Goodness. Such anticipation before today! We were immediately congratulated by many Bulgarians as soon as we found out we were going to live in Plovdiv. I gather that's a good thing. In fact, we were told that it's "the Paris of Bulgaria." I wanted to know more, but from a local... so, on our car ride to Plodiv, my counterpart gave me a few more interesting facts about her home "town."
1. She said Plovdiv is said to be as old as the city of Troy. Around 8,000 years old. The first people to inhabit Plovdiv were Thracian.
2. It used to be called "Philipopolis." Greeks still call it that.
3. Turks, Romanians, Gypsies, Jews, and many other ethic groups live there, peacefully.
4. During the summer, they have something called "Vertis Nights," where they have many live musicians come and play at open-air restaurants. Can't wait!
5. They also have an International Fair every May and September. Woohoo!
6. They have a Folk Dance Festival for one week in June. In the evening, during this week, the dancers pass through the streets, dancing, and then end up at the theater in "Old Plovdiv" (the center).
7. Plovdiv used to be a city of 7 hills, but now there are only 6, since they used one to make asphalt. Nebet Tepe' was the first hill residents settled on.
8. Plovdiv is the 2nd-largest city in Bulgaria, population-wise. 500,000 people.
I think this sounds right up our alley...
Btw, Miglena gives her greetings to you all!
Thanks, Miglena! Looking forward to teaching with you for the next 2 years!
0 comments:
Post a Comment