Day 11 Tuesday 14 May - Dobrogled to Veliko Tarnovo

Tuesday 14 May,   Day 11

We moseyed around until hostess brought us home cooked breakfast,

then we packed up and headed off.  We had asked for a scenic route to take us back to Varna in 4 hours, and so found ourselves, with not much trouble, at Madara, which is a UNESCO site. 

 

They have found evidence of civilisation here going back to the middle paleolithic, 200,000 BC, and more recent shrines.  

 It is also the site of a carving of a horseman, the symbol of Bulgaria, which was carved about C7. This is on the Bulgarian coins.

 We went for a walk along well-made paths and up many steps and saw these wondrous sights.

Then we drove through little villages, many like Yendon, with hardly anyone left, and buildings in decay.  
We also stopped briefly at the Stone Forest, which is Europe's only desert, and has strange formations that look like tree stumps.

We got back to Varna in plenty of time to return the car, then get a taxi to take us to the bus station for the ride to Veliko Tarnovo.  We sat in the front seat.

Despite there being a staircase directly from the bus station to Sava’s apartment, we did as he suggested and got a cab (there are 130 steps).  He was waiting for us at the supermarket next door.  His apartment is on the 8^th floor of a newish building, and we had a great view from the huge deck.  After finding out all we needed to know, we went back down to the supermarket and bought dinner makings.  Early showers meant we could do a load of washing.

 

 Tsarevets Fortress