Everybody is defferent in some way. Well this is my way.
Everybody is defferent in some way. Well this is my way.
Member since:20.05.2004
Reviews:2
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Here I will try to present you the city of Plovdiv and to prove you that it is worth making a vacation there. The city of Plovdiv... One of the cities I will never forget wherever I am.
The History ~~~~~~~~~~~
The city was founded somewhere before 6000-8000 years ago. It has had many names throughout the centuries - Kendros, Eumolpia, Philippopolis, Pulpudeva, Trimontzium (coming from Tremonteum - meaning Three Hills), Pulden, Populdin, Ploudin, Filibe and nowadays bears the name Plovdiv, which officially appeared somewhere in the 15th century. As you see, Plovdiv is a city even older than Rome, which is called "The eternal city". At the beginning the city was situated on three hills and after it exapanded, it stretched over seven hills. These hills were called Taxim, Nebet, Dzhambaz, Sahat, Dzhendem, Bunardzhik and Markovo Tepe. Nowadays, the last one, composed only of rare granite, no longer exists as it has been turned into pavement-stones for the streets of the city. During the time of the Romans, Plovdiv, then called Trimontzium, became a polis and a great wall was raised around the city. In 447 the Huns torn down the city. In 6th century Plovdiv was reborn by the Slavs. In 815 Khan Kroum took over the fortress and thus made Plovdiv a part of the Bulgarian land. In a period of about 1500 years the city fell under foreign government a few times, but only for a year or two, after which the Bulgarians always fought back. Once the luck cheated on the Bulgarians and Plovdiv fell under Turkish yoke in 1365, just a few years before the whole country was taken over. Up to then Plovdiv was one of the biggest administrative and military centers on the Balkans. In 1878 the people, powered by a desire for freedom, freed from the yoke at a great sacrifice of life and the city began rising up once again. Many ancient statues were preserved from distruction during the yoke. On 9th September 1944 the communists began to rule the country. Because of this, many monuments were
build in honor of Russia. One of them is the biggest monument in the town, built to honour a russian soldier called Aliosha. It is situated on the top of a hill in the city. After Bulgaria became a democratic republic, the city opened for new ideas and renewing.
Nowadays ~~~~~~~~
Nowadays Plovdiv is the second biggest city in Bulgaria after the capitalSofia. It is situated on the both riversides of Maritza river. It has about 400 000 citizens. The city has preserved many traces from the past. Lots of monuments and museums can be seen. Many parks and places for a walk are available for the people. The Main Street, obviously in the center of the city, is one of the most beatiful places I have ever seen. It has big park called Central Park and lots of fountains, shops, discos, cafes and restaurants. Although the large number of people, I can say that Plovdiv is a quite calm city. You cannot feel the fuss and the noise of the big cities there. People are nice and warm. The traders are not pushing you some useless things in your hands. You can leasurely stroll and observe the city center and the Old Town (the old part of Plovdiv).
~~~Night Life~~~
WOW!!! The night life is really astonishing, especially on Friday and Sunday evenings. You can always find where to go. Many discos are open, cafes are working, younger people are having fun all night without brake. Open-air events and fests are often held. Operas, theaters, cinemas and many others are available foir the visitors of the town, seeking alternative entertainment. There are many good restaurants, offering typical bulgarian and foreign cuisine, in which you can have dinner at extremely low prices. The variety of meals will surprise you.
~~~During the day~~~
Well, I think you will have lots of interesting things to do. Probably you will spent most of the time of your visit in the Old City, because I believe that the typical ancient atmosphere is worth feeling. The Old City is a whole living museum, representing the cultural and historical development of the bulgarian nation. The typical old bulgarian houses, dating from the 18th century, are open for visitors. "The Etnographic Museum" is one of the spots in The Old Plovdiv, which every guest of the city should see. The magnificent ancient amphitheater, dating from the times of the Romans, is also a common tourist attraction. Nowadays a wide variety of plays, operas, musicals and concerts are being held. You can also climb each of the seven hills, called "tepeta", overlooking the whole city and enjoy what is called a breath-taking view. I advise you to do it when it is dark - it is even more astonishing. If you need a litte rest from the outstandind beauty around you, you could just have a delicious meal or a refreshing drink in restaurant "Puldin" - one of the most lovely restaurants in the city, which is, of course, a little bit more expensive than the others. In case you had enough of the sightseeing, you can go to the main street and attack the shops there :)). There are many of any kind. The International Fair of Plovdiv is the biggest one on the Balkans. It is the meeting place of many companies from Bulgaria and all over the world, which present their newest products and inventions to the market. The Fair houses lots of exhibitions throughout the year. Last year's biggest exhibition there attracted more than 2 million visitors. Furthermore, if you like rowing, you can go to the rowing canal, which is 2,5km long and 500m wide. Near the canal is the Zoo, which is not so big as you probably expect, but I believe it will be of interest to you.
~~~Language barrier~~~
It is true that our alphabet is cyrillic and our language is totally different from yours, but, believe me, most of the young people speak English on level that you can understand them. The elder people speak English too, but it is less likely to find such.
~~~Transport~~~
The transportion will not be a problem for you if you know which bus to catch. So it is easier for you to call a cab if you do not know the city well. You can also hire a car for aproximately 10p per day. It is up to you to decide what kind of transport to use. Just to warn you if you take a car... we drive on the right side ;) and watch out for the parking signs and speed limits, because your car will be taken away, if you park on a forbidden place. Inside the city you should travel at a speed of up to 50km/h, outside the city - 90km/h and on the highway - 120km/h.
~~~Weather~~~
The weather in Plovdiv is very hot in the Summer (between 30C and 40C) and cold in the winter :))) (between -15C to 0C). In the spring it is rainy just like in the Autumn. Furthermore, you can always check it on some of the forecast web sites before you leave.
~~~Prices~~~
Well now, I think this is one of the most interesting topics for you. Probably you know that in Bulgaria the prices are really low, and if you didn't know that up to now, now you know it :). Now I will tell you how much some things will cost you. For example the beer (Kamenitza and Zagorka are the best beers) 0.5l is 1 leva, which equals aproximately to 0.3p. A ticket in a city bus is 0.2p, an entry to a disco is 1p, double vodka is 0.4p, if you go for a dinner for four persons at an expensive restaurant, a full meal with wine and non-alcoholic drinks will cost you not more than 30p. The regular cigarettes "Victory" are about 0.6p, taxi would cost you about 0.15p per km, a night at a hotel will cost you about 10p per person. You can buy jeans for 10p. Clothes are really cheap here - about 2-3p for a nice T-shirt. If you require more information on prices you can always ask me.
~~~How to get there~~~
This one is very easy. When you get off the airplane and walk out of the Sofia airport, just catch a cab to take you to the bus station, from where you can take a bus to Plovdiv for about 3p per person. The busses are really good, comfortable and air-conditioned. There are busses running every round hour and during the rush hours they run every half hour. If you arrive at Bourgas Airport, you should do the same, but it will take you 3 additional hours to get to Plovdiv.
~~~Where to stay~~~
There are many hotels and if you just ask on the bus station or anyone on the street, they will readily tell you which is the closest one. In case you want to arrange your stay before your arrival, here is a list with the names of some of the hotels (the biggest ones) - "Hotel Sankt Peterburg", "Hotel Maritza", hotel "NOVOTEL"(*****) and hotel "Trimontium Princess". If you really want to stay in a smaller hotel, just write me an e-mail and I will try to help you with some additional information.
The Future ~~~~~~~~~~
I hope that in the near future you will find youself sitting by the Singing Fountain in Plovdiv (a big fountain, which is lightened during the night and plays music) eating an icecream or drinking your beer, or just having a cigarette relaxing from the long day.p.s. If you have any questions about the city, I would be glad to answer them. p.p.s. I am sorry but due to technical problems I wasn't able to upload the photos. If someone still want to see them to give me his/her e-mail and I will send them.
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Hi, I cannot agree with you better,just came back from Bulgaria and must say that Plodviv has been fascinating! I enjoyed reading your review! Take care Carla xx
groovybaby3002 12.06.2004 17:33
Wow, I really want to go out there! With those prices you can have a fab holiday by the sounds of it! Is there any major floors in Bulgaria, any sign of violence (moreso than here?)? Just asking for personal knowledge because I think this review, again, is good. Cheers, jodie xXx
robert_parnham 08.06.2004 18:00
Blimey; that was a detailed review. I have once comment though, try and break up some of the larger paraghaps into smaller ones; it makes it easier to read and people are more likley to finish reading it and rate. Rob
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Jun 3rd, 2004
(Jun 5th, 2004)
very helpful by (100%):
