Plovdiv, Bulgaria

There's 6,000 Years Of History In Europe's Fourth-Oldest Continually Inhabited City, One With Roman Ruins & A Photogenic Cobbled Old Town Made For Exploring

”…a good thing that I missed that bus because the weather today is so much better than it was when I arrived in the city yesterday afternoon, shortly after which I hit the pedestrainisted & cobbled streets with a camera in hand to get reacquainted with Plovdiv almost 8 years after my previous & only other visit.”

Image || Painter statue fronting the Art Gallery in Old Town Plovdiv. March 30, 2015.

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Plovdiv 2007

Plovdiv is Bulgaria’s second city & one of the oldest cities in Europe. Indeed, being able to trace its history back some 6,000 years makes it the fourth-oldest continually inhabited city in Europe. Ruins are dotted all over the town, most notably a large Roman Amphitheatre which sometimes still serves as an outdoors concert venue. But the undoubted highlight of a visit to this ancient, charming town is ambling the cobbled lanes of its gorgeous, colourful Old Town.

In a section of Old Town Plovdiv, Bulgaria. September 17th, 2007.

Plovdiv’s Old Town is full of colour & free of cars. It’s an artsy, enjoyable place to meander with its steep cobblestone streets & colourfully painted ancient houses, many of which are museums or art galleries. Walking through the Old Town brings you to the top of one several hills in the city (Plovdiv is famously a city of Seven Hills, just like Rome) for marvellous views over the rest of Plovdiv. Old Town, Plovdiv (), Bulgaria. September 17, 2007.

Colourful buildings in Old Town, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. September 17th, 2007.

Colourful buildings in Old Town, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. September 17, 2007.

Signage in Old Town Plovdiv, Bulgaria. September 17th, 2007.

Signage in Old Town, Plovdiv, Bulgaria. September 17, 2007.

Plovdiv 2015

I don’t normally make rookie mistakes, but I made one earlier this morning here in Plovdiv, Bulgaria. I missed the bus north to Veliko Tarnovo by a whole hour having miscalculated the time difference between where I am right now & from where I came to get here (Tbilisi, Georgia, via Istanbul). The girl in the bus station understood my gaffe, smiling at the dumb foreigner in front of her as she sold me another ticket, this time for the afternoon departure north. So I ended up with a bit more time in Bulgaria’s second city than initially planned, enough time as it turned out to scoot around the city’s highlights & lazy away a few hours in the outdoor coffee shop I’m presently a patron of; I’m paying for the coffee but the Wi-Fi is rather good, too. And a good thing that I missed that bus because the weather today is so much better than it was when I arrived in the city yesterday afternoon, shortly after which I hit the pedestrainisted & cobbled streets with a camera in hand to get reacquainted with Plovdiv, almost 8 years after my previous & only other visit. Sometimes you do need two bites at the photography cherry.