Plovdiv, a city of good wine, music and historical battles.

Plovdiv can lay claim to being one of the oldest cities in Europe, even older than Rome, Athens, and Istanbul (Constantinople). The first traces of civilization date back to the Mycenaean period.

I was posed the question by a friend far far away, "Do Gypsies still exist in Bulgaria?", Here's your answer. Yes, Gypsies still exist, and are these days employed by the municipality – not directly I suspect but most likely by a contractor of the government. On the one hand it was good to see that this group, which lives on the outside of society, is in Plovdiv working within it, but at the same time what other job could they really do?


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gypsies

Under Ottoman rule, Plovdiv was a center of the Bulgarian national movement in Eastern Rumelia. While the city was liberated from the Ottomans during the Battle of Plovdiv in 1878, it was not originally part of the newly established Principality of Bulgaria. Instead it was the capital of the semi-independent Region of Eastern Rumelia, until that area finally joined Bulgaria in 1885 after the Unification of Bulgaria. Plovdiv is the original capital on Bulgaria.

Today the city is rich in music, arts and culture. Take a walk through the old city and as you pass the Academy for Arts and Music, you can hear a violin singing softly. The notes seep out of the classroom and down into the old cobbled streets.

A man winds his music box for pennies in the Old City.



Under communist rule since the end of World War II, Plovdiv was the center of that country's democracy movement, which finally overthrew the pro-Soviet regime in 1989. Many battles were waged in Bulgaria, which is why the people say these days there is peace – "a tired nation", a man who works at the Ministry of Agriculture said. The great Turkish-Russian War was fought at Plovdiv.

Murals are commonly found in and around the city...



As are street buskers...



The windy streets of downtown are home to cute cafes, boutique clothing stores, mosques and churches alike. A church bell rings followed by the Namaz, evidence of the peacful existence between both Muslims and Christians.


Well worth a visit...