I have arrived at my new destination. I am so excited to be here. Never having visited this part of Europe before, everything will be new to me. Here are some of my first impressions of Plovdiv Bulgaria.
Colour
There is colour all around me. On the drive from the airport, I passed fields of lavender with wild red poppies edging the roadways. It is so beautiful to be surrounded by colour again. On walks-a-bout town, I see coloured buildings, street art and vibrancy everywhere.
Ancient History
Plovdiv is the oldest living city in Europe. It predates Athens and even Rome. Walking around, I can see evidence everywhere of this history. Beside the walkways, there are ancient roman roads, amphitheatres and the like, which have been gracefully maintained and incorporated into the modern city.
Cyrillic Language
This will be a definite challenge for me. Not only is there the obvious language barrier, but I cannot even make out any of the written word. The Bulgarian Cyrillic alphabet is closely based on the Greek and many of the letters are unfamiliar to me.
That’s okay though, it is part of the beauty of travelling. The unexpected challenges keep me growing and learning. So far, I have encountered no one that speaks English, except for the fellow that assisted me with the purchase of my SIM card. Bless him, he was amazingly helpful and lovely.
The Greenery
My flat is in the city, so I am right in town. There are huge beautiful trees everywhere! And parks! The amount of naturalness surrounding me and these buildings is wonderful to see.
Lack of Crowds
Oh my, I am in heaven with the lack of tourists here. Yes, it is only June, not high season yet, but I can walk around and explore without the constant fear of being in people’s way. I’ll write again about this in July and we will see how the situation has changed.
One thing is for sure, I am so happy to be visiting this beautiful old city. There is much to explore here. Unique architecture, history, food, Plovdiv seems to have it all.
