Today I headed into the city as there were three things I wanted to see: Some Roman ruins, the Old Town and a huge statue. I dumped the bike on a pavement near the ‘Old Town’ and went to see the Amphitheatre, as there’s no immediate parking. The amphitheatre has been there since the First Century AD and unbelievably, they still use it for open air concerts. Its beautiful, and with a majestic view over the city, it must have been an impressive sight in Roman times. After that I had a wander around the old town and went to look in an old merchants house dating from the late 1700’s. It really was very ornate inside, and in its original years it must have been very impressive with the superb level of artistry in the carpentry. The restoration was equally impressive. How the other half lived in the 17 and 1800’s…
After that I walked into the city centre to look at what was left of the Roman Stadium and Forum. The Forum was built in 1AD, and the city has done a superb job of opening up the ruins and integrating them into the city centre, especially the ruins of old stadium as there’s even a coffee shop integrated into it. Amazing. After that I went to browse the shops, as I needed a new cable and some AAA batteries. I just happened to fall into a burger shop as there happened to be a burger, fries and a massive cold drink with my name on them… It was here that I met a Bulgarian woman who spoke excellent English. She was a doctor and lived nearby, and told me about some other Roman ruins. She took me to see the ruins, then afterwards she invited me to her home and offered me tea (in glasses) and some delicious pastries that she had made, which was the icing on the cake after such a superb day. Such a lovely woman. Bulgaria is sooooooo nice.
A little later I left the city centre I headed for a park where there was a statue I wanted to see. Built in Soviet times on top of a very large hillock overlooking the city, it was a monument to the Red Army. By the time I found it I just didn’t feel enthusiastic enough to climb this big hill to see it closer as the time was getting late and it was still quite hot. So, rather meekly I rode back to my campsite. When I got back to the village where I was staying, after visiting a supermarket by chance I did find a statue, which was an impressive monument to the anti fascists who died from the town during Bulgaria’s 20th century history.
Tomorrow… Maybe northern Bulgaria or even southern Romania. I’ll see how I feel in the morning. For two days now its been in the 40’s. Riding is strange when its this hot as you’d expect a cooling breeze, but its not: its like riding into a hairdryer on full heat. If you are thinking of coming to this part of the world in summer on your motorbike, to the Balkans, Greece or Turkey – don’t wear your black textiles or you’ll expire from the heat. Wear mesh jackets and trousers. Its the only way to survive.
