Wednesday August the 4th
Total distance driven: 5243 Km
Today’s distance: 238 Km in 3:39h
Walked distance: 14 Km
Veliko Tarnovo, the old capital of Bulgaria. There is only one camping out of town and it’s five stars. Very nice, with a big swimming pool and completely in the nature. But it was almost empty. I counted 3x RVs and 2 tents including mine. Maybe because it was mid of the week but according to the manager also because of COVID.
In the early morning I was already on to go. I wanted to visit the fortress and avoid the heat.
Even for a motorcycle is impossible to park in this city, so I had to be creative and found a not reassuring street. The invisibility cloak did the rest.
Here are some impressions from the tour.
When I visit a site, it is practical to have the tent or room nearby and leave all my gear there. This is not always possible as in this case. So I’ve developed a system to change in the go while securing my equipment to the motorcycle. It involves me being in underwear for few seconds while switching trousers 🤣 It feels like being a superhero.
Dressed in my Batman suit, I leave Veliko Tarnovo to drive to Plovdiv, a town in the middle of Bulgaria.
Few hours later I reach Plovdiv and go out to discover it, the same way I discovered Bratislava. Just wandering direction old town. Another fascinating surprise!
A magical town with lots of street art and small cafes. A mixed smell of coffee, gelato and tree leaves in full summer with a blu sky. The song Mr. Johns was playing in a bar in the background: Listen to Mr Johnes on Spotify
Plovdiv is in fact based on the ancient Tracian and Roman town of Philippopolis.
An ancient theatre from 90 DC has been discovered just 50 years ago and restored in the 80s. Now is the cultural center of the Plovdiv.
Shall I get a gelato? When I’ve found Raffy I knew I was going to get one 😋
I enjoyed walking and getting lost in Plovdiv. Every corner reserved a new surprise. I followed an uphill street to the Nebet Tepe hill, where every evening the remains of the acropolis meet the sunset.
Along with Madara and the Shumen’s monument, Plovdiv is one of the highlights of Bulgaria.
