I believe the last time I left you, I was heading away from Cappadokia and into the wide world of Bulgaria. Having finished my Turkish Bath in Nevsehir, I headed north the next day after my tour on the night bus to Istanbul. Staying an hour and 15 minutes the next morning wandering around the Otogar (Turkish for Bus station) I caught a connection to Sofia and bought a reservation for my stop in Plovdiv. I was excited and ready to reach Bulgaria and find a spot to rest for a bit. Plovdiv, housing a friend of mine from University, seemed just the place.
I pulled in around 4:30 and followed a local man who was working in Istanbul but grew up in Plovdiv. He’d helped me with advice on where to stay and what to expect of Plovdiv on the bus ride. We set off from the bus station and made our way to the central square – a giant communist remnant with a huge parade ground style square and a giant war memorial statue. A newer addition in the Square was a new millennium type fountain.
We walked to the tourist information center and got information RE: hostels in Plovdiv and where to go and what to see. I picked the Hiker hostel there, a quaint building with a spacious common room and GREAT internet access located in the heart of Plovdiv’s old town. Perfect location, great staff, and friendly hostelers mitigated the fact that the toilet was literally the shower (one drain in the room with shower head and toilet feeding off the same water line). It was clean and besides the free chair while taking a shower was nice…. hahaha.
I set out from the hostel and wandered the streets of Plovdiv, seeking nightlife and a lively spot to sip coffee and enjoy. I rested and recouped the first night, coming in early and enjoying my sleep. Day two I spent 6 hours getting my fotos, and over 60 video’s uploaded, taking advantage of a good connection (one of the very few I’ve found) I got my videos of Plitvice, Split, Dubrovnik, Albania and Turkey up.
That second afternoon I went out and met my University friend. She showed me around the city, got me a Bulgarian kabap, and led me to the open fruit market where I picked up some fresh honey. We walked back and grabbed ice cream and coffee before calling it a night. I spent the evening enjoying the night life, crashed and then headed to the bus station for my bus to the Black Sea coast!
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