Maritza Plovdiv

... given it was put on by the local community and was free. There was plenty of singing, dancing and of course a fencing demonstration when you least expected it. The sun had set and were sitting att he top of the ampitheatre taking in Plovdiv at night - an incredible sight. <br><br>Unfortunately the main museum we wanted to see was closed as it was Monday. However, we did get to enjoy an old traditional home with some really great local artwork on ...

... Bulgarian culture and religion were preserved during 500 years of Ottoman rule, so most of them are located in some out-of-the-way, mountainous region, and this monastery is one of the major ones. Inside its chapel is a 500 years old icon of St. Mary which is said to have healing power so there was a line of people waiting to pray in front of it and touch it. <br><br>I went back to the city and ...

... and wood shuttered homes. We had a look in an interesting icon museum which featured many murals of St George and the dragon. We also went into a the Church of St Constantine and Elena which although very plain from the outside was highly decorated inside. We had dinner at one of the outdoor cafes and then went back to our air conditioned hotel room to cool down.

... on the outside read 1.95 Lev to a euro which was about standard. Inside I handed over a 50euro and the guy gave me a printout to sign. Just as I was putting pen to paper I noticed the amount I was going to receive in Lev was way smaller than it should have been. Checking the rate, he pointed to the board inside which read 1.59 Lev to a euro - the 5 &amp; 9 had swapped around! I refused to sign and asked for my money back where the guy got really angry and started calling me all kind of ...

... pottered on till dark and being without decent maps of the capital city Sofia were unable to find a campsite so at 8pm after treacherous roads and dodgy drivers all around us in the city of Sofia we headed out of town toward Plovdiv, pulled into a service station and had pizza and watched part of the Eurovision song contest on the café telly. Then we slept in our van ( along with another parked car and motorhome ) and called it a night. Actually we slept ok considering.

We spent part of the morning exploring the older part of the city in Plovdiv. It was very interesting, though walking on those rough cobblestone roads can be a killer. Checked out some of the old museums along the way as well as checking the scenery from the top of the hill. After that we had a walk down the main mall area of the city, looking at shops and stopping at MsDonalds for lunch. The people were lined up out the door, shows how ...

... like a bunch of daft kids! The countryside was lovely very picturesque, all flat plains and fields and fields of sunflowers. Although I did have a bit of a scare when I thought there was a wildfire happening, but then I noticed the earth piled up at the edges of the other fields and realised they were just doing a bit of clearing. A few other oddities were seeing both old men going about their business in the little towns and villages we passed through by horse and cart ...

... deserted atmosphere of Veliko Tarnovo, it's nice to be surrounded by people again. The street ends in a square with a fountain and too many banks, and I head back to the hostel for lunch. In the afternoon, I travel out to Bachkovo monastery with two girls from northern Alberta. The monastery is the second largest in the country and 1,000 years old. Approaching it, up a valley between more magnificent hills, we pass numerous stalls selling food and souvenirs ...

... of the exhibits were of 19th century technology; plows, farm tools, scythes, pots, an anvil, clothing, a tea pot. A lady was making doilies in a section of the house. We did enjoy the ottoman houses as we walked through old Plovdiv. These are the charm of the city. I had a lot of fun trying to shoot photos of them. The sun was out but so many streets are too narrow to get all of a building in one shot. Most of them have some sort of wooden exterior. Dozens of them have ...

... guard just wanted to get us the hell back onto the train and out of Turkey so he could get on with whatever he was doing - a DVD movie, a *****, or perhaps a hashish filled hookah. An hour later as the sun began to rise, my fantasy girl Tatiana at my side, we started westwards toward Sofia, Bulgaria. Sleepless but excited, the phantom blonde and I sat looking out the train window; watching for old missile silos the Russians may have forgotten to deactivate at the end of the Cold War.