Coffee and Cigarettes

Last Updated: September 25, 2020

Bulgarians don’t do breakfast. I went into town and ordered a cappuccino (while eating muesli and yogurt from the market). I sat outside, writing in my journal and enjoying my coffee, while everyone else was smoking and drinking coffee. So very Coffee & Cigarettes. I’m wondering if Bulgaria has a higher smoking rate than other European countries.

We traveled to Plovdiv yesterday, and our hotel is right in the downtown, pedestrian-only area. Brilliant location. My plan was to walk up to the ruins on the hill to see the Roman Ampitheater, but the entrance shown on the map was locked and very deserted, so I walked all the way back in to the other entrance. Frustrating, and after walking around for a bit, I grabbed a gelato and headed for dinner. Typical Bulgarian food for dinner, I had grapeleaves and a salad, which consisted of… cabbage!

This afternoon we went to Aqualand waterpark in Plovdiv. Hilarious. I would highly recommend visiting a water park in Eastern Europe, good times. Oh, and oddly, there wasn’t a changing area, and only one bathroom. I guess the Bulgarians know to put their bathers on before arriving at the park! It was fun to get some sun. After five hours of laying out, inner tube slides, swimming, and watching a few Plovdiv residents get more than a little frisky (yes, it was a little shocking), we headed back into town to get ready for the overnight train to Istanbul – The Orient Express. Excited!