returned to our hostel and met with the owner. We had previously told her that we were interested in painting murals for the hostel, and she is definitely on board with that.

So we headed out that afternoon and purchased some paint, and we have spent the last couple of days working on that. This is the area that we are transforming.

Before shot. It’s already changed a bit! Photo Credit: Author

As we find at most hostels we stay at, we have found a nice community of fellow travelers and have had fun exchanging our travel tales with them. We are happy to be spending the next couple of weeks here while we do our magic to transform the space.

Stay tuned for our mural progress next week!

To read my stories from this past week:

Nature’s Palette Can Change Our Perception Of The World

Bringing Water To A Village In Uganda

I Refuse To Go Down The Rabbit Hole Of Doom and Gloom

The A-Z’s Of My Favorite Travel Destinations — I Can’t Even Choose One ‘A’

Thanks for joining me this week. We are so grateful that you have chosen to follow us and come along on our journey!

Much Gratitude,

xo Jill

I’m tagging those who have requested to be tagged in our weekly wrap-ups. If you would like to be tagged, please let me know and I will add you to the list.

To see all of my weekly wrap-ups:

Weekly Wrap-Ups - My Weeks In Photos

I joined the Weeds and Wildflowers publication prompt "My Week In Photos" in March 2022. This list features all of…

artisticvoyages.medium.com

Trying to Find Out Who I Am?

You are in the right place.

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