People are the pulse of the city. They are what turns piles of buildings and landmarks into a breathing organism. You can’t "get lost" in Plovdiv and you not come across all the smiling faces and positive people who are everywhere around us.
Today, our team starts a series where, in a few short questions and sentences, we’ll try to understand what is it in Plovdiv that enchants the foreigners and makes them turn it into their home.
We are grateful to our first guest, Graham Turnbull, who agreed to respond to our survey of all that impressed him in the city under the hills and why he believes that "Bulgaria is really one of Europe's greatest undiscovered gems"
Graham is from the UK and spends at least 10 days a month in the city under the hills. The reasons for coming in Bulgaria are – property investment and setting up a small support office for his UK hiking company.
According to him, Bulgaria is really one of the greatest undiscovered gems of Europe right up there with Romania and Moldova. Sadly everyone knows of Slovenia, Croatia, Czech, Poland etc, but not Bulgaria. He intends to work in tourism and he’s also setting up as a local tour operator. He’s now bought an 8 seat vehicle and will be setting up our own guest house in Saparevo Banya. He runs currently about 8 to 10 trips from the UK with overseas customers there per year but when they have a local tour operators license this will increase. They’ll have a great benefit from having their own guest house in ensuring quality and also helping to develop BG tourism in a small way.
And here are his short answers:
When friends visit Plovdiv for the first time we go to... - definitely Kapana, probably somewhere like Fargo, to the Old Town and the old ruins at the top of it, maybe to Alosha if the weather is good
When it’s party time I go to... - Usually a bar in Kapana – for food Pavaj, for wine and chatting the wine bar next door, for more serious partying Planet Club
The most underrated place in Plovdiv is...- Can’t think of one
One place in Plovdiv that always wows people is...- The Old Town
For a delicious food I usually go to... - Happy Bar – sad but easy and fast, fave currently is restaurant Old Plovdiv on pl. Kapana
The coolest place in town is...- For me – Fargo OR the superb new coffee shop Arsenal of Art
My least favorite thing in Plovdiv... - Pollution – smoke in winter
