Plovdiv
Getting to Plovdiv really sucked for the first 3 hours. There was a train so overcrowded that we had to stand in front of the toilets – just so that we fit on the trains. Now my Bulgarian isn’t very good but when the locals start saying “Ruski!!” I got the hint that they thought this was insanely overcrowded too!
The next train is really comfortable and feels like it was made last century (as opposed to the previous train which felt like it wished it was from last century!). We get in to Plovdiv and find Hikers Hostel easily. The room we have is super cute and extremely small! You know it’s small if I’m banging my head on the slanted ceiling! Poor Mike didn’t have a good time of it there!
All in all Plovdiv is a lovely city.. well the old part is. The cobblestoned streets lead us around, up to a ruined Thracian fortress and around to an old amphitheater. The weirdest thing I saw was the warning sticker on a cafe door: it indicated no dogs allowed and no guns either! I wanted to get a photo but couldn’t work out how to get the photo without being captain obvious.
Before we leave, we head off to Bachkovo Monastery. On the way we stop at the Assens Fortress – which is in serious need of some railings! The view is stunning from the top of the fortress. We are surprised when the manager from our hostel won’t even let us pay for taking us out on the day trip. Bulgaria just keeps showing us lovely people and amazing sites.
Susie and Mike in Plovdiv
