Plovdiv - Veliko Tarnovo

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We have a whirlwind seven weeks to hightail back to Paris. We are going via a few more Eastern European nations with plans for all the IA countries, the Slovakias, Romanias, Bulgarias and Hungarias.
First up, Bulgaria, proudly boasting "the oldest survived state in Europe which has kept its original name".
You suspect a country's tourism is in its infanacy when the customs official at the border asks with a look of resignation if we are just transitting in Bulgaria. It's as if that's all he thinks foreigners do here. A nation that must be crossed enroute to somewhere else. To his great delight, we asked the customs guy to put down his well worn transit stamp and dust the cobwebs off his tourist visa stamp. We are staying, for a short while at least.
So what about Bulgaria. A few initial observations:
* Gypsies actually living on the land and not begging on the streets of the cities.
* A language that reads like our alphabet only turned upside down and / or back to front.
* menus that include "mouthfulls of chicken pope's noses with steel bread and a side order of marinaded jerky."
* House red wine that is WAY too good to be simply house wine but at a tick over one euro for a half litre and a kick like Johnny Wilkinson.
* Waiters who, as a group, will cower in a corner to escape the foreign customers beacuse they feel their english isn't accomplished enough.
* Sitting at a cafe making our first purchase in order to suss out the relative living costs of a nation. 1 x half litre draft beer + 1 coke = 2 aussie dollars. The more we drink the more we save.
We only had two ports of call in Bulgaria, Plovdiv and Veliko Tarnovo.
Plovdiv has a mesmerising old town, with twisting lanes whose cobbles make other towns cobbled laneways look like autobahns. The town also boasts a 2000 year old Roman amphitheatre (those marauding Romans again) which is still used regularly as a live music venue. Plovdiv's festival of opera played for a month finishing the 12th July. We, of course, rolled into town the 13th. Jethro Tull, well, Ian Anderson and his orchestra, are playing there the 1st September. We has to settle for a fun Bulgarian acoustic R&B band at the Stable, a quirky outdoor cafe/ bar, whilst sucking 1.3 euro giant Heinekins til midnight.
Veliko Tarnovo is a town with obvious heavy Ottoman influence. Those rascals ran the place for 500 years. The Russians and Germans had their turn more recently.
The town itself is of course majestic in a rugged type of way and very easy to find on the main north highway. Our hostel, not so easy to locate. "Just behind the big Kiev Hotel" they said. That's fine if you can read Bulgarian.
Keiv is written: K, upside down N, backwards E, B.
Hotel is written : X, OTE, upside down V.
Another police escort under flashing beacons and we were home and hosed.
God I love travelling.
YEATESY.


We left Greece and headed for Bulgaria with a fairly incident free / easy navigation to the border. We even had time to stop short of the border and use the remains of our phone card for a quick home catch up. We have managed fine without tomtom, so Bulgaria should be a breeze! Oops, I spoke too soon. Yes, they don't have many highways or auxiliary roads, even less signs in English and next to no one who speaks or reads English. So navigating to Plovdiv which reads like Hieroglyphics is a challenge.
Plovdiv - I just like to use the word and have decided it's a good way to describe Gary's bottom explosions. A "plovdiv" sounds more refined than a "fart". The old town of Plovdiv is known as Philippopolis to the Romans in the 3rd century AD, and I thought he was a tennis player! It had many appealing crumbled/restored walls, theatres and houses, with cobbled streets that will flatten even the strongest stiletto heal. We also managed to find a quaint Chinese restaurant complete with delicious wine with proper wine glasses (the barbarian tin cups packed up for the night). I can't help but notice here and in Veliko Tarnovo the number of English real estate signs. Apparently this is where the English are buying up and settling, they say it's the next Big Thing in Europe!! Some obviously think so, but I'm not so sure.
Veliko Tarnovo was also a navigator's nightmare, but with a police escort into town, the journey was at least an impressive entry. The town is nestled on a ridge overlooking a river and the castle to the north. I was quite impressed with the local kids who we watched catching fish with their bare hands, scoring a nice little booty for their dinner.
Well, the Bulgarian wines are darn nice, the food is no gourmet feast but cheap as is their internet and entry into their museums, castles etc. A nice intro back into eastern europe, but not somewehere that will remain etched on by brain as a 'MUST " return.
Penny

More images at:

www.colvinyeates.zenfolio.com

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Photos

Plovdiv
The Roman Amphitheatre

Plovdiv
Town Square - photo compliments Gary

Plovdiv
The old town

Forget
Will have to look it up again, but on the way to Veliki Tarnovo. Russian Church

Veliki Tarnovo
The main street - water spray during a hot day

Veliki Tarnovo
Where do we go, is it left, right!!

Veliki Tarnovo
The Russians liked building BIG statues