Sofia to Veliko Tarnovo
Both in Bulgaria, about 190 miles apart
We are on our way at 08:15 without any issues. We are headed eastwards towards Veliko Târnovo. We will stop at Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second largest city. We will visit the charming old town and the Roman amphitheater. We made a short ride though some hills before entering the valley that exists between the Rhodoeps mountain range to our south and the Sredna Gora mountain in the north. The Sredna Gora is situated just south and parallel to the much higher Balkan Mountains.
This creates a good area for farming. The Marista River flows though this large plain. Marista or Maritza is a river that runs through the Balkans. It is just over 300 miles long and is the longest river that runs solely in the interior of the Balkan peninsula, and one of the largest in Europe by discharge. It is the main river of the historical region of Thrace, most of which lies in its drainage basin. This river with the protected climate provides ideal area of growing multiple fruits, vegetables and grains.
I used to think that the Balkans were all mountainous countries. However, after spending several hours riding through fertile valleys and plains I now understand there is much more to them than that. The boundaries of the Roman Empire have also been expanded considerably. Again, see Roman ruins, and so many of them, this far from Rome my appreciation of the magnitude and power of Rome has grown considerably.
It is drizzly as we ride along. Lots of Kansas type corn fields to see. Just before it had gone 10:00 we did stop at another Shell station for a potty break. Both Mary and I had taken a short nap in the two hours it has taken to get here. It will be another two hours before we reach Plovdiv.
There is so much to learn. It turns out Plovdiv is a cultural hub in Bulgaria. It was also the European Capital of Culture in 1999 and 2019. Really? The city is an important economic, transport, cultural, and educational centre. Plovdiv joined the UNESCO Global Network of Learning Cities in 2016.
Plovdiv was historically developed on seven syenite hills, some of which are 820 feet high. Because of these hills, Plovdiv is often referred to in Bulgaria as "The City of the Seven Hills". Just like Roma? There is evidence of habitation in the area dating back to the 6th millennium BCE, when the first Neolithic settlements were established. The city was subsequently a Thracian settlement, later being conquered and ruled also by Persians, Ancient Macedonians, Celts, Romans, Byzantines, Goths, Huns, Bulgarians, Thrace-Romans, Bulgars, Slavic tribes, Crusaders and, of course, the Ottoman Turks. This is the history of Bulgaria, lots of lots of h=changing of hands.
Plovdiv was once known as Philippopolis. It was founded as a polis by the father of Alexander the Great, Philip the Great, the king of ancient Macedonia, settling here with both Thracians and 2,000 Macedonians (Greeks) in 342 BCE. By-the-way this why the Greeks want Macedonia to be called Northern Macedonia, and another reason the Balkan states don’t get along. Control of the city alternated between the Macedonian kingdom and the Thracian Odrysian kingdom during the Hellenistic period; the Macedonian king Philip V reoccupied the city in 183 BCE and his successor Perseus held the city with the Odrysians until the Roman Republic conquered the Macedonian kingdom in 168 BCE.
Philippopolis became the capital of the Roman province of Thracia. The city was at the center of the road network of inland Thrace, and the strategic Via Militaris was crossed by several other roads at the site, leading to the Danube, the Aegean Sea, and the Black Sea. The Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius built a new wall around the city
There are many preserved ruins such as the ancient Plovdiv Roman theatre, a Roman odeon, a Roman aqueduct, the Plovdiv Roman Stadium, the archaeological complex Eirene, and others. Plovdiv is host to a huge variety of cultural events such as the International Fair Plovdiv, the international theatrical festival "A stage on a crossroad", the TV festival "The golden chest", and many more novel festivals, such as Night/Plovdiv in September, Kapana Fest, and Opera Open. The oldest American educational institution outside the United States, the American College of Sofia, was founded in Plovdiv in 1860 and later moved to Sofia.
Nikolai didn’t give us that much background on Plovdiv. He seemed to be focused on the architecture of the buildings. There are two styles within the old city, symmetrical and non-symmetrical. Interesting points, but it seems to apply to buildings built in the 19th century. Having be occupied and re-occupied so may times some of the older stuff just isn’t here any more.
The Roman theatre is actually in pretty good shape. It is amazing that the Romans built there everywhere. This one is smaller than the on in Fiesole, above Firenze, but the strange is in better shape. The hold operatic concerts here like in Verona.
The early Byzantine Fortress Walls with its circular tower from 5 or 6 AD was impressive. The cobble stone streets were difficult to walk on but gave the old part of town a nice flair. There were a number of churchs, 19th century homes, the 18th Century Saints Constantine and Helena Orthodox Church, and the Roman Colosseum which lies half buried in the center of the new town. This might be a good place to come to during opera season. Take some time a visit and really see it.
We stopped in the “new” town pedestrian area. We were then given an hour and a half for lunch. It is surprising how munch can take that long but it seems to. We looked at a couple restaurants but many of them were very busy and we were concerned we would be able to finish in time. We choose Gusto, a restaurant on Patriarh Evtimiy near the central square.
Mary ordered a Caprese salad. It was fine except for the avocado, well she liked that part. I did have some of the tomatoes and mozzarella, both which continued to impress as to their flavor. She also ordered a garlic focaccia. Which was nice. I ordered the BBQ spareribs with honey sauce. They were excellent. It came with fried potato wedges which were fine but lacking salt. All of this cost us 57 Leva (plural of Lev). That translated less than $29. Oh yes, two beers as well.
After lunch we walked around the sqaure. It is Sunday so people were out enjoying themselves. Families were taking in the opportunity to walk in the sun. It was very nice. Of course it is pretty much an optimal day weather wise. Neither too hot nor too cold and not currently raining. Met the group at 13:55 as scheduled in front of the McDonalds. Nikolai pointed out that one side of the sign is in English letters and the other side in Cyrillic. However the Golden Arches made it easy to identify in any language.
Back on the bus it was nap time again while we rode up the Balkan Mountains. We are taking the Skipha Pass to get to the other side of the mountain range and Veliko Târnovo where we will spend the night. We stopped a 16:30 for a potty break at the highest point in the pass just below the peak which stands at 3,904 feet. It is raining and we are in clouds so there isn’t much to see. There is a tower on the peak but you can barely see it though the rain and clouds.
The ride up the mountain is on a narrow two-lane road. Not really scary but at times you wondered how you were going to get by the on coming cars. The trees haven’t begun to change color yet. There is clearly evidence it will happen soon, however. It is probably a lot like New England in the fall. The trees vary as to type, but they are all very in diameter. There are some fir trees and conifers, birch, and pine. Of yea, and Chestnut trees.
It was close to 17:00 by the time we got to Veliko Târnovo. The hotel appears to be in the center of town. We are however on the side of a hill over looking a beautiful valley. Veliko Târnovo translates as “Great Tarnovo". It is a the administrative centre of Veliko Târnovo Province. It is the historical and cultural capital of Bulgaria. Often referred to as the "City of the Tsars", Veliko Târnovo is located on the Yantra River and was the historical capital of the Second Bulgarian Empire. One of its attractions is its unique architecture, which I hope to more closely. The old part of the town is situated on three hills, Tsarevets, Trapezitsa, and Sveta Gora, rising amidst the meanders of the Yantra. On Tsarevets are the palaces of the Bulgarian emperors and the Patriarchate, the Patriarchal Cathedral, and also a number of administrative and residential edifices surrounded by thick walls.
We could see these beautiful buildings across the valley from the hotel. They look interesting. Again, this might be a good place to re-visit and spend some more time. The hotel is a four-star. Again, not sure how. The beds are at least soft. There is no kettle for my tea in the room and we got assigned a room with twin beds, probably due the difference in our last names. They are different on the Italian passports.
Dinner was here in the hotel. Very but but over cooked roast beef and potatoes. Started with a nice Bulgarian salad of cucumbers and tomatoes. Dessert was a bowl of gelato. The air conditioning doesn’t seem to want to work in the room but it is cool outside so opening the windows cooled the room down.
Buonanotte e ciao, Enrico e Maria
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