Tristan's Expeditions

Bulgaria’s second largest city, Plovdiv, is set to be 2019’s European Capital of Culture. The EU’s ‘Capital of Culture’ program picks a city each year to host traditional and pan-European events, and in turn, helps to revitalize the city and increase tourism.

Plodiv’s major attraction is its sprawling old town, which consists mainly of traditional wooden manors from the late 1800’s, painted with deep or neutral tones with floral embellishments. Greco-Roman ruins, the city’s foundation, are scattered throughout the city, from the hilltop Nebet Tepe, to the Roman theater and Hippodrome. In the heart of the ‘Creative district’, a single Ottoman mosque stands proudly, functioning not only as a prayer space but also as a cafe-restaurant.

The old city is being restored, and the freshly-painted buildings look great! We wandered further from the main streets and found some older, weathered homes. Even though it’s great that the EU is working to preserve these buildings, there’s a certain charm that is lost when they’re touched up. Luckily, Evan and I arrived ahead of the crowd, and before the end of the restoration process.

We walked around the old city’s cobblestone streets for a few hours, popping in and out of antique shops and ice cream parlors. The streets are full of art galleries, both contemporary and classical, but as Evan put it “We aren’t here to see art”– We were here for the antiques.

At one antique shop, we discovered $2 1970’s Bulgarian records, a pin of Lenin as a baby, and a badge minted with the face of George Dimitrov, Bulgaria’s first Communist ‘President’. Jackpot.

Plovdiv is definitely the place for authentic souvenir shopping and seemed much less expensive than Sofia (not that Sofia is particularly expensive). I wanted to buy almost everything I saw: traditional clothing, instruments, gas masks, and all kinds of antique furniture and handmade goods.

We stopped in for lunch at a panoramic restaurant and had a feast of a meal for only a couple of dollars. I enjoyed a big potato pie and a liter of beer while sitting in the sun, taking in the view.

Wandering into the ‘Creative district’, we squatted down on some wooden seats and watch the people go by for a while. The creative district’s main street is lined with shops and cafes, and at one end, there’s a cozy bar area. The buildings here are a mix of early 1900’s styles in pastel colors, built on top of a Roman Hippodrome, which is still visible. The Ottoman mosque was particularly interesting because the style of the painting inside seemed very European-influenced, as compared to the one in Sofia and others I’ve seen.

Before we left to go back to Sofia, we stopped in at a photo studio. We donned traditional Bulgarian garb– loose-fitting pants, red sashes, embroidered tunics and faux-shearling hats, and got some great pictures taken for just $5. Why not.

Plovdiv is a great little city; much smaller and more traditional than Sofia, but still large enough to feel like a city, with plenty of shops and restaurants. One day was more than enough to see all of the sites at a slow, comfortable place. I wish we could’ve stayed even longer, we even looked into changing our flights to stay in Bulgaria longer!