Day two of Plovdiv in October started with a taxi ride down to the post office. My guide book says ' a whole day can be spent in Plovdiv, they are having a laugh! Perusing the detailed map of the area supplied by the guest house made me realise that I was not going to be able to see it all no matter which area I concentrated on. Having purchased some picture postcards the day before I decided to start my day at the at the Main Post Office and work backwards. I had seen the building in the distance from the Roman Theatre the previous evening and was under the impression it was further away than it actually was hence the taxi. I was dropped off more or less where the photo was taken and, as you can see, already stumbled on the ruins of the ancient city.
The imposing Main Post Office with the plaza and Tsar Simeon Garden cover the area of the old 'Forum', Romans traded in this area of the old city and the ruins have been revealed with various developments around the city including the construction of the underpasses. These have shed light on buildings, road and drainage systems amongst other things. Long term projects are planned to bring more of this architecture to light. Zooming in on this photograph shows the area I am exploring and estimated size of the city.
I walked across the plaza taking in the old Princess Hotel, modern cultural centre and the imposing Post Office building not to mention the monuments. There have been so many conflicts in the area that it is difficult to discover what they all represent. The first line on the plaque of this one seems to read "Example fulfil its oath". I walked over to the Post Office passing a street 'art gallery' of local artists exhibiting many fine oil paintings for sale. The staff in the post office were very helpful and my cards were dispatched allowing me to carry on exploring this pedestrianised area.
I walked across the road after taking a 'shot' up the street showing 'Liberators Hill' and the 'Alyosha' monument. Mayoral elections are taking place all over Bulgaria at the end of October and I took in the local hustings and a look at a new excavation before brunch in a very pretty cafe on the corner. There are also some photographs of some unusual bill boards displaying submissions to the 'Architectural Forum 2015' which has just been held in Plovdiv. I exited the cafe at the opposite end which pointed me in the direction of the 'Tsar Simeon Garden' across the street.
It was a sunny day therefore a pleasant stroll around the garden was in order and lots of residents agreed with me. Walking past fountains and flowers I was entertained by a festival laid on by the local Red Cross in honour of the elderly residents of the area. Music and dance along with entertainment for the children and 'goody' bags for all. An exhibition of photographs depicted the older generation working on the land, looking after their families and generally depicting a life probably fast disappearing.
The garden is large and full of surprises. Green and shady spots, statues which tell their own story, a lake and fountains, puppeteers, children's' playgrounds, flora and fauna. I eventually emerged at what looked like a foot bridge but was in fact the other end of the pedestrian area. Bulgaria seems to have adopted the principal of burying the traffic! As I said earlier this has given rise to many discoveries of the old Roman occupation. I wandered back down towards the post office stopping for a coffee on the way.
Reaching the Main Post Office I backtracked quickly down to the Cultural Centre to find out if there were any performances during my stay. Sadly not. A look around the area revealed the police station and, hopefully, new construction to be encased within the old as I observed some demolition work being carried out across the street. The policeman allowed me to take a photograph of the cars outside the station. Many do not have 'Police' displaying the crylic script but the 'blue light' gives it away. A police Lada, relic of the communist era, still gives good service. My brother had one years ago.
Moving back up past the post office entering the long, pedestrian, 'Knyaz Alexander I'. This keeps up the tradition of the old 'Forum' with many fine shops, banks, cafes and hotels. The municipal building is also found on one of the squares along the route. It is of historical note as will be revealed when we get to the other end. Again, the modernisation of building along the way has opened up a wealth of buried architectural treasures revealing how rich a city the Romans had built.
Reaching the top of the street, overlooked by the Roman Theatre of the 'old town' there are two constructions of note. The first, and initially, most imposing nine domed 'Dzhumaya' Mosque and secondly, below ground level, the Roman Stadium. I explored the Roman Stadium first of all then emerged to visit the mosque, a unique and moving experience in itself. The interior is covered in a deep pile carpet, where, after removing footwear the devout kneel to pray. There are no chairs which gives the impression of a huge space. Walls are painted but otherwise unadorned in contrast to many Christian places of worship.
There is a long term project to create a museum under 'Knyaz Alexander I' as this has been revealed to be the site of the Roman Stadium, 240 metres long. Games such as discus and javelin throwing, races and other competitive sports would be held here in front of a crowd of some 30,000 spectators. At the bottom of the street across from the Main Post Office the 'Odeon' was situated where other performances took place. The Romans did not want for entertainment! The 3D cinema portrays the city and games and at 5 levi for a ticket is cheap at the price.
I returned to the 'Old Town' by this time a little footsore. Passing the Cathedral, in contrast to the mosque, where a wedding was about to take place I plodded down the cobbled back lane emerging back onto ul. Saborna next to the Pharmacy building. Ah refreshment in sight at the old 'Boris Palace' piano bar and restaurant with an interior steeped in history before returning to my guest house to rest my weary head.
I hope that you will take the time to follow the photographic trail. I have captioned and located all of the photographs so that the observer can see how great yet how compact the distances are...
View my 'Day at the Forum' photo album here
Tomorrow will be something completely different!
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