Plovdiv

I'm enjoying 3 pork steaks, classic Bulgarian salad and sparkling wine in an outdoor garden restaurant, central Plovdiv. in fact I thought I ordered a glass -3e- but they delivered a bottle. I cant get over how cheap everything is here. the spoiled westerner blogs.

I arrived yesterday evening by train. the city is a bit smaller than Helsinki but more dense so looking from a hill it seems quite big, with some skyscraperish buildings etc. in the evening it's more like Heinola though. not very busy, a bar here or there, one or two fast food places open to serve pizza and döner. cafes are plenty, but restaurants not so. just like in sofia, it's actually hard to find a restaurant. ive seen about 4 or 5 here so far, but partly thanks to a map and instructions.

the atmosphere is lovely though. everything is quite near, the old town with roman stadiums and mosques is impressive and it's just all in all cute. it's one of the oldest cities in Europe, and as they are digging up a fully preserved coliseum under the main street, it feels very old too.

I had a friendly local guy show me around last night so I got a good general idea of the place and he introduced me to the nicest spots. people in Plovdiv restaurants and shops are a bit rude just like is sofia. I gather that must be a soviet thing. many men look very macho and women wear heels and not much else, maybe gold and frilly things. again I get a soviet feel.

but food in Bulgaria is good, and I enjoy the western dishes, free open wifis and relaxed atmosphere. also people i personally met were wonderful. I definitely made the right choice by coming. tonight I'll hop on a train and make my way back home.