Castles always inspire me. And this castle loomed high above town, the spire of the Patriarch's tower a tawny claw against the blue sky. The moment I got out of my Bulgarian guide's car, I was drawn forward by it, leading him towards the gate as if our roles had been reversed.

The Tsarevets Fortress stands proud on a hill above the Bulgarian town of Veliko Tarnovo. It has been called Medieval Bulgaria at its most magnificent. My guide, Krassi, and I had driven three hours to get here, and doubtless he had wondered on the way up if it would be worth it. Krassi was from Plovdiv, a town dotted with Roman ruins across the mountains to the south, and had never been here before. One look and I knew Tsarevets would be worth our time.

Between the descriptions and map in my guidebook, his translating the posted signs from Bulgarian into English, and my scanning the German text for root words I recognized, we guided ourselves to an informative, several hour tour of the fortress. We began on the walls, whose circuit is triangular in shape, following the outline of the hill. I climbed up the ramparts immediately, and drank in the sight that Bulgarian soldiers must have looked upon for centuries. The town of Veliko Tarnovo is scattered across a series of ridges, separated from each other by a winding river gorge. The terra cotta roofs of the buildings climb each slope, fanning themselves out in ranks and files, as if for inspection by the castle above. Interspersed among them like sergeants with pikes, the towers of churches and cathedrals drew the eye to their weathered stone beauty. It was a gorgeous view, and I never grew tired of lining it up in my camera's sights as I paused at each watchtower. On the pathway behind me, I think Krassi's sighs were due more to my never-ending appetite for Tsarevets' wonders.

I had been wanting to visit Bulgaria for several years. A magazine article had touted its monasteries and churches as well preserved gems of the Middle Ages. I'd finally set aside a week's vacation for it in September, but other commitments back home reduced my time in country down to a bare four days. I was out to make the most of my time, and Krassi's legs suffered for it. Later, though, when we sat resting at Tsarevets' cafe, sipping drinks and taking in the awesome view, he thanked me for my persistence in wanting to visit Veliko Tarnovo. I thanked him for sharing his time with me, and showing me a wonderful piece of his nation's heritage.

Because I love castles, and set in the hills above an artistically-sited town, Tsarevets was definitely a moving monument of Medieval Bulgaria.