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After an incredibly long overnight train ride from Istanbul, we arrived in Veliko Tirnovo. It's quite a charming city, and incredibly peaceful after the hustle and bustle of Istanbul. The city is commonly used as a stopover point for travelers going from Istanbul to Bucharest, Romaina on the train, which was our primary reason for stopping.
There were lots of things I didn't know about this city, but learned quickly. It used to be an ancient capitol during the second Bulgarian Empire. Near the center of town is what I would call a fortress, but it's actually a Tsarevet. There used to be homes, administration buildings, churches and the like inside, but has since crumbled (thanks, Ottomans!). However, they did a good job restoring it, so it made for a nice afternoon walk. There are more excavations happening on a different hill, but only archeologists have access to that.
The food here also hasn't let us down. We asked at our hostel what the best type of food to eat is, and it's called Gyuvech (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gyuvech). Kenny and I each sampled two different kinds, and it was so hot that my the roof of my mouth is still burned. Tasted like chili, something that we haven't had in way too long!
Despite the fact that we've had a good 24 hours in Bulgaria, Nicole, with whom we're sharing a dorm with, has offered us a free ride back to Bucharest, Romania, her hometown. She used the company car to come to Bulgaria for a weekend getaway, and even though we offered to pay her gas money, she won't accept because she even gets free gas. The trip will only be about 2-3 hours by car, compared to 5 by train, and will save us each about $30 and the headache that almost always comes with public transport.
We're planning to spend quite a bit of time in Romaina, so more from there!
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