Straight Outta Plovdiv

Straight Outta Plovdiv

Word.

 Well, it has been a few weeks since we went to Bulgaria, so it is about time I wrote about it.  It's not like it’s the only place I need to write about, but I like to share surprises. Some other places can wait. Travel is about surprises.  If don't get cultured upside-your-ass at least a few times on a trip, you are doing something wrong like clinging to tours.  If you have to go to the bathroom bad enough, believe me, they will understand the international sign language of dancing with a full bladder.  The question is: How much does that privilege cost here? 

Amphitheater Discovered from Mudslide

 

We were in Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria, for a few days and decided to see Plovdiv, a college town South of here.   We got two round trip tickets for the two-hour ride each-way for 20$.  Not bad.  

Gardens

Plovdiv is the second city of Bulgaria and is its culture capital.  It dates back to 6,000 BCE and is considered to be one of the oldest cities in the world.  Who knew? A lot of things happen in that time as can be seen on the wiki page: The city was originally a Thracian settlement^[4] and subsequently was invaded by Persians, Greeks, Celts, Romans, Goths, Huns, Bulgars, Slavs, Rus people, Crusaders, and Turks.  Yeah it has stories to tell.  In case you were wondering, it is the sister city to Columbia, South Carolina as well as Thessaloniki, Greece.  Are you impressed with my book report yet?  Reading between the lines you can guess that it was a crossroads to be paved over, molded, treated with disdain and benevolence during that 8,000 years.  For simplicity, Bulgaria is North of Greece and adjacent to what was Yugoslavia.  Oddly, Bulgarians consider themselves Balkan, which seems odd.   Bulgaria is also located next to Romania.  Have you ever wondered how a Romance Language made it so far East?  Plovdiv is a good mini-primer.  In the 1970's a freak mudslide revealed a Roman 3 level theatre built in the time of Trajan. It holds 7,000 people and was restored to hold concerts.  Plovdiv was a useful crossroads for the Romans as can be demonstrated by ruins throughout the city.  There are also well-preserved Ottoman baths, mosques, and a seriously stunning old town. Fortunate for the locals, the Russians were not terribly interested in the local culture and left it alone.

Tomato and Cheese Salad

The city sounded interesting from the readings, but we really didn’t know much about it.  It was either this or a monastery three hours away.  Clearly, we had made the right choice. The chanting monks can wait. The old town was about a 20-minute walk from train station.  Everything we wanted to see was tightly compacted in the old part of the city.  This does not mean that the old town was tiny.  It was just condensed.  Aside from being all hills and poorly placed cobblestone potholes, the area was quite manageable.   Each turn and corner brought new architectural delights.  Unfortunately, we were not allowed to take photos in my favorite Orthodox church, The church St. Konstantin and Elena.  I usually stealthily break this rule, but the place just seemed to holy to violate. 

After walking through the old town, we crossed a main road to a hip neighborhood full of restaurants and gift shops.  Everything in Bulgaria is pretty affordable so the fear of splurging disappears.  Two all-out great dinners can be under 30$--with tip.  Everyone speaks enough English to make you feel at home or give you options.  The place that caught our eye had a waiting list.  We walked away and had coffee and decided to go back and make a reservation.  If we were willing to use 2, 55-gallon drums as tables almost in the street, we could eat now! Of course we want the street side view of the inner 'div.  A couple across from us were being mauled by their bulldogs that couldn't be picked up, hugged, and kissed enough.  I love pets at restaurants.  Nobody died as they entertained their children on the patio across the street.  I got the Tarator, a cold soup of cucumbers, garlic, yogurt and dill.  Stu got the Shopska salad.  It is a common salad of chopped cucumbers, onions, peppers, and tomatoes with white cheese. We also opted for a cheese and sausage plate. By the time the meal arrived, I was already full but it was MEATBALL TIME! The main attraction were meatballs called Kyufte made of minced pork and spices.  Yes, meatballs are a thing in Bulgaria.  (A similar version was served to us in Croatia and Bosnia.). If meatballs are the start attraction,  lyutenitza steals the show. It is purée of tomatoes, red peppers, and carrots.  They make it for the Winter but it seldom lasts into the Fall.  Imagine a kind of ketchup that you want to eat by the cup.  Perhaps there is a more appealing way to describe it? It reminds us of ajvar.  I know you are thinking, What the hell is that?  Just stop by our house.  I am certain we will be making some in a few weeks.  If you fail to stop by, even better, I will be the one licking the bowl with tomato sauce in my beard.

Mmmmm....

Plovdiv is really just another European theme park waiting to be over-discovered.  Bulgaria is one of the cheapest countries in Europe and this place is an affordable hidden treasure.  You would expect to see some rough edges, but there really aren't any.  This place is ready for the world stage.  Due to its size, however, it might quickly become a victim of its own success. I would suggest getting there before it becomes to inundated with tourism, like the rest of Europe. 

Old Town