Conversely to our previous overnight train, this experience was much more pleasant. The train carriage was only slightly more modern than previous, however we only had to cope with a single border crossing, and our arrival was at 8am, which is preferable to 6am. Well actually 9am, as unbeknowenst to us at the time, we had shifted to the Balkans time zone, an hour earlier.
We decided on the train over bus, not our normal preference, as the bus was earlier, and operated faster to our next destination. Our destination was Plovdiv, which is the 2nd biggest city in Bulgaria. Whilst it isn't small, it has more of a Hobart feel to it than a Melbourne or Sydney feel.
After the very friendly Tourist Information sent us to a hostel which is actually full, we find our own accomodation, just off the main street. It is a hotel, no more expensive that the hostels, however it is nice to have a large towel, air conditioning, a tv, fridge, wireless internet and hair dryer (well for Cinthia)..... all luxuries that are rarely available to the intrepid traveller when outside first world countries.
Our hotel is close to the Golden Arches, the last place we would consider dining. Our first proper sit down Bulgarian meal is a lovely salad and lean sausages. It is a late lunch however still allows us time to see Plovdiv.
The main street is a nice pedestrian affair, and heads past a major mosque, toward territory containing Roman ruins. Walking around the streets was quite nice, with a few interesting buildings. We even came across an old guy reading the Lonely Planet's Eastern Europe, the same book as our trusty little travel companian. We endeavoured to ask him about his favourite places in Eastern Europe, however he didn't seem to speak much.
Plovdiv's major claim to fame is that it is Europe's oldest city. It contains ruins that have been dated as built 3 thousand years B.C. Slightly older than Roman ruins, they are in a very old state of existance. Given their significance, it would be nice to see some money allocated to their protection and explanation, however the funding for the ruins is going to the 2 Roman ampitheatres in the city.
Dinner is even better, as Cinthia has chicken salad, and I endulge in a minestrone soup, one of the best lasanges I've devoured in a fair while, and a fresh OJ.
We sit there for an additional hour, Cinthia finally catching up with photos to add to our blog. I change from a lunchtime beer, and instead go straight for a Johnny walker nightcap.... for a rather reasonable $2.
In choosing to visit Plovdiv we have added another long bus ride to Veliko Tarnovo, however it was interesting enough to justify the additional stop. We think it likely to have been preferable than staying in Sofia for the night.
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