This history creates a warm spot in my heart for Bulgarians -- a tendency that expands when I see Sofia's book market. Outdoor stalls stretch for many blocks. I'm briefly tempted by the campy appeal of the Bulgarian edition of President Clinton's recent bio, but settle for a few used copies of F. Scott Fitzgerald. Each book on display is carefully wrapped in plastic to protect it from the elements. Any city that can support such a huge market for books is okay by me.
The Black Sea, which stretches along Bulgaria's eastern coast from Romania to Turkey, has become extremely popular with European tourists. Graceful villages of historic note line sandy beaches in some areas. In other areas, modern resorts have been erected.
With its sand cliffs and white-and-brown homes, Melnik is one of Bulgaria's "museum towns," noted for their historical and cultural significance.
(Embassy Of Bulgaria)
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However, the Black Sea is at the opposite end of the country from Sofia's international airport. Although Bulgaria is only slightly larger than Tennessee, there is no straight shot across the country. With only four nights to spend, I decide to vary the landscape as much as possible and plot out a small triangle: east to Plovdiv, Bulgaria's second-largest city, south through the mountains and wine country, then back to the capital.
A modern highway with signs in Latin and Cyrillic lettering runs the 97 miles between the two cities. The outskirts of Plovdiv promise little, but a magnificent old town lies within its limits.
The ancient Thracians settled Plovdiv as early as the 5th century B.C. The Romans arrived in the first century and during their reign built, among other things, a magnificent 6,000-seat amphitheater that has been restored to pristine condition and is still used for concerts in spring, summer and fall.
There is no need to struggle with a map in Plovdiv. The old town is about a square mile or so, and I find that by wandering aimlessly, I naturally come upon all the major sites, including the remarkable Roman amphitheater, and other much more ruined ruins from Roman and Thracian times.
Steep cobblestone streets lead past old churches, a mosque built in the 15th century during the era Bulgarians call "the Ottoman yoke" and distinctive wooden mansions that are classic examples of the Ottoman konak -- basically the style of homes owned by wealthy Turks. The most striking of the many buildings: the Ethnographic Museum, a konak with graceful columns and porticos, painted a deep blue and elaborately decorated with designs of white and yellow flowers and leaves. Inside: everything you could want to know about making cheese and wine, and exhibits of furniture, jewelry, pottery, costumes and musical instruments.
Despite the cold on this March day, street musicians are playing for coins. Some are elderly -- a sign of the hardships that have befallen pensioners in a new economic order.
Anyone who has bemoaned the decline in accordion playing in the United States should be of good cheer. The art is alive and well in Bulgaria.
Alphabetical Disorder
I work out a routine to find my way along the winding, potholed roads between Plovdiv and the south, where the names on my map bear no resemblance to the Cyrillic versions on road signs.
At each crossroads, I point to the word "Plovdiv" as rendered in my alphabet and say "English," then point to Plovdiv in Cyrillic script and say "Bulgarian." Then I show them the name of the next town I wish to reach as it appears on my Latin alphabet map, say "English," and then look at them and say "Bulgarian?"
When the mental light bulb clicks, they smile broadly and write the name of the next town in a version I will recognize when I see it on a sign at the next crossroads. By this means, I make my way through mountains and valleys of extraordinary beauty, past vineyards, along streams, rivers and lakes swollen with melting snow.
The drive from Plovdiv to Bansko is less than 100 miles, but it takes me more than four hours -- without the falling snow, I could probably have cut that in half. I have just enough daylight left in Bansko before turning in to conclude that it is an exceptionally pleasant resort town filled with vacationing Bulgarians. The mountains around the town have great ski facilities and must make for awesome hiking in good weather.
The next morning, as I drive mountain passes farther south to the Damianitza Winery, there are times that I can see all the way to Macedonia and Greece.
