Plovdiv, the oldest consistently inhabited city in Europe! It is beautiful and a breath of fresh air after the busyness of Istanbul. Plovdiv is a quaint city at the center and the people are delightful. It has been subject to a number of disputes over it's many years, but still maintains a strong sense of pride. It has a lovely walking street that stretches many blocks with a variety of restaurants and local street food, ice cream vendors, and all manner of clothing and artistry shops.
Our entrance to Plovdiv, as you read in our last blog, was quite an adventure. Luckily, we made it safe and sound and with the majority of our sanity still intact. After our very eventful and very late night, we all slept in our first day to recoup from the stress of our travel the day before. We did have lunch-ish at a local cafeteria and I had something called vegetable marrow, which was a cross between a vegetable soufflé and vegetable lasagna. It was lovely. I also tried a unique beverage....a cherry soda. It doesn't sound very unique but let me explain........fresh cherries are abundant in this area of Europe so the cherry flavor was fresh. It was basically carbonated fresh cherry juice. It was really good!
Later that day, Gramma and I went on a free walking tour lead by volunteers in the city. It was extremely interesting and took us through all the nice gardens, local monuments, and in the heart of Plovdiv (the old town). We ended our tour at a fortress on 1 of the 7 hills of Plovdiv right as the sun was beginning to set. The view was incredible!
Day 2 I got up and had an itch to run. The rest of the clan went in search of breakfast and I laced up grabbed my passport, phone, and a map. I ran through the center of town, down the walking street to the largest garden with the "singing fountains," ran to the clock tower on a hill, and then to the statue on the highest point in Plovdiv. It was utter bliss. Those of you who run know the bliss I am referring to. I think they call it runner's high, but this was almost euphoric. Climbing the hills and seeing the city on my own two feet was incredible and certainly a memory I will never forget. I was out for over 2 hours and got lost a few times, but it was adventure and it was fun! I spent some time up at the highest point in utter awe of the experience of the trip, the present moment, and the true awareness of the blessings that surround me here in Europe and back home in America.
After I came back down from my euphoric high, I cleaned up, did my last bit of laundry in the sink, and painted my nails. The majority of this trip I have been in, what I like to refer to as "travel garb." You know what I'm talking about...the travel pants and shirts, the scarf, the well worn and comfortable, but not always stylish shoes that are now well worn in and beginning to fall apart. The ones people look at first before actually looking at you...yea those shoes. You know, the clothing you wear for comfort, not fashion. Yea...I've been in that for 2 months. I wanted to feel pretty....so I painted my fingers and toes "summer-red!" I love the new look and I feel pretty :).
We enjoyed a lovely lunch at a local bar and grill and spent the rest of the day relaxing, reading, writing, and walking up and down the center street enjoying the culture of Plovdiv.....o and enjoying local ice cream while sitting on the well known button chairs! It was the perfect way to end a lovely day, our last full day in Plovdiv. Tomorrow we travel to Sofia.....our last stop!
"Plovdiv, I thank you for being calm, your kind people, your fabulous running trails, and your history. I have enjoyed my brief time in your lovely city and hope to return someday."
Blessings,
Kristin Noel
Posted with Blogsy
No comments:
Post a Comment