Jena and myself left our hotel early last Friday morning to catch the bus to Plovdiv, where my dear friend Genka was waiting to meet us. Some of the group from our hotel would later embark on their own tour of the city, but it was never going to be as exciting as ours!I have been to Plovdiv and seen its sights many times, and I have many photos here; but this was a first for Jena, and Genka very graciously took us on a tour of the main attractions. My friend Petar and Genka's brother Encho also joined us in the afternoon, after lunch at my favourite Plovdiv restaurant. We stopped at the hilltop of Alosha overlooking and providing a 360 degree view of Plovdiv; then onto the Olympic rowing canal. After lunch we took in the historical old town and amphitheatre, and more modern town centre. Then Genka drove us out of town to see the amazing Assem Fortress at Asenovgrad. This structure has been perched on a rocky hilltop overlooking a ravine since the 9th century, and the views are truly stunning. Jena and Genka, both photogenic, posed in front of it providing a mini modelling session!Once again, Both Jena and I used our 35mm and 50mm primes, and our Tokina 11-16mm F/2.8 (mine a Nikon mount and hers a Canon). I have treated many of my photos here with a Fuji Velvia 100 filter to add vibrancy. I will add Jena's photos on a separate post once they become available.We extend our heartfelt thanks to Genka, Petar and Encho for their wonderful kindness and friendship, and for providing us with an amazing day in a great city, undoubtedly the best day of our short trip to Bulgaria.
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The statue of a Russian Soldier at Alosha.
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Views of Plovdiv from Alosha.
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Myself, Genka and Jena at the base of the Russian statue.
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The Olympic Rowing Canal.
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The bridge across the rowing canal, halfway between its 2km length.
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Apparently, many couples 'lock their love' with padlocks along the bridge across the canal.
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Fish in the canal scramble for a morsel.
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The Roman Amphitheatre.
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Colourful old buildings in the old town.
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The Ethnographic Museum.
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More colourful buildings.
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Another stray cat in a churchyard.
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A view of Plovdiv from the peak of the Old Town.
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Jena poses next to a statue of Tzanko Lavrenov outside the Plovdiv Music and Dance Academy. (Just after I shot this, the wife of the man who built the academy greeted us in the street.)
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Inside the newly refurbished Plovdiv mosque. The mosque dates back to the Ottoman Empire.
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Main Street.
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Petar and Genka lead the way.
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The Assem Fortress at Asenovgrad, perched on a rocky cliff to the right of the picture.
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The Fortress close up. I had been here twice before, but this the first occasion on which we could go inside. It was amazing to touch something that had been around since the 9th century.
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Jena in front of the fortress.
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A view of the Asenovgrad Valley from the Assem Fortress.
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A view towards Plovdiv from the Fortress. You can see the river below us.
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Beautiful Genka poses on some precarious rocks next to the Fortress!
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KumarApr 1, 2012 03:16 AM
I went to Pienza immediately after returning from Sofia and did not see your wonderful photos till today. Some excellent shots !!
Thank you for sharing.
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