Paris of the Balkans

Hello from Plovdiv - probably my favorite city in Bulgaria. I'm sitting in an internet cafe looking out the window at a Roman stadium that was built probably 2000 years ago. And when I say that I'm looking out at it, I mean that I'm looking directly out the window at the stands - the complex in which this cafe is located was built down into the stadium itself, something that is really unique.

Plovdiv is full of little surprises like this, being one of the oldest cities not only in Bulgaria, but also in Europe, a settlement being located here since the neolithic era. The result is a city of layers - a city built on top of itself over and over again throughout the years - each layer revealing something about the history of the place. The old town is the best example of this: a beautiful area of cobblestone streets winding through Victorian era buldings and Bulgarian national revival architecture built directly on top of an ancient Roman city. While walking through the old town, you can look down onto the old Roman city, and look up at modern art on the still busy streets lined with trendy stores, bars, and restaurants. The entire city is crowned with a beautiful amalgamation of all 3 - a remarkably preserved Roman theater set at the top of a hill surrounded by historic Bulgarian buildings that house museums and little modern cafes - not to mention one of the best views anywhere in Bulgaria, looking down at this amazing little city.

The best part? No bloks.

Needless to say, that whenever I get the chance to come out to Plovdiv, I gladly take it. This particular occasion is due to a couple of things, both of which I've been looking forward to for a while. Firstly, I'm meeting up with a bunch of friends to watch the Super Bowl. We figured that the second biggest city in Bulgaria would have at least some place at which we could tune in and watch the action, and at the very least, we'll be able to tune in through the internet in the hostel's lobby...

Secondly, Plovdiv is very close to the place at which we B24s will be attending our "In Service Conference," a week long training that marks our 3rd month of service at our sites. It will be nice to be able to exchange ideas and experiences with everyone, since this will be the first time since the Swearing-In Ceremony that our entire group will be together. We'll be staying a week at a hotel in a town called Hisar, a town that has a popular brand of Bulgarian bottled water named after it, and a lot of mineral pools and springs.

I'll be sure to keep you all updated, and I hope to put up some pictures of my favorite places in Plovdiv at some point... This has been a very busy time here in BG, and I'm not updating as much as I would like to. I think after IST more posts will be coming your way.

Until next time...