The summer heat wave cannot challenge the fascination of the City of Plovdiv. The scorching sun and the fresh greenery make this ancient city even more hospitable as the summer peaks. During this time of the year the days are long and packed with impressions.
For a fresh morning start you can have a stroll or some running around the Rowing Base of the city. The Plovdiv folk do love this canal, the biggest facility of its kind in the Balkans. In the recent years it has been hosting the European Rowing Championships. The explosion of green that surrounds the water areas is quite appealing for strolls, picnics and sports activities. A fresh start of the day can be provided by one of Plovdiv’s hills where many people go out for walking and running. The hills represent a prominent symbol of that eternal city, and they are depicted on its coat-of-arms. They make Plovdiv similar to Lisbon and Rome, both located in hilly country. The traditional names of the hills are Djendem Tepe, Bunardjik, Sahat Tepe, Nebet Tepe, Djambaz Tepe and Taksim Tepe. Nebet, Djambaz and Taksim form the so-called Three Hills that encircle the Old Town, Plovdiv’s pride, a great place to visit for an encounter with history, art and the authentic atmosphere of eternity.
Various epochs have left over the vestiges of their traditions showing along cobbled streets, on the facades of the colorful National Revival houses and even in the melody of an old street barrel organ. For many years Uncle Dancho was playing the instrument on the cobbled road up Hissar Kapia, the fortress wall of old time, one of Plovdiv’s well-known symbols.
Quite close to Hissar Kapia stands the Ethnographic Museum – a beautiful mansion with the status of a national monument of culture. Its Chief Curator Sonia Semerdjieva says more about what summer tourists like most here:
“We work hard to respond to the requirements for a present-day European museum. This is not simply a place where various objects of interest are arranged. We try various ways to make it a living space. The museum is also an educational institution. We also organize a diversity of events. Our partnership with the Union of Traditional Craftsmen is very active. Every year we launch a week of traditional crafts inviting craftsmen from across Bulgaria to demonstrate their skills in the museum’s yard. This event recreates the unmistakable atmosphere of the old-time Plovdiv open-air market. Tourists have the chance to see how ancient techniques are used. They can try some techniques, and of course, buy some souvenirs from craftsmen.”
Once you have drunk a smoky, thick coffee in one of the nice cafes in the Old Town of Plovdiv, you may go on with your tour to reach the Antique Theater. It is a great point that opens up a breathtaking vista to the city. And in case you join the audience of a night concert or theater show, and the skies are clear you will be able to enjoy art under a dome of million stars. Guide Tatiana Yordanova from the Ancient Plovdiv Municipal Institute says more about the program of the Ancient Theater:
“The Ancient Theater in Plovdiv is a very good example of the integration of the cultural heritage in the urban environment. The theater is acting and this is a rarity, because there are many theaters from the Classical Antiquity across the Mediterranean world, but only few of them operate. Cultural events here begin in the spring, go on for the whole summer until September when the Salon of Arts is held in Plovdiv. The annual Verdi festival held from 15 June to 5 July attracts the strongest interest.”
Once a concert or an opera show is over, Plovdiv offers a great choice of entertainment for the night. There are numerous restaurants featuring different culinary traditions tempting visitors to drop in their cool summer gardens. Couples in love like to go to the sumptuous singing fountains in the City Garden. Plovdiv’s crowded summer cool will make you love this ancient city and wish to come back to it again. And then, again, it will be as hospitable as possible.
Translated by Daniela Konstantinova
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