Plovdiv
Trip Start
Jul 09, 2008
1
7
13
Trip End
Jul 27, 2008
Plovdiv,
Bulgaria
Tuesday, July 22, 2008
We had a thunderstorm all that night but it then dried up which was good as sightseeing in the rain is most depressing! Plovdiv is nice, the Old Town is lots of twisty, hilly cobbled streets and lovely houses in the National Revival style, which is this particular style of the mid 19th century. I went to the Ethnographic museum, which was ok but all the information labels were in Bulgarian and so not much help, and it was pretty small, so not as good as other ethnographic museums I've been to. The best thing about it is that it is in one of these Revivalist houses which is well preserved. I also went to another Revivalist house museum which was totally preserved. I think I was the only one who had been to see it that day as it was all shut up and I had to get the woman out to let me in! The new town still has some nice houses as well but not quite so many. But for a second city it is quite small, I pretty much saw everything I wanted to see yesterday so today was just more of a wander for the sake of it today. I could have left on the 2pm train today but it has been really nice to just chill for a bit. So I'm off on that train tomorrow to Veliko....
I tried to book a reservation for the train to VT but the woman just frantically pointed in the direction of the platforms so I had to assume either one wasn't needed (although bahn.de said it was) or pay on the train. I did go to the information window and ask the woman (in Bulgarian) if she spoke English to which I got a most definite 'NE!' accompanied by the sort of look that would not just sour milk but turn it into yoghurt. Whilst waiting for my train I went up to street level to get a bit of fresh air as it was quite close and humid and met a couple of rather sweet old ladies who were room touts. They spoke a little English and I explained I was leaving not arriving, but they stopped and had a chat anyway. They were sisters, one was a teacher and one was a 'noorse', well used to be a nurse I suppose they were 60/70-odd. She then mimed being pregnant and pulling a baby out. So I said 'ah midwife' and then they tried the word out for themselves, quite pleased to be learning a new word, and the one who was the midwife whipped out a pen and paper and wrote it down! Bless! The one who was a teacher said her daughter was a student in Finland, and so she helps out students who are visiting. They asked me how much hostels in Sofia and Plovdiv charge, I guess to check out the competition. I wasn't sure if that was what they were asking 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 me 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 (!) and then in the next moment passing by a fancy new football pitch complete with electronic scoreboard and floodlighting. Oh and the people in my compartment were definitely talking about me as I heard the words 'pantalon' after I had got my ticket to show the inspector out of my money belt tucked inside my trousers, and the words 'music', 'Anglia', 'Student' and 'Veliko Turnovo'. God knows what they were saying about me! They were nice though and despite speaking no English established I was going to VT and that they would tell me when I had to get off, as the train went on to Shumen. The woman in the compartment was also reading this newspaper, which I had also seen in Sofia, along with a few similar titles. From transliterating the Cyrillic, it was called 'Doktor'. I'm not sure what it was all about though. Anyone know? Ooh and another great thing on the train? Bottle openers built into the train tables. Oh yeah, that's my kinda train! So I arrived at VT....
