Leipzig Plovdiv

... antique stores everywhere with a big emphasis on all things Russian. The Arts and Crafts were quality, quality, quality which was a relief after seeing so many 'bad' souveneirs. I will say that Bronwyn did get to add to her snowglobe collection but I will let you judge the quality of that yourself.<br><br>Plovdiv is a hilly place so tremendous views were all around. In the evening we happened across a concert in the Roman Ampitheatre which was a real treat ...

... but as the time progressed the train gradually filled up and the mist gradually burnt away by the sun, and I enjoyed continuous mountain sceneries interrupted by views of towns and fields. <br><br>Provdiv was sweltering under the sun when I arrived around noon so I took a bus to the Bachdovo Monastery 15 km out of the city in the mountain. A lot of monasteries in Bulgaria were the places ...

... too much trouble then headed into Plovdiv with our trusty tourist map. It has nice wide boulevardes with some modern stores, lovely parks, outdoor cafes and also an Old Town area. The Old Town was fairly spread out and walking was quite difficult on the large stones of the cobbled lanes. There were some interesting buildings and also some Roman ruins, the usual ...

... they provided before heading down to the station to book our train tickets. For some reason the international train ticket office isn't in Plovdiv station but quite a way away down the road. I attempted some bad Bulgarian without much luck before we found someone with some English to show us where it was. This was when we fell victim for our first scam of the trip. Not being able to pay in Euro or credit card we had to get some Bulgarian Lev to pay for the train. Finding a exchange, the ...

... had no green card insurance. As our paper work from the rental company was not green we had to pay 100 euros to cross into Serbia. Ouch! As we were unable to go any other route we were stuck with paying it. Grumpily we drove through and found the roads poorer than anywhere so far. Not wanting to spend time here we drove through the day on towards Bulgaria where we passed the border without problems. However the roads were dreadful, full of potholes, uneven and slow ...

... to ski again while Doug took Katie for some more snowboarding lessons, seeing as how the skiing had proved so traumatic for her. As it turned out though, the lessons probably proved to be more traumatic for Doug, who (like myself) also lacks the patience of a saint. In due course, Sharone and Katie headed back to the UK after having what we sincerely hope was a good time in Bulgaria. Some of the other visitors to the hotel were Nas' brother in law, Khalil and a few of Nas ...

... of the Upper Thracian Plain on the two banks of the Maritsa River. It is 10 km from the Rhodope mountains and 50 km from the Balkan mountains. The city is constructed on seven syenite hills, some of which are 250 m high. Because of these seven hills, Plovdiv is often referred to in Bulgaria as Ãðàäúò íà ñåäåìòå òåïåòà (the city of the seven hills). We spent about an hour driving around Plovdiv until we finally came across a hotel that suited our budget.

... me so I said 'kolko struva?' which is Bulgarian for 'how much?' 'Aahh Bulgarksi!' they cried, seeming rather chuffed that I was trying a bit of Bulgarian. She asked me if I was on my own and then when I said yes, said to be careful! As the train was pulling out I was leaning out of the window and one of a group of train workers gave me a wave. I grinned and waved back and suddenly I had a whole gang of swarthy, shirtless Bulgarian train engineers grinning and waving at ...

... conquered by them. Hence, Bulgarian architecture has significantly more Ottoman touches than Romanian. Rising from the center of the square, on a long Ionian (perhaps) column is a statue of Phillip II of Macedonia. He presides over a market of paintings: religious icons, old town scenes, or modern colorful splotches. I stroll among the paintings, wishing I had a house to decorate, and then head off down the shop-filled street. I don't need anything, but after ...