World Tour For Children... you are not forgotten: 07/22/12

Day 52, 21 July 2012 Kirklareli to Veliko Tarnovo Bulgaria

We crossed over to Bulgaria via the Derecoy/ Malko Tarnovo border checkpoint and it was surprising quicker than we expected, especially after the recent suicide bombing in Bulgaria. Border crossing was simple and the only requirements by the Bulgarian authorities were a valid European vehicle insurance and Carnet.

Bulgarian border checkpoint

During our drive to Burgas, we met a group of Bulgarians who offered their kind hospitality to us and through their recommendations, we diverted our destination to Nesebar instead of Burgas. We also found out that they recently came back from a short visit to Penang and they were very surprised to see two Malaysian registered vehicles on Bulgarian road.

Sharing Penang Global Tourism notebook

Stork on top of power post

Nesebar is an ancient town and one of the major seaside resorts on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast, located in Burgas Province. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous Nesebar Municipality.

Church of Christ Pantocrator (13th century)

Often referred to as the "Pearl of the Black Sea" and "Bulgaria's Dubrovnik", Nesebar is a rich city-museum defined by more than three millennia of ever-changing history. It is a one of the most prominent tourist destinations and seaports on the Black Sea, in what has become a popular area with several large resorts.

Hagia Sophia Church, 5th century

Lovely smile

Wooden houses on Nesebar's peninsula

After our lunch in Nesebar, we moved on to Veliko Tarnovo where we spent our night in the old city.

Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Tarnovo is a city in north central Bulgaria and the administrative centre of Veliko Tarnovo Province.

Tsarevets with light's show

Day 51, 20 July 2012 Istanbul to Kirklaleri

We spent half a day in Istanbul (obviously it was not enough) before we heads out to Kirklaleri, a small border town to Bulgaria.

Since our hotel was right in the old city of Istanbul, within minutes of walking distance to the Ayasofya, Topkapi Palace Museum, Blue Mosque and others, we quickly decided that we will only spend our precious time visiting the Topkapi Museum and not all the tourist spot in town.

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque (Turkish: Sultanahmet Camii) is an historical mosque in Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey and the capital of the Ottoman Empire (from 1453 to 1923). The mosque is popularly known as the Blue Mosque for the blue tiles adorning the walls of its interior.

It was built from 1609 to 1616, during the rule of Ahmed I. Like many other mosques, it also comprises a tomb of the founder, a madrasah and a hospice. While still used as a mosque, the Sultan Ahmed Mosque has also become a popular tourist attraction.

Sultan Ahmed Mosque

Hagia Sophia is a former Orthodox patriarchal basilica, later a mosque, and now a museum. From the date of its dedication in 360 until 1453, it served as the Greek Patriarchal cathedral of Constantinople, except between 1204 and 1261, when it was converted to a Roman Catholic cathedral under the Latin Empire. The building was a mosque from 29 May 1453 until 1931, when it was secularized. It was opened as a museum on 1 February 1935.