Passage to Eastern Europe: Veliko Tarnovo, Bulgaria (8/19/2021)

Thursday, August 19, 2021 (continued)

From Arbanasi, the motorcoach took us 4 km/2.4 miles to Veliko Tarnovo, the legendary City of the Tsars, one of the oldest towns in Bulgaria.

View of Велико Търново/Veliko Tarnovo

Вливане-сливанеMerger-Confluence (2021,
by Hristo Gelov) are wind-turbine tulips

Panoramic view of Крепостта Царевец/Tsarevets Fortress (12C, burned in 1393
by the Ottomans) with Катедралата Възнесение Господне/Ascension Cathedral
(11-12C, destroyed 1393, rebuilt 1981) on the hilltop

Паметник Свети патриарх Евтимий/St Euthymius
Monument (c 1963) to the Patriarch of Bulgaria at the
time of the fall of Veliko Tarnovo to the Ottomans; the
statue stands at Sts Cyril and Methodius University (1963)
located at the site of a school founded by Euthymius

Monument (1980) to Nikola Pikolo, a
Bulgarian physician and writer who
advocated for the autonomy of Bulgaria
during the Crimean War

We were given about 45 minutes free time to shop on Georgi S Rakovski Street/"Artisans Street." Our focus was to purchase post cards and stamps.

Carved wooden statues highlighted the types
of artisans on the street; Kent seems to
exchange money with a wine seller

Georgi S Rakovski Street/"Artisans Street"

Weaving shop

Wood carving shop

Lacquered painted wooden boxes

More wooden products

Icon seller

Icon paintings

Icon of St George, the patron saint
of soldiers in Bulgaria

Kent with the local Yeti?
This appears to be a кукери/kukeri, a pagan
divinity who is part of a ritual of dancing
while wearing large bells at the waist, to
scare away evil spirits on New Years and Lent

The woman is selling ceramics, not painted garbage bins

Ceramics

Ceramics

Ceramic plate

Silversmithing

Lapel pins

Coppersmithing

Happy Potter?

White bluffs seen when heading back to Viking Ullur

Many homes have gardens, some with grape arbors

There are many sunflower fields, now at the droopy stage

The port at Russe

Back at the Vikimg Ullur, we listen to the onboard musician,
Gigi, while we wait for the daily "Port Talk" to learn
about the excursions for the next day

Bad news at the Port Talk - someone had tested positive for COVID-19. Cast off would be delayed until "the authorities" arrived to take the positive case and partner off the ship.

The cookies for today are oatmeal raisin and these
ореховки/orehovki/walnut meringue cookies

Dinner: Bulgarian spiced trout filet with black olive
mashed potatoes (dessert was Bulgarian baklava)

Next: Belogradchik, Bulgaria.