Thursday, September 28 – A jam packed day started with my tabata workout in the hotel fitness center. After a nice breakfast and a short walk with Dan, it was time for our guided tour of Plovdiv.

We covered a ton of ground, starting with the remains of the Roman forum and then moving through the main pedestrian center to the see the stadium where chariot races were held and the Ottoman mosque.

Then we were into the Old City, complete with rough cobblestones streets just waiting to twist an ankle or two. Got to explore the Roman theater, then went through Hindliyan House, a Revival period house of a wealthy Armenian family before finishing up at the Ethnographic Museum. Wow, it was a lot!

We were then on our own, so we grabbed a quick lunch on a lovely terrace and visited a Zlatu Boyadjiev Gallery, a Bulgarian artist who originally painted with his right hand, then had a stroke and has to relearn to paint with his left hand–with a striking difference in tone and color between the two.

Dan headed back to the hotel for a rest, but I took the challenge of heading up the hill to the clock tower that overlooks the city before I headed back.

Stefan offered an optional late afternoon tour of the mosaics at the Bishops Basilica. These remains of a 4th Century AD church were discovered in the 80s when a city underpass was being constructed. Since 2014 work has been ongoing to restore and conserve these amazing remains, particularly the mosaics. Even on a busy day, it was well worth showing up for the bonus tour.

Afterwards we stopped by the hotel bar to relax with adrink and were joined by several of our tourmates. After cocktails, we all went out for an excellent dinner at a local restaurant. A gelato stop was the final touch to a busy, but fine day.

Fair Warning–too many photos, even with the use of collages, but we really covered a lot of ground!

23,626 steps, 10.4 miles