Central Bulgaria, Plovdiv, an old Roman city, & one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities of Europe.

It is quite a place.  I have never been in a place with such ankle-breaking cobblestones !
Huge granite small boulders - it was fun watching a dolly-bird on the toes of her high-healed stilettos...

One man was a key player in the city's restoration.
His name was Atanas Krastev,
    also known as Nacho Kulturata...  !!

We visited his house, full of paintings by other folks, of the man himself !

The architecture was from 100 years ago - in wood : as at right !

Sandra liked the nails in the doors to his compound, large ones, driven through to prevent it being hacked open !

They were very security conscious in those days !


Philip of Macedon (Alexander the Great's father) was one of the founders.

But the Romans followed about 300 years later.
We saw a Roman Wedding and then a re-enacted Gladiator fight.  The one that was wounded & so had 'lost' (but he was not dead) - was despatched by the man in black with his mallet !  Life was cheap !  

Decorated Houses..              City walls & Gates....                   Cobbled places...

Later Ottoman influences are still strong -

even the chimneys suggest it, too !


But it is very arty, as Sandra found.


Tomorrow we take our second train to beside the Black Sea, & hope to see some birds...

      
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