Last night we had dinner by the fountain near the start of the long pedestrian street in Plovdiv. After dinner, pork with a blueberry sauce, we each got an ice cream cone and with several hundred others we strolled the length of the pedestrian street. It's about 20 blocks long, twice as wide as a regular street and lined with shops on both sides. It was really fun to watch families spending time together just walking the street. There was a puppet show, a fiddler with a dog that sang with his music and a girl doing tricks with a glass globe. It looks like totally different lifestyle than in Calgary. Europeans don't seem to be legislated to the "nth" degree. Life seems a lot more relaxed.

Plovdiv has been inhabited longer than any city in Europe.

Tobacco used to be a huge export crop from Bulgaria.

Still see a ton of smokers Have not seen a vaper yet.

Gas is about $1.65 per litre.

Today our host drove us to the Assen fortess. Pretty amazing building perched high on a hill. Then there was a climb to a perch up above the fortress for some spectacular views looking down on the fortress and the valley. How they built such buildings 3 or 4 hundred (or longer) years ago is mystifying. Of course after seeing the pyramids there's no way I believe they were built with only manual labour. Are we alone in the universe? Of course not.

Then we went to Bachkovo Monastery along with everyone else in Bulgaria. There was a huge lineup to see, pray in front of and kiss an icon. This was found in the mountains years ago and is kept in the monastery. Every year on Sept 13 there is a pilgrimage and they take the icon for hike up in the mountains where it was found and then bring git back to the Monastery. I guess it prevents homesickness. Our host knew the back way in so we could at least see the icon.

Then we went to lunch. Mitko, our host, knew a restaurant in the small town. We let him order a traditional Bulgarianot meal. Lots of meat, pita bread, egg plant dip and a salad. Most of it was delicious and remarkedly cheap.

Back in the room now packing. Bus at 1300 to Sofia tomorrow. We are there 4 nights and then into Serbia. We have about 3 days unplanned so have to fill them somehow in Serbia

At a coffee break the other day we met a couple speaking English. She is from Ottawa and is a Brit. They live in Vietnam. Had a great long chat with them.

At the climb above the fortress today, a guy saw my Canadian pin so asked me if I was from Canada. You are not going to believe this, he was a UPS driver from, wait, here it comes........Chicago.

Had 2 new guests at the hotel last night, 2 girls. One from Paris one from Melbourne. They met years ago at a conference and get together every 5 years or so. Had a lot of laughs with them.

Enough

Going downtown for one more stroll

Talk more later from Sofia. We have seats near the front of the bus. Wish us luck

Hippies out