Somusing

Here are a few assorted things I've seen here in Plovdiv, Bulgaria, during the past week. A house in suboptimal state of repair: Another Islamic mosque a little off the beaten path (compared to the one in the middle of the main pedestrian zone): On Monday Jacob, Phin, and I went running with two of the LDS missionaries here, Elder Mock and Elder Killpack. It was their preparation day. Elder Killpack is from Idaho Falls like I am! We ran to Mladezhki Halm, the highest of Plovdiv's hills: On the way down we saw this part of the road, which looks pretty clearly to be where one or several cars had plowed through the short wall and off the cliff, skidding and tearing up the cobblestone on the way out: Today Erin and I walked up Bunardzhika, the hill with the Russian soldier statue Aliosha on it: In one spot there were 3 different types and sizes of cobblestones. I like stone roads and paths. On foot, at least. There are some water collection and/or treatmen...

It turns out that our house is at the foot of one of Plovdiv's three main hills, Nebet Tepe. From our front door, we walk less then ten minutes up stone paths and stairs ... ... to this: It's hard to find information on the ruins there, but from what I've read, it's a mix of Thracian, Roman, and Turkish fortifications, the most recent of which is from the 14th century. It's a big open area on top of the hill and the kids had a great time climbing all over the walls and down into the various broken-down towers and even one short tunnel/archway that leads to the outside of the hill and more paths. It's awesome to be able to walk out the door and see such antiquity, and I'm kind of glad it's not all carefully restored and fenced off and restricted. I'm going there right now!

Here's a short video about Plovdiv and the surrounding area. It's in Bulgarian but has English subtitles. Everything it shows in the city of Plovdiv is 5 to 10 minutes' walk from our house! Plovdiv @ Via Diagonalis - MOVIE - EN from plovdiv2019 on Vimeo .

Yesterday we all went for a walk into town and had a good time. Some more graffiti for uncle Howard Gribble: The Plovdiv Spiritual Seminary of Saints Cyril & Methodius (Пловдивска духовна семинария св. св. Кирил и Методий): We were drawn by the distant sound of excellent Bulgarian folk singing into a political rally of the ГЕРБ party. During speeches there were frequent calls for оставка, which our handy mobile phone dictionary said means “resignation” — they were calling for the whole Bulgarian government to resign and apparently want new elections. Then Erin and the girls walked home while Jacob, Phin, Seth, and I walked up the hill called Бунарджика (Bunardzhika), which has some interesting ruins on the side on the way up. It looks like maybe a 20th-century reconstruction of an aquaduct: And a church I don't know anything about: And some flowering prickly pear: Near the top is a monument to Russian Emperor Alexander II, commemorating his role in Bu...

The other day I visited the 5 main cemeteries of Plovdiv which are all clustered together. They're in this neighborhood: Coming from the east, the first one is the Catholic cemetery (Католически гробищта): This building says: „Вечен мир дай им, Господи!“ Google Translate renders that as: “Give them eternal peace, O Lord!” Here are some interesting gravestones. Note the second one in French with the depressing poem. Next is the Armenian cemetery (Арменски гробищта in Bulgarian, and I'll skip trying to transcribe the Armenian version): Next the Общинско предприятие “Траурна Дейност” which Google Translate funnily renders as Municipal enterprise “Funeral Activity”: In one corner of that same cemetery is the Jewish cemetery (which they call the Hebrew cemetery): Then in a completely closed-off corner is the Turkish cemetery which appears to have closed in 1982, but is visible through a gate and a segment of the concrete wall that has fallen over: L...