Mother Bulgaria Monument and Marno Pole Park

The monument is dedicated to Bulgarians killed in the Russo-Turkish, the Serb-Bulgarian, the Balkan and the First World Wars.  The woman on top of the tower is "Mother Bulgaria" (and bears a remarkable resemblance to statues of Queen Victoria) and is kneeling in memory and appreciation of the dead Bulgarians. On the sides of the pedestal there are statues of Bulgarian soldiers from the different wars. There used to be a perpetual flame burning inside the monument but it doesn't seem to be lit anymore. There's lots of seating around and it makes a nice place to sit, possibly whilst stuffing one of the delicious pitta kebabs you can buy from the place down the main road (Hristo Botev) here.

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Marno Pole park is situated behind the buildings bordering the monument (walk up the side street next to restaurant Bianca, which is incidentally a great place to eat in all weathers). There are often concerts in the outdoor theatre here, and in summer there are fountains and cascades in the centre. In December there's the Christmas market done out like little log cabins with strings of fairy lights overhead.

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Gurko Street

In the old part of VT, this long cobbled street winds its way up towards the cathedral end of town, passing lots of little oldy worldy homes with cracking views across the river Yantra. There's a nice restaurant about halfway up which always has tons of flowers outside in summer. The street gets jam packed whenever the laser 3-d mapping show at the Assen Monument is on.

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Sarafkina House

Located on Gurko Street, this former house of a wealthy money lender (which is where the word saraf comes from) is now an ethnographic museum. The downstairs is divided into small exhibition rooms where you can see furniture and clothing from the 1800s, and lots of other items such as jewellery, and examples of ritual bread, martenitsas and so on.  Upstairs there are lots of historical photographs from different local families.  The building itself is decorated with ornately carved wood and has lovely views across the river.

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Assen Monument and Sveta Gora Park

The monument is like a tall black needle surrounded by 4 horsemen. At certain times of the year it is used as a backdrop for an amazing 3-d mapping show where they project images and laser lights across the area, telling the history of Bulgaria, often followed by fireworks and the release of hundreds of Chinese lanterns.

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If you carry on walking past the big art gallery building here, you'll come to Sveta Gora Park, with steps leading right up the hill. It's a lovely park which I believe has begun to be renovated and as well as the beautiful surroundings and incredible views across VT there are some children's play areas and a cafe.

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Samovodska Charshia

This is another cobbled street in the old part of town lined with various crafts such as coppersmith, pottery, glass painting, wood carving and kadaif baker where you get to see these thin Turkish noodles being spun on a giant  copper wheel. There are several cafes and restaurants along here though one of my favourites is cafe Stratilat (Стратилат).  You can sit outside under the shady canopies and just people watch.  My favourite is to get a great big banana milk shake with ice and a slice of one of the fab cakes they do.  Perfect after an exhausting morning hunting for souvenirs.  The first time I came here, in February 2005, I tried to order a Margherita Pizza from the menu.  Having practically zero Bulgarian at the time I just pointed to the menu but sadly she shook her head.  I looked for another type of pizza and pointed but again she shook her head.  This happened a third time and I began to wonder just what kind of restaurant this was.  Did they have nothing from the menu at all?  Then it occurred to me.  In Bulgaria, the side to side head movement indicates yes! Poor girl must have wondered what on earth I was playing at, asking if each item on the menu was available.

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Tsaravets

Although it has been inhabited since 3000 BC it was in the 9th century that a Bulgar settlement was founded there.  Construction of the fortress began in the 12th century, and Tsarevets became the capital of the Bulgarian Kingdom.  Much of the original remains but in places it has been reconstructed to show exactly what it would have looked like originally. 

You can see the palace, noblemen's houses, the church and workshops as well as the walls surrounding the entire hill and the rock of execution where people were thrown to the river below. 

At certain times of the year (click for schedule)  it forms the backdrop for a very colourful Sound and Light show

Opening hours:
8:00 - 19:00 April - October
9:00 -17:00 November - March
Last admission 45 minutes prior to closing.

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Eating Places

It's probably quite hard to find a bad dining experience in Bulgaria, but these are some of the places in VT I've been to and enjoyed:

Shtastlivetsa There are two branches in VT, with extensive menus featuring some more unusual items (try the baked brie on a bed of lemon cream with honey, raisins and walnuts).

Bianco In the heart of VT overlooking the Mother Bulgaria Monument, Bianco has a great menu and now even offers sushi!

Tempo Another great restaurant whether it's for an evening out or just a lunchtime snack.

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Ice Creams!

You MUST buy an ice-cream from one of the kiosks along the main street.  They have a wonderful array of flavours which you purchase by weight.  Go mad and have two or three flavours and smother it in syrup. Yummy!