Plovdiv, Southern BULGARIA

After a mere 24 hours in Thessaloniki Greece, I got on the Balkan Express train to Sofia, the capital of Bulgaria. Oh...let me just mention that Thessaloniki is really worth seeing, even if you are just into ruins, olives, fetta cheeses...and beautiful people. The Greeks are indeed very hip!

The Balkan Express Train...now that was an experience! I booked the best available, which was a triple compartment. I ended up having the entire (little) space for myself. I know trains...I used to drive trains (Snr. Assistant Driver) during my holidays while I was studying in South Africa. So, I know trains...you see I truly love trains. The best part is walking on the outside stip of the locomotive checking the meter readings while traveling at a high speed! Now those days are over so I tend to stay inside the trains these days -- which I did on the Balkan Express. This express train (an electric which does not have the charm of the steamer or even my favourite -- the diesel) stopped at about 20 towns between our midnight departure from Thessaloniki and our 9:30am arrival in Sofia, Bulgaria. At the border we stopped on the Greece side for about 80 minutes and again on the Bulgarian side for about 50 minutes. Both times a rather rude immigration official barged into my little compartment and demanded my passport, took it and vanished into the night. Fortunately, I got it back with a brand new stamp in it...I guess worth the waiting :) The Bulgarian country side makes me think of the scenery in Yentl, Barbra Streisand's finest movie...and my all time favourite. While Yentl was filmed in the former Yugoslavia, the Balkan countries are all quite similar in scenery. The early morning fog was slowly crawling across the green valleys as we rolled towards Sofia. Along the way we stopped several times in tiny towns with tiny ancient but colourful station buildings. Station masters who alternate between the red and the green flags are mainly old men but surprizingly some young ladies (was I glad our train driver didn't get out to have a coffee with these women!).

Ok, so we arrived in Sofia and I decided to make the first change to my schedule and skip Sofia and head straight for the small historic town of Plovdiv towards the south east. I had no seat for the 3 hour trip as the old lady with the bright red hair bumped me off as her ticket indicated a reserved seat while mine was a "find a seat if you can". I stood in the corridor all the way listening to the 22 year old student about how hot the Bulgarian girls are and how much he can't wait to see his girlfriend. He was totally in shock when I told him about my travel schedule over the next six months and his mouth was hanging open as I fed him with details. At the end, he thought I was stupid for not going to Amsterdam as he has been fantasizing for years about legally smoking grass in a coffee shop.

Pleasant arrival in Plovdiv...quite a nice town. I jumped into a taxi and checked into my hotel in a beautiful historical building in the old town. Stolled thru the old stone paths in the afternoon and then walked along the canal and the main Saturday afternoon cruise strip (Alexandra St) where hundreds of young and older Bulgarians gathered to listen to the street musicians, eat ice cream, and to check out all the beautiful people. While I was thinking of staying here for 2 nights...the sea is calling. On this sunny Sunday morning I am off to Burgas in 2 hours (5 hour trip) and then by bus to the small seaside town of Sozopol along the Black Sea coast where I'll stay for 3 nights to explore the towns further south towards the Turkish border. I'm now off to the morning market in the old town for some CHEAP and GOOD local yogurt and cheeses and biltong (sun dried spiced beef!) and then to the train station.

Tata!