Plovdiv

We expected the journey from Göreme, Turkey, to Plovdiv, Bulgaria, to be long and exhausting…32 hours of shuttles, planes, and buses. Thankfully, there were no major hiccups. We had purchased round-trip tickets from Istanbul to Göreme with Turkish Airlines for $160. Getting to the airport cost an additional $17 for the hour-and-a-half trip. Sure, it was pricier than the nine-hour bus ride, but neither of us was up for that kind of marathon.

Once we landed in Istanbul, we skipped the pricey taxi and opted for the public transportation system from the airport to the bus station. It sounded complicated, but it turned out to be fairly easy and affordable. As we deplaned, signs pointed us toward the local buses, complete with routes and costs. 

Exiting the terminal on the correct level, we purchased tickets from an outdoor booth for $5.40. The platform was clearly labeled, showing the next departure time for our destination, Otogar Station. The ride took just under an hour, and before we knew it, we were dropped off right at the bus station, the city buzzing around us.

Istanbul’s bus station is enormous, like a small airport and it took us a while to locate the Arda Tur station at platforms 102/103. We had booked the night bus online ($40 for the two of us) to avoid the hassle of a hotel and adding another travel day. 

Our tickets were sent via email, but check-in still required passports, even with e-tickets, and in exchange we got a good old-fashioned paper ticket. The bus company had a VIP lounge with comfy chairs, which we took full advantage of. Since we arrived four hours early, we wandered into one of the many station restaurants for dinner and some snacks. It was typical travel food: edible but uninspiring. 

Arda Tur buses are as comfortable as buses can be. The bus was well labeled and we started loading on time. We locked our big backpacks and placed them underneath the bus keeping our small backpacks with valuables with us. We found our seats...sometimes you have to kick someone out of your seat as some people just choose to sit where ever. Our seats were empty and we settled in for the long ride. 

Boarding Crossing 
At about 0200, the bus stops at the Turkiye border and everyone unloads and walks through passport control. They stamped our  passports, x-rayed the bus and we got back on only to repeat the process on the Bulgaria side. Two hours of bleary-eyed bureaucracy later, we swore we’d never again take an overnight bus involving border crossing. They had few restrooms and no real police presence.

By 0700 the next morning, we arrived at the Plovdiv bus station. The station is small but surprisingly accommodating, with coffee shops, travelers quietly waiting, restrooms, and plenty of seating. We hung around, feeling the calm of early morning in a new city, trying to figure out what to do next. We couldn’t check into our Airbnb until 1400, and by this point, both of us just wanted to collapse into bed. We were so desperate, we were even willing to splurge on a hotel for a few hours regardless of the cost. We walked around, checking out hotels, but none would allow early check-in or rent a room by the hour. Yes, Jim asked. 

Plan B: we decided to grab a taxi and find something to eat. We tried a taxi app, but no drivers were available. So we walked in a daze searching for who knows what. Jim mentioned a popular park, Tsar Simeon Garden, with restaurants and singing fountains. Not sure about signing fountains, but food sounded awesome, so we headed that way. My backpack felt twice as heavy, turns out sleep deprivation adds a solid 20 pounds. 

We stumbled into the park, unfortunately restaurants weren't open yet, but I spotted benches that, from a distance, looked cozy. They weren’t. But after two days with no real sleep, they might as well have been feather beds. I claimed one, made myself a makeshift nest, and promptly passed out. Jim stood guard over me and our bags while I drooled my way through a much-needed nap near the Singing Fountains.

Every so often, he’d nudge me awake so we could shuffle to a shady spot, trade watch duty, and attempt catnaps. Exhaustion blurred the day, and I swear I saw more than a few curious stares from passersby. Sleep was survival at this point.

By the time we could finally check into our Airbnb, we managed to drag ourselves “just one more mile” home. A quick shower, laundry tossed in, and then we collapsed into bed. Two glorious hours later, the alarm ripped through our dreams. Ten minutes had never gone by so fast.

We both did our best to encourage the other to get out of bed first. Lying there, blinking eyes that felt like sandpaper, I knew we’d both regret it if we didn’t get up, I rolled first. I pretended it was morning instead of 1700, made some coffee, and slowly coaxed help searching for something to eat.

After an hour of slow searching for endless options for dinner we settled on Happy's Sushi, a great chain restaurant in Bulgaria and a close walk. Walking through the streets of Plovdiv as the sun was setting was beautiful. It had the feel of the Europe I am used to; outside tables filled with people laughing lined the alleyways of endless restaurants filling the air with wonderful smells complimented the colorful flowers. Unfortunately when we got to Happy's there was a line and we didn't feel like waiting, but had no back up plan. 

Finding a dinner spot we can both agree on is always a gamble. Add in “hungry Alisa” and the clock is ticking. Jim threw out two options: a Mexican restaurant 15 minutes away or Burger King. No contest. Off we went, leaving behind the cozy café-lined streets and wandering into darker parts of town, under bridges, through sketchy stretches, silently hoping this wasn’t about to turn into one of those late-night adventures.

At last, we spotted Taco Reyes Mexican Grill, a tiny spot with just two customers finishing up. We grabbed an outside table, and Jim, ever eager to dust off his Spanish, greeted our waiter with a confident “Hola!” The poor guy looked puzzled before admitting he only spoke a little Spanish. Jim, unfazed, pressed on with “un pocco Español,” which only made things worse. Thankfully, George, our waiter, switched to perfect English and rescued the conversation.

Jim asked about the beers in the cooler, and George recommended their house brew, Juanita’s Mexican spicy beer, infused with habanero. Jim went for it, I stuck with a Stella. His verdict? Surprisingly delicious.

When it came to food, George suggested the last beef tongue taco of the day. We shrugged, “why not?” and added it to the order. While we waited, I let out a screech as something brushed against my legs making Jim jump. We looked down to find Lily, the resident cat, curled up in my bag as if she owned it.

There we were sipping spicy beer, eating tacos that rivaled any we’ve had, with a stray cat claiming us as her humans. Plovdiv had us hooked. Over that dinner, we made the easy decision to extend our stay another week. Jim swears it had nothing to do with the tacos, spicy beer or sleep deprivation, I’m not so sure.

If by chance you're reading this, love Mexican food and find yourself in Plovdiv, do yourself a favor and check out Taco Reyes. Tell Jorge we said hi!

The next few days we did what we do best and aimlessly wandered the streets, getting an idea of the area. We realize quickly that you had to watch your step..I felt like Q*bert from the 80’s.

Jim………We missed Apocalyptica by four days. In 1996, they covered Metallica's music with astonishing accuracy, without vocals using only cellos.

However, that led me to look at other performances in town. The next poster was the Weiner Symphoniker. 

I glanced, made a joke and kept walking. After my search for summer concerts in September turned up blank, I looked up this Weiner Symphoniker one. Turns out the Weiner (Vienna) Symphoniker (Symphony) was performing in Plovdiv for the first time, ever. 

The Vienna Symphonic Orchistra was playing here, in two days. Not thinking too much about the venue I started to look up ticket prices. $40 USD per seat.  I found out the venue was the Ancient Theater of Philippopolis, one of Plovdiv's previous names. So the Vienna Symphonic Orchistra was performing in Plovdiv, Bulgaria at an ancient Roman theater, we're definitely going. I found the tickets through Eventim, a Bulgarian Ticketmaster. 

As we walked down the steep travertine steps, I was filled with awe. The sun was setting behind the clouded mountains in the distance. The air was cool, yet sizzled with anticipation. The idea of sitting in an outdoor ancient theater listening to arguably one of the best orchestras in the world sounds incredible. 

However, that feeling quickly fades as your ass numbs from the hard seats and you realize the entire orchestra is connected to speakers. The beautiful music somehow lost its depth, its life.  The performance was spectacular, as was the full moon rising in the distance, but I think we'll stick to concert halls with cushioned chairs and natural acoustics in a hall from now on.

Plovdiv had the charm of a big city but without the tourist overload, plenty to see, plenty more to do. 

One afternoon, while sipping beers in the square, we met Don. Picture a big, stout man with a booming voice, strong opinions, and no filter. Originally from Idaho, Don was a piano player and entertainer, currently “laying low” in Plovdiv while trying to get back to Asia, where his wife and daughter were. He had stories, lots of them and before we knew it, he’d invited us to come see him play the next night.

Why not? Well, interesting doesn’t even begin to cover it...we showed up to the restaurant only to find it empty, except for us. Which meant Don essentially played a private concert. He had talent and wasn’t that bad, but it was weird just playing for us. 

Midway through, he managed to drop a piece of the restaurant’s equipment, sparking a very heated discussion with the boss. And there we were, the only witnesses, somehow roped into sitting down with them to “talk it out.” Awkward doesn’t even scratch the surface. The tension was thick, voices were raised, and Don insisted the restaurant’s “shitty system” was to blame. No way was he paying for anything. As we sat and had a drink with the boss and Don, things calmed down. The boss left and Don turned to us and casually asked for a tip. We slipped him a small one, made our exit. Another travel story for the books.

We spent a day walking up to Old Town to see if we could get lost in the small alleys and streets. Dodging tour groups, we actually found some pretty amazing sites. We found the medieval gate Hisar Kapia built in the 11th century AD. Hisar Kapia is one of the three entrances to the acropolis of ancient Philippopolis (Plovdiv Old Town). 

Then we ventured up one of the hills, Nebet Tepe dating back to 4,000 BC where we walked through the remains of a fortress first settled by the Tharacians. It was crazy to sit on top of the ruins of a fortress while looking out at what Plovdiv's future had become. Being one of the oldest constantly occupied cities in Europe, the past and present lay before your eyes.

We visited the Museum of Natural Science, along with the butterfly exhibit. At first when we entered the museum I was a little disappointed, did we just pay $11.00 each to see stuffed animals staged pretending to be in the wild? Don't get me wrong, they had quite a few impressively stuffed animals, birds and reptiles from around the world.

After the butterfly exhibit I definitely felt like we over paid. However on our way out we saw a sign to the entrance of aquariums down stairs. 

It felt like you just entered a cave, in the center was a small shark tank barely big enough for the shark swimming in it. The cave had four different entrances leading off filled with different species of live reptiles, spiders, turtles, and fish from all over the world. There was even a crocodile. There were rooms with geological, butterfly and ancient artifact exhibits. In the back there was a dinosaur exhibit with five different mechanical dinosaurs that made sounds and moved, roars so real, I actually jumped. As we were exiting there was a planetarium, but we had already spent an hour and a half and didn't feel like waiting for the next show. This made the cost much more worth it.

I believe Jim's favorite was an iguana, in which he tried to convince me he could speak with. My favorite part was the reptiles which is ironic because of my fear of snakes. As I was walking through I'd find myself scanning snakes I could possibly encounter and for some reason I left a bit more on edge about our upcoming trip to the Amazon.  

We explored so much that I think Jim finally wore himself out and spent most of the last week stretched out on the couch recuperating. Luckily, Plovdiv felt safe enough that I could wander solo without worry, so I kept myself entertained.

I made the rounds through pharmacies, translating Jim’s symptoms and hoping for the right remedy. I indulged in some thrift store shopping. They had amazing thrift stores and bought a dress for $6 for an upcoming event. 

And, of course, I treated myself to a massage; because after weeks of buses, planes, and playing Q*bert, my body was basically one giant knot. I met Anthony at Massage Studio Heaven Spa. This guy had magic hands. Seventy minutes of deep tissue work later, I practically floated out of there, for the grand total of $25. It was so good I went back for a second round before we left, because when you find a therapist who can unknot your shoulders and your soul for the price of a decent dinner, you don’t just walk away. You book again.

I even braved a hair appointment I booked over WhatsApp. Six hours of highlights later, I walked out with hair that was… well, different. She had a friend translate at the start so the stylist understood what I wanted. The result was an improvement, not a transformation. And for $100 plus six hours of my life, let’s just say the massage was a much better investment.

All in all, Plovdiv surprised us at every turn from late night tacos and stray-cat cuddles, to ancient ruins, quirky museums, and even our run-in with Don the piano man. What started as “just a stop” quickly became one of our favorite places.

We barely scratched the surface of what this city has to offer, and already we know we’ll be back with more time to dive deeper into Plovdiv’s charm.

Jim’s goodbye to Bulgaria….
Looking out the window from our final bus ride from Plovdiv's to Sofia, I am struck with the feelings of both awe and gratitude. The fields of bright yellow sunflowers have faded brown. Their heads bow to the swiftly approaching winter and fading warmth. Another season has passed, another traveler will leave. The green grass blows in between flowing rivers, the cool water that provided much needed reprieve from the summer heat will soon be frigid, dark and unforgiving.

Bulgaria has been quite the journey. We started this Eastern European trip nearly three months ago, in Sofia. As we start to wind down, we return to the place it all started. Bulgaria's beauty lies not only in the landscape but also within its people. The history of this country was barely scratched by my inquisitive curiosity. I met people so passionate and proud to be born in such a hostile land. Bulgaria's past is  full of war. Leaders came and went, but they left the warriors. 

Bulgaria may not have the technology of other members of the EU but there's beauty in the simplicity in watching her cities flow. There's also beauty in watching the scowling faces turn into smiles as her people embrace visitors practicing Bulgarian. 

I am once again so grateful for the opportunity to witness and dispel my preconceived notions of yet another foreign land.  Ciao Bulgaria, with all your crazy, beautiful and bruised exterior, you let me in, and inside my heart you will always remain. 

Old Plovdiv