Пловдив (Plovdiv)

Thanks to an in-service training conference, I recently had the opportunity to spend a few days exploring what many consider to be Bulgaria’s most compelling city – Пловдив (Plovdiv). One of Europe’s oldest cities, with a history dating back further than even Rome’s, Plovdiv is many things – historic, cultured, cosmopolitan, photogenic, and eminently walkable. There is plenty of information about Plovdiv on-line, and I won’t rehash it here. If you want to learn more about the city and what it’s like to live and work there, I encourage you to check out this blog written by a pair of fellow Peace Corps Volunteers who are currently serving in Plovdiv and who served as gracious hosts during our visit.

I'm neither insightful enough nor talented enough to capture the essence of Plovdiv and its many layers in words or photos, but if you scroll down you can take a walk with me through The City of the Seven Hills and see some of the reasons why I enjoyed my time in Plovdiv so much.

Plovdiv’s most iconic symbol is the Roman Amphitheater found in the heart of old town. Built in the 2nd century AD under the orders of Trajan and rediscovered in 1972 following a landslide, the amphitheater now hosts concerts and plays during the warmer months of the year.


Like Veliko Turnovo, Plovdiv has a rich collection of homes built during the Bulgarian National Revival, a period renowned for its characteristic architecture. Plovdiv’s old town is a showcase for these homes. This is the Georgiadi House. Built in 1848, the house is now home to a historical museum.


Constructed in 1829, the Lamartine House now is owned by the Union of Bulgarian Writers.


This is the Balabanov House. A bit of a phony, it was reconstructed in 1980 in accordance with the original blueprints after being completely destroyed.


This is the Kuyumdzhiev House. Built in 1847, the house is now an ethnographic museum.


Another of Plovdiv's iconic symbols, the Hissar Kapia (getting it's name from Turkish and meaning "The Gate of the Fortress") is one entry way into old town.


Exiting old town through the Hissar Kapia.


A couple street scenes from old town.



Old town also is home to a number of interesting churches. Built in 1844 on the site of a 9th-century shrine, the Church of Sveta Bogoroditsa marks another entrance into Plovdiv’s old town.


One of the largest churches in Plovdiv, St. Nedelya Church was built in 1578 and restored in 1830.


The Church of SS Konstantin & Elena is Plovdiv's oldest. Originally built over a Roman church, the current structure dates mostly to 1832. The church is known for its art, especially the richly colored frescoes that decorate both the entrance to the church and its interior.


Crowned by a monument commemorating the liberation of Bulgaria by the Russian army from the Nazis, Bunardzhika Tepe is one of Plovdiv's seven hills and provides 360 degree panoramic views of the city. Here are some views from the hill.

I wonder what this guy was thinking.





Found at the north end of old town, Nebet Tepe is another of Plovdiv's seven hills. Rubble from an ancient fotress crowns the hill, which provides outstanding views of the city below.




Plovdiv also is home to several interesting markets. Here are some photos from the largest such market.






Plovdiv is home to two working mosques. This is the minaret of Dzhumaya Mosque rising above the nearby buildings.


A classic Bulgarian scene along Plovdiv's pedestrian mall: Dzhumaya Mosque, which is believed to have been built in 1364, standing above the remains of part of a Roman stadium that is thought to have held 30,000 spectators.


This is Imaret Mosque, built in 1444.


Plovdiv's long pedestrian mall is a great place for people watching, drinking and dining (and probably shopping for those so inclined). Other than the signs in Bulgarian, this area has a very different feel to it than anywhere else I've been in Bulgaria. It seems more like Western Europe than the rest of Bulgaria and oozes with an optimism otherwise lacking in most places in Bulgaria.






Plovdiv's many parks offer sanctuary from the hustle and bustle of city life and were particularly pleasant on our visit.


A pleasant and unexpected surprise ... we went and saw the Harlem Gospel Choir perform while we were in Plovdiv. This is the choir, along with some new Bulgarian friends, performing "We are the World."

Honoring Local Heroes

A day after returning from a two-week vacation occasioned by swine flu hysteria, our school cut classes short so everyone could attend a ceremony remembering the heroes of a famous local battle in the Serbo-Bulgarian War. From an outsider’s perspective, what was most interesting was the lack of precision of the Bulgarian armed forces which attended the ceremony. The lines were crooked, shoulders were slouched, and instruments were rested on the ground. Not exactly what you’d expect from an army which purportedly is the only armed force in the world to have never lost a flag. Of course, an ability to march and stand in line says nothing about fighting ability.

Here are some images from the ceremony, which took place in the town center.

Recipe #6: Боб чорба (Bean Soup)

Bulgarians love their боб чорба (bean soup). I’m not a huge fan, as it tends to make me even gassier than usual, but it’s not a bad meal. It’s also cheap, reasonably healthy, and easy to prepare. Here's a fairly standard recipe.

2 cups white beans
1 onion – diced
3 carrots – peeled and diced
1 hot pepper – diced (can be omitted if you dislike spicy foods)
1 tomato – peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic – diced
2 tablespoons sunflower oil
salt
pepper
savory
flour

Sort and wash beans. Soak in cold water for at least four hours (preferably overnight). Drain and rinse beans. Put beans in pot, cover in fresh water, and bring to a boil. Drain beans, discard dirty water, rinse beans, return beans to pot, cover in fresh water, and bring to a boil again. Repeat process until beans have been brought to a boil three times (this theoretically makes the beans less gassy although you couldn’t prove it by me). After bringing beans to a boil a third time and discarding dirty water, return rinsed beans to pot with fresh water. Add sunflower oil, onion, carrots, garlic, and hot pepper. Bring to boil and then simmer until beans begin to soften. Add tomato, savory, and salt and pepper to taste. Thin/thicken soup to desired consistency with flour and water as necessary. Simmer another 20-30 minutes or until beans are soft.

A bowl of Bulgarian Bean Soup.

София (Sofia)

Before today, I had visited София (Sofia) perhaps a dozen times and found it to be a city with very few redeeming qualities. I would have described it as little more than a giant cluster@%#&! But on my previous visits, I was in Sofia for a specific purpose – Peace Corps’ meetings, lichna carta red tape, etc. – and I wasn’t able to see past its obvious flaws. Today, I was able to wander around Sofia aimlessly and just take it all in, and that made all the difference in the world.

Even though I’m happiest tromping around in the bush, I love great cities too. And the sensory overload that hits you in a great city is something magical. Walking around Sofia today, I wasn’t hit with that special feeling, but, for the first time, I found myself enjoying and appreciating Sofia. It’s a place where worlds collide; where east meets west and past meets future. And of all the cities in the world I’ve visited, I’d be hard-pressed to think of another city which provides greater insight into a country’s people and its past, present, and future than Sofia does with respect to Bulgarians. There is contradiction everywhere, and, without knowing Bulgarians, none of it would make any sense. But seeing top-of-the-line Mercedes and BMWs share the roads with horse-carts and donkey-carts and seeing remnants of Thracian, Roman, medieval, and Ottoman-era buildings amongst a concrete jungle of Communist-era eyesores which now house McDonald’s, KFC, Gucci, and other familiar names all seems right. None of it screams Bulgaria, yet all of it does.

One of the best things about Sofia is all the parks. Men play chess, women talk, children play, lovers smooch. It's pretty cool. This is one of my favorites if only because of the view of Alexander Nevski Memorial Church.


A closer shot of Sofia's most famous building, the Alexander Nevski Memorial Church. Built in stages between 1882 and 1924, it's one of the world's largest Eastern Orthodox churches.


This is the National Gallery of Foreign Art.


Built in 1873 for Sofia's Ottoman rulers, this building now houses the National Gallery of Art.


This is the Party House. Built in 1954 as the headquarters of the Bulgarian Communist Party, the building now belongs to Bulgaria's parliment.


Built in 1913, this building was formerly home to Sofia's Mineral Baths.


Constructed in 1576, this is the Banya Bashi Mosque, the only Muslim place of worship in Sofia which still serves its original function.


This is Sofia's Central Market Hall.


Consecrated in 1914, this is Sofia's Russian Church.


Built in 1907, this is the National Theater.


Used as a church since the 6th century, this is the Rotunda of Sveti Georgi.


An interesting sculpture outside the National Gallery of Art.

Свински Грип

Given it snowed most of the day yesterday, I wasn’t too surprised to learn today that school was going to be closed. What was surprising was that the announcement came after we had taught all of our classes and returned home for the day. And school wasn’t being closed because of the weather. Instead, school was shutting down for a week because of the Свински Грип (“Svinski Grip” a/k/a Swine Flu). I wish I could say this news disappointed me, but I felt just like I did when I was a kid and I learned school was closed – I was ecstatic. I was even happier to learn that we wouldn’t have to make up the time during the summer. Noting my general disobedience and love of simple things – such as dogs and ice cream – a friend here recently called me the world’s oldest three year old. Maybe he’s right, but I’m not sure it’s such a bad thing.

This is our classroom. It will remain empty until next week thanks to the Свински Грип.

How's the weather?

People unfamiliar with Bulgaria frequently ask me what the weather is like here. As I noted in previous posts, Bulgaria has four distinct seasons – winter, spring, summer, and fall. The weather here is classified as "Continental." This means the summers are typically mild, while the winters are cold and snowy. In general, the weather here is not as extreme as it is in places like Wisconsin. By way of example, it reached a high of 78 degrees and a low of 57 degrees on July 4th this year in Sofia. This past Christmas, the temperature in Sofia ranged from a low of 19 degrees to a high of 30 degrees. Today, it’s been snowing almost all day. Much of it is melting, but, as you can see from the photos, some of it is sticking. And I'm freezing.

I miss the garden already. It could be a long six months.


And what happened to all the red-tiled roofs?