Plovdiv and Sofia, Bulgaria

Day 26 - Long Travel Day to Plovdiv

This will be a very short entry. After our last hotel breakfast and a very average coffee experience (most the good ones were still closed at 9am), we took three different metros to the main Istanbul bus station. It was actually pretty easy. We arrived early so we had a bus station lunch of average doner. We had about a 6.5 hour bus ride ahead of us. Or so we thought.

Everything went smoothly until we got to the border of Turkey and Bulgaria. Traffic backed up and we finally cleared exit customs in Turkey. That's where the fun began. We got back on the bus where we waited about THREE HOURS at the border. We waited as every incoming bus was emptied and we all cleared customs into Bulgaria (now part of the Schengen zone). Even our empty bus was searched underneath and inside. It was hot and our patience was running thin. Most people seemed to just go with the flow although there was some incessant honking in the never ending lines. Even passenger cars were backed up for hours. This made our bus trip nearly 10 hours. Ugh! Luckily, it was a comfortable bus and we had plenty of reading and videos downloaded. I worked on this blog for a long time with the bus's amazingly good wifi. I was also able to watch the Olympic Women's Soccer Gold Medal game live on the bus. Yay USA!

We finally made it to Plovdiv where we first got currency so we could hire a taxi to take us to our Airbnb. It was at least 9:30pm and dark by this point. Luckily, our airbnb was a self check-in situation and relatively easy to find even in the dark. Once we got inside, it was so cute! It was decorated so nicely and very comfortable.

We didn't stay long before heading out to a very late dinner. We found a nearby burger place that was still very busy. People eat so late! We had a mojito to start things off since cocktails are pretty cheap in Bulgaria. It's amazing how different things feel just going just 260 miles. I still can't believe 260 miles took about ten hours.

Day 27 - Exploring Ancient Plovdiv in Some Intense Heat

We awoke and could finally see the great view from our apartment as well as enjoy the cool hanging chair.

It didn't take long to get moving to find breakfast. We loved trying the local banitsa at a cute restaurant. It is basically fried dough smothered with various toppings. We tried the sweet ones too that reminded me of beignets.

I was in awe to catch my first glimpses of the ancient remains of Plovdiv appearing beneath the modern city above. Plovdiv is the oldest city in Europe and they are still uncovering things. I'm going to guess that much of the modern town is still on top of some impressive ruins.

Plovdiv is known for its seven hills. We tackled at least three of them today. The first one had a clock tower on top and had great views over the city.

We continued walking on the cute pedestrian street and found the old Roman Forum and another amphitheater. There are at least three of these in this town! I think of these amphitheaters as ancient television. It probably explains why there are so many of them all over Europe. People needed to be entertained back in the day. The best thing about these ruins was the easy and free access and lack of tourists. We nearly had them all to ourselves!

We climbed another larger hill with a huge Russian soldier statue on top. More good views and we worked up quite a sweat!

Plovdiv is such a pretty town. We really enjoyed the relaxed feel and beautiful architecture. It has a completely different feel than busy Istanbul.

DD#1 headed back to the apartment to do some work while I continued exploring. I popped in H&M for a little shopping and couldn't believe that there were ancient ruins under the shopping area! It was another part of the old amphitheater. Crazy!

I walked up another hill to the old town where I went in a few churches. The one with all the golden mosaic tiles was my favorite.

I came across one of the best-preserved Roman amphitheaters that was being set up for an evening concert. What an amazing setting! This one was built in the first century AD and could seat around 7,000. I wonder if those builders had any idea that it would still be used thousands of years later?

The ancient cobblestones in this area were real ankle breakers. Sometimes I had to stop and just look around because I had to watch my feet so carefully when walking.

The newer buildings in this old area were the old Ottoman style from the 18th century. I love the colors!

I went in a couple of museums mostly to see the beautiful interiors although many of the artifacts were really interesting.

These belt buckles must be heavy!

The felted hand-woven rugs were impressive.

Cool how the piano has built on candle holders. I wonder if they ever set the music on fire?

My feet were exhausted so I found an old beer hall for a break. DD#1 joined me for a snack. I ordered stuffed green peppers thinking I'd get the kind that are baked and filled with a rice mixture. Not the case. These were cold and refreshing and filled with a cheesy mixture. Still good but not at all what I expected! The Bulgarian language uses the Cyrillic alphabet, which I can't decipher at all. Some things are translated into the Latin alphabet but not everything. Google translate has been very helpful here in Bulgaria!

We explored another well-preserved home from the 1800s before heading back to the more artsy part of town.

The murals were so colorful!

Naturally we found happy hour before grabbing a casual late pizza dinner. They even provided us ice with our meal!

We walked up to the old town one more time to see the amphitheater in action. Even without tickets, we could still see the rock concert from outside the gates. The crowd seemed to know all his songs so he must be very popular in Bulgaria.

What a great first full day in Bulgaria!

Day 28 - Morning Exploring, Another Mall, a German Brewery, and a Fancy Late Dinner

After a good night's sleep, we stopped for fancy coffee along the pedestrian street and explored some different parts of Plovdiv.

We crossed an interesting bridge that was covered and filled with shops. After a walk over the river, we found an indoor produce market. I wish we could have purchased more than a couple of peaches! Everything looked so good.

The weather was still incredibly hot so we opted to take a taxi out to Plovdiv's mall. It was another typical mall but at least it was air conditioned! There was a cool climbing wall right in the middle.

My eye was really on this giant German brewery that I discovered on google maps. It was a short walk from the mall so we trekked there for lunch. We settled in for quite a while and I was happy to try the Bulgarian shopska salad and a cold summer soup called tarator. Both were really tasty along with a classic German beer. It was a nice place to chat and get out of the heat. The brewery is next door to a really nice hotel. If I'm ever in Plovdiv again, it would be fun to stay here!

After taking another taxi back, we checked out old town one last time and found a nice old wine bar for a glass before dinner. The bar was built into the ancient fortress wall.

I had made reservations at a popular place for dinner. We loved the bao buns and fancy salad.

We went for a long evening walk since it was finally cool enough. There were some magic fountains that danced to classical music in the main park. So relaxing to watch! Walking around pedestrian areas in the evening is probably my favorite way to spend the evening in Europe. People of all ages are out and about strolling and enjoying the city. It really is magical!

Day 29 - On to Sofia, Bulgaria!

I went for my longest run of the trip along the river in Plovdiv. I was impressed with the rowing facilities on the river.

After our usual coffee, we grabbed croissant sandwiches for brunch. They would hold us over until we arrived in Sofia.

Luckily, our bus experience to Sofia was super easy. The bus ride was relaxing and last about three hours.

We checked into our airbnb and it was the best yet! It was so tastefully decorated and on the top floor. The views over Sofia were great! I wish we had more than two days to spend in this apartment.

It took us a bit to get used to this wet bathroom arrangement. The shower just rains on top of the sink and toilet. Somehow, it all works and you kind of get used to it.

It was still very very hot so we cooled off in the room for a while before finding the main pedestrian street. We stopped for a beverage and some yummy bruschetta for an appetizer. Sofia definitely had a bigger city vibe than Plovdiv yet there did not seem to be many tourists. Sofia is home to about 1.2 million people yet felt very relaxed and walkable.

We continued to the end of the pedestrian street and into a large park. There was actually a piece of the Berlin wall displayed in the park.

Dinner started at a nice Italian place that seemed full of locals. I ordered an aperol spritz and it was the biggest one I'd ever seen! It was delicious and so refreshing. What a treat! I loved the fancy burrata and prosciutto salad. DD#1 ordered pasta.

The day ended with another inspiring walk in the busy center where we watched happy Bulgarians enjoying a stroll in their city.

Day 30 - Full day Exploring Sofia

I cannot believe I have been traveling Europe for a month! I feel so lucky to have this opportunity and know life will be back to routine sooner than later.

We started our day with a fancy brunch. I tried some Bulgarian egg dish that was really flavorful!

I was on a mission to see all of central Sofia's famous churches and sites. The first one wasn't even on my radar. We came upon the old Roman city of Serdika right in the middle of town. This city was discovered between 2010-2012 when the city was creating a new metro station underground. Unbelievable! They have integrated the ruins in with the metro. Some of it is still being unearthed. The remains are from the 4th-6th centuries. It is truly mind-boggling!

We were impressed with some of the enormous buildings and architecture in this area.


The churches were magnificent too!

It was another scorching day but we made it to the largest of Sofia's churches, St. Alexander Nevsky Cathedral. It's the largest cathedral in the Balkans and can hold 5,000 people. So impressive! It was beautiful inside and out.

We found a trendy cafe for a much needed lemonade break.

It was sweltering so we did our usual hot afternoon activity - find a mall! I actually bought two dresses this time so a successful trip.

Once it cooled down, we stopped at the same Italian place for the most amazing aperol spritzs I've ever had! That'll do it for this special cocktail until next summer, I think.

We found a traditional Bulgarian restaurant for dinner where we tried a tzatziki-like dip, cabbage rolls, and a yummy stuffed chicken dish. It was so hearty and filling.

We were eager to fly to Prague tomorrow so we made it an early night to enjoy time in our pretty airbnb. It would be the last night with air conditioning for the rest of the trip!